AQWF Trench Journal

Battlefield Orders

2007-11-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am a man of facts, and I like to know things point blank. So, I guess that is how I have learned so much about the war. This war is revolutionary in that extreme advances in technology have developed and are being tested for the first time in actual battles. Such advances include the flamethrower, tank, machine gun, submarine, airplane, and 3" mortar.

First off, the flamethrower was invented by a German engineer named Richard Fiedler in 1901. However, due to controversy it was not fully accepted in Germany until 1911 and was not used in combat until 1915. Due to the fact that the flamethrower allowed the German army to kill numerous amounts of the opposing side at one time, it was a sensation. After its success, it was accepted as a vital weapon for the German army.

The tank was established as an alternative to armored cars, which could not travel off road or provide sufficient protection. The British were the first to introduce these “tanks” in 1916. The name is attributed to what they were labeled when shipped to the troops, in order to trick the enemy. The D1 was the first tank to enter battle, and was somewhat of a success, however it needed many improvements. After an update, these tanks also became quite popular on the warfront.

Originally, the machine gun was invented in 1881 by Hiram Maxim. This gun enabled a much higher rate of fire, because it shot bullets automatically and allowed soldiers to reload their guns less.

It is interesting to discover that submarines were not officially used in warfare until WWI, because I remember Kantorek teaching us that the idea of a submarine was introduced by Alexander the Great, and finally invented by Cornelius Jacobszoon Drebbel in 1620. Submarines made a considerable impact combat techniques in this war. With the ability to view underwater without being seen on the surface, submarnies enabled the element of surprise. So far, the most noted use of the submarine in WWI must be the Lusitania occurrence.

This war is the first time airplanes have been allowed in combat, and they have become extremely useful. They are also quite frightening, because planes will hover around an area, and you will never know when one had the intention droping bombs. In fatc, the war is full of planes, blimps, and tethered ballons.

The Mortar is an old weapon that has been improved for this war, in order to make it more efficient. A mortar is actually quite similar to a cannon, except it is thinner and made specifically for trench warfare. It has enabled soldiers to fire at steep angles to hit the enemy dead on. As you can see the improved 3” Mortar was incredibly fundamental to WWI warfare.

No man’s land is a nickname used by soldiers for the large area between two opposing sides. In thia war, these areas are normally 250 yards wide. No man’s land is the area you are most likely to be killed in, and usually contains a considerable amount of barbed wire for protection.

The use of poisonous gases in is very controversial because of the argument that it is uncivilized, since it causes slow painful deaths. However, when gases were finally in use they caused many non-fatal casualties and backfired on some armies when the wind blew the wrong way. The French were the first army to use gas, and other countries soon followed suit. But gas masks were not supplied until after the first German chlorine gas attack, and they only consisted of cotton pads that had been soaked in urine, the only alternative was a handkerchief covered in a solution of bicarbonate of soda. It was not until July 1915 that soldiers were given efficient gas masks and anti-asphyxiation respirators.

The Red Baron is a German fighter pilot of the Western Front. He was renowned for being the most famous war ace in Germany because he shot down 80 allied aircrafts which was more than any other pilot in WWI. His name was Manfred von Richthofen and he was born in Schweidnitz, Germany in 1882. He was initially a cavalry officer in the German Army, but transferred to the German Air Force in May 1915. Richthofen died when he was brought down to ground fire in August of 1918.

The Schlieffen Plan is a German ideal stating that in order to win a two-front war expeditiously, you must first achieve success in west. Yet, the plan’s triumph depended on France being defeated by Germany before France could defend itself, and then for Germany to attack Russia before they were ready. Still, the plan failed due to the French’s counter attack.

Franz Ferdinand was an Archduke of Austria, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, and heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. The Archduke and his wife were killed while riding in a car in Serbia. Due to the circumstances of his assassination, Austria-Hungary believed that it was planned by the Serbian government. This disagreement escalated, and caused the countries allied with Austria-Hungary (the Central Powers) and countries allied with Serbia (the Entente Powers) to declare war on each other, thus starting WWI.

Helen Burrey volunteered to serve as an army nurse, and was one of the first to be sent to France. She was interested in the medical advances she saw in hospitals and trains, having just come from nursing school at St. Francis Hospital. She worked mainly in a train transporting the wounded soldiers to hospitals. She was very interested in helping the soldiers and found it quite unsettling to see some of their gruesome wounds.

Pals battalions are army troops of people that volunteer to serve alongside eachother, including friends, coworkers, and family members (hints the term “pals”) who enlisted in the army with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside the people they value most. This was a great incentive to get men to enlist, but I’m not so sure it was a good strategy for any country. Reason being, when you were fighting beside your dad and he gets shot, you’re going to stop, try to help him, and if he’s dead you’re not going to fight anymore.

