The long and the short and the tall :: English Literature

The long and the short and the tall In 1942, a small British platoon was positioned in the jungle trying to assess the strength of the Japanese invasion. They were 20 miles away from the British frontlines and 15 miles away from base camp. They rest for a while in a deserted hut. Their radio has a flat battery and they are having trouble getting in touch with their base camp. The platoon is led by Sergeant Mitchem, who is in control of 6 ordinary men; hence the title from Britain; Bamforth; a Cockney, Whitaker; Tynesider, Macleish; a Scot, Evan; Welsh, Smith (Smudge) and Johnstone. All had left their jobs back in Britain to fight in the war. All had never been faced with killing a man. A few of the soldiers are family men, leaving their wife, children and friends back in their home towns. They are all from Britain and as they spend time together they find out and understand about each person's personality more. Bamforth: When Bamforth first sees the Japanese soldier, he is prepared to shoot him: 'Bamforth suddenly tenses and raises his rifle. This is followed by: 'Bamforth slowly raises his rifle and takes careful aim. Mitchem swings round and knocks the rifle out of position.' "I had him right between the cheeks! I couldn't miss! He's on his tod!" Bamforth was obviously prepared to kill the lone Japanese soldier and was quite frustrated when his chance is taken from him. He would show this by gritting his teeth or cursing under his breath. Later on when the Japanese soldier enters the hut and is grabbed by Johnstone, and Evans, Smith and Macleish all refuse to kill the soldier, but Bamforth is more than happy to 'Knock him off'. He would be speaking in an aggressive tone of voice. On stage he would be ruthless, grabbing the bayonet, and with a tremendous amount of strength, he would thrust the bayonet towards the prisoner. "Here, give me a hold. It's only the same as carving up a pig. Hold him still" Had Mitchem not intervened then Bamforth would have killed the soldier. Mitchem did so to keep him for any important information which may be needed at base camp. The Japanese soldier would be petrified at this point, being alone and unarmed. Yet Bamforth still persisted in scaring the soldier: "Boo" He also waved a bayonet in front of the prisoners face. Then he decided to mimic the prisoner by imitating a crude Japanese accent: "Flingers on Blonce" and "Tojo" He also used humiliating remarks such as "Short arse". His tone of voice would be quite sarcastic, as if he was talking to a