Oh, What a Lovely War Essay Example

the war thought about their families and each day felt like hell. In this part of the play, we witness the officers' personal emotions as he writes a letter home. It highlights the fact that everyone, regardless of rank or occupation, craves the comfort of a family. The play then transitions back to the music hall theme, providing a much-needed break from the intense emotions. This helps the audience relax and reminds them of the home front during war. This technique effectively brings the audience back to the beginning of the play, creating a sense of nostalgia and familiarity.

We revisit the powerful slide advertisements showcasing pills targeting those who are "Run Down." The purpose of these slides is to highlight the home front of the war and revive markets back home. As the play continues, we again hear military discourse, soldiers discussing their experiences in trenches, their predictions for the end of the war, and attempts to bolster each other's morale through humor. A pivotal scene unfolds when English soldiers overhear German soldiers singing, leading to an impromptu Christmas truce across trenches.

The conclusion of Act One is highly significant since it concludes with the soldiers singing "Good bye e e e e". This demonstrates their desire to bid farewell and return home. Act Two highlights the political aspect of the play, revealing the sergeant's perspectives and the homeland's thoughts on the war. At the start of Act Two, we observe the sergeants engaging in a waltz while making vital decisions that ultimately prove expensive. They make hasty decisions such as relocating the Irish armies without informing the British trench. Consequently, they slaughter all

of the Irish army, resulting in a waltz-induced decision leading to the absolute annihilation of lives.

In the early parts of the second half, the play portrays cut scenes of different countries bickering and making foolish arguments. As usual, America assumes the role of being the best and making all the decisions. In one scene, they discuss various aspects of the war such as predicting when it will end, speculating on what will happen if Germany wins, and anticipating reactions to a defeat. Additionally, they argue over how much ammunition each country is contributing to the war and boast about their country being the best. Towards the end of the play, slides return depicting soldiers hurt, Tommies going off to fight, and images of death and injury. The actors are covered in bandages and hiding their wounds. This display effectively shows the audience total devastation of war with realistic and impactful images of death and injury. The final image is that of a dead soldier lying in a silt trench.

After a few scenes of soldiers talking, we again see slides depicting wounded soldiers and dead bodies lying in trenches. Unfortunately, the audience may have become accustomed to such images, which is not a positive thing. General Haig, a dominant figure with similarities to Hitler, makes decisions without true understanding and walks around confidently. He is a wealthy man who attained the position of General through his status rather than his expertise. His decisions result in significant loss of life, and when questioned about the matter, he suggests that sacrificing a few men may be necessary to win the war. This summarizes his character.