All Quiet On The Western Front Chapter 5 Summary

“We developed a firm, practical feeling of solidarity which grew on the battlefield, into the best thing that the war produced - comradeship in arms” (Remarque 19). In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front the men are faced at the decision of life and death, protecting each other so each individual will make it home. Facing horrific images while being put at risk on the line in the front. Comradeship plays an important role in All Quiet on the Western Front, by being able to survive, build a brotherhood bond, and restoring comfort and courage.

The novel, All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque describes the grim reality of WWI. The poem, The Target by Ivor Gurney also talks about the war, and the thoughts a soldier has after killing his enemy. Both works of literature share many similarities.

Erich Remarque uses compelling symbols in chapter six of All Quiet on the Western Front, many of them have a significant meaning, only two have a powerful meaning. A shelled schoolhouse, in a sense brings the reader this sort of comfort because the feel of school brings them back to the good ole days. It is the days when you did not have to worry about things because mom and dad were there. The shelling part is another thing, it is showing the amount and the type of war going on. The violence in this time and place is unimaginable and the shelled schoolhouse is an example of the violence is being revealed. Remarque is trying to display to the reader that in this day and age of war they did not care about what they destroyed. He describes many bloody situations because he wants the reader to feel the pain and suffering how

‘‘Comrade, I did not want to kill you. If you jumped here again, I would not do it, if you would be sensible too. But you were only an idea to me before, an abstraction that lived in my mind and called forth its appropriate response. It was that abstraction I killed. But now, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand grenades, of your bayonet of you rifle: now I see your wife and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, Comrade. Why do we always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying agony- Forgive me comrade how could you be my enemy?”’ In this quote Paul Baumer, the protagonist realizes

In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque, starting with the epigraph of the book, defaces the didactic tips that the war burdens Bäumer with, "This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war" (1). A variety of books are written about wars, aggression, and the vast majority of them are full of patriotic pathos and romantic passages. As the novel's raconteur and protagonist, Bäumer is the focal figure in All Quiet on the Western Front and fills in as the mouthpiece for Remarque's reflections about war. All through the novel, Bäumer's internal identity is stood out from the way the war drives him to act and feel. His recollections of the time before the war demonstrate that he was at one time an altogether different man from the miserable fighter who now portrays the novel. Bäumer is a caring and naive schoolboy; before the war, he adored his family and composed poetry. Witnessing the awfulness of the war and the tension it instigates, Bäumer, as different warriors, figures out how to separate his psyche from his sentiments, keeping his feelings under control with a specific end goal to save his rational soundness and survive. With his epigraph, Remarque immediately separates

The men who went into World War One risked their lives to save other innocent lives, even though they were afraid. Day by day went by, not knowing how long they would survive. All Quiet on the Western Front is about the horror, loss of innocence, and comradery of war during World War One, because it shows what war was like, and how the men and women had to cope with it.

All Quiet on the Western Front is a fictional war story by Erich Maria Remarque that takes place in the First World War. Erich Maria Remarque was a German soldier in the First World War who suffered multiple injuries during his service. Erich Maria Remarque wrote All Quiet on the Western Front based on his experience from the First World War. The First World War is the first war to employ trench warfare, which was the digging of tunnels known as trenches to use as a defensive position on a battlefield, as a military strategy. The use of trenches in the First World War caused many casualties due to the fact that the trenches are good defensive encampments, and the use of trenches caused many stalemates that were very hard to break without losing

In All Quiet on the Western Front, author Erich Maria Remarque uses tactile imagery to emphasize that war is horrific. The main character Paul fights to stay alive every day while in the midst of World War 1 as a German soldier, but injuries are bound to happen at some point, ¨The surgeon pokes around in the wound and a blackness comes before my eyes.” (243). In this quote Remarque uses 2 examples of tactile imagery, movement and feelings. The details used to describe this scene makes you feel as if you were in the surgery with Paul.

The novel All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is story of the fictional character Paul Baumer and his troop Troop 9 as they battle in World War I on the Western Front for Germany. This novel differs from most war novels in that it does not portray the men as valiant soldiers protecting their country. The way that the story is told strips away the romanticized view warfare and portrays the raw emotions that come with being on the front lines of a battle. As both Paul Baumer’s life and the battle progress, Paul’s values, along with those of the other soldiers, evolve until they culminate in Baumer’s own passing.

Erich Maria Remarque uses significant symbols throughout chapter 6 of “All Quiet On the Western Front”, all of which hold an important meaning. The objects used throughout symbolize Paul’s fragileness with appreciation for nature, and the death and order happening around the men. One example of Paul’s simplicity comes into show when two brimstone-butterflies play in front of the men’s trench. In comparison to the observation planes, which the men “hate like a plague” (128), the butterflies express the simplicity and joy of nature. Even when the beautiful creature lands on a skull, the bufferlies presence remind the men that the land on which they fight still contains a order of nature. A second representation of the butterflies is that of frailness.

A soldier changes mentally and socially due to fighting in war. The soldiers in All Quiet on the Western Front and Anthem for Doomed Youth learn that their enemies are very similar to them. Both Remarque and Owens emphasize that soldiers are the same and it is merely war that puts a blockade between the enemies. Remarque stresses that war separates soldiers despite having many similar personalities.

It is oftentimes the most difficult route to challenge what is popular in a society, for this struggle commonly leads to social gaps and divisions. In All Quiet on the Western Front, by Remarque, Paul feels this internal struggle as he holds differing ideas from the majority on war. In our society and in Paul’s, glory is given to war and honor falls upon those who have fought in the war. Contrasting, Paul feels that war is barbaric and trusts more and more in this belief as he sees the horrors of World War I from the front lines. As he and his classmates were encouraged to fight in the war by their teacher, Kantorek, Paul explains, “There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that they were acting for the best” (12). This

In Chapter 5 of “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque, Paul Baumer and his comrades ponder the idea of life after the war, specifically its effect on their mental well-being and future back home. During their conversation, Baumer mentions to the other soldiers that “The war has ruined us for everything,” (Remarque 87). Because the war is taking a lasting toll on the soldiers’ lives and their time to pursue other interests, it seems as though their grasp on life is slowly slipping through their fingers. In addition, the violent occurrences that the men go through day in and day out are inked in their minds, forever tormenting them on a daily basis. Prior to Baumer’s remark, Albert Kropp points out understandingly that “Two

Many images from this novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” appear in my mind but the certain images that stick are the dead bodies and people fighting in the Trenches. The Trenches are a big factor to the Great War because it is the place where the soldiers eat, sleep, talk, and take cover from enemy infantry. When I think of war, the shooting back and forth between trenches comes to mind. As a teenager I play video games that are war related and my favorite is Battlefield 1 because it takes place in the Great War. Each Trench is a place for protection but also a death sentence because it is tight and easy to land a grenade or gas in. Although you take cover in there, the amount of dead bodies is far greater than the amount of living soldiers.

Professor’s Comments: This is a good example of a book review typically required in history classes. It is unbiased and thoughtful. The Student explains the book and the time in which it was written in great detail, without retelling the entire story… a pitfall that many first time reviewers may experience.