Writing Extension

2007-11-09T10:00:00.001-08:00

Letter Home-

Dearest Mother,

I received your letter last week and quite enjoyed hearing from you. Nowadays reading letters from home is the only reminder of the life I once had. I am sorry that it has taken be so long to write back. I barely have time to sleep around here. I guess that’s all for the better though because it means that I don’t have the opportunity to think about what I must be missing. Sometimes I feel as though I will never return home, even though I haven’t been gone long.

I suppose you’ve already heard the tragic news of Kemmerich’s fate. That is one of my greatest hardships, for he doesn’t know he has lost a leg. It is but a great relief that I know those around me, for now. However, you needn’t worry about me mother; I have become a machine. I do everything I am told and rely on my instincts. It is interesting to think that I was once such a free-spirited individual, now I wait for orders and do only what my commanding officers tell me to.

You must tell Kantorek that I learned more from a month on the front than I did throughout his whole class. I believe he should have come to experience this also. Life is so different out here. I realize now how lucky I am, because the conditions are so different. Believe me mother, when I return I promise you will find me to be a man. However, I must confess that I don’t know if it is for the better. I wish I could go back to the lifestyle of writing poetry and observing nature while in good company.

Love to all,
Paul

Poem Connection-
I have been through a lot during my short time in war, but I do believe that this peom is a great representation of what I have gone through.

Portrait of Change

Change is a myriad of colors,
Red for its passion; black for its sorrow.
It sounds like the wailing wrath of the wind,
Getting closer and closer 'til it comes again.

It tastes like a grapefruit, fresh and ripe.
It can bring grief or the brightest of lights.
Its scent is subtle, like that of a flower,
Creeping upon you like a sudden spring shower.

Change looks like a stranger on the street,
Ever so near and always discreet.
Sometimes change can cause great fear,
But can also bring hope for future years.

Copyright © 2004 by Shana Wilson

In the first chapter of the novel, Paul is faced with many opportunities for change and seems to always wind up regretting it. The poem features the line “It tastes like a grapefruit, fresh and ripe, It can bring grief or the brightest of lights” which explains the temptation of change and risk that goes along with it. Paul is first excited about change because he has never had any big altercations in his lifestyle before, and knows that it is a risk but is blinded by excitement. Similarly, the poem features the line “But can also bring hope for future years” which is the only thing Paul has in mind has he is convinced to enlist in the army. Paul, who is essentially an optimistic fellow, has his mind on the positive outcome. He must eventually learn to consider risks both ways, and thus be introduced to reality, a place where anything is possible.

Art Connection-

Additionally, I fancy this piece of artwork because I feel that I can really relate to it.

http://www.global-b2b-network.com/b2b/44/970/page5/47317/abstract_painting.html

In the first chapter of this novel, Paul receives a dose of reality as moves into adulthood with a whirlwind of life-altering changes. This painting inhibits colors such as red, black/grey, orange, white, yellow, and pink, which all help to express Paul’s mood. As an adolescent, Paul has always trusted his elders and is now learning that he must think for himself, therefore he is confused. Additionally, this painting shows those colors blended together with little cubes on top of them. This detail represents the fact that Paul’s gentle and poetic nature is becoming watered down by the structured conformism of the German army. Paul is beginning to lose his sense of self in the hierarchy of the German army.

Self Reflection

2007-11-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

I believe that my trench journal is a great representation of WWI, and All Quiet on the Western Front. The template I chose uses colors such as tan and brown which depict the mood of this war era. Also, my background represents the public’s view of the soldiers completing their civic duty. I really enjoyed this project because it was a creative way for us to fully understand the meaning behind the text of the book. First, I learned many things about creating and formatting a blog. Second, I now understand much more about WWI, including its tools, soldiers, heroes, hardships, causes, and happenings. During the course of this project I discovered that I learn more about the events of a book if I have to something constructive along with it.

In addition, I feel as though I now understand the gravity of the suffering soldiers and their families go through during a war.

Interview

2007-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=1025&display_order=1&mini_id=1400

1. What was your motivation to join the armed forces, and do you regret it now?
2. What was your biggest day-to-day fear during the war?
3. How did you cope with the fact that you may never return home?
4. Were the conditions worse for men of lower rank?
5. What was your reaction to the use of poisonous gases in combat, and did you fear gases more than other tools of warfare?

