Genre
Memoir
Setting and Context
The memoir is set in 1900 in the context of the narrator's early life.
Narrator and Point of View
The memoir is narrated in the first-person point of view.
Tone and Mood
Optimistic, determined and encouraging
Protagonist and Antagonist
Vera Brittain is the protagonist of the story.
Major Conflict
The major conflict occurs when Vera's father refuses to educate her, arguing that taking a girl to school is a waste of time and money. The men in the society are patriarchal and misogynistic to the extent that they see women as valueless.
Climax
Vera finishes her university degree despite the hurdles in society. She is ready to pursue her career and find ways of fighting back to ensure girls' education is taken seriously in society.
Foreshadowing
The Great War that offers Vera an opportunity to work as a nurse foreshadows a bright future. Vera proves that given an opportunity, a woman can perform even better than men.
Understatement
The gruesome scenes of war are understated because what Vera sees is worse than the description of torture.
Allusions
The story alludes to the significance of giving a woman equal opportunity in society. Vera proves that women are able and can serve better than most men who think that they are superior.
Imagery
The images of Vera’s earl life and war depict the sense of sight to readers.
Paradox
The main paradox is that fathers think that their daughters are biologically unable to compete with their sons.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
War is personified as having the ability to dictate the afterlife of the survivors.
