Werner Bode: All Quiet On The Western Front

The rise of World War I caused millions of casualties and was yet another demonstration of how supposedly civilized nations could be led into a chaotic war of power over lands and people. Since the beginning of civilization, war has been the way of the world. However, with major advances in technology, this idea of war has since become mechanized and deadlier. There is no doubt that the powerful men who lead wars often don’t care to think of nitty gritty of war, to them, rather, it’s a matter of power and legacy. In Remarque’s novel, the particular story of Paul and his comrades is a perfect example of how a generation can be used and manipulated to drive the agenda of power- hungry men. Through Remarque’s own personal experience and unparalleled writing ability, this novel presents many first-hand experiences into the living conditions of soldiers and peoples.

Ars Moriendi The complete ensemble gathers to pray and mourn Pius’ passing. Tone is drumming like a military march to symbolize the start of WWI. A bells tolls throughout. Pius sings with labored breath, taking air after every phrase.

“He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to a single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front” (Remarque 296). Paul Baumer, the narrator of All Quiet on the Western Front, enlisted into the German army at a young age of nineteen with a group of friends from school. Kantorek, Paul’s teacher, “gave us long lectures until the whole of our class went, under his shepherding, to the District Commandant and volunteered” (Remarque 11). After Paul and his friends underwent the ten weeks of horrific training, under the control of brutal Corporal Himmelstoss, they found out that everything Kantorek had told them about the war being illustrious was inaccurate. Paul and his fellow combatants experienced the war to be an alienating event that led the young men to feel alone because of the relationships between the young men at the front, the problems Paul faced when returning home, and the prewar and wartime civilian society.

The greatest war novel of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is a novel that depicted the hardships of a group of teenagers who enlisted in the German Army during World War 1. Enlisting right out of high school forced the teens to experience things they had never thought of. From the life of a soilder on the front line to troubles with home life, war had managed to once again destroy a group of teenagers.

The First World War was a war of many firsts. Not only was it the first true contemporary war, but it was also the first war that introduced new forms of industrial warfare, which resulted in many repercussions. One of these repercussions was the development of shell-shock or neurosis as a result of war in soldiers returning from the battle front. In “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Enrich Maria Remarque the psychological effect of industrial warfare on soldiers was depicted as a paradoxical combination of exhilaration on the battlefront as well as a deep state of numbness and melancholy.

All quiet on the Western Front is a book written by Erich Maria Remarque about the frontlines of Germany during WWI, while Omissi’s Indian Voices of the Great War: Soldiers’ Letters is a series of letters written by soldiers and their loved ones describing what they went through on the front lines for the allies as well as at home. Both of these sources describe what it was like to live and fight during the war both from the side of the allies and the Germans. While these sources share a common topic, the frontline and life during WWI, the soldiers took very different stances on the war, their superiors and what they were really fighting for.

As scientific innovations and developments push the frontier of our technological capabilities, the threat of using them for evil is an all too present reality. While at the height of the Cold War, John F. Kennedy said, "Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.". In his groundbreaking book, All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich M. Remarque seeks to spread this pacifistic message and anti-war sentiment, after the devastation brought by the First World War (Remarque 1982). As the biggest, most technological advanced and deadliest war of its time, this new breed of warfare has left ripples all across the fabric of the global society (Rowley 2003). Remarque wanted to use this book to recreate the horrors of this war in a fictional, yet ghastly tale. In his own words, he wishes All Quiet On The Western Front "to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure..." (Remarque 1982). Having served personally on the German front lines during the First World War, Remarque translates this firsthand experience of the war into this book (Gale 2003). He wanted to pay homage to his fallen comrades of his generation, saying "It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who were destroyed by the war" (Remarque 1982). Remarque weaves a tale that gives a new, horrifying, and shocking account of the trauma that soldiers face on a daily basis while on the front (Gale 2003). He uses this, and his own experiences from, and after, fighting in