Literary Analysis

2007-11-09T07:00:00.001-08:00

Chapter 1

Summary-
The novel begins with a young German soldier named Paul Baumer, our main character, who is nineteen and fighting in WWI. He has just been relieved from the front line and we learn that after fighting jus two weeks and his troop has lost nearly half of its men; including Paul friends Behm, who died terribly, and Kemmerich who is in the hospital and is unaware that his leg has been amputated. Paul is now left with his friends Leer, Muller, Kropp, Kemmerich, Behm, and Tjaden. He explains that he and his comrades volunteered for the war together, after much persuasion from their teacher, Kantorek. Paul expresses his frustration at the fact that no one warned him of the hardships of war, and the fact that Kantorek has a misconception of nationalism.

Vocabulary-
1. Unimpeachably: without question
They are square, neat boxes with wooden sides all round, and have unimpeachably satisfactory seats (Remarque 7).
2. Ostracized: excluded
But he did allow himself to be persuaded, otherwise he would have been ostracized (Remarque 11).

Journal Entry-
Here I am, nineteen, out to serve my country like a true patriot. I am sure that if this is the test of loyalty, or manhood, that most would rather be a roaming woman. No one warned me of what I would through each day as a soldier. With all of the things I see, the only relief I have is the fact that I am among friends. I have been taught to listen to my elders since I was a lad, but here lies the truth: If everything we had been told was believed by people like Kantorek, than why are they at home, sleeping in their nice beds? We have lost 70 of 150 men already, and poor Kemmerich, his leg has been amputated yet he knows nothing of the sort, and Behm, he was the most reluctant to join, and first to die.

Political Cartoon-

During the months preceding the US' entrance to WWI President Woodrow Wilson was constantly having to shift the country away from things such as war in order to reach justice. The cartoon depicts the phrase "steering clear of the rocks". This represents the way the President was trying to guide the US in the right direction. Additionally, the cartoon features the word "justice" beside a lighthouse at the end of the ship's path. This suggests that in order to achieve justice the President would have had to avoid/pass through the obstacles("rocks") that he was faced with. Furthermore, it was left up to President Woodrow Wilson to lead us to justice during the WWI period.

What I learned-
From reading this chapter I learned that war is a dreadful thing for everyone involved, and no one benefits from it. I also learned that in life you must make your own decisions and trust you own judgment. If you rely on everything someone else tells you, big mistakes can be made. Additionally, your friends and family are the most valuable things in life, and you wouldn’t be able to make progress without them, because they keep you going.

Chapter 2

Summary-
Paul begins to reflect, and think about the person he was before he came to war. He portrays his former self gentle, observant, and poetic. He believes he is now pessimistic and cold. Paul comments that he has learned more about life in a month at war than he had in a decade of school. He feels cheated because he and his comrades are young and have not yet lived; they only have their parents to run home to. But Paul knows that he would have never survived the front line without the toughing up he was given at training. Paul visits Kemmerich at the hospital when he is on the brink of death. He reassures Kemmerich that everything will be fine, but Kemmerich is no fool. Kemmerich asks that his boots be given to Muller who had previously asked for them. Kemmerich dies when Paul goes to find a doctor, and Paul returns to the front and delivers the boots to Muller.

Vocabulary-
1. Embittered: made bitter(distasteful)
At first astonished, then embittered, and finally indifferent, we recognized that what matters is not the mind but the boot brush, not intelligence but the system, not freedom but drill (Remarque 22).
2. Pettifogging: insignificant
With our young awakened eyes we saw that the classical conception of the Fatherland held by our teachers resolved itself here into a renunciation of personality such as one would not ask of the meanest servants- salutes, springing to attention, parade-marching, presenting arms, right wheel, left wheel, clicking the heels, insults, and a thousand pettifogging details (Remarque 22).

Journal Entry-
Tonight I was granted with relief and have had some time to think. Oh, look how much I have changed already. I remember how gentle, trusting, observant, and poetic I used to be. I joked today that I learned more in a month at war than I did during a decade at school. Many times we talk about our lives before the war, and I realize that the men here have something to live for, to fight for, a wife, or children. I am but nineteen all I have back home is my mother, father, and sister. I went to see Kemmerich today, and I knew he was bad off but tried to cheer him. He saw right through me and told me to give Muller his boots. I ran to fetch a doctor, only to come back and find him dead. I gave the boots to Muller. It pains me now that I will have to deliver this sad news to Kemmerich’s mother.

Political Cartoon-

In times of war, many countries evolve financial difficulties that affect all of the working class. The cartoon exhibits two patients, wage earner and wage payer, to be treated by Dr. Uncle Sam. The US was going through many industrial issues during the course of WWI, and it was causing a lack of sufficient funds for the whole of the working class of the US. The cartoon also portrays the slogan “Co-operation will win the war!”. This suggests that the government’s only solution to their problem was for the working class to deal with it for a while. All rules and regulations become mere guidelines in times of war, and the government loses most responsibility for issues among citizens.

