Deaths too close

This is the last post. All Quiet on the Western Front really is a excellent novel about war, brotherhood, humanity, and life itself. In the end, when the war ended, Paul dies. However, he is the last of the the eight to die. When the seven students from a class were picked off to go to war, they often dreamt of going home, worried about the future, and when the war would end. However, throughout the novel, we see Paul's emotional separation with all his brothers, his comrades.
Kemmerich: He died in the beginning of the novel, and Paul had a painful separation with his childhood friend.
Tjaden: Always described as the lucky one, however in the beginning of the novel at Kemmerich's novel, his fight with the surgeon was mentioned. At first, I didn't understand, however I then realized that it was Paul reflecting on Tjaden's fight. He had fought off a surgeon with a dagger until finally he collapsed.
Kropp: It never finished with Kropp's death. Paul was sent to go somewhere else after the hospital, and I believe it actually foreshadowed that Kropp was going to get better, however he would never be the same again with his leg amputation.
Detering: Detering died after trying to escape. Paul had already noticed his unusual behavior when he went to pick cherries off a tree. He said that his home had a cherry tree. He tried to escape the next day, but was caught on the field and killed.
Muller: He died in battle during Paul's stay at the hospital. He inherited Kemmerich's boots in the beginning of the novel, and gave them to Paul, who said to give to Tjaden after his own death. However that never happened.
Kat: One of the closest friends with Paul, who died running on the field with Paul. He had hurt himself very bad, and while Paul and Kat were running to the dressing station to get help, he had a very little splinter head in his head, causing his death. It was perhaps one of the saddest death, because Paul was doing everything he could to keep Kat alive. He supported him most of the way, and when they stopped to rest, Paul saw Kat getting green and weaker. He picked him up and ran to the dressing station, and finally dropped to the ground when he reached there. There was joy, because he thought that he had saved Kat. However, the person there merely looked at them, and simply said that Paul could have saved the trip. Paul, in disbelief, felt Kat's warm hands, but was finally convinced when he found blood on his hands after massaging Kat's head.
Paul died on the western front of Germany's war. It was described as a calm scene, because it was all quiet, signalling the end of war. No more guns, no more bombardment. Just as Paul died, there was calmness on his face, and all those memories he had with his dead brothers, faded just like him. To everybody else, Paul was just another soldier with his fellow comrades.
Here death played a role of protagonist and antagonist. Separating with his friends, Paul was officially alone for two months after Kat's death. However, when he died, death allowed him to finally have peace, no more striving and literally dying to live. He could finally rest. War ended, just like Paul did. All Quiet on the Western Front was not a fairytale with a prince of victory, but about a insignificant soldier to the world's eyes, with life the war itself. Because it was written by Erich Maria Remarque, a real soldier during the war, I could say that many events in the book reflected what actually happened during the war. This novel was not only banned for it's mature content, but because somebody younger would not have understood the true meaning of this novel. Perhaps they would get the emotional, brotherhood side of it, but it definitely helps to read with World War One knowledge.

My Leg, My dignity

Paul and Kropp were sent to the hospital together after being injured in an bombardment. Kropp had a shot a bit above his knee while Paul had a injury in his arm and leg. They both looked forward to home, even though they knew that they would've been sent right back after they healed. They were sent to the hospital by train, where the two young men did everything they could to stay together. Paul faked a fever, traded off his own rations to stay with Kropp. This showed how much they needed each other, a bond that couldn't be broken unless by force.
When they got to the hospital, Kropp was informed that he needed an amputation. It was common back then to give amputations because it meant there was no need for investigating wound and trying to heal it. However, Kropp felt that now he was an official cripple and hardly talked after that. His eyes often followed Paul as he got on and off his bed, walking back and forth. The soldiers had a common feel towards amputations; the answer was NO. They rather be limping then to loose their leg and get a artificial limb. To them, it was their dignity almost. A soldier even suicide with a fork due to his poor condition.
During their stay at the hospital, they made many new friends and perhaps saw death magnified before their very own eyes. Everyday, men were sent to the "Dying Room", a room for soldiers who had no hope of being healed. They would listen to the sister's prayer, and although they understood the good intention, they were completely irritated. A man named Josef, had a shot in the head, and he used that as an excuse to some of his acts. He threw a bottle near the door to have it shut, because at the time nobody could get out of bed, and the sisters refused to shut the door. The injured soldiers enjoyed having Josef around, they could get away with almost anything and appreciated his knowledge around this hospital, for he has been there for some time. When Paul went out of his room, it really opened his eyes for where a man could be injured. He walked around different rooms and saw different men with different injuries anywhere on his body. The cruel fact, was that many surgeons decided war was a chance to practice/try new things because the soldiers were considered already wasted. All these casualties and descriptive injuries caused this book the be banned. As well the harsh reality of life and death would scared or shock the children. One of the interesting events at the hospital, was when a forty-year old soldier had an intercourse with his wife right in the very room with all the injured soldiers. Paul explained that when a soldier has been away for three years, he should get his wife good. Kropp carried the baby, some soldiers stood outside the door the stall the sisters, a soldier help prop up the pillow for the forty-year old soldier to sleep on his side, and the rest turned away. It was quite awkward to read, and supported the fact that men needs sex. This is also a reason that this novel is banned.
The protagonists here are Paul, his comrades, and his fellow soldiers in the hospital room. The antagonist would be the surgeons. Death here was preferred than being a living man, never to be a full person again. Amputations and surgeons are antagonist here.

