Characters of Journeys End by R.C. Sherriff and Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks Essay Example for Free

Characters of Journeys End by R.C. Sherriff and Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks Essay The First World War is known to be one of the worst, if not the worst war in military history. The strategies used were often ineffective and repetitive, meaning a lack of movement and years of stalemate on the western front. Soldiers had to live in conditions which were squalid and foul, they had to deal with diseases such as trench foot and millions of rats and lice infestations. These general images of soldiers living in these fetid conditions has become widely known and linked with the huge suffering caused by the First World War. The use of literature can enable us to gain a picture of what trench warfare was really like. Journeys End a play written by R.C. Sherriff in 1928 based on his own life experiences gives a realistic image of life as a soldier in the trenches. However, the novel Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks which was not written till 2005 gives a version of what Faulks believed trench warfare to be like; it is a fictional idea based on knowledge and understanding of World War One. Also the authors chose different formats with one being a novel the other a play, thus giving them contrasting ways of conveying soldiers experiences of war. A play deals with the actions and reactions of characters using dialogue and yet a novel can go into the heads of characters, giving the reader an understanding of a persons emotions and feelings through description and narrative. The characters presented in both Journeys End and Birdsong are attempting to avoid and deal with the horrors of trench warfare in many different ways including; drinking, violence, and memories of loved ones and trying to use humour as a way of distancing themselves from the horrors facing them. Each character has to find there own way of dealing with the situation, as anyone would when faced with the constant fear of death. In both Journeys End and Birdsong we get a glimpse of what the characters Stanhope and Wraysford were like before the terror of war affected them. In Journeys End although we dont see Stanhope before the war; Sherriff cleverly uses Raleigh to give us an idea of what he was like when he was younger. We see Raleigh as this optimistic, patriotic man excited at the prospect of going into war alongside his childhood hero. His confession to Osborne that he was Keen to get out here is a representation of many patriotic soldiers at the break out of the first world war and could show us how Stanhope may have felt before the realisation of what warfare was really like. The growing sense of conflict between Stanhope and Raleigh just shows how much the war has changed Stanhope, and affected him. Not only do we see Raleigh as a young version of Stanhope but also we hear from him background information on Stanhopes life, he was skipper of Rugger at Barford, and kept wicket for the eleven. A jolly good bat, too. This is not needed in Birdsong as we gain a background on what Wraysford was like before the war in part one of the novel. Novels allow writers to add descriptive back stories through narrative rather than dialogue, we can learn about one persons perspective unlike in a play when we are unable to hear thoughts and feelings these can only be expressed through actors portraying the role. Birdsong can go into depth about the emotional effects war can have on a person, which is a tricky detail to encapsulate in a play and yet I believe R.C. Sherriff uses dialogue and the actions of each individual to show their emotional state. We can see strongly in both, just what the war can do, seeing and living in those conditions certainly would bring about change in a person however it is the way they deal with it that helps them continue on through. An easy escape for many soldiers during the war was drink. For an ordinary private on the front line getting alcohol was hard and they were only allowed a small drop before going over the top, however officers were allowed to drink (as believed responsible enough for it) and alcoholism among officers was common. Both Stanhope in Journeys End and Wraysford and Weir in Birdsong use drink as a method of getting through the horrors in front of them, She doesnt know that if I went up those steps into the front line without being doped with whisky Id go mad with fright. Drink was a way to forget, and maybe for a moment be away from the front line in their heads, although eventually become addicted not needing it for any purpose but for wanting, cast his eyes round hopefully. Stephen reluctantly pushed a bottle towards him. Drink was not the best way to deal with the situation though, it may have clouded their memories but would not have completed erase them if sleep came it was as a gift and was as likely to come after tea as after alcohol. Soldiers on the front line could turn on each other, either because of alcohol consumption or just the fact that these men were pushed together in such bad conditions. Maybe getting angry at one another would give them something other than fighting the enemy to focus on Hibbert raises his stick and strikes blindly at Stanhope. The violence shown in Journeys End could also represent the battles taking place outside, as an audience member you never get to see any conflict between the enemy and therefore Stanhopes arguments and fights with the soldiers substitutes this. The anger Stanhope feels towards Hibbert and also Raleigh, could also show us how he feels and acts in battle situations. Unlike Journeys End in Birdsong we are able to follow Stephen as he goes out into No-mans land, fighting for his life but we also get violence in the trenches too Fuck off, Weir, fuck off out of my way. The use of the word fuck is a powerful one; we can understand Wraysfords fear just through that one word, all his fear for the battle ahead builds up the tension. In Journeys End Stanhope is worried about what Raleigh would write home in his letter, I believe that maybe another matter that Stanhope uses to redirect his thoughts away from memories, it gives him something else to think about. Which again leads to more violence Dyou understand an order? Give me that letter! Despite these small areas of conflict there is a strong theme in both Journeys End and Birdsong, of comradeship. Men on the front line were often forced into forming new relationships with people and often because of this gained