What I learned-
This chapter has taught me that no one is safe in a time of war and it is essential to be realistic. It is a good example of the shortness of life. Also, the best of friends will always try to cheer you up, even if they know the bleakness of your predicament.

Chapter 3

Summary-
New recruits arrive at the front alongside Paul and his buddies. Many of them aren’t but seventeen and they make Paul’s group feel like seasoned veterans. Kat, another one of the men who had began with Paul, offers the new recruits extra beans he bargained out of the cook for some of their tobacco. Paul is amazing at how Kat is always bargaining things. Kropp suggests that the leaders that declare war are the ones who should have to fight each other. Paul and his friends recall training and how mean their trainer, Himmelstoss used to be. He forced the bed-wetters to sleep in the same bunk set and it essentially caused Paul and some of his friends to beat up Himmelstoss. (He never found out who did it.) In this chapter Paul also discusses the hierarchy of the armed forces (bullying power of those in high rank), and how it is something that would be forbidden in most country’s streets.

Vocabulary-
1. Uncanny: mysterious
It is uncanny; one would think he conjured it out of the air (Remarque 40).
2. Monotonously: lacking in variety
They have installed themselves somewhere and practice brokenly, dully, monotonously (Remarque 42).

Journal Entry-
New recruits arrived today, it is clear that they have gone through little training. Most of them were no older than seventeen. I feel for them as they go out to the front, for they know so little. Kat offered the new men beans in exchange for part of their ration of tobacco; he always seems to scavenge things out of thin air. I thought training was the worst experience of my life. Our trainer, Himmelstoss took advantage of his authority and was a big bully. I still cannot believe what he did to Tjaden. At least we got him back. It is interesting to think that what is against the law on the streets is allowed in our military.

Political Cartoon-

During times of war, governments often decide to make false promises in order to strengthen themselves. This cartoon depicts a German informing a Mexican that if Mexico joins Germany’s side, then they will receive part of the US. This cartoon is a spoof of the Zimmerman Note, displaying what the German government was willing to promise in order to gain support.
Similarly, this cartoon also features the phrase “Some Promise!”. This phrase is a reassurance of how unreasonable this guarantee is, and also of the crazy things people will promise when they are under pressure.

What I learned-
From this chapter I learned that not only is it never right to be a bully, whether in war or in life, but it will eventually come back to bite you. Additionally, if you are treated unjustly it your friends who will be there to help you seek compensation for your mistreatment.

Chapter 4

Summary-
Paul’s group is assigned to put barbed wire at the front which is exceedingly hazardous. As they travel to the front Paul and Kat plan to return later to grab some geese that are inhabiting a home. Paul reviews how the animal instincts of men come out while in combat, and most of the time is what saves him from death. While laying wire in the front, they are bombarded and a new recruit hides under Paul and winds up messing up his pants from fear, which we are told happens to many soldiers. Detering is distressed at the fact that horses are being used in the war sense he is a farmer. Paul and Kat see a new recruit suffering and want to shoot him to stop the pain, but run out of time.

Vocabulary-

1. Embowered: to shelter or enclose in or as if in a bower

These branches might seem gay and cheerful were not cannon embowered there (Remarque 52).

2. Reverberation: an effect that resembles an echo

The roar of the guns makes our lorry stagger, the reverberation rolls raging away to the rear, everything quakes (Remarque 53).

Journal Entry-
I don’t think I have been more afraid on the front as I was when they told us that we were to put the barbed wire on the front. As we rode to our destination Kat and I heard some geese in a house right off to the side. We made a pact to return for the geese, we are always hungry. I never believed that men shared the same characteristics as beasts, but when you go into combat the only thing you can trust is your instinct. I hated to see Detering so upset by the horses.

Political Cartoon-

Many governments are willing to go beyond their moral standards in times of war. The cartoon portrays a German disguising a snake as a dove/peace offering. This describes how far Germany was willing to go to win this war. Also, this cartoon displays the phrase, “No matter how I fix it, the tail always sticks out” and the phrase “German Trickery” on the “tail” of the snake. This explains that every time the Germans attempted to fool their competitors, their deceptiveness always showed. Governments tend to disregard their values when they feel they have something to gain.

What I learned-
This chapter is a good reminder to us all that whether in life or war we can always trust the instincts we are naturally given, and they oddly enough often come in handy. Additionally it becomes clear in this chapter that it is essential to make friends wherever you go in order to have someone to rely on during a time of need, just as the new recruit who hid under Paul.