Alien Back Home

The third theme I gathered from reading Paul's seventeen day leave back home, was that war has completely molded these men into something different, they no longer function as the typical population in society. Paul was extremely excited to go home, but when he got home, it was not the dream come true he had in mind. His mother was sick with cancer, and she missed him dearly. In pain, she prepared for him his favourite food, even though they were poor and food was almost the problem like it is in the front line. He got home, and once his sister called his mother, he leaned back on the wall, unable to stand. It's hard to describe what emotion he is feeling. I would say he was heartbroken, his heartfelt longing for home, knowing that what he had put his mother through, overwhelmed him. When he eagerly threw his rifle, pack aside, he found that his civilian clothes no longer fit him. He had grown, and it symbolizes that he no longer belongs to the civilian world. Paul became a soldier, and shall remain that way for the rest of his life. He tried reading books like he use to, but he found that the books no longer draw his focus, mind, and heart into it. The innocence of youth, which was really not that long ago, was no longer there. He even implored in his heart for the book to take him, but it didn't.
Paul also couldn't live through everyday without a different point of view to life. He was seen as a hero, or honoured individual back at home. He was treated like one, but he certainly was not spoken to like one. He had people treat him food, and had many talks with him. Paul felt hostile towards a Red Cross sister, as she offered him food and called him a comrade. To Paul, she was ignorant and foolish, she has no knowledge of what it takes to be a comrade. Many people talked to him and said words that understood how he felt, but Paul knows that they don't really physically and emotionally know/understand/feel how he feels. There are older men who treat him bear and cigars, but tells him what he should be fighting for, and how he should be fighting. Even his own father curiosity about life on front line made Paul anxious and upset. They don't understand the actual horror of it, and why soldiers would not want to speak of it at the time. They wanted to take a leave, to go home and just feel like home again.
Also, Paul had to visit some dead comrade's mother. Kemmerich's mother overcame with shock and disbelief, and even carried some blaming tone in her voice towards Paul when he first told her. She was angry at why he was alive, and her son wasn't. Paul was told to take care of his son when they first left for war. In the end, Paul had to swear with his life on the front line to ensure his lie about Kemmerich's painless death.
During his stay, Paul compares the two feelings he get from the world. At home, it was unreachable, somewhat familiar yet lost, and his desire but a desire that seem to lost it's fire. When he went to report at a station, the feeling was familiar but disliked. Soldier had been molded into aliens by war, they have nowhere to go. Antagonist here, is clearly war.
The fact that this unfamilarity between two of the most known places in an individual's mind, makes people feel uneasy and could relate to somewhat. This could've caused novel to be banned. In the end, Paul wished he never came back home.

Laughing Brunette

The second theme I gained from today's reading, was the soldier's only escape during the war... ladies. Kropp and Paul stood in front of a poster of a beautiful woman with a well kept man, they took no notice of the male at first, only admiring the woman from head to toe. They later saw the male, and unrealistically tried to make themselves like him. It was unrealistic because he was clean, and he had nice WHITE shirts. Later, two more soldiers walked by, and the woman on the poster reminded him of his first "intercourse", as Paul described it. I had to keep in mind that these were young men at the age of seventeen to twenty.Paul, Kropp, Kat, and Tjaden later met some French women across a river(which I assume is a borderline between the two enemies, because both parties did not want to cross the bridge in broad daylight). In exchange of "comfort", they presented the ladies with bread, cigars... rations that was suppose to help strengthen themselves through the war. From this, situations during that time were revealed. Not only were the soldiers starving and needy of food, so were people at home front(as we will find out later when Paul takes his seventeen day leave for home). Even through these desperate times, the soldiers were willing to give up their rations in order to gain service of these women, this showed how greatly they craved for it.At night, the men sneaked into the house of these women. Paul had gone with a brunette lady, who seems to be older than him. However, during the time Paul was there, he was not thinking any dirty thoughts. He was thinking about leaving worries, and his for just a moment, leave the war behind. It was the soldier's way to escape from a world of blood, bodes, rifles, shelling... This is also why this book is banned. This novel goes into no detail, because the focus of it was not the event itself, but the mental food and thoughts going through the soldier's heads, that had nothing to do with ladies.