extraordinarily strong bonds with men they were fighting alongside with. This is shown by the example of Stanhope and Osborne, and shown to the audience in many scenes but mostly through the touching goodbye scene before the fatal raid and right at the end Stanhope and Raleigh final bond over his death, Stanhope sits with one hand on Raleighs arm they had fought together in the same battles and known what the other men had seen, they understood. In Birdsong the strong relationship between Wraysford and Weir grew throughout the novel and like many soldiers on the frontline Wraysford needed Weir for company and to help his sanity, Weir alone had made the war bearable friendships like Weirs and Wraysfords meant that soldiers could get through the war together. They did not need to be alone. Although Raleigh in Journeys End believed he needed to distance himself when Osborne dies, Raleigh who is first seen as this innocent character in the beginning of the play is opened to this horror after the death of Osborne, he now knows truly just how hard . He eats away from the officers with the other men, he finds it disrespectful that the others are eating and drinking. Maybe some may believe distancing themselves would mean when or if it came to them dying it would not be as hard. Many soldiers needed to be friends, to join together because even though loss is hard the sharing of jokes in such a situation as terrible as this one may have helped. In Journeys End many of the characters particularly Trotters main form of escapism is in making jokes about the war and the Germans I expect a nasty old Germanll cop out of it and say, Ock der Kaiser in doing this they are able to cover up their fear and make light of the situation. In Birdsong the use of comedy is more subtle, the soldiers go down to the pub and watch entertainment and laugh with each other as friends rather than making obvious jokes. Jack performing for the soldiers gave some time for the men to relax and enjoy themselves. If they could shout loud enough, they might bring the world back to its senses; they might laugh loud enough to raise the dead although raising the dead was not possible, the idea that in laughing and having as good a time as you can they could remember their losses and keep them alive in their thoughts. In Journeys End some of the soldiers liked to talk about home and familiar things like rugby and cricket to take their minds of the horrors of trench warfare. Thinking about home would help them to remember how their life was before the war; it would make them want to get out and gave them something to live for. Another thing they might think about is their girlfriends, wives or just women in general, I just prayed to come through the war and and do things and keep absolutely fit for her. Jack Firebrace wanted to survive for his family, dealt with the struggle with the belief he had his wife and child to return to His endurance was for them; the care he took to try to stay alive was so that he would see the boy again. As for Stephen he did not have a family or anyone really he wanted to go home for, he kept on fighting and wanting to survive for the men who had died before, he wanted to win, to continue for their benefit. The idea and hope that the men he had lost had not died in vain. With trench conditions as foul as they were; rats, lice and illnesses such as trench foot one thing that could keep the men going was the idea and the relief of getting food. The importance of food in Journeys End is shown by how many times the men talk about it and bring it up in general conversation. Complaining about inconsequential things like chunks of pineapple instead of apricots take their minds of the war I say, Stanhope, its a terrible business. We thought wed got a tin of pineapple chunks; it turns out to be apricots. The men on the front lines wouldnt very often have the nicest of food, and when Stanhope has to visit the Colonel and is given really expensive foods he immediately thinks of his men but he will eat the food as it is the one thing that he can gain pleasure from A thin stew followed, then ripe cheese and fresh bread. Lunch went on past three oclockStephen smiled to himself, aware that his brief flight from reality would soon be ended. Birdsong touches on the idea of religion and how this can be affected by war. Many soldiers lost their faith due to the mass slaughter or even the loss of a son at home like Jack Firebrace however Stephen seemed to gain a belief in God, the idea that nothing this cruel can be the end. He hoped that when Weir or any other Soldier died they had a better world to escape to and maybe this idea kept him going helped him deal with the death of his friends. Journeys End doesnt really touch on the mens faith or religion, however the idea of hero worshipping used by Raleigh could be linked. The belief in a God and a higher being could also be like Raleigh looking up to Stanhope I believe Raleigh will go on liking you and looking up to you through everything. Theres something very deep, and rather fine, about hero worship. Many soldiers may have used the method of positive thinking like Osborne to cover up just how scared and fearful they were I never knew the sun could rise in so many ways till I came out here. Each soldier on the front line had to choose their own way of escaping and dealing with the horrors of trench warfare. The putrid living conditions and the everyday horror of death meant that it was necessary for them to break out of the truth they were living. Many of the methods used in both Journeys End and Birdsong are similar but their methods were carried out in different ways. Others didnt use methods at all, they just didnt cope; like Hibbert in Journeys End faking an illness to get away. Each character in either Journeys End or Birdsong took on different methods of dealing with their long hardships and suffering. The true horrors of the war however could not be forgotten, the sight of death and the stench in the trenches would not be quickly removed from their thoughts. These literary texts both play and book give us, today, just a brief insight into the lives of men on the western front, the challenges faced by these men were truly horrific and just surviving must have been a hardship. No one now or then on the home front could ever know the true extent of the struggle and the effects it had both mentally and physically, If they could see the way these men live they would not believe their eyes. This is not a war; this is an exploration of how far men can be degraded.

Urethral Catheters Essay -- Health, Diseases, Urinary Tract Infection

Urethral catheters are small tubes inserted through the urethra to drain urine. These devices are often linked with high rates of urinary tract infections (UTI) and are frequently used in the older population. This contributes to lengthier hospital stays leading to increased medical costs. In 2008, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) included catheterassociated bacteriuria (CAB) as one of the preventable hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) that will affect reimbursement if contracted by a patient in the acute and long-term setting. This paper focuses on three best evidence-based practices and nursing strategies to prevent CABs. Background Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas (AR)-Oklahoma (OK) metropolitan statistical area and is the county seat of Crawford County, AR. The city of Van Buren has numerous subsystems dedicated to the well-being of the community, which includes one medical facility, five medical clinics, three nursing homes, three ambulance services, and the Crawford County Health Department (Yellow Pages, 2010). The medical facility, Summit Medical Center, provides full-service general acute care to approximately 160,000 residents annually in Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties in AR and Sequoyah County in OK. The facility has 103 beds, has more than 100 nurses on staff, and has over 140 physicians in the medical clinics (Summit Medical Center, 2011). In 2009, the medical facility emergency department (ED) treated 170 residents from nursing homes, 70 of which were hospitalized after examination and treatment in the ED, 58 were treated as â€Å"ED outpatient† visits, and 42 were direct hospitalization visits (Summit Medical Center, 2011). The majority of... ...See Figure I). The decision tree is used as a guide for clinicians in making clinical decisions to either continue or discontinue indwelling urethral catheters. Conclusion Urethral catheterization in the older population should be considered as a last option because it can lead to catheter-associated bacteriuria, bloodstream infection, sepsis and death. It should not be used for staff convenience, or to manage urinary incontinence manageable by other means. CAB is a condition that can be prevented with the application of evidence-based best practice strategies. These include criteria for catheter placement and discontinuation, use of silver-alloy catheters for short-term catheterization, and limiting bladder irrigation. An algorithm for urethral catheter insertion, care and removal is used as a tool to help prevent CABs and achieve better patient outcomes.

God in Nature Essay

Looking at two different definitions of the word nature, I gained a better understanding of what the phrase, â€Å"God in Nature†, means. The first said that it was, â€Å"the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized† (www. wordnetweb. princeton. edu), and the other described it as, â€Å"The material world and its phenomena† (www. answers. com). The earth, and everything in it, is â€Å"God in Nature†, it has the very nature of God Himself, just as it is the nature of a flower to bloom. Nature is just one of the ways that God speaks to mankind. So, in other words, God is in nature, and nature is in God. Curtis Questions Some things are learned, and some things come natural to you, you don’t know how or when they became a part of you, but you just somehow know how to do them. I believe if we’ll listen in a little harder we can hear the voice of God instructing us on how to do things a little simpler, and a little better. Just like the farmer in Isaiah, I too have experienced God enabling me to do things I was never taught. I am a singer/songwriter, and there are times I come up with things musically, and I know it is from God because I definitely wouldn’t have normally thought to do it that way. General revelation involves God’s witness through creation itself. General revelation is open to all who will receive it, for it is all around us. One thing that I have learned through general revelation is that, experience may not always be the best teacher, but it is necessary to gain wisdom in certain things, like how to discipline your children the right way. Art has played the leading role in most of my life, especially the art of music. There are times when I am feeling down, but a song will come from within, or from someone else, and it will lift my spirit. â€Å"Most Christians are omfortable using general revelation to build a house or evaluate nutrition. They are often far less comfortable using information from disciplines like psychology or anthropology (also general revelation). † (Curtis 1996) I believe it is difficult for most Christians to accept the studies of psychology and anthropology, because it is more personal, dealing with the human mind, and behavior. Christians believe we are to be disciplined in our minds by gaining the mind of Christ through His Word, and if we study too deep into our emotions and feelings (which are natural), we miss the mark. Sometimes our human emotions can cause us to think twice about the Word of God. I used to think that people who were mentally disabled had some form of demon possession, because of stories from the scripture, but as I got older and learned more about chemical imbalances in the brain etc†¦my opinion about that was changed. The Bible says â€Å"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,† says the Lord â€Å" For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. † (Isaiah 55:8-9). This is why, as Christians, we cannot solely depend on studies of the human mind and behavior. Some people refuse to accept God for who He is because of their human experiences. I knew a man once who hated God or that thought of Him because he had lost his mother at a very early age. He became bitter and began to believe God had killed his mother, so God could not be all good. Theologians with nature & Guthrie arguments â€Å"Theologians argue that man’s universal understanding that there is a divine being stands as an indication for his existence. (Wead). Shirley Guthrie (Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, Revised Edition, pages 41-42), lists six arguments used by philosophers and theologians through the centuries: â€Å" (1) the world is not self-explanatory, (2) the universe displays purpose, (3) world history and personal experience point to God’s existence, (4) conscience bears witness to the existence of God, (5) we have spiritual awareness of a divine presence deep within, and (6) the world seems to function in a rational way. † Two areas general revelation is useful Besides man’s ability to reason that there is a God, general revelation is often employed in two other areas. First, it is used to reason that there is a basic set of moral values that all men reason to be true. †(Wead) It is always said that you don’t have to teach a child how to lie, it just comes natural for them to do it, and it is the adult’s responsibility to correct that behavior. I believe we are just born with a set of moral standards built in our conscience. The child lies to begin with, because most likely they did something wrong, and are afraid of the possible consequences. Second, we reason that general revelation provides us with insight into the nature of God that we could not appreciate through special revelation alone. † (Wead). For example, our universe bears the mark of intelligent design and purpose. God speaks to us through His creation and it is not for lack of evidence that people reject God; it is because they refuse to see. General revelation is open to anyone who will open their eyes and see. General and Special Revelation General revelation, I believe was meant to be discovered through our senses, for it is in the world around us. Some things are more apparent, and other things you have to dig a little deeper to find out. Like the body and the way that it functions, we know we have a brain that sends messages to our bodies, keeping things going, but since we don’t see those brains, we must dig a little deeper to learn from it. For it too, is a part of the world around us. Nothing about DNA or nuclear fusion is found in Scripture, yet few would deny that those constitute part of reality. †(Curtis 1996). Special Revelation is the Scriptures. † In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets, at many times and in various ways. † (Hebrews 1:1). The writers were led by the Holy Spirit to communicate exactly what God was saying. â€Å"Curtis sees general revelation as an interpreter of special revelation. In other words, when we read the Scriptures we use our experience of nature to validate what we read in Scripture. † (Wead). Summary I have gained a better understanding of how useful general revelation is to the believer. I think sometimes we as Christians, get so spiritually minded that we forget there is a whole world around us, which may not necessarily be mention in the Bible, but is meant to couple with scripture to get a better understanding of the â€Å"Bigger Picture†, so to speak.

How Tattooing Is Well As The Modern Techniques Of Tattooing

PROCESS OF TATTOOING This essay will explore the history of tattooing as well as the modern techniques of tattooing. 5 types of tattoos: †¢Medical tattoos †¢Traumatic tattoos †¢Professional tattoos †¢Cosmetic tattoos †¢Amateur tattoos Have you ever wondered why you have heard of tattoos hurting or experienced the tattoo process? Have you ever wondered how or why tattooing began? Well in this essay I hope to get you these answers and more. My Reasoning After 11 years as a Tattoo Artist I decided to figure out when tattooing first started and the first tattooing process. I want to talk about the approximate time tattooing started and the process during that time up until the present process. After graduating high school, I felt I should take up a trade that was becoming a trend. I knew I was a quick learner and I also knew I was extremely interested in art. Tattooing has been something that has been in my life since the age of 16 and from there on I was hooked. I have learned many tricks of this trade and have mastered few. I loved every minute of my learning process of tattooing, even the mistakes that were made. The process was intriguing to me mostly because I was into blood, gore, pain and art. In selecting this particular trade I have been influenced by the way the process was carried out. I was particularly looking forward to learning how the ink is transferred to the skin. HISTORY OF TATTOOING Tattooing began roughly over 5000 years ago and it’s as diverse as the peopleShow MoreRelatedInformative Speech On Tattoos1286 Words   |  6 Pages Tattooing is a body modification practice used for centuries across the globe. Because of the multiple origins of tattoos, there are several techniques and countless styles. Every tattoo is unique in meaning to the person that receives it, though often they can fit into generalized categories. 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