Chapter 5

Summary-
Paul discusses his disgusting environment where men are picking lice off their heads and killing them in fires. The men discuss what they would do if the war were to come to an abrupt end. Himmelstoss arrives at the men’s camp and Tjaden refuses to do as he says. Tjaden runs off and Himmelstoss runs to get the sergeant major. They refuse to tell where Tjaden has gone. Kropp makes fun of Himmelstoss. Tjaden and Kropp are then put on trial for disobedience. But, due to the circumstances Tjaden receives three days open arrest, and Kropp receives one. Paul and Kat later bribe a driver with cigarettes to drive them to the house with the geese. Paul goes inside and is only able to grab one. They return to camp and eat it quickly, while they save the feathers for pillows.

Vocabulary-

1. Reminiscently: process of recollecting past experiences or events

"What do you mean by the three-fold theme in ‘William Tell’?” says Kropp reminiscently, and roars with laughter (Remarque 84).

2. Insubordination: disobedience

I have to appear as a witness and explain the reason of Tjaden’s insubordination (Remarque 90).

Journal Entry-
I know that I did not live in the richest of homes, but my mother took pride in our home and kept everything exceptionally clean. But around here, I do not know the word clean. Men are sitting around here that haven’t bathed or changed clothes in weeks. They are sitting around here and picking the lice off of their heads, and killing them in the campfire. We were talking last night, and thinking about what we would do if the war ended, and frankly, I have no idea. What would I do? Anyway, the rumor was true, Himmelstoss arrived at camp today, just my luck. Tjaden ran off as if he had seen a ghost, and Kropp mocked him to his face. Of course, Himmelstoss reported them, but do to Himmelstoss, their punishments were lighted. Right after the trial, Kat and I bribed a driver into taking us to the home with the geese. I was only able to grab one, but it was worth the food and we can make pillows.

Political Cartoon-

Many times when countries are at war, ideals are confused and/or distorted to fit their needs. The cartoon shows an individual reading “terrorist”, and interpreting it as “militant”. This explains how an act of terrorism can be seen as heroic if it is preformed by a soldier fighting for his country. In addition, cartoon portrays the individual reading an eye chart. This ideal is a great example of how greatly perspectives can differ. Similarly, it is interesting that many a time, opposing sides can both be right.

What I learned-
I learned from this chapter that many times in life there is a grey area, a place where something that seems wrong becomes right and vice versa. It is in this grey area that we do things we thought we were once incapable of, but know that they will prove to be the right decisions in the end. Additionally I discovered that the only people crazy enough to support these decisions until everything falls into place are your friends.

Chapter 6

Summary-
When returning from the front, the men see a schoolhouse that is surrounded by new coffins that are undoubtedly meant for them. The men hear devastating news about their predicament. But they can do nothing but sit and wait. The soldiers must fight off rats in order to keep what food they are given. Kat seems unusually saddened which is a bad sign because he has a sixth sense for what will happen on the front. The men are finally able to come out of the dark, and they kill like machines, after having no action for days. They steal food from the enemy soldiers they kill and know when they return to the trench that the other side has much better conditions. Paul stands watch and reflects about his lost youth and fears becoming permanently numb. The new recruits are dying like crazy because they have had little training. Himmeltoss tries to fake a wound. The soldiers that have been in combat for a while try and teach the new recruits fighting techniques, but they new recruits still die just as fast. Haie gets fatally wounded.

Vocabulary-

1. Belabored: attacked with blows

We sit as though in a boiler that is being belabored from without on all sides (Remarque 111).

2. Convulse: to shake violently

The Earth is the background of this restless, gloomy world of automatons, our gasping is the scratching of a quill, our lips are dry, our heads are debauched with stupor-thus we stagger forward, and into our pierced and shattered souls bores the torturing image of the brown earth with the greasy sun and the convulsed and dead soldiers, who lie there- it can’t be helped-who cry and clutch at our legs as we spring away over them (Remarque 115).

Journal Entry-
Well, today we saw the worst thing possible. There was a large stack of wooden coffins beside an old schoolhouse that were undoubtedly meant for those of us who failed at our mission of avoiding death today. So that means that Kat’s sixth sense was correct for he had already had a bad feeling about today. After a long stay in the trenches, we were signaled to attacked and shot like machines.

We hear that our army is growing weaker but all we can do now is wait and fight the rats off of our food. Now I fear that this war will never end and that will I have lost my youth and become indifferent. But I have little time for such trifles. Himmelstoss faked a wound today and almost got away with it, but I saw him. Haie got ht today his wound was fatal. I hate to see my comrades die off like this.

Political Cartoon-

In the beginning of WWI, the US was undecided about whether or not to join, or who to join, and everyone wanted the US on their side. In the cartoon you will notice that the US is being pulled by ropes from four different sides. This explains that the League of Nations was already torn and the US had the power to strengthen one side. Also, the cartoon depicts all of the representatives of the four opposing nations as short and stout, while Uncle Sam stands tall and lean. This further explains the other country’s need for Sam’s upper hand. Additionally, many times it is more difficult for the individual with much to lose to pick a side.

