End Reflection on the Novel

What is ironic, or dramatically unexpected about the novel’s ending?
· He died a silent death when he was in war
· We think he was glad to die
· He was fighting to live but living to die
· The rest of his life he would have to live with memories of him killing people and of his closest comrades perishing
· KARMA

What images of the novel are lingering in your mind? Explain why these images made a lasting impression on you.
Boots.
We thought it was completely ludicrous that the guy wanted to have the dying mans boots, and he didn’t even seem to care for the guy in the first place

Do you think Paul can claim to speak for an entire “lost generation” when he speaks of the effects of war? In Paul’s opinion war ruins those who survive as must as those who die. Do you think his fellow soldiers felt the same way about war?
· No, because he speaks for himself and not anyone else because he is not them
· Yes, because every soldier witnesses the same thing and he experiences everything the had experienced, including:
· Near-Death Experience
· Shooting
· Loss
· Hardships
· Struggles

Monologue

Paul in his men sit in their cement shelter and wait for the bombardment to stop as the recruits are in the process of cracking. all they can do is wait, play cards, and talk.

Hey, your turn. Did you hear that recruit a few minutes ago? They say he was blown to pieces. I keep telling them that all they have to do is not focus on the present but imagine the future, even though for most of them they have nothing to look forward too. We want to live at any price; so we cannot burden ourselves with feelings which . . . would be out of place here. They dont understand. They don't understand pain yet. They don't understand death. Well until then, they will be like sitting ducks. One by one they fall.

All Quiet On The Western Front

In my opinion I think that when you go through such rigorous training. Which in the right eyes can be viewed as tortured or brain wash. You loose all thought you had before. All you can think about now is what you where trained to do. For Paul and his comrades this all comes down to the basic instinct of wild animals. Protect yourself and hunt for food, in their case wait till dinner. When they wake up they train, and at night they eat, day in and day out. And when they get to the front line they are only prepared and focused on what they trained for, to kill. Like animals, if you give them a task that they know how to do and were trained to do they can do it. But if you give an animal a task that they are not used to they will become confused. For the boys an example I can think of is death of comrades. They can’t train for death. So when it happens they become confused. They become confused until it happens so many times that it is natural to them. Like an animal instinct. As we progress in the book I predict that to stay alive in war their animal side will try to force out all other emotions other then what they trained for. The boys will become mindless animals.

2/7/07

Napoleon in my opinion was a great influence to the French revolution. Some people may think that he did bad. I think that no person can just do all good. You always have to think about your wants and needs, to be able to get the better good for the people. Like how he just started taking over land. His views told him that was best, and would help his people. In those times they had different customs then they do now. Like how women are viewed. So he was just going with the current knowledge of the day, to mistreat women. He did though start the movement to give equal rights to different religions. In a sense he was letting people have the pursuit of happiness. If we had a Napoleon in this day and age he would either be taken down out of power, or killed. Since the stuff he did in his day were alright but today that would be horrible. Napoleon in my opinion was a great influence to the French revolution.

My First Post....

BALLIN!!