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This play investigates the relationship between the author Rudyard Kipling and his son John (“Jack”). At the commencement of the play it is 1913 and Kipling believes that war with Germany is inevitable. As the great English patriot, he wants Jack to enlist and have a career in the armed services despite the fact that the boy is evidently unwilling and has defective eyesight which results in his rejection by both the navy and army. Ultimately, his father uses his contact with Lord Roberts to ensure that his son is appointed as second lieutenant in the Irish Guards, where Jack proves himself to be a competent officer who is sympathetic to his men’s sufferings in the trenches of the Western Front. He suffers a painful death in 1915 at the battle of Loos. One of the main points of interest in the play is Kipling’s justification for Britain’s role in the First World War: protection of the nation’s great achievements in the Nineteenth Century and the benefits to the world of the pax Britannica. His son’s death is seen as a patriotic sacrifice to safeguard the country’s future, a viewpoint with which his wife, Carrie, vehemently disagrees. The play ends in 1933 with the coming to power in Germany of Hitler, thus revealing the pointlessness of the whole 1914-18 conflict. The play is thought provoking and an ideal text for students of First World War literature. My only criticism is the somewhat eccentric punctuation which is a poor example to any candidates studying the work as part of an English examination syllabus. Throughout, there is an absence of commas before nouns in the vocative case (e.g. “Let’s make a start young man.” [p. 13]) and in other contexts (e.g. “Come on give everyone a chance.” [p. 28]; “…shut your mouth will ya.” [p. 40]). The publishers at Nick Hern Books need to undertake the appropriate textual corrections.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Some writing within the inside however, everything is still readable.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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