A Study in to the Way War Affects the Soldiers Fighting in Them in Terms of Mental and Physical Health with Reference to Pat Barkers “Regeneration”, Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Penguins Anthology “
A study in to the way war affects the soldiers fighting in them in terms of mental and physical health with reference to Pat Barkers “Regeneration”, Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Penguins anthology “Poems of the Great War 1914-1918.
The First World War lasted between 1914 and 1918 and saw the death of nearly twenty million people (including civilians) and the casualties were even higher. Many were left wounded for life as they lost their limbs, sight or mind and they would never recover. Some soldiers couldn’t cope with life out of the trenches and were later confined to mental wards where some, if not, most committed suicide due to the horrors they had seen and committed. Pat Barkers “Regeneration” focuses on life for the soldiers during the war who were committed to Craiglockhart War Hospital in 1917. It features the poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon who were both admitted for shell shock and were under the care of the novels protagonist (and army psychiatrist) William Rivers. In this study I will be looking at the poetic works of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen along from an anthology of Poems of the Great War. I will also be looking at Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” as it features the German perspective as typically we would only think of our own countries point of view so it would be a great contrast to see the war from a different perspective style.
I personally believe that the main theme of Pat Barker’s “Regeneration” is Madness as it is set in Craiglockhart War Hospital where the soldiers are being treated for mental illnesses caused by the horrors they have experienced on the front line. Siegfried Sassoon was admitted to Craiglockhart as he was expressing the ideas that war was a waste and continuing unnecessarily and the officers didn’t want the soldiers to think this about the war so they sent him to the hospital to be treated for shell shock even though he wasn’t showing any of the main symptoms. He did
The First World War lasted between 1914 and 1918 and saw the death of nearly twenty million people (including civilians) and the casualties were even higher. Many were left wounded for life as they lost their limbs, sight or mind and they would never recover. Some soldiers couldn’t cope with life out of the trenches and were later confined to mental wards where some, if not, most committed suicide due to the horrors they had seen and committed. Pat Barkers “Regeneration” focuses on life for the soldiers during the war who were committed to Craiglockhart War Hospital in 1917. It features the poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon who were both admitted for shell shock and were under the care of the novels protagonist (and army psychiatrist) William Rivers. In this study I will be looking at the poetic works of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen along from an anthology of Poems of the Great War. I will also be looking at Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” as it features the German perspective as typically we would only think of our own countries point of view so it would be a great contrast to see the war from a different perspective style.
I personally believe that the main theme of Pat Barker’s “Regeneration” is Madness as it is set in Craiglockhart War Hospital where the soldiers are being treated for mental illnesses caused by the horrors they have experienced on the front line. Siegfried Sassoon was admitted to Craiglockhart as he was expressing the ideas that war was a waste and continuing unnecessarily and the officers didn’t want the soldiers to think this about the war so they sent him to the hospital to be treated for shell shock even though he wasn’t showing any of the main symptoms. He did
Bibliography: Sparknotes Oucs Regeneration – Pat Barker All Quiet on the Western front – Remarque Penguin anthology of poems of the Great War Word count - 2715 -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. “The Devil and the Good Lord” by Jean Paul Sartre 1951 [ 2 ]. Unknown critic from http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk date accessed 13/02/13