Gruesome and Lively

I've read a lot during the past few days, so I'll just post the three themes I get from my reading in the following three blogs. The first theme that hit me from recent readings, is that war is gruesome. After a unsuccessful bombardment from the enemy, protagonist Paul and his comrades travel towards the front line. Paul mentions many gruesome, descriptive deaths of some soldiers that last for days. The antagonist, life itself, is revealed here. Soldiers fight not against the enemy, but for life itself. It would be a man vs surrounding conflict; war situation and soldier Paul. The reason why this book is banned, is because it talks about many ugly deaths that soldiers had to go through. Some were literally smashed and flattened against an earth wall due to shelling. Some were living with skulls open, or with intestines spilling out while trying to run for cover. Although it is uncertain whether it is possible or not, the picture these words paint is not suitable for a child's mind. As men are running to the front line, the pass by a shell hole filled with three layers of blue bodies poisoned by gas, a man disconnected, with legs shot off , top part of body on a tree and an arm found twenty yards away from tree.
The repulsive and bloody portions of the novel is expected... IT IS A WAR NOVEL. This is a right reason to ban novel from children .

Stranger's Eyes

The main event that happened in the chapter that I read was the attack of soldiers after the bombardment. The soldiers slept and waited in trenches for the bombardment to be over. It went on for days, forcing the soldiers to stay put anxiously with corpse rats. Corpse rats are fat rats that live off corpses that war left behind. These rats are greedy and fierce. They even bit cats and dogs to death, just to satisfy their disgusting appetite. When the soldiers received their ration of bread, no matter how hard they tried to keep them safe rats would nibble and gnaw at it. Kropp, the thinker amongst them, wrapped it in waterproof bag and slept on it. These aggressive rate crawled over his face to get their greedy face into it. The soldiers soon got extremely tired of them, so they came up with a plan. The solders chopped off all the bits and pieces the rats nibbled at, and threw them into a pile, waiting for these rats to come. Once they did, they lit the whole pile on fire, burning the bread and rats into ashes. There were so many rats, they had to do it a number of times before the other rats realize what was happening, and temporarily stopped bothering them. These corpse rats sicken me the most.
The situation the soldiers had to live with during those few days were not the most comforting. As mentioned before, the men had to live with large corpse rats. As well, listening to bombs and shelling without end for days is complete mental torture. Many men began to go insane, they felt trapped in the trench, and were mentally tortured. They would try to get out of the trench, even though they would be killed the instant they were out. Paul and Kat had to stop one of the men from going out because a man before had run out and ran all over the place until he was shot dead. They had to tie him to a chair to prevent the man from running out, yet they had to be ready to release him right when the attack of soldiers came. They tried playing games to pass time, but everybody was too anxious. They couldn't sleep, and couldn't even look at each other, scared to be off guard any second. It's no wonder so many people had shell shock during this history of World War One.
An emotional aspect to this, and the theme that I chose, occurred after the bombardment when French soldiers began to attach the Germans. Paul described how each soldier survived by chance, and the novel painted a lively picture of the fighting. Hand grenades were thrown, rifles and machine guns were used, and men even died because they tripped over the wire that was used as defense, slicing their arms off. When Paul aimed his hand grenade at a soldier, until he actually saw his face and looked into the enemies' eyes. For a moment, everything else seemed unreal , and his hand would not release the grenade. This revealed how each soldier was there fighting, not because of hate of one another, but because of orders and self defence. Without these uniforms of ethnicity, blind artillery, two soldiers might even be able to sit down and become friends. None of the soldiers there were fighting one another, they were just trying to keep themselves alive. One of the things that really hit me, was when Paul said that even if his own father was there across with the enemy, he would fight. No soldier had the enemies' face in mind, they just had the fear of death and unpleasant excitement of war.
This might be the reason why this novel was banned, not due to any inappropriate content, but because of the maturity level needed to read this novel. I think if I came across this in middle school, I would've become very interested and would want to know more about World War One. This novel was banned due the harsh reality of humanity and was banned as just of a warning: THIS IS NOT YOUR HAPPY FANTASY BOOK. However, if given the choice, I wouldn't ban this novel, because it would inspire interest and respect among youth.

