Explore How Themes Develop in 'Journey's End'

In this worksheet, students will look more closely at how the key themes develop over the course of the play 'Journey's End'.

Key stage: KS 4

Year: GCSE

GCSE Subjects: English Literature

GCSE Boards: Pearson Edexcel

Curriculum topic: Post-1914 Play or Novel

Curriculum subtopic: Journey's End

Difficulty level:

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Worksheet Overview

"Expected"...

"Too damn quiet"...

"Soon"...

"Two minutes"...

"Poor Osborne"...

"That's nearer"...

"Hit"...

"Darkness"...

As well as understanding the key themes in 'Journey's End', it is important to consider how these themes develop throughout the play.

In the quotations above, we can see how Sherriff introduces the theme of waiting and develops this theme throughout the play to build dramatic tension.

We see a brief pause in the waiting as the raid is carried out and we learn that Osborne has been killed.

The waiting then begins again, but this time with heightened anticipation, until the final moments of the play when we see the 'Journey's End.'

Here, we can see how Sherriff develops the theme of waiting throughout the play and presents it as a repetitive cycle.

Now have a think about how some of the other themes are developed by Sherriff throughout the play.

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Preview activity

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