In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, human nature is the only abstract periphery between belligerent barbarism and justifiable violence. Through the insipid bombardments that rained shells over the Germans’ heads and noxious implementation of mustard gas, Remarque dexterously misleads the reader into believing that he fights in an apathetic war where all remnants of human nature and identity have been destroyed with the introduction of trench warfare. Through Paul Baumer’s eyes, Remarque identifies war as an artificial construct devoid of human identity and any subsequent emotions until the first bombardment, the first glimpse Baumer has of the unfettered abominations of war. After the shrieking of artillery shells ceased, it was replaced by the numbing scream of injured horses. Paul described this abhorrent noise as “the moaning of the world…, wild with anguish, filled with terror, and groaning” (Remarque 62), the first emotionally provocative scene in the novel. As if the description of the noise did not suffice to pique the reader, Remarque continues, “The belly of one is ripped open, the guts trail out. He becomes tangled in them and falls…” (Remarque 63). At this instant, Remarque sheds the obscure layer of superficiality and reveals the tatters of human nature and identity still exist even in most anguish conditions of comeradeship, sympathy, contrition, and selflessness.

There is not as much symbolism shown throughout the text “All quiet on the western front” to show the effects of war too. However, Kermerich’s boots provide a symbol for the certain attitude a soldier would require – detaching their emotions only to act as an emotionless object that follows orders to reduce the effects of war inflicted on the soldiers. Each Solider (including Kemmerich) who took them from dead air pilot) dies when owning these boots. Therefore, it could be argued that the boots are worth more to people than a human life – Aslan argues that this represents the shallowness of society at the time of World War One. The audience is able to see how characters can become selfish for their own survival.

When it comes to war we tend to look the other way not because we think that war is the worst thing that is happening at this exact moment but because we tend not to know more about it. The definition of war is “A conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air”. War is something every country has in common just because there seems to always be something to be fighting about therefor, we seem to not put much interest in it unless we have a family member in it or the war is happening where we are. We should alway pay attention when war is happening not just because it’s important but because if we can't seem to change the way it is handle it may affect our everyday lives. So when it comes to how we should handle the way we portray the things that are happening in the war should we also support either the government or our president to hide information the might risk the life of an individual just so

What began as an assassination of a single individual, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, led to one of the greatest despairs in all of history. Known throughout the world as The Great War or World War I, this global war ignited battles throughout the entire world where the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire fought against the Allied Powers which included several countries including Britain and the United States. Lasting for four treacherous years, the war led to the deaths of millions of people. From mere citizens trying hard to live their life safely and away from all the violence, to brave soldiers who stood up to fight for their countries, people living all around the world had hardly had any any nice memories of days that had just passed by or hope for the coming times.

It was a normal day at the house. My wife and I were listening to the radio eating dinner when we heard that Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria had been assassinated. A war was called for. Russia, France, Italy, Great Britain, and the United States were going to be fighting against Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The station called for all young men to come and serve in the war. So I went to the nearest recruiting station and they asked for my name, blood type, and address. They told me that I had the job and I was cast into the U.S. Marine Corps.

28/8/1914 I’ve been here for a month know and I can barely cope with the size of these trenches I the Frontline trenches are about seven feet deep and six feet wide. and there always crowded but I don’t complain. Everyone here is nice but there’s a lot of problems like the extremely poor weather conditions like heavy rain and wind now there’s huge amounts of high density mud. These conditions negatively affected the strategies that both armies were planning. These muddy conditions meant that advancement was very slow with soldiers sometimes taking over 3 hours to travel 100 metres! we, when 'going over the top', not only face machine gun fire whilst running towards enemy trenches but had to run through this mud, often getting stuck or going

WWI affected many soldiers’ lives, it not only affected them physically but mentally as well. The war completely changed their mindsets, from being joyful, caring, and full of hopes and dreams to these men that no longer see war as something that gives them pride, glory, and grace, but something that has brought them terror, hopelessness, and made them insensitive to things that use to bring them happiness. Warfare pressured them to the point where they had to change in order to survive. Soldiers wouldn’t care if they saw one of their closest friends dying in front of them, but instead they’ll care about how much food they’re eating and if it is enough for each one of them, because all they care about is surviving and their survival methods. In All Quiet on the Western Front Remarque uses Paul

The story begins on day 264 of Helmuth’s prisonment by the Nazis. In a cold prison cell he thinks about his past while waiting to find out if he has a future or if he will be put to death. In the cell he has many flashbacks. In his cell, Helmuth remembers his mother Mutti, and older half brothers, Hans and Gerhard. He also looks back on his grandparents who care for him and his brothers.