Regeneration by Pat Baker: The Negative Effects of War on Individuals

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Recommended: Mental and physical consequences of war for soldiers

War has a detrimental effect on the individual as the idea of killing another could be horrific to anyone; though from a war perspective it is expected that they were to kill another to defend and honour their country. War can affect the individual mentally, physically and emotionally, causing major distress and discomfort with, not only how they see themselves, but how they see war. is “Regeneration”, written by Pat Barker in 1991 inspired by her grandfather who had been bayoneted in the war and she was able to see the scars he had when he washed in the sink. His war experiences had affected her understanding of the war in a more immediate and personal way. Unlike Barker, R C Sherriff (a play writer and an ex officer in the East Surrey Regiment in World War One) wrote “Journey’s End” based on his own personal experiences as it mirrors the way he and his comrades had lived and fought together. [161] When looking at Stanhope’s child-like behaviour with Osborne, it may also have been because of the alcohol he had been drinking beforehand. Alcohol can affect the brain and how it functions; it can cause mood swings and loss of judgement. Phil Mellows, a theatre critic, wrote about how Stanhope “numbs the pain with drink” as he uses drink to escape the reality that he is in; Mellows even goes on to say how Stanhope can only cope with the war “by being constantly drunk.” His dependency on the alcohol is evident to the men too, as they notice he’s “drinking like a fish, as usual” suggesting that it was becoming more of a habit than the typical one off night out binge that men back home had, such as Prior. Prior only appears to have got drunk the one time with Sarah, this chapter could show the side effects of alcohol that wasn’t shown ... ... middle of paper ... ...mental, physical and emotional state, this is recognisable in the way Works Cited http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=journey's%20end%20sheriff%20parent&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetutorpages.com%2Ftutor-article%2Fa-level-english%2Fjourneys-end-the-tension-of-the-journey%2F5024&ei=voqUUpPSIZKThQfW3IH4Bg&usg=AFQjCNHtnHwBPvs_zdseA2p0WGX8EHL6Ow http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/regeneration/ http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupDownloadFile.asp?GroupID=880755&ResourceId=2610947 http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/alcoholism4.htm http://202.204.49.168/UploadFile/20111231095337348.PDF http://www.sleepio.com/blog/2012/11/14/sleep-disturbance-in-the-military/ http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=11671 http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/alcoholism4.htm

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