AS Coursework
Where do I start?
Working with your question….
By now, you will have chosen a focus for your
question. Now you need to determine what
your line of argument will be.
E.g. You may have chosen:
Compare and contrast how the writers
explore ideas of human frailty in
Regeneration and Journey’s End.
Compare and contrast how the writers explore ideas of human
frailty in Regeneration and Journey’s End.
• What are you going to focus on?
• Come up with a sentence or two that sums up
your focus.
E.g.
Both writers focus on the mental effects of war and
how damaging these can be on the emotional
behaviour of the men. However, the writers are
concerned with demonstrating that such ‘frailty’ is
not a sign of weakness but a natural human
response to such extreme conditions.
Your question might them become….
Compare and contrast the treatment of human
frailty in “Regeneration” and “Journey’s End”. To
what extent to the writers present such frailty
sympathetically?
Compare and contrast how the writers explore the significance
of ‘manliness’ in the trenches of World War One in
Regeneration and Journey’s End.
• What are you going to focus on?
• Come up with a sentence or two that sums up your
focus.
E.g.
Both writers explore how ideas of masculinity and
manliness are blurred during World War One,
showing that the expectations of true ‘manliness’
were impossible to achieve in the circumstances.
Your question might them become….
Explore the treatment of Manliness in
“Regeneration” and “Journey’s End”, comparing
how the texts question this contemporary value.
Take your focus question and do the following:
Write one or two sentences summing up what
your argument is going to be.
Planning
Over half term, you should have researched
your chosen question focus and by now, you
should have lots of contextual information and
different readings.
Now it is time to work with the texts….
1. Come up with a list of the key areas you want
to cover in your essay.
E.g. Compare and contrast the presentation of the emotional impact of World War One on the
individual in Regeneration and Journey’s End.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction – establish line of argument
Some context on Rivers and barker’s interest in this theme. Compare to context
of Journey’s End. Comment on how different contextual influences affect the
portrayal of emotional effects.
Stanhope – how his background prepared him to be an officer link to Sassoon but
contrast their emotional responses
Link to other characters who seem to not be OUTWARDLY emotionally wounded
by war – Osborne. Link Osborne to Rivers – taking on board the fears and
emotions of others, which must affect them also – are they the true heroes?
Trotter and Prior – both raised through the ranks but do not truly belong due to
their lack of class. Does this make them more reticent about sharing their
emotional difficulties – lack of true comradeship?
How both texts show that it is a prolonged exposure to the horror of war that
leads to the emotional effects – Stanhope – drinking / Prior – even though it is
one event that he considers to be the trigger – this was just “the final straw”
Cowards? Compare Hibbert and Willard – are they treated sympathetically?
Fates of the men – contrast treatment at Craiglockhart and Stanhope’s drinking
as different ways of “healing” the men. Is it better to use drink to cope or be
sent somewhere like Craiglockhart, only to be sent back to the front to repeat the
same scenarios?