Generals Die in Bed by Charles Yale Harrison Essay Example
Generals Die in Bed by Charles Yale Harrison
Notes for VATE members’ students prepared by Robert Cole
CONTENTS
1. | Perspective on the text | Page | 1 | 2. | Questions to Consider | Page | 3 | 3. | Two Guided Essay responses | Page | 5 |
References in this guide are to Harrison, Charles Yale, Generals Die in Bed, Penguin 2003
Purchasers may copy Inside Stories for classroom use
Section 1.
A Perspective on Generals Die in Bed
Generals Die in Bed follows the progress of a Canadian soldier through the First World War, from the time he leaves Montreal at the beginning of his tour of duty, to the moment where he is taken on board a hospital ship to England for recovery. The story is told through his eyes, and is told as if it is happening in front of us, like a film.
The novel paints a devastating picture of trench warfare, showing it to be unimaginably dangerous and totally destructive of people’s capacity to hope. The aim of the writer seems to be to convey all the horror of war and also his anger at the generals for how they have treated their men. Another intention of the author seems to be to rid the reader of any romantic views of war and of any romantic views of the ability of heroism to make a difference.
Generals Die in Bed begins with a scene of drunkenness inside an army barracks. The soldiers are drunk, are talking about booze and women, and tease a soldier who had been a minister about his puritan views. There is nothing heroic or brave about their behaviour. Instead they are behaving like frightened children. The farewell parade to the station is shown from the point of view of the narrating soldier, for whom it is an exciting, then a confusing and distressing experience. The train leaves late, so the well-wishers have all gone home. The men are left in an empty train station, drunk and in their own mess. There is nothing heroic about such an entry into war.
In France the difficulties of war become
Notes for VATE members’ students prepared by Robert Cole
CONTENTS
1. | Perspective on the text | Page | 1 | 2. | Questions to Consider | Page | 3 | 3. | Two Guided Essay responses | Page | 5 |
References in this guide are to Harrison, Charles Yale, Generals Die in Bed, Penguin 2003
Purchasers may copy Inside Stories for classroom use
Section 1.
A Perspective on Generals Die in Bed
Generals Die in Bed follows the progress of a Canadian soldier through the First World War, from the time he leaves Montreal at the beginning of his tour of duty, to the moment where he is taken on board a hospital ship to England for recovery. The story is told through his eyes, and is told as if it is happening in front of us, like a film.
The novel paints a devastating picture of trench warfare, showing it to be unimaginably dangerous and totally destructive of people’s capacity to hope. The aim of the writer seems to be to convey all the horror of war and also his anger at the generals for how they have treated their men. Another intention of the author seems to be to rid the reader of any romantic views of war and of any romantic views of the ability of heroism to make a difference.
Generals Die in Bed begins with a scene of drunkenness inside an army barracks. The soldiers are drunk, are talking about booze and women, and tease a soldier who had been a minister about his puritan views. There is nothing heroic or brave about their behaviour. Instead they are behaving like frightened children. The farewell parade to the station is shown from the point of view of the narrating soldier, for whom it is an exciting, then a confusing and distressing experience. The train leaves late, so the well-wishers have all gone home. The men are left in an empty train station, drunk and in their own mess. There is nothing heroic about such an entry into war.
In France the difficulties of war become