Brothers

This post would be a shorter one, because I have read one of the major themes in a short chapter. To summarize what I have read, Tjaden mouths back at Himmelstoss, and disobey his orders the next day to avoid Himmelstoss. In the end, a bigger authority figure came in. He understood both stories, and had a talk with Himmelstoss about his unreasonable acts. Tjaden and Kropp were open arrested for a day, not because of what they've done, but just to feed the satisfaction of leaders. Open arrest was described as soothing compared to closed arrest. Closed arrest meant the cellar, and are probably used for deserving punishments. Here we could see a bond already between Kropp and Tjaden. Kropp was arrested because of helping Tjaden.
The next brotherly connection we see is more of a major one, and is between Paul and Kat. The two go hunting secretly, and when they were cooking a stolen goose, Paul described that nothing was said among them. This is one of those "comforting silence" I suppose, where nothing said among two individuals were not awkward. It was because they knew each other so well, and felt that they were in unison, that no words were needed to be said. Paul even said that he loved him, " his shoulders, his angular stooping figure", which might be one of the reasons why this novel was banned. It could be said that it contained "homosexual content". However, Paul was really describing the spiritual intimacy they had with each other, how close they were as brothers. When he talked about his figure, he was describing what he was seeing as Kat took his turn of cooking the goose while Paul was falling asleep.
In a way, war might also be a protagonist because it made what Paul and his comrades into the people they were. It brought incredible connection between all of them, a special bond that nothing, other than war, would've brought them. The antagonist would then be life itself, the leaders and generals, and the bad outcomes of war. Bad outcomes of war meaning the enemies attack, shell shock, life threatening situations...which ironically would also have a "good outcome", because it was through those times the soldiers become closer with one another.

Home Bitter Home

The theme I get from today's reading is the hopeless future from the soldiers. Muller brings up the topic of returning home, "peace-time", asking what his comrades would do. Many of them list at once the comforts they had back then, including getting drunk. However, for the younger men, they had no hope. When they were eighteen and were only starting to enjoy life, they were taken to war. The schooling they had were long forgotten, and they had no skills other than the war they were in, to help them survive a job in society. Kat had a family and he had somewhere to go. Paul, Kropp, Muller, and Tjaden had war turn them into men. Schooling back then did not teach them how to escape from death's very own hands in the war. They began to worry, and even began to appreciate their life in the army. In the army, everything was set for them. They had orders to follow, given meals to crave for, and their goal in life was to survive and make best of a horrible situation. Everything else seemed unreal and unimaginable. They even said that they believed in war. As well, the experience they had with bombardment, death... in the war completely wiped out any memory of home. They could not just step out of a memory like this easily. Home was not sweet after all, and that is only if they make it back.
One of the most exciting moments in this novel happened here. The soldiers experience a bombardment. Bombs, and gas were released upon the men. The men were attacked in a graveyard, and they forced themselves into shell holes and literally beside recent and old corpses. It was sad because people who died and who were buried were flung out of their coffins, yet to experience another painful death. Men who died during the bombardment were merely covered with soil. A man had a coffin fall onto his arm, breaking it. Another had a huge injury to his hip joint, leaving unable to walk again. What makes it most interesting, is that after the bombardment, they had to walk back to the lorries. Paul and Kat considered killing him then, so that the poor soldier wouldn't have to die an inevitable painful death when they return home. While they were riding home, it was as if nothing happened. Each man falling half asleep, and routinely ducking their head to avoid slicing off their head with hanging wire.
The protagonist would still be the young and old men fighting in the war. Antagonist would be war leaders/government that created a war, and life itself that the men would have to face once they get out of the war. Novel once again banned due to harsh reality of warfare and inappropriate speech the soldiers use to communicate with each other.

Adult's conflicts.Child's play.

Give'em all the same grub and all the same pay
And the war would be over and done in a day.

I decided to start this blog with this quote said by Katczinsky from All Quiet on the Western Front, because I could interpret it in so many different ways. It was also the thing that jumped out at me while I was reading. One of the ways it could be interpreted is: if all the leaders in the countries go through what the soldiers are going through now, they would realize how harsh it is, and perhaps end the war. Also, the protagonist and his friends discuss about how the war could be simplified. Kropp, who was a thinker, suggested that war could just be a festival with tickets being sold. Generals and ministers could just fight it out in an arena, and whoever wins will represent victory of a country. That would've been much simpler than sending all these innocent young men to die. That sarcastic but true statement made me laugh. It also added the generals and ministers to the antagonist category. War and the leaders of countries were sending these men to the grave faster than anything. To be specific, it is the leaders who started the war, therefore they would be the main antagonist.

