Conflict in Context: Journey's End

Click here to briefly explore the historical context of 'Journey's End'. You will find images, texts and audio to help you place the events of the play within history. The Path should act as a starting point for your understanding but you should employ independent research to enhance your study of the play further.

Where you have been asked to leave a written response to a task on the Path please leave your response as a comment to the relevant post below.



Note:Photograph held here at the First World War Poetry Digital Archive.

Pathway Task - Slide 4

Imagine you are Raleigh and create piece of writing reflecting your first impression of the conditions. Refer to each of your senses.

Note: Photograph held here at the First World War Poetry Digital Archive.

Pathway Task - Slides 8 & 9

Note down your initial impressions of Isaac Rosenberg's 'From France' and any subsequent thoughts you had upon seeing the original version of the text.

Note: Photograph held here at the First World War Poetry Digital Archive.

Pathway Task - Slide 10

Imagine you are in the trenches with Rosenberg. If you were in such a dangerous place who would you write to? What would you want to say? Would you waste time with trivial information or would you make every word count?

Write a short letter from this perspective.

Creative Writing 1: 'The German Ward'

Read Vera Brittain's 'The German Ward'.

This poem effectively reminds us that we need to look back through history with perspective. There are times in the study of English literature about the Great War when it is easy to focus too much attention on one section of society - often the male, Allied troops. We must also remember that there were soldiers fighting against the Allied forces, and women also had important roles to play, both at home and abroad.

Vera Brittain(pictured left) worked as a nurse during the War on several British and foreign postings and saw the effects of conflict on both the Allied and German troops and it is this experience that influenced her writing of 'The German Ward'. You can find more about her life and work in the Vera Brittain Collection at the First World War Poetry Digital Archive

Task: Write a short piece as if you were a German patient under the care of Vera and other members of the British nursing staff. Think about how you would feel in this situation? Would you be scared, pleased or resentful? Leave your response as a comment below.


Note: Photograph held here at the First World War Poetry Digital Archive.