18th Century Dance, Music, Art

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All Quiet on the Western Front:

Five Talking Points:
1. A novel that shows the affect of war on a soldiers psyche
2. A book without a heroic story plot or a happy ever after ending; but rather the conditions of war
3. A book about how war can change a person to an unrecognizable person, even to their family
4. A novel that shows how war makes an 18 year old BOY grow up to an OLD man so fast
5. "All Quiet on the Western Front" symbolizes the cheapness of human life in a war

All Quiet on the Western Front:

Character Post:

The character I chose is Paul Baumer. He is the main character in this book and is also the narrator. The book is told from him. He is only nineteen years old when he enlisted in the German Army. When he gets to deployed, he is sent to the western front. On the western front, he experiences many issues. Issues that range from psychological effects and to physical effects. Many common issues that war brings to the soldiers. Before he left, Paul was a creative, compassionate and sensitive person. He was passionate and loved his family, but the war slowly changed him. He used to love to write poetry. He started to disconnect himself from his feelings. He learned that he had to disconnect his feelings in order to survive and to keep his sanity. He has feelings of being an outcast where his family is concerned. Paul is unable to mourn the deaths of his fellow soldiers, unable to feel at home, and not able to express his feelings about the war, Paul starts to become a "human animal". But because Paul is truly a sensitive person, he is unable to detach himself 100%. By the end of the book, you see Paul realize that he has lost all his hopes and dreams and he makes the decision that he has nothing more to lose. By the end of the book, Paul is killed.

All Quiet on the Western Front:

Chapter Four Summary:

Chapter four starts like this, the second company is assigned on a dangerous task to the lay-barded wire on the front. As they are driving they pass a house with a lot of geese. They agree to come back later to get them. Kat and Paul hear gunfire. Kat explains to the recruits how to distinguish which guns are firing. Kat thinks that there will be an ambush/bombardment later in the night. This chapter also talks about how soldiers transform themselves into human animals. There senses heighten in order to keep them alive. Then the soldiers carry wire and iron rods to the front. They lay the wire, and try to sleep until the trucks arrive to drive them back. Kat’s prediction that they would be bombarded is correct. Panic arises and creates chaos and run for cover. Paul talks to one of the recruits and how it is normal for a new solider to poop in his pants and tells him it is essentially normal and ok. The men hear the sounds of wounded and dying horses screaming in pain and torture. Detering is horrified because he loves horses. After the wounded men are gathered, those in charge of shooting the wounded animals do their job. Detering declares with disgust that using horses in war is the “vilest baseness.” On the drive back a swarm of bombs land around them. The men take cover. They put their gas mask on and seek shelter for protection. Paul takes a breath on the valve of the mask, hoping that the mask is airtight. The shelling has stopped. They ending of this chapter is a dilemma, where they don’t know if the should kill a soldier to ease his agony or let him be in pain.