All Quiet on the Western Front

1. All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Maria Remarque

2. What do you know about WWI? • All Quiet shows a grim depiction of the harsh realities of war –destruction that had never before been seen

3. Contemplate the following questions: • How could people who were never wounded in battle be destroyed by war? • Paul says “War is possible only when the enemy is an abstraction.” What is an abstraction? Why does the enemy have to be an abstraction? • Paul also says, “The finest thing to come out of this war is comradeship.” How can strong friendships result from combat experiences?

4. A Marine’s Opinion • -- I am sure your students, as well as yourself can define abstraction, so I won't bother with Oxford's definition, so from my stand point an abstraction is nothing more than the de-humanizing of the enemy. We called him "Tango," "Hajji"... and a couple of others I am sure you are not supposed to say in a school. But the end product was it was no longer a guy who tends his crops, raises his kids and in general lives life like every other person on the planet, but an object to be eliminated if the need be. The enemy does not need to be an abstraction, but it does make it a little easier to do your job (the mission by definition of a United States Marine is: To locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, and to repel the enemy's assault by fire and close-combat) if said enemy is an abstraction.

5. The training that occurred prior to and leading into WWI and the general education and socialization of your typical grunt was much different than it is of one today. Today we are more desensitized to violence and suffering as a society, and in training taught to carry out the actions of war without hesitation or remorse. The training is more thought out and regimented so as to make it more of an automatic action rather than a thought out action. In current conflicts it is also not necessary to objectify the enemy, killing the enemy is easy, he is trying to kill you, and when faced with the choice of kill or be killed, self-preservation is a core instinct that all beings have. But objectifying the society is more important because collateral damage is the hardest thing to consider, and live with when confronted with it up close and personal

6. Erich Maria Remarque1898-1970 • Born in Germany, 1898 • Drafted to the army at 18 • Fought on the Western Front during WWI • 1929 Published • “Lost Generation” • Moved to Switzerland—anti Nazi • Became a US citizen in 1947

7. Historical Background: WWI • 70 million soldiers were mobilized² • 2 major alliances • Race for Imperialism • 2 Fronts • New Weapons • Hand and rifle grenades • Tanks • War Planes • Subs • Poison gas

8. What is the Western Front • Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the "contested armed frontier" between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West. A "contested armed frontier" during a war is called a "front“.²

9. All Quiet on the Western Front • Presents a grimly realistic version of a soldier’s experience • Very anti-war in nature • Expresses the following themes and motifs: • Horrors of War • Nationalism and political power • Strength of love, friendship, and comradeship • Pressures of Patriotic Idealism • A realization of universal similarities of people • Carnage and Gore • Animal Instinct

10. The Book Begins. . . • Recall that the book begins under the following circumstances: • Characters are German Soldiers** • 5 miles from the Western Front • Resting after 14 days of fighting • Out of 150 men, 80 returned. This already presents a grim reality; almost half of the men did not return.

11. Homework: Briefly Identify these Characters and read chapters 1 -3: • Paul Baumer- • Tjaden- • Albert Kropp- • Muller- • Leer- • HaieWestus- • Stanislaus Katczinsky- • Detering- • Kemmerich- • Himmelstoss

12. Works Cited • www.wikipedia.com articles: Western Front; WWI