Raleigh Flashcards
role?
-a young officer fresh put of school. went to the same school as stanhope, only a few years younger
-the brother of Stanhope’s gf, therefore the conflict but also bridge to Stanhope’s past and humanity (life out of war)
-his idolisim to stanhope as a valarous and perfect captain also portrays how soldiers are looked up to as perfect matyrs, but also how war fouls all relationships
-he creates dramatic irony through his youth, naivety and overly hopeful and positive attitude to the war also portraying the futile cycle of war
-his ignorance is equal to the audience’s and as play progresses he begins to realise the cost of war, as do we. HE is the cost of war.
futility, youth, naivety
he is the embodiment of the futility of war, his eager attitude bringing in many questions of heroism, valour and the cost of war and its strain on life. makes him likeable but also foreshadows and makes his tragic ending so much more painful.is is young and his enthusiasm prove Osborne’s theory ‘ a youngster straight from school’ is ‘the kind who do best’ have youth and energy - are not worn out from the horrors of the battlefield-makes us wonder about the never ending cycle of innocence and destruction that war has no pity on despite age
afutility youth naivety quotes
-‘a boyish voice replies…’ (pg 16) on replying to ‘a gruff voice’. boyish suggests his youth and contrasts with gruff, implying his naivety but also gruff means sort of damaged, n, so also foreshadows the toll war will take on this boy
-‘(hastily)Oh, yes-er-er just a small one, sir’ (pg 16). the repetition of er and adverb hastily in stage directions portrays his nervousness and anxiousness thus his lack of experience in drinking whisky contrasting with the big stanhope we’ve just heard of being a massive alcoholic, and creating the impression he was stanhope before war but also makes him more young. a small one (whisky) is a metaphor for war and a symbol of adulthood that these boys really aren’t men and shouldn’t serve-also portraying how young men were naive to war and its horrors
-it makes me feel like we’re-we’re all just waiting for something’ (pg 21), repetition once again creates the impression of youth and inexperience but also creates the repletion of waiting and makes us feel the angst of it., but we are Raleigh, so he is also telling us the point of the story link to greek tragedy
-‘I say- it’s most frightfully exciting!’ (pg 64) his happy demeanour contrasts with the tense one of Osborne through an exclamation marks creating a contrast between old and young In that his naivety is highlighted and futility through ages is created. also frightfully connotes fear, juxtaposes with exciting, demonstrating how Raleigh is actively still blind to what is around him, and it builds tension to when he will discover the horrors of war and become like stanhope and Osborne. also emphasises propaganda of Kitchener and romanticism of war.
-‘and stands in the candlelight’ (pg 16) light is a metaphor for his new positive outlook for war, but it also represents the young boys war has no mercy on and are a victim of propaganda as shown on last page:
-‘the solitary candle burns with a steady flame, and Raleigh lies in the shadows’ (pg 95) as it can also be stanhope, it also represents how young boys are used in war, and disposed practically left in the shadows to be forgotten, and the steady flame indicates this cycle continues and new Raleighs come. solitary representing how he is alone and dead as the trench falls down, however started full of life
Note how the word “boy” is repeated in the stage directions as Raleigh is dying, and how the simile “like a child” is used to describe how the Sergeant Major carries him.
comradeship and companionship
relationships in present and past demonstrate the effect of war and not only its toll on relationships (some lost and some gained) but the new ones it can create such as demonstrated through Raleigh despite ages and classes.
comradeship and companionship quotes
-‘Hullo, Stanhope!’ and ‘I was told to report to your company, Stanhope’ (pg 23) his eagerness to see his friend is portrayed with the exclamation mark which then contrasts with Stanhope’s full stop and short sentences on, ‘Oh. I see. Rather a coincidence’
the length and punctuation creates and portrays the deep, long and positive relationship with is now being torn by war.
-Stanhope is coming slowly down the steps. Raleigh rises’ (pg 42) not only showing the separation in their relationship as in he doesn’t want to be in the same room, but verb ‘rises’ connotes positivity of Raleigh which now doesn’t match with the new stanhope ‘down’ also showing the different paths in life they have now got, and also out of sync…not good friends anymore
-‘Raleigh stares wide-eyed at Stanhope (…)then almost in a whisper he says: ‘Right’ ‘.(48). wide eyed is a metaphor for him learning the truth about their new relationship, his innocence portrayed but gone as now he can ‘see more’. also saying right in a whisper whilst right shows he has accepted their new relationship, and in a whisper represents how it has turned small and dissolved.
-‘The whole thing’ll be over quite quickly?’ (pg 69) seems rather silly talking about war BUT also though it seems like a statement, question shows he is still young and needs affirmation…sign of his new almost fatherly relationship with Osborne
-‘I wish we’d known each other then. You could have come with Dennis and me’ (pg 71). Use of Dennis, despite outburst few pages ago show their living in past of home and that though war ruins relationships, he is still refusing to give up on his friend-human love overpowers war in that way.
-‘You must come and stay with us one day’ (pg 71) use of pronoun emphaises and personalises relationship formed in war contrast with earlier upon meeting when he says ‘sir’. shows how war forgets age, even though he was a schoolmaster, and all that matters is human interaction. however one day makes it vague and as if it won’t really happen and that relationships also end because of war.
-‘half raises his hand, then lets it drop to his side’ (pg 23)< dropping act represents war causing the ‘dropping’ of relationship it is falling and won’t be the same now- his half raising shows the difference in levels now\
-‘Raleigh speaks in a low, halting voice): I’m awfully sorry, Dennis’ (pg 85) refusal to still call him Dennis shows his hope naivety but of love persevering. adjective halting creates him as nervous and unsure, but also portrays their new, broken relationship.
WAR’s truth unveiled, maturity,(CHARACTER’S change)
-through Raleigh’s change and growth in the play, slowly the truth of war is unveiled: men are traumatised and changed by war and we actively watch this through Raleigh’s innocent start as a reflection of sheriff’s own personal experiences in war. it is romanticism piece showing the horrid truth and dismissing the romanticism propaganda of it–>point of whole thing. war isn’t some propoganda piece, it is not a game as he thinks, its life or death which he unfortunately learns
WAR’s truth unveiled, maturity, change quotes (could link to futility)
-‘and why the sea is boiling hot-
Alice in the wonderland by lewis Caroll is a book about nonsense and nothing really making sense, so he suggests the same with war. through Raleigh saying this it shows he iss beginning top ee the truth. sea represents vastness never-ending of war ad hot is burning dangers, but as a question it shows there is no real answer to it for anyone.
-How can I sit down and eat that-when(his voice is nearly breaking)-when Osborne’s-lying-out there’ (pg 85). the dashes create a broken rhythm in speech, as now he is no longer the innocent boy and now he is still hesitant with dashes like before but now for a different reason–>no longer nervousness, now change because war has broken him. voice breaking connotes like puberty, as if now he is growing and learning the truth about war, no longer really a boy.