Through what I have read, I learnt more about Paul's friends. Kropp, was a thinker, who likes to think up ideas and analyze things that surround him, as we could see in the festival proposal he brought up. Tjaden seem the most immature of them all; he likes to eat, and could easily be carried away. We could see that through their revenge on a hated leader of the soldiers, Himmelstoss. The guys play a prank on the strict man, using a bed cover to cover his head, they pulled off his trousers and beat him. They ran away before he could see who they were, all that was left was the bed cover. Tjaden had been strictly educated by this man, so he got a bit carried away in beating the man. Kat(katczinky) was the one with the best survival instincts. If they were stranded in a hole with no food, he would go "explore" and come back with what the soldiers in the war situation call a "feast".

I found that the soldiers were almost a different species of people due to the situations they were stuck in. They called themselves"thick-skinned", because they didn't care of things that would probably get a normal person to shame. All they wanted, was to live. When a person inhales deeply when coming up from a pool, a soldier would jump to their beloved earth when they hear a bomb, or something like it. Paul described it as an instinct, they wouldn't have to think twice. He called themselves human animals.

It was also during times like this, when the human "beast" as they call it reveal themselves with authority. A leader would be praised of being strict while doing unnecessary acts of discipline just because they can.

The reason why this book is banned so far, is because it holds the harsh reality that shouldn't crash a child's imagination. Being alert of dying, bombing, and watching people die as if it was seeing your own backyard isn't the fairytale that parents want their children to know about. However, I think this is a fantastic book for teenagers, because they would learn the harsh conditions during war. They would learn the significance of Remembrance Day, and learn to respect the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for it.

Soldier's Heart

This two chapters were intriguing, and already made me interested in what the book would be about. The protagonist is Paul Baumer, a twenty year old German soldier fighting with his comrades in World War One. His friends; Muller, Tjaden, Kemmerich, Katczinsky, all fighting side by side. However, Kemmerich facee death already in the beginning. Here, I would say the only antagonist would be war. Tjaden was talked about acting mad in the hospital but he was still alive later in the book. The theme, from what I read so far, is about humanity in war. The emotions, and a true taste of life with love, hate, death, joy and suffering one gains from going through a war.
Many insights and thoughts were already gained from these two chapters. A twenty year old, through war has seen the lies authority and society placed in front of the eyes of a young generation, blinding them. They were told that they were the iron youth, and was encouraged by school masters and authority to join the war. Those who didn't were thought of as cowards. When his school master sends them a letter, wishing them the best, they merely laugh at it, hoping that the school master was here himself. Best wishes in war can only go so far. When they put on their soldier uniform, they were men on the battlefield. When they take the uniforms however, they were just boys. Just like back then, young soldiers were told what an honour it was to fight for your country, a place that you love. Sadly, they often find what a misfortune it is once they start living in trenches and watching your comrade die in No man's land, helplessly.
Kemmerich's death was both emotional and cruel. Kemmerich and Paul grew up together, and Kemmerich's mother had wept when they went off to war. Kemmerich had lost a leg during the war, and wasn't going to make it. Paul and his friends had to lie to him, because for some reason at the time Kemmerich didn't know about his amputated leg. When he did however, Muller had asked to take his boots. At first it seemed inhumane, and a cold thing to do. However, because boots were scarce at the time, and Kemmerich's belongings would be taken away once he dies, it seemed reasonable that it would be better for Muller to have them. What seemed cold to me however, was how the orderlies were checking to see if he was dead yet, because there were so many casualties, Kemmerich's bed was needed right away once he's dead. At his last moments, Paul whispered old memories in Kemmerich's ear, and he died with tears on his face. Paul was left with the burden of sending his mother the grave news.
Last thing that made an impact when I was reading, was when Paul talked about using the latrines. Soldiers were forced to sit side by side, exposed while using the general latrine because they were to be supervised at all times. At first, they were all embarrassed. Time went on, and soon the time using the latrine became one of the most treasured times. It was during those awkward times when they could look at the blue sky, grass, and time of leisure to talk with their comrades. It was influenced their way of communicating, words related to latrines soon became a universal language. Nothing was well described unless a word related to latrines were used.
This introduction sets up the novel to tell its story. It laid out what a normal soldier life was like, and the real emotions they felt through the time. Trenches, appreciation for sleep and food, and looking at death in the face, constantly. The difference between young and old soldiers, were that the young soldiers had no ties with the world outside of war. Families, authorities, or hobbies they use to do just didn't make sense anymore. In way, they were free men on the battlefield, with nothing to loose but their very own life.
The only banned ideas that I see, are brothels, latrines, and how they somewhat mention the lies of the authority and government