War Writing

The second Year 9 module is based around RC Sherriff’s play Journey’s End. Not only is this an excellent introduction to structure and language later 20th century drama such as JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, it’s an excellent narrative in its own right. Students are gripped as tension builds throughout the play and are often aghast at Osbourne’s untimely death in the trenches.

Alongside this, students will also be exposed a range of First World War poetry, especially the poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, as well as extracts from novels including Sebastien Faulk’s Birdsong, Pat Barker’s Regeneration, and Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. As well as all this there are various pieces of non-fiction.

It would be a huge opportunity missed not to spend some time looking at Richard Curtis and Ben Elton’s Blackadder Goes Forth, particularly the clear parallels between Mason and Baldrick. Finally, students will experience the now practically gotten one act play Mine Eyes Have Seen by African American writer Alice Dunbar-Nelson.

Teacher Guide