Download
1 / 8
E N D
“While they continued to write and talk, we saw the wounded and the dying. While they taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death throes are stronger. But for all that we were no mutineers, no deserters, no cowards – they were free with all those expressions. We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but also we distinguished the false from true, we had suddenly learned to see” (13). • In this passage, Remarque (through Baumer) writes about the adults he disdains. One point he makes is that he and his comrades were “no mutineers, no deserters, no cowards,” drawing the reader’s attention to the name-calling and demonizing (forms of propaganda) that the older generation “were free with” (13). He faults them here for their casual use of propaganda as it put the boys into the horrific situation of war. Remarque also uses parallelism in the first two sentences with “While they” to emphasize the difference between what the adults thought they knew about war and what the young soldiers “we saw” actually knew firsthand about war. He also…. <insert more close reading analysis here> … Overall, the passage as a whole expresses Remarque’s ideas about… <insert theme discussion here>
In your groups… • In your groups you will be given a topic from the reading and some subsequent questions to answer. Please record your thoughts in your journal, call it AQ 1-4 synthesis, and be prepared to have someone read your response. You will have about 15 mins so don’t waste time.
Assignment: Transformers • Group 1: Hold Your Horses • One of the most vivid, memorable episodes in the novel is the description of the wounded horses in this chapter. How can the horses be regarded as symbolic? Find at least one quote to support your answer. • How do the events that happen in the rest of the chapter relate/contrast to the dying horses. • Opinion Question: Is it fair that the military is using the horses in this way for war? (You can have a different opinion on this last question than your group members)
Assignment: Transformers • Group 2: Himmelstoss • How does he act now that he is a military officer? Support claims with at least one quote. • In chapter three, how does Katzcinskyexplain Himmelstoss’s transformation? Do you think Katzcinsky’sideas about human beings are correct? Why or why not? • Opinion Questions: In your own words, explain whether you think that Himmelstoss is truly a bad officer, or whether his actions are justified. Give specific examples from the book to support your point of view. (You can have a different opinion on this last question than your group members)
Assignment: Transformers • Group 3: The Soldiers vs. Himmelstoss • How does Paul react to the beating of Himmelstoss? Do you think this reaction is characteristic of Paul? Why or why not? Find a quote. • In reflecting on their revenge, Paul writes, “That evening’s work made us more or less content to leave next morning. And an old buffer was pleased to describe us as ‘young heroes’.” Why do you think Remarque chooses to include this last paragraph? • Opinion Question: Do you think that the soldiers’ revenge on Himmelstoss is more a result of their natural personalities or more a result of the way they have been influenced by boot camp? Why? (Your opinion on this can differ from your group’s).
Assignment: Transformers • Group 4: Comradeship • In chapter two, Paul writes that “comradeship” was the “finest thing that arose out of the war” (27). • How so? Identify a list of all the events and behaviors that demonstrate this idea/theme. Do not forget to include page references. What might be the negatives of comradeship? • Opinion : Would you rather grow very close to members of your company if you were in war, even if you know you will lose at least one, or would you stay a loner to avoid this pain? (Your opinion can differ from your groups).
Assignment: Transformers • Group 5: Talk O’ War • What are the alternatives that Katczinsky and Kropp suggest to the current method of warfare? (41) How do these suggestions reflect a loss of faith in military and political leaders and the value of the war in general? Be sure to use an additional quote to support your response. • Opinion: Although, their suggestions seem crazy, what benefits do you see in them compared to current warfare? (Your responses can be different from your group).
Assignment: Transformers • Group 6: Earth • An apostrophe is a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent or dead person, deity, an abstract quality, or something nonhuman as if it were present and capable of responding. Why do you think Paul is so emotional in his apostrophe to the earth in Chapter 4 (55 – 56)? What does the earth mean to a soldier? Incorporate quotes in your analysis. • Also revisit the passage on page 56 that follows the one about Paul’s thoughts on the earth. What does this passage reveal about the effects of war on a human being? • Opinion Question: Would you make it in Paul’s situation? Do you do well under pressure? Since you have such detail about what it was actually like in war, would you fight if your country asked you to.
