Erich Remarque All Quiet On The Western Front Novel Class

Both sides entered the First World War with a firm belief in an early and complete military victory. Nine million lives and four wasted empires later, the great conflict ended. The cost in human life and property was staggering: 22 million were wounded, 7 million of them permanently disabled; over 9 million civilians were killed. A total cost of 400 billion dollars financed this destruction. Could they have been reckoned, the hidden costs probably would have been greater. The damage to a generation of men on both sides was inestimable. In a sense, All Quiet on the Western Front, is a firsthand account of this “hidden cost” of the war.

The AuthorErich Maria Remarque was born in 1898 in Osnabruck, Germany. By the age of seventeen,

Remarque had already attended teacher’s training college and had begun his studies at the University of Munster, hoping to become a composer. However, World War I and the German draft interrupted these plans and markedly influenced the rest of Remarque’s life.

During World War I Remarque fought at the Western Front and was wounded five times. Relieved from duty after being seriously wounded, he briefly taught in a village school. He then traveled to larger cities, where he held various jobs as a bookkeeper, auto racer, traveling salesman, old clothes dealer, and even a gypsy circus clown. Finally he became a sports journalist.

Still haunted by the horror of war memories, Remarque compiled his thoughts and observations into the semi-autobiographical novel, All Quiet on the Western Front (1929). Even though the book was an international success, the extremely timid Remarque refused to read any criticisms, shunned fame, and declined all interviews. The book generated a storm of controversy in Germany. Some people charged that the book was “replete with effeminate pacifism.”

In 1931, Remarque’s antigovernment themes forced him to seek refuge in Switzerland. In fact, his anti-Nazi statements led to the censorship and public burning of his books in 1933. Ultimately, the German government revoked Remarque’s citizenship in 1938. Remarque moved to the United States in 1939 and became an American citizen in 1947. He died in 1970.

BackgroundUpon its publication, All Quiet on the Western Front was an immediate success. Although it

was translated into twenty-five languages, its publication and sale were banned by the Nazi government. For Remarque, this novel served as a means of coping with his World War I years. Like his main character, Paul, Remarque needed to sort through his feelings and experiences to fully understand the war’s impact. But the book was more than a personal reminiscence. Remarque was also determined to fight against war in general, and the book served as his first shot in that battle.

Remarque was not alone in that war on war. During the late 1920’s in Germany, a category of antiwar fiction rapidly sprang from disillusioned war veterans who wanted to protest further wars and the strengthening of German military power.

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All Quiet on the Western Front, also fits into the literary movement of Neo-realism. Literature in this category is characterized by a matter-of-fact, unpretentious style that is similar to newspaper or magazine journalism. Facts are presented in realistic terms, without exaggeration and with little emotion. In Remarque’s case , the graphic description furthers his antiwar goal more than editorializing.

Although the book is realistic, sentiment still permeates the text. Memories, sorrow, home, and comradeship are constant refrains of the novel. To the last page, the reader is drawn into the work intellectually - by recognizing the irrationality of war - and emotionally - by sympathizing with those affected by the battles.

Perhaps the most remarkable quality of All Quiet on the Western Front is its universality and timelessness. There is no sense of nationalism about the war, nor animosity toward enemies. Throughout the book, any nationality can be substituted for the Germans or their enemies. With the exception of dated weapons, the descriptions could be of any war.

ThemesAll Quiet on the Western Front depicts the horror, mutilation, and destruction brought by war.

Soldiers are maimed and killed by weapons, or at the very least, feel their emotions, intellects, and spirits disintegrate. For Remarque, war - any war - seems valueless and senseless.

Throughout the book, Remarque describes the horrid maiming and torture that war inflicts on its participants. Decapitation, amputation, and other forms of mutilation are commonplace in the novel. During his hospital stay, Paul realizes the infinitely awful injuries war wreaks on humanity. The wear on soldiers’ intellects and spirits is also immense. Some soldiers are shell-shocked and even maddened by exploding mortars. Others have fits of claustrophobia, striking out at concerned friends. Eventually and inevitably, their spirits break; they feel hopeless, alone, and unable to sympathize any longer.

Having enlisted in patriotic fervor, Paul soon learns he must hide his emotions, suffer through inane drills, and survive by any means of deviant or tough behavior. Once at the front, Paul copes in the only way he can without losing his sanity - by becoming insensitive to the pain around him. But after three years of this numbing existence, Paul is unable to fit into society again. And he can find no reason for his suffering. In his view, war accomplishes nothing but destruction.