What I learned-
From this chapter I learned that is nearly impossible for individuals to jump into something they have never done before and expect to prosper, real success takes training.

Chapter 7

Summary-
Himmelstoss does his best to make up for his past and bribes the men with some of his food and easy jobs. He wins most of them over, even Tjaden, but they still make jokes about him. Paul, Leer, and Kropp meet three women while they are swimming in a canal. They are not permitted to cross so wait until nightfall and travel across the canal without clothes, bringing food. The women give them clothes, and they talk for a long time despite the fact that neither speaks the other’s language fluently. Paul hopes the women will help him regain some of his innocence. Paul is given seventeen days of absence, after which he will go to a training base, and return to the front in six weeks. He visits one of the women he went to see but she is uninterested with him unless he is on the front line. Paul returns home, and finds the population to be starving, and his mother ill with cancer. He is unable to tell his family to horror of the war and keeps quiet. Paul is discouraged when he finds his identity as a soldier the only one he can now relate to. Paul learns that Kantorek has been called to war and is under the supervision of one of his students who is giving him a hard time about his previous view of the war. Paul’s mother is becoming depressed as Paul’s time off comes to an end. Paul tells Kemmerich’s mother that her son has passed, and lies that it was quick and painless. Paul begins to wish he had never come back because it is just bringing himself and his mother more pain.

Vocabulary-

1. Jovial: merry

Although the water is cold we are very jovial and do our best to interest them so that they will stay (Remarque 144).

2. Silhouette: outline

In the distance, the soft, blue silhouette of the mountain ranges begins to appear (Remarque 154).

Journal Entry-
I am pleased with the fact that Himmelstoss is trying to make up for his past. He really has become a gentleman. Leer, Kropp, and I met three women at the canal. We returned at night with some food to go talk to them, they gave us clothes and we quite enjoyed their company. However I visited the women I fancied to tell her that I was to have seventeen days off and she seemed quite uninterested, what a shame.
Returning home was awful. Mother has cancer, the population is practically starving, and I had to tell Kemmerich’s mother about her son. I didn’t have the heart to tell her the sad truth, so I said his death was quick and painless. I wished now that I had never returned because I haven’t brought about anything good, Mother’s health is worse now that my departure is pressing.

Political Cartoon-
This cartoon is yet another example of what countries or their leaders are willing to do in order to potentially gain something in some way. The cartoon shows President Woodrow Wilson changing the date that congress met to discuss an issue. This is a great representation of dirty politics, where people just want to look good in the public eye. Also, the cartoon displays the President setting aside the notice that many US lives were lost due to the sinking of a ship. This shows just how inconsiderate people in the public eye can be, because they are only interested in the things that affect them personally. Furthermore, the underhandedness of politics ultimately overrides the point of having oit at all.

What I learned-
This chapter has taught me that life is seems shorter when you are around those you love. Also, that it takes a strong person to fight in a war knowing about sad conditions of their home life.

Chapter 8

Summary-
When Paul reports to training camp he notices that there is a prison next door for captured Russian soldiers. Paul noticed that they were regular people. It touches Paul that these prisoners are so kind to one another. He realizes that they are people just like him, and that people of power were making these men shoot, injure, and kill each other on the front. He breaks all of his cigarettes in half and gives them to the prisoners. Paul sees his father and sister right before he is to leave for the front. The time is awkward and they can only talk about his mother who has been sent to the hospital for treatment. They give Paul jam and potato cakes that his mother made and he shares with the prisoners.

Vocabulary-
1. Obscure: imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion

Their life is obscure and guiltless (Remarque 193).

2. Annihilation: to vanquish

My heart beats fast: this is the aim, the great, the sole aim, that I have thought of in the trenches; that I have looked for as the only possibility of existence after this annihilation of all human feeling (Remarque 194).

Journal Entry-
Arriving at the training camp, I had no expectations, but did not expect this. There is a prison for the Russian captives next door, and they are so loving toward each other. I decided to break my cigarettes in half and hand them out to the prisoners. I mean these “enemies” , the people we have killing are just like us. It was quite awkward to see father and my sister today. The only thing we talked about was mother. She is having surgery for her cancer today. Father is worried about how much it will cost. Before they left, father gave me jam and potato cakes mother had made especially for me. I would have given the lot to the prisoners but I knew how sick mother was and how much she wanted them for me. But I did give them two cakes, for it was only fair.

