Posted: November 9th, 2015

HISTORY

HISTORY

All Quiet on the Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque, a veteran of the Great War himself, became one of the world’s foremost anti-war spokesmen after the publication of All Quiet on the Western Front. His novel describes WW I as a brutal and cruel conflict devoid of honor or heroism. The author denounces war using the characters of the novel to discuss how different soldiers reacted to this catastrophe. Please analyze the above comment by arranging your answers to the questions below in a 5 page double-spaced typewritten essay in 12 point font.

1.  How did Paul Baumer and his classmates come to enlist in the War? Discuss his teacher’s lectures regarding “duty to one’s country.” How did Paul and his friends feel about their teacher after they had their first taste of war? Did the boys treat their former teacher with respect when he came to fight?  Give some examples.

2.  How was the war portrayed to Paul and his friends? How did their attitudes toward the war change once they started fighting? How did they view their enemies? How did the author show the reader that war was not a romantic or heroic adventure? Give some examples.

3.  Note the close friendship that developed between Paul and “Kat” Katczinsky. What was unusual about it? What specific incidents helped to seal this friendship? What talents or attitudes help to explain why Kat was the recognized leader of the group? What happened to Kat – and how did Kat’s fate affect Paul?

4.   How did the war change Paul and his comrades? What happens when Paul returns to the front from home on leave? How does he view the future? Does he have a future? Do his friends share these views? Give three examples as to the fate of three of Paul’s soldier ‘family.’

5.   You will want to consider the effects of the Second Industrial Revolution on young men like Paul Baumer. Choose some incidents in the book that you feel best portray the horrors of this first truly industrial war on individuals in this book. It may help to review your notes on the Second Industrial Revolution. It has been said that WW I took away the romantic tradition of war–and brought muddy trenches, deadly but unseen artillery, and soldiers reduced to mere statistics. There are several such examples in the book. You will want to provide a few incidents that give strong support to the “unromantic” war of this novel.

6.   In your opinion, why is Remarque’s novel a useful commentary on large-scale human conflict? Do you think that the author’s nationality being German has any significance for the book? In light of the above questions, discuss briefly whether or not you enjoyed the book.

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