Introductory NotesAll Quiet on the Western Front is prefaced by a brief statement of the novel’s purpose. Here the

author makes it clear that the story is not an accusation of an individual or group. It was not Remarque’s intention to align himself with any particular German political party. The reader is also warned against viewing the book as an exciting adventure. This is an account of a generation of young men destroyed physically and spiritually by the experience of the war. The book is not concerned with depicting the events of the war. The essential point is to describe war’s effects on a particular generation.

It was Remarque’s contention that his generation had grown up in a way different from others before and after it. Their overwhelming experience was the war. Shortly after publication of his novel, the young author declared, “The generation of young people, which no matter from what motive, has been driven through this period must necessarily have developed differently from all former generations.” The men who emerged from the trenches were marked for life by deep, irreparable psychic wounds. For these young disillusioned, the world could never again hold the same innocence it had when the century was just beginning. As Jacques Barzun has put it, “The energies born with the twentieth century had been sapped, misspent and destroyed.”

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In a mood characterized by despair, disgust and disquiet, the youth of Europe and America returned to their private lives in 1918 to attempt to live in a world that no longer held sacred the ideals and beliefs that prevailed prior to 1914. Gertrude Stein, when she said to young Ernest Hemmingway in Paris, “you are all a lost generation,” summed up the dilemma Paul Baumer and his comrades faced.

CharactersPaul Brummer - The soldier, narrator and focal point of the novel who volunteered with four others

from his class for military duty. Paul’s group included: Muller, Kropp, Leer, Kemmerich and Behm.

Tjaden - A thin soldier with an immense appetite. He is nineteen and a former locksmith in civilian life.

Muller - A soldier who carries his school books with him and often dreams of examinations.

Stanislaus Katczinsky - Kat is a forty year old soldier who becomes Paul’s best friend. He is shrewd, good-natured and known for his remarkable ability to find good food and soft jobs for the group.

Albert Kropp -First soldier of Paul’s group to make lance-corporal. He was regarded as the best student in Paul’s school.

Leer - Paul’s youthful classmate who grows a beard. He is first of Paul’s group to have experience with

women.

Franz Kemmerich - Paul’s childhood friend and fellow volunteer. He is the first of the group to wear the fine leather boots.

Haie Westhus - The soldier who prefers the army to digging peat in civilian life.

Detering - The soldier who was a peasant-farmer in civilian life and thinks constantly of his farm and wife.

Kantorek - The schoolmaster who urged Paul and his friends to enlist. He is later called into the reserves under Mittlestaedt, a former pupil.

Corporal Himmelstoss - The drillmaster for Paul and his comrades, hated for his sadistic treatment of recruits. He is a former postman.

Josef Behm - One of Paul’s schoolmates.

Lieutenant Bertinck - Paul’s company commander who is a fine soldier, respected by his men.

Ginger - The company cook who is more concerned about his personal safety and accurate food portions than he is concerned about feeding the men.

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Tiejen - The soldier who calls for his mother while dying and holds off a doctor with a dagger until he collapsed.

Sergeant Oellrich - A sniper who takes pride in his ability to pick off enemy soldiers.

Heinrich Bredemeyer - A soldier who has told Paul’s mother about the increasing dangers in front line fighting.

Mittelstaedt - Paul’s friend who has been promoted to company commander of a home guard. He has the opportunity to take revenge on schoolmaster Kantorek who is only an ordinary soldier.

Boettcher - The soldier who was the school porter at Paul’s former school.

Josef Hammacher - The soldier who shares the hospital ward with Paul, Albert and others. He has a “shooting license” because of his mental derangement.

Little Peter - One of Paul and Albert’s hospital ward mates. He is thought to be the only patient ever to return from the “Dying Room.”

Franz Wachter - A hospital ward mate who dies of a lung wound.

Sister Libertine - One of the sister-nurses at the hospital where Paul and Albert recover from their wounds.

Berger - The strongest soldier in Paul’s company. During the last days, Berger loses his sense of judgment. He is wounded trying to rescue a messenger dog under fire.

Gerard Duval - The French soldier who lands in Paul’s shell hole. Paul realizes the enemy on the other side of the barbed wire is just a lonely, frightened soldier like himself.

