Question

The following is an excerpt from the novel All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque in 1929. The book vividly relays the extreme physical and emotional trauma of World War I as experienced through a German soldier stationed on the front lines.

“I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another. I see that the keenest brains of the world invent weapons and words to make it yet more refined and enduring. And all men of my age, here and over there, throughout the whole world see these things; all my generation is experiencing these things with me. What would our fathers do if we suddenly stood up and came before them and proffered our account? What do they expect of us if a time ever comes when the war is over? Through the years our business has been killing; -- it was our first calling in life. Our knowledge of life is limited to death. What will happen afterwards? And what shall come out of us?”

1)Due to the war, what does this soldier know of life?

2)How has the war affected this soldier?

3)Do you think this soldier’s experiences will make it more likely or less likely for him to want to become involved in any future wars? Why or why not?

4)Highlight or underline the two sentences of parts or sentences that you believe to be most powerful. Why did you choose these? What do they mean to you?

PLEASE HELP ITS DUE TODAY!

Answer 1

1) Due to the war, this soldier knows of despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow.

2) The war has caused this soldier to experience physical and emotional trauma and to witness the senseless violence and destruction of war.

3) It is likely that this soldier’s experiences will make him less likely to want to become involved in any future wars, as he has seen firsthand the devastating effects of war and the emotional trauma it causes.

4) The two sentences of parts or sentences that I believe to be most powerful are: “What would our fathers do if we suddenly stood up and came before them and proffered our account?” and “Our knowledge of life is limited to death.” These sentences speak to the reality of war and the devastating effect it has on soldiers and their families. They capture the feelings of helplessness and sorrow that come with war, and the idea that war can take away the innocence of youth.