Osborne Flashcards
role
-he is a father figure, and the voice of all men. through him we see the solider as more than just soldiers, but rather sons, husbands, practically children, we see him and the others as more human
-his close relationship with stanhope as his second in command brings into the question of love, familiarity and relationships in war and out portraying the wider effect of war everywhere but all further humanises them and asks the cost of war
-his death is tragic as we liked him, but as his lack of body shows, he is just one of the many soldiers out there, there are many respectable men like Osborne who die due to war’s futility
comradeship and companionship
-he is very close with all the members of the troop and is an ‘uncle role to them. this brings in familial tone and a warmer effect to the war
-it also helps them cope with the horrors of warr, as the being together gives war meaning to be optimistic and how humans are the reason we fight and stay in war
-his relationship with stanhope is very close as their mutual respect for each other makes us respect them and love is shown continuously and shows how audience may see them as heroes e.g but they see each other as support systems just as in real world. they need and decent on each other to survive mentally and physically. also makes his death more devastating to such how war is really like
comradeship and companionship quotes
-‘You don’t know him as I do; I love that fellow’ (pg 14) his respect for him not only builds a background for the Stanhope that we are about to meet, and makes him. better profile contrasting with the one hardy made to symbolise how people make each other better in the trenches. also the ‘that fellow’ distances him, in the absence of a name juxtaposing with love suggesting that he loves him even though he’s not perfect, but it also used as a mate, endearment even though they are different ages.
-‘I’m glad it’s you and I-together Raleigh’ (pg 73), the use of pronouns personalise their relatonship despite it only being a few days, and emphasis how in tough situations humans can quickly come together (the pros). Also together contrasts with the dash which seems to distance them emphasising despite their circumstances, humans have an ability to form relationships.
-‘You’ll find the other officers call me ‘Uncle’ (pg 17). uncle connotates a family. find verb not purpose-but soilders form relationships and family in the trenches. he doesn’t specifically tell him to call him uncle, trough the verb ‘find’ but rather hints he is allowed to, thus instantly making him feel warm and welcome as shown as Raleigh ‘smiles’ on hearing this. this emphasises Osborne’s role as a listener. ‘find’ also indicates that in war they are looking for something ‘winning’ but really the only way to survive is through others.
-‘fumbles the blankets around Stanhope’ (pg 35) blankets connate as if he is trying to protect him from the world, cover him up. it also remind of a father tucking his son in. he verb fumbles indicates a clumsiness which juxtaposes with this cute scene, indicating/foreshadowing stanhope won’t always be protected (HIS coping mechanism Osborne)
-simlarily, ‘Osborne stands watching for a while, then blows out the candle by Stanhope’s bed’ (pg 34) a candle is a symbol of light and hope, and in his presence it still burns, but as he leaves it is ‘blown out’ as a metaphor for how light and hope in stanhope will be gone as he will be destroyed (as the trench are too)
-ysically as hard as nails” suggests reliability and resilience, which immediately tells us that he holds the group together
FUTILITY, waiting etc
we don’t see much of the great reactions from Osborne as we do the others as he is a calming force and sincere, however this does create futility as his calm demeanour adds to the waiting eg creates a pointlessness to war. he brings peace and tranquility to the trenches which Is why he is so loved, but it doesn’t hide the fact that what good does it do when there are bombs behind you
futility quotes
‘“We are, generally, just waiting for something. When anything happens, it happens quickly. Then we just start waiting again.” (pg 21) time creates imagery showing that their fates are being dictated by time which seems just stupid. repetition of waiting makes the world obsolete, silly too.
-‘and welcomes little fishes in .(new line) With gently smiling jaws!’ (pg 63) the juxtaposition of gently, smiling and jaws represent the propaganda of war and what it really is. the little fishes are a metaphor for soldiers and though welcome seems pleasing, it shows that its not. Osborne reading this after finding out about the raid does nothing-its futile- but represents that he’s accepted his fate. it also comforting as also Alice adventure’s in a wonderland, though a kids book as trotter says portrays a certain innocence before death and so is his fear he tries to hide and is also a book about nonsense and is illogical and famous for its absurdity indicating war is the same.
-‘and our fellows stood up and carried the man back and the German officer fired some lights for them to see by’(pg 42) monosyllabic syllables repeated such as man create sorrow in his voice. and the shortness of peace creating futility. also fire verb contrasts with lights, which seem a good thing, juxtaposing and making audience compare the two and see how war corrupts all. use of nouns like ‘our fellows; contrast with the German soldier isolated despite him helping them
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home life contrast and similarities
Osborne is a family man and his life at home as a schoolmaster, rugby player all contras hugely to his life as a soilder, portraying not only the standards the men had to live in and what they had to give up but also emphasises how they’ve changed
home life quotes (link to futility) and coping
-‘By jove, it’s a beauty’ (pg 39) when trotter shows him his greenhouse. of course its just an exclamation but ‘jove’ is also another word for Jupiter and comparing a garden, something we take for granted, to something out of tis world shows the circumstances of life their in-not even living.
-‘I never knew the sun could rise in so many ways till I came out here’ (pg 46) ‘Green, and pink, and red, and blue, and grey’ the use of a polysynedton slows down everything he is seeing to create importance to each word, demonstrating how nature may be a coping mechanism. looking at little things such as colours may seem stupid, but draw a link to nature, something always there, like war
‘a man’s legs appear in the moonlight trench’ (pg 9)since the word ‘moonlit’ brings forward ideas of beauty and romance, osborne is automatically associated with these two things ➙ fits in with his love of escapism and viewing things in a romantic light
(Act 1: “Think of it all as—as romantic. It helps.”)