Sources: Cliffs Notes, All Quiet on the Western Front, Cliff Notes Incorporated, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1965.Contemporary Classics: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Perfection Form Company, Logan, Iowa, 1980.

Novel Class All Quiet on the Western Front Assignment Sheet

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Monday, September 22, 2008In Class: a) Introduction to All Quiet on the Western Front

b) Author Informationc) Background informationd) Reader Response Journalse) Listen to pp 1-6

Homework: a) Read Chapters 1-2 (pp. 1-33)

Tuesday, September 23In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Film: World War Ic) Background Information/Casualtiesd) War Statistics from Todaye) Kemmerich – Chapter 2

Homework: a) Read Chapter 3 and begin Chapter 4 (pp. 35-65)

Wednesday, September 24In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Poems: War Is Kind by Stephen CraneGrass by Carl Sandburg

c) Notes: Realism, Naturalism, Pacifism, and Expressionism d) Vocabulary worke) Kat and Kropp on War – Chapter 3

Homework: a) Complete Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 (pp. 66-97)

Thursday, September 25 In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Vocabulary Reviewc) Round Table Discussiond) Worksheet I e) Paul – p. 55, Chapter 4

Homework: a) Begin Chapter 6 (pp. 99-125)b) Reader Response Journals 1-2 due

Friday, September 26, 2008In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Quiz I (Chapters 1-4)

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c) Journals 1-2 dued) Authority figures worksheete) Kantorek – Chapter 5 (pp. 84-86)

Homework: a) Complete Chapter 6 and Begin Chapter 7 (pp. 126-150)

Monday, September 29In Class: a) Vocabulary Quiz

b) Excerpts from Chapter 6c) Letters from Ward) Writing assignment

Homework: a) Continue Chapter 7 (pp. 150-175)

Tuesday, September 30In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Review of Letter Assignmentc) Making Decisions worksheet – small groupd) Large group discussion

Homework: a) Complete Chapters 7 and 8 (pp. 176-198)b) Complete Letters

Wednesday, October 1, 2008In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Paul at Home – Chapter 7c) Round Table Discussion – Part IId) Reading Letterse) Begin Worksheet II

Homework: a) Read Chapter 9 (pp. 199 -229)b) Reader Response Journals 3-4 due

Thursday, October 2In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Quiz II (Chapters 5-8)c) Paul’s Retraining – Chapter 8d) Reader Response Journals 3-4 duee) Begin Essential Question #1

Homework: a) Begin Chapter 10 (pp. 231-258)Friday, October 3, 2008In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Essential Question #1c) Chapter 9

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d) Symbols worksheet small group discussion

Homework: a) Complete Chapter 10 and Begin Chapter 11 (pp. 259 -286)

Monday, October 6In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Introduce Essential Questions – Position Paperc) Position groups (4) discussion (Gather ideas/notes)d) Draft position paperse) Worksheet III

Homework: a) Complete novel (pp. 287 – 295)b) Complete Position Paper

Tuesday, October 7In Class: a) News of the Day

b) Quiz III (Chapters 9-12)c) Discussion of the end of the noveld) Class Discussion of Position Questions

(Position Paper due at the beginning of the hour.)

Homework: a) Complete worksheetsb) Reader Response Journals 5-6 due

Wednesday, October 8In Class: a) Objective Test

b) Essential Questions reviewc) Pre-writing Question #1d) Reader Response Journals 5-6 due

Homework: a) Prepare Essential Question

Thursday, October 9In Class: a) Essay Exam

b) Packets Due c) Introduction to The Great Gatsby

Homework: a) Read in The Great Gatsby

All Quiet on the Western Front Writing Letters Assignment Novel Class

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Directions: After reading a series of letters from soldiers, and with your knowledge of the war in All Quiet on the Western Front, write a letter from the war front. Your letter should be 250-300 words, typed or written on theme paper.

1. Assume the character of Paul, and write a letter to the wife of Gerard Duval.

2. Assume the character of Paul, and write a letter to Kantorek telling him how you felt about the war when you were in his classroom and how your opinion has changed.