Political Cartoon-

Many times a government will give you a false interpretation of what is really occurring. The cartoon features a senator hiding under a blanket (“the government”) from the outside world. This shows how many political figures do so many bad things while in office, that they are too afraid to face the public, and in response use the government as protection. Also, this cartoon portrays a vulture at the end of the bed, with the words “League of Nations” on it. This would explain that the senators are extremely afraid of being “picked at” by the League of Nations. Moreover, governments would do as they pleased if a fear of exposure did not exist.

What I learned-
In my opinion this chapter is one of the most important to the book. It reveals how the people in power often give you a distorted view of your opponent in war, in order to gain support.

Chapter 9

Summary-
Paul returns to the front to find that Kat, Muller, Kropp, and Tjaden still alive and unharmed. They learn that the Kaiser is coming to visit the troops, and everything is cleaned, and they are given new uniforms. They are disappointed by the fact that he makes no lasting impression. Paul and his friends again talk about how useless war is and that this particular one could have been avoided if leaders of these countries had just said no. Paul volunteers to crawl into No Man’s Land and get information about the strengths of the enemy. But, as he is returning a bombardment occurs and he is forced to act dead in a shell. He is joined by and enemy soldier and stabs him. He feels terrible and cannot leave so he bandages the soldier and gives him water until the soldier dies. He looks through the soldier’s belongings and resolves to anonymously send money to his family and explain that he did not want to kill him. He later regains his thought process and knows that contacting the soldier’s family is out of the question. Paul crawls back to the trench and confesses the killing to his comrades. They point out that it is okay because he had choice and took no pleasure in it.

Vocabulary-
1. Exalted: elevated by praise
They are both so exalted that standing strictly to attention is probably not insisted on (Remarque 202).

2. Taut: tense
Somewhere something clanks, it stamps and stumbles nearer-all my nerves become taut and icy (Remarque 214).

Journal Entry-
I was so relieved to find my friends all alive and well when I returned. The Kaiser visited today and we had to clean everything and wear new clothes. He made no lasing impression on me and frankly, I was not impressed. Kropp thinks that the leaders who declare war should have to fight about it, which makes more since than anything I’ve heard in a long time. I killed someone in No Man’s Land today. I feel terrible because I had no choice and had to sit and watch him die. The group tried to console me but I just feel awful about it.

Political Cartoon-

Since men were on Earth, war has existed and it will always exist. The cartoon exhibits cavemen running around as if to attack each other. This shows that war is forever on going because people will never agree, and even though it seems silly to see cavemen beating each other with sticks, we more or less do the same thing today. Also, the cartoon shows the cavemen with primitive weapons. The cartoonist may be trying to send the message that there will be many wars to come and that the world had just begun in its’ discovery of war weaponry. War will never cease to subsist because we still posses the primitive instincts of those before us who thought violence to be the answer to every conflict.

What I learned-
I learned the sad truth about life and war; sometimes you must kill or be killed. And your friends are the only people who could possibly console you if you had to be the killer.

Chapter 10

Summary-
Tjaden, Detering, Kropp, Kat, and I were given the order to guard an abandoned village’s dump. They take advantage of this situation and enjoy the luxury of catching up on sleep, eating, and proper beddings. They collect eggs, butter, two pigs, vegetables, and find a kitchen. To their disadvantage the enemy spots smoke from the kitchen while Paul is making pancakes and they begin to bomb it. Paul continues cooking until the pancakes are finished and makes it out of the kitchen with a plateful and manages to get back to the dugout without losing a single one. The friends eat for four hours and eating so much after having practically nothing causes them to have diarrhea for the rest of the night. They continue to live this luxury for three weeks, until they must leave. The men take the bed, two armchairs, and cat with them. Paul and Kropp are wounded by a shell. They find an ambulance wagon nearby and discover that Paul has a broken arm and leg and Kropp is wounded badly at his knee. Kropp says that if his leg is to be amputated, he will commit suicide. They bribe a sergeant-major into letting them ride in the same train car. Paul heals well, and Kropps leg heals but he is less talkative and more somber than he once was. Paul receives the order that he must return home to finish healing. When he leaves home the second time, it is even harder than before because his mother is doing worse.

Vocabulary-
1. Zealously: passionately
So we zealously set to work to create an idyll-an idyll of eating and sleeping of course (Remarque 232).
2. Provocation: an annoyance
For everyone knows that the surgeons in the dressing stations amputate on the slightest provocation (Remarque 242).

Journal Entry-
I just had the best three weeks of my army life. The group and I were sent to guard an abandoned village and enjoyed the luxuries that many people take for granted everyday. Our bellies were full the whole time and we slept on real beds. However, as we were on our way back, Kropp and I were injured. We spent some time in a hospital together, and while we healed Kropp grew somber. I had to return home once more to finish healing and that was the hardest thing I have had to do. It crushed mother so much when I had to leave again, she fears she may not see me again for her cancer is worse.

