20.(i) : 'The Man', the soldier who was being the blue uniform of the Serbian army, who had been in the Serbian artillery regiment which had been defeated by Sergius' cavalry regiment at the battle at Slivnitza. He had sought refuge by climbing a pipe into Raina's room. Raina had just kept him hidden when the Russian officer and the Bulgarian crowd had come in search for him. This is the man who is speaking. Later we come to know that this man is a Swiss mercenary and that his name is Bluntschli.
He is describing the reason why his artillery regiment had been defeated by the Bulgarian cavalry regiment when the cavalry regiment should have been blown to pieces long before they came anywhere near the artillery regiment.
He is describing it to Raina, and is trying to explain to her that the leader of the regiment was not a hero but a fool.
(ii) : The sergeant is described to have been "white as a sheet" to try and convey how scared the sergeant was with the knowledge that the artillery regiment which he led was totally defenseless against the artillery regiment and that their death was near.
(iii) : The speaker says that he never felt so sick in all his life because having heard that his artillery regiment had the wrong ammunition and that they were totally defenseless against the approaching cavalry regiment the thought of his near death made him feel sick, like he had never felt in his life before, as he probably had never come so near to his own death.
(iv) : That the speaker had carried only chocolates and no cartridges tells us that the speaker was not very keen on soldiership and more keen in keeping himself well fed. Raina had said previously that such action proved that he was childish, like a school boy. However, it may also show that the man was practical enough to know that in battle one has to be prepared for the unexpected and to take care to live as long as one could.
(v) : By saying "they just cut us to bits", the speaker means to say that they (the Serbian artillery regiment at Slivnitza) was completely defeated "routed" and "scattered".
(vi) : The speaker is called "the chocolate cream soldier" later in play by Raina. He is called a "chocolate cream soldier" because he only carried chocolates into war and not cartridges and he loved chocolates very much, which is proved when he told Raina that he would love to have some and he had greedily eaten the last three chocolate creams which Raina had offered him.
He is describing the reason why his artillery regiment had been defeated by the Bulgarian cavalry regiment when the cavalry regiment should have been blown to pieces long before they came anywhere near the artillery regiment.
He is describing it to Raina, and is trying to explain to her that the leader of the regiment was not a hero but a fool.
(ii) : The sergeant is described to have been "white as a sheet" to try and convey how scared the sergeant was with the knowledge that the artillery regiment which he led was totally defenseless against the artillery regiment and that their death was near.
(iii) : The speaker says that he never felt so sick in all his life because having heard that his artillery regiment had the wrong ammunition and that they were totally defenseless against the approaching cavalry regiment the thought of his near death made him feel sick, like he had never felt in his life before, as he probably had never come so near to his own death.
(iv) : That the speaker had carried only chocolates and no cartridges tells us that the speaker was not very keen on soldiership and more keen in keeping himself well fed. Raina had said previously that such action proved that he was childish, like a school boy. However, it may also show that the man was practical enough to know that in battle one has to be prepared for the unexpected and to take care to live as long as one could.
(v) : By saying "they just cut us to bits", the speaker means to say that they (the Serbian artillery regiment at Slivnitza) was completely defeated "routed" and "scattered".
(vi) : The speaker is called "the chocolate cream soldier" later in play by Raina. He is called a "chocolate cream soldier" because he only carried chocolates into war and not cartridges and he loved chocolates very much, which is proved when he told Raina that he would love to have some and he had greedily eaten the last three chocolate creams which Raina had offered him.
No comments:
Post a Comment