3. Assume the character of Paul, and write a letter home to a friend.

4. Assume the character of Paul and write a letter to your father about your feelings of the war.

Suggestions:

1. Refer to the person’s last letter to you.

2. Tell how his/her last letter made you feel.

3. Give some news of battles, friends, specific happenings, and inner feelings.

4. Write about the plans you had for after the war and how they have changed.

5. Use specific examples from the book.

_____________________________________________________

Realism –

Neo-Realism –

Expressionism –

Pacifism –

1. dollopa. foolb. serving

c. aread. toy

2. voracitya. beautyb. gluttony

c. loudnessd. speed

3. queuea. signalb. mark

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c. questiond. line

4. disconcerteda. melancholyb. dissatisfiedc. interruptedd. disturbed

5. dixiea. kettleb. whistlec. plated. region

6. billeta. rentb. lodgingc. weapond. check

7. martineta. puppetb. spacemanc. disciplinariand. leader

8. ostracizeda. excludedb. frightenedc. ignoredd. liked

9. coveteda. valuedb. hiddenc. stolend. desired

10. pettifogginga. trivialb. opaquec. difficultd. showy

11. attributesa. acknowledgementsb. frailties

c. beliefsd. characteristics

12. revilea. sickenb. cheerc. reproachd. anger

13. saveloya. breadb. sausagec. cheesed. soap

14. patronizea. visitb. condescendc. followd. protect

15. fatiguea. laborb. patrolc. lazinessd. color

16. acrida. thickb. bitterc. hazyd. sweet

17. lorrya. songb. tentc. cannond. truck

18. renta. paymentb. washedc. tornd. filled

19. leviesa. answersb. whips

c. collectsd. grabs

20. insatiablea. curiousb. disturbedc. unhappyd. unsatisfied

21. laconicallya. conciselyb. lazilyc. comicallyd. obscurely

22. gaita. swingb. walkc. breathingd. pull

23. pensivea. thoughtfulb. unsurec. boredd. worried

24. sufficeda. grantedb. gorgedc. allowedd. wasted

25. obliquelya. closelyb. haphazardlyc. clearlyd. diagonally

26. apparitionsa. appearancesb. dividersc. reflectionsd. ghosts

27. inapprehensiblea. not frighteningb. not understandable

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c. disturbingd. uncertain

28. melancholya. sadnessb. obsessionc. indifferenced. frustration

29. quixotica. foolishb. illogicalc. idealisticd. speedy

30. askancea. sidewaysb. carefullyc. hurriedlyd. keenly

31. delouseda. to moveb. to feel sickc. to remove liced. to bathe

32. precipitouslya. roughlyb. mistyc. massivelyd. abruptly

33. sluicesa. streamsb. floodgatesc. piecesd. bridges

34. apathetica. pitifulb. indifferentc. spirited

d. sad

35. gendarmesa. weaponsb. tanksc. officersd. policemen

36. tommya. soldierb. gunc. leaderd. grenade

37. extenuationa. frustrationb. triumphc. justificationd. profusion

38. quarryinga. removing stoneb. sparringc. building bridgesd. fighting

39. repulseda. affirmedb. repelledc. disgustedd. considered

40. pretencea. expectationb. deceptionc. advanced. offering

41. irresolutelya. thoughtlesslyb. heedlesslyc. carefullyd. uncertainly

42. placatea. pleaseb. judgec. comfortd. locate

43. averta. preventb. guidec. hesitated. join

44. parapeta. barrierb. towerc. caged. weapon

45. idylla. fatal confrontationb. mental lapsec. pleasant episoded. inactive confinement

46. fastidiousa. exhaustingb. meticulousc. actived. intelligent

47. aberrationa. irregularityb. openingc. reductiond. greeting

48. emaciateda. fatiguedb. gauntc. woundedd. freed

Perfection Form Company, 1990

All Quiet on the Western Front Making Decisions Novel Class

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Directions: Examining a situation from the novel, identify a dilemma or difficult choice the character(s) must make and complete the following process.

1. Define the Problem -The most significant step in any decision making process is to describe why a decision is necessary. This is critical, because how you define a problem determines how you define causes and where you search for solutions. What is the dilemma? Explain fully.

2. Identifying Alternatives - List the possible choices. (Brainstorm possible choices.)

3. Evaluating the Alternatives – Choose the two best alternatives. As you evaluate each alternative, you should consider the likely positive and negative consequences that will follow each. List the pros and cons of each possible decision.

4. Implementing the Decision - Deciding on the best solution is not the same as doing something. Action is the first tangible step in changing a problematic situation. What action should be taken?