Political Cartoon-
War has many devastating outcomes when and where ever it occurs. For example, the three apparitions depicted in the cartoon have the words “famine”, “anarchy”, and “plague” written on them. All three of these are aftermaths of large scale wars, such as WWI, and should not be taken lightly. Additionally, the cartoon portrays a vast deserted and devastated area of land. This is an example of the destruction caused by the war, broken homes/families/countries. War has never had a positive outcome, at its ending there will always be obstacles.

What I learned-
From this chapter, I learned the value of human decency, and how circumstances change greatly in wartime. Also, the best friends in life are the ones that will stick by you no matter what.

Chapter 11

Summary-
As the German army goes weaker, so do the spirits of Paul and his friends. They have stopped counting how long they have spent fighting, and find their lives before the war to be lost forever. They rely on each other completely and fear the worst. Paul views that a soldier’s life is no more than constantly avoiding death. Eventually the men begin to crack. Detering tries to flee home, and is captured and tried as a deserter. The men never hear from him again. Muller is shot in the abdomen and dies painfully. Paul retrieves the boots that were once Kemmerich’s. The conditions become worse and worse for the soldiers, and they are more reluctant to fight on the front line. Kat is wounded and Paul carries him to a dressing station only to find that Kat, his only friend left on the front, has died.

Vocabulary-
1. Apparition: a ghostly figure
And at night, waking out of a dream, overwhelmed and bewitched by the crowding apparitions, a man perceives with alarm how slight is the support, how thin the boundary that divides him from the darkness. (Remarque 275)
2. Bequeathed: passed
Before he died he handed over his pocket-book to me, and bequeathed me his boots- the same that he had once inherited from Kemmerich. (Remarque 279).

Journal Entry-
Our army is weaker than it has ever been, and we have stopped counting our weeks at war. We are all discouraged for we know now that a soldier’s job is merely to avoid death in a place where death happens on a daily basis. Detering tried to flee home and I doubt we will ever see him again. Muller had the worst death I have seen yet, shot right in the abdomen. I took the boots that Kemmerich had given him. As conditions got even worse Kat and I tried to make the best of it, knowing that we at least had each other. Then, when we were in battle Kat was severely wounded and I tried to save him, but he died before I could reach the dressing station. I do not know how I will make it. I am all alone.

Political Cartoon-

During WWI the US was had much internal strength. The cartoon displays “anarchy” throwing a bomb on the US. Well, the US was very “united” during this war and stuck together to plow through it. Additionally, the bomb comes back to hit anarchy. This explains that anarchy had no chance of survival in the US because it chose to stick together. Furthermore, the US was saved by its sturdy grassroots which held it in place during a time of hardship.

What I learned-
From reading this chapter I learned that it is almost impossible to go to combat knowing that all of your friends have passed away and you have no one around to talk to, rely on, or help.

Chapter 12

Summary-
Paul is now the only living member of his class. Germany’s defeat is now inevitable; it is only a matter of time. It seems probable to Paul that if the war is not ended soon, the soldiers will revolt against their leaders. Paul inhales poisonous gas, and is given fourteen days to recuperate. Paul is happy that he will return home, but is also discouraged because he will have nothing to do. He is afraid that no one will survive the war. He also sees his own life as destroyed. Paul is killed in 1918 on a very quiet day. He looks peaceful as he dies and seems happy that his time has come.

Vocabulary-
1. Armistice: a state of peace agreed to between opponents so they can discuss peace terms
The armistice is coming soon, I believe it now too (Remarque 293).
2. Heedless: regardless
But as long as it is there it will seek its own way out, heedless of the will that is within me (Remarque 295).

Journal Entry-
I am the only one left of our class. It doesn’t matter though, because it is just a matter of time before Germany is defeated. I feel the war is to end soon, and am indifferent about going home. What am I to do? My life is destroyed anyway; all of my friends are dead and my mother on the brink of it. Death will bring me peace in this life, for then I will finally be out of the war and allowed to be myself.

Political Cartoon-

When under pressure, many things begin to crack. The cartoon portrays a ship sinking with the word “patience” written on the side of it. This displays how the US lost its patience after this particular ship was sunk by the Germans, and it caused the US to join the war. Additionally, the cartoon exhibits the phrase “the crowning achievement” on the bottom. This explains that sinking this ship was a topmost achievement of the German army. When pushed too far off the edge, anything can fall.

What I learned-
By reading this chapter, I learned that you can only do so much until you have give up, and sometimes that is the best thing for you to do. Just to give up, and know that you’ve done the best you could possibly do.