Officer Class in Journeys End by RC Sheriff :: Journeys End Literature War Military Essays

Officer Class in Journey’s End During the World War many people found themselves in mid filled trenches eating rations and living with a host of creatures including rats, mice and many insects. There was however a group of people who did not sleep so rough, the officers, no matter what rank of officer you were you would sleep in a quarters with other officers and not with the men and you would have your own personal cook. Although the living conditions were not up to standards with even a one star hotel, they were easier to bear than what the soldiers had to. In this essay I will be talking about what you learn about the officers in the book â€Å"Journey’s End†. I will be discussing their hobbies and values. The officers shared the same kind of upbringing; all came from private schools and were highly educated. Raleigh and Stanhope both came from the same school and were friends outside school, often visiting one and others homes. Osborne and Trotter have been working in different jobs for a while before being drafted whereas Stanhope and Raleigh came straight from school into the officer’s life. Not much is known about trotter as he is not talked about much in the story but it is my assumption that he was also from a private school. Osborne and Trotter were both drafted as officers because of their professions; they are both regarded highly in society. Stanhope and Raleigh however were drafted as officers because of the professions of family members, Stanhope’s father is a vicar and Raleigh’s uncle is a senior officer, meaning he is most likely from a military background. In terms of age of the officers, Osborne is by far the most aged of the officers being called uncle says this quite clearly that they are mocking his age in a friendly manner. Though Osborne is older Stanhope is senior to him, many comments are made that Osborne should run the company but Osborne sticks up for the young commander. Although Stanhope is superior he values the opinion of his lower officers. It is clear from the conversations that they all enjoy sport, especially â€Å"Ruggers† or rugby as more commonly known. It shows that they are all abundant in physical strength and it shows that Stanhope has good leadership skills as he captained the cricket team in school. Osborne however trumps him by telling Raleigh how he capped for the England rugby team, but he swore Raleigh to secrecy so he may be lying about that. The officers are all fighting so that they can get back to their