5. Evaluating the Decision - The final test of any decision is whether or not the problem was addressed and whether the subsequent consequences will justify the action taken. Answer the following questions:

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a) Was your decision consistent with the policies, procedures and norms of society (socially acceptable)? Explain. (If not, what are the possible consequences?)

b) Was your decision legal? Explain. (If not, what are the possible consequences?)

c) Does your decision satisfy your own definition or right, good and fair? Explain (If not, what are the possible consequences?)

d) Does your decision meet with moral and universal principles? (Those principles that go beyond social norms and legal limits.) Explain. (If not, what are the possible consequences?)

All Quiet on the Western Front Worksheet Chapters 1-4 Novel Class

1. Why do the men receive double rations?

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2. Why did Paul and his friends enlist in the army? What do the boys think of men like Kantorek?

3. Who was Joseph Behm and what happened to him?

4. What are some of the indications that Kemmerich is dying?

5. What did Paul often do in the evenings before the war? What is significant about this?

6. How do Paul and the other young men differ from the older soldiers?

7. What do the men think of Corporal Himmelstoss? Why?

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8. What is Kat’s “sixth sense”?

9. What is Kat’s opinion of war?

10. How does Kropp think wars should be fought?

11. What will the gas do to a person? Where is the gas most likely to linger?

12. What do Kat and Paul nearly do to the recruit with the hip wound? Why would they even consider

this?

All Quiet on the Western Front Worksheet Chapters 5-8 Novel Class

1. Why does Himmelstoss want to have Tjaden court-martialled?

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2. What will the men’s lives be like when they return to society?

3. How efficient is the German army? Explain.

4. How do the men end the rat attacks?

5. Why does Paul hesitate before throwing the grenade?

6. Why are the reinforcements killed so rapidly?

7. What happens to Himmelstoss during the attack?

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8. What does Paul think will happen with their war memories from the front after the war?

9. Why does Paul feel strange in his own home?

10. What conflict does Paul have with the Major? Why is this incident ironic?

11. Why is Paul unable to tell his mother and father about his true war experiences?

12. What does Paul think of the Russian prisoners? Why is Paul not more sympathetic towards them?

All Quiet on the Western Front Worksheet Chapters 9-12 Novel Class

1. What is a flying division?

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2. What does Paul do when the French soldier stumbles into his shell hole?

3. How does Paul react to what he has done? What does he realize about the French soldier?

4. What does Paul promise himself after this incident?

5. How does Sergeant Oellrich react to killing? How does he differ from Paul?

6. How is Paul wounded? Describe his surgery?

7. Why does Paul throw a bottle into the corridor at the hospital? Why does Josef Hamacher claim he threw the bottle?

8. What is the Dying Room?

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9. What does Paul think of the world as he views the wounded in the hospital?

10. What happens to Detering?

11. What is happening now to the German lines?

12. How does Bertinck save his men?

13. Why does the book describe Paul’s face at the end as calm?

All Quiet on the Western Front Authority Figures Novel Class

Authority Figure Advice Given Your Opinion of that Advice

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All Quiet on the Western Front Symbolism Sheet Novel Class

Scene or Situation Meaning

The theft of Kemmerich’s watch

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The boots

Kemmerich’s death

The front

Coffin stacked against a school-house wall

The death of the horses

Paul dreaming of childhood scenes during a bloody battle

Paul’s visit home

Reader’s ResponseAll Quiet on the Western Front

Overall Assignment:

Write two 1-page journals for three sections of the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front. This is 6 total entries: two for chapters 1-4, two for chapters 5-8, and two for chapters 9-12.

Each entry should be 1-page or a minimum of 200 words.

All three journals from a section should be stapled together and turned in on the due date.

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Use theme paper or type entries.

Please indicate the date on each entry.

Writing Topics:

You may write about anything in the section that you find significant.

Explore, explain, compare, examine, analyze, interpret, criticize, synthesize, and/or evaluate.

Discuss literary technique, conventions, or craft used in the work.

Do not summarize the text.

Support:

Cite relevant references from the text being commented upon, explain them, and relate them to the larger thematic developments in the text.

Avoid assertions without textual support.

You may refer to other texts that we have read to help support your assertions.

Entries may reflect work within a certain section or with the entire text.

Suggestions:

Make arguments that are outside the predictable or expected responses and that extend or move beyond the in-class discussions.

Entries should reflect your ideas and perspectives. This is not a place to restate the author’s views.

All Quiet on the Western Front Essