World War One's Diary: All Quiet On The Western Front

All Quiet On The Western Front is an account of WW1, from the perspective of a soldier named Paul Baumer. The author of the novel, Erich Maria Remarque, based the novel on his own life as he too fought in the war and was transferred to the Western Front. The war destroyed the men that took part in it. Simply put Remarque’s novel is an example of how the war has shaped history and if it were not read we would still be at war like they were in WW1, disoriented and unorganized.

Mahatma Gandhi, a renowned political and spiritual leader, once said that, “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary, the evil it does is permanent.” Presume you see two men in a heated argument and one of them is about to attack the other, you take a rock and throw it at him and knock him out. On one hand it is a good thing that you prevented the attack but on the other hand you used violence yourself, and there is no doubt that you would not hesitate to use it again. The good that came from the violence that you used lasted for a short time, but the punishment that you get for doing this lasts for a long time. Imperialism of rivalries and nationalism were two of the main reasons that most

1. Paul Baumer and his friends, as German soldiers in World War I, collectively fight any who oppose the German army. However, Corporal Himmelstoss is an enemy whose transgressions are taken far more personally by Paul and his friends. Himmelstoss often torments Paul and his comrades for the sake of doing so, as he is power-driven and tries to exert control over others whenever he can. It is never stated that the soldiers hate or even dislike the enemies that they fight daily on the battlefield; yet they disfavor Himmelstoss openly. In addition, they all begin to harbor distaste for their former teacher, Kantorek, for encouraging them to join the army. All of the men also struggle against the knowledge that

In Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, soldiers at the front have a better idea than civilians of the true nature of war because they have experienced the war while civilians have only read about it or listened to government propaganda. Remarque is trying to tell us that only those who experience the war can understand how awful war truly is.

It’s no surprise that soldiers will more-than-likely never come home the same. Those who have not served do not often think of the torment and negative consequences that the soldiers who make it out of war face. Erich Remarque was someone who was able to take the torment that he faced after his experience in World War I and shed light on the brutality of war. Remarque was able to illustrate the psychological problems that was experienced by men in battle with his best-selling novel All Quiet on the Western Front (Hunt). The symbolism used in the classic anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front is significant not only for showing citizens the negative attributes of war, but also the mental, physical, and emotional impact that the vicious war had on the soldiers.

This essay will consider the different effects created by Erich Maria Remarque in his novel All Quiet on the Western Front. As a writer, Remarque unknowingly left his novel open to readers with completely different perspectives, and to various forms of criticism. This undoubtedly meant that every single reader had been affected by the novel in many different ways which unfortunately for Remarque may have been an effect that he never intended. This essay is divided into 5 main sections. Firstly it will address any of the intentions Remarque could have possibly wanted to propose through his novel, and closely examine the purposes and motives behind All quiet on the Western Front. It will then go on to analyse Remarque’s use of language in various extracts of the novel. Then the content is analysed in two parts; the third part is a brief insight into one of the key themes of the novel, and the fourth part highlights the effects Remarque causes. Finally, some conclusions will be drawn as to whether or Remarque may have intended to achieve a certain effect in his novel, and as to whether or not I personally agree with the comment that through his shaping of language and content, Remarque may have achieved an effect he might not have intended.

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.

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.

Chapter one of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (1928) gives insight to the horrific realities soldiers have to face in World War I. Paul Baumer, the narrator and one of the soldiers enlisted to fight for his country, tells the reader that they have just returned back to camp after two weeks of fighting on the front lines. He also notes that more than half of their Company of one-hundred fifty men were lost in a gas attack the day before, and this lead to a surplus of leftover food and supplies for the remaining soldiers. The main soldiers in the story visit their friend, Kemmerich, in the hospital, whose leg has been amputated and who is on the verge of death. Remarque uses imagery of Kemmerich in the hospital

All Quiet on the Western Front describes how war positively impacts soldiers, however, it causes hardships. The narrator, Paul Baumer, describes his experience of fighting in WWI. Paul was a German soldier who faced troubles of war with the other men. The Germans in the Triple Alliance were fighting against the Triple Entente, which contained Great Britain, France, and Russia. The men face injury, wounds, death, and disagreements. The war causes soldiers to become emotionless and afraid because of the horrors of the war. However, it also causes soldiers to form a close bond with enemies due to one’s selflessness and retain strong friendships. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque shares how Paul is emotionally affected by hardships

All of the years following World War I, half of the world was anti- war. When soldiers enlist into the army they are never told the truth. Being a witness to a close friend in the army or to a family member actually fighting in World War II they didn’t think they would actually be fighting in a war. Guys and Girls normally enlist into the army for the money and the benefits, thinking that they will eventually come home to their love ones. When the soldiers signed up and experienced a war both sides were screaming they wanted to go home and they would never go through this again.

f justice were a shadow, Ammon would be its embodiment. She flitted on soundless footfalls through the camp that eve, cloaked in a roughspun shawl with geometric shapes reminiscent of a vagabond's garb. First she examined the barracks, which Edmure and his men had fortified from the chapel's holy vestibule. Every thing seemed in proper order there, but it was the soldiers' yurts that proved to be most alarming. As Cain had claimed several of the pavilion's had young women chained inside against their will, being viscously molested by drunken soldiers. She unfastened their manacles and allowed them refuge in the cathedral until proper arrangements could be made the following morning to escort them to their respective homes. As for the soldiers' punishments, Ammon had them holed away in the cellars until she felt proper judgement could be passed.

All is chaos. Horses run everywhere except where their riders are leading. Baggage animals are being toppled. Some men flee and others fight. The disorder appears to be in no one's favor. The road is defined by sheer cliffs on both sides which man, animal, and barbarian were falling into. Hannibal, seated atop my comrade Surus, commanded his army to stay back. Once the column was broken however, Surus, with Hannibal on his back, ran into the fray with me at his side and scattered the enemy, as was the plan.

The novel imparts several lessons for its readers. It educates the people about the innumerable atrocities committed by the Germans during the Holocaust in the 2nd World War. It teaches one the virtue of not believing everything that falls upon our ears and about thinking about your own self. The book also transmits a strong message about not becoming a blind follower and standing up for what’s right even when faced with futile

-Erich Maria Remarque was conceived on 22 June 1898 into a working people family in the German city of Osnabrück to Peter Franz Remark (b. 14 June 1867, Kaiserswerth) and Anna Maria (née Stallknecht; conceived 21 November 1871, Katernberg).