TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > English > Susan Hill – Strange Meeting
- "No-one knew, nobody understood." – Hilliard at home on leave, those at home – the likes of Jessie Pope, could not understand the devastation.
- "There was not the natural camaraderie to be found among the officers as there was among the men" – differences between men and officers – class differences.
- “You cannot imagine how we crave for the small everyday things" – Barton’s letters conveying their need for escape from the war.
- “We are drones not fighting men" – Barton’s letter home – showing the real picture, he was worried it would be censored but wanted those at home to know the truth.
- ”Then he knew his sister had completely gone from him” – Hilliard returning home, and things changing – he feels out of place.
- “But Hilliard had never known this kind of fear, not even on his own behalf during the summer…If Barton were killed what would he do? What would he do?” – Hilliard’s fear of losing Barton – someone he depended upon, loved – this can be used as a comparison with the diaries of Vera Brittain, but also shows that those at home with loved ones suffered just as much as the men out fighting at the front.
- ”He spoke very quietly but there was a note of despair in his voice.” – the tone of Barton’s voice, can be compared to the despairing tone of the poetry of Owen.
- “Every man’s death diminishes me.” & “You can’t feel every man’s death completely…you simply cannot.” – shows the different attitudes that Barton and Hilliard had to the death of the men fighting alongside them.
- “I love you John.” – love, compassion and companionship of those fighting. Huge contrast to John’s increasingly distant relationship with his sister, who he is growing apart from – she does not understand.
- “I have seen enough…The men sing ‘I want to go home’ and they mean that they want to see their families and they are sick of all this tiredness and wet and cold and din.” – Barton conveys the attitudes of the men to his family in a letter sent home.
- “I feel guilty I’m here, and doing nothing to stop it.” – Barton’s letter also conveys a similar attitude to Sassoon.
- “It was so brisk and cold and distant, so lacking in emotion or character.” – Hill uses Barton’s perspective to comment on the letter sent to Hilliard from his sister at home. Contrast to the emotion and love in other letters one might typically see.
- Hilliard’s sister writing “I must stop now, there are so many things to do you wouldn’t believe.” – this allows us to understand the frustration of the likes of Sassoon, who in his poem ‘The Glory of Women’ criticizes the materialistic lack of understanding shown by women back at home.
- “The sun won’t last but it won’t rain either, and just for now it’s very beautiful.” – appreciation of the simplicity of nature, the destruction of mankind makes this all the more apparent to Barton.
Comments
These notes are aimed at A Level English students at A2 level.
Originally written by David17 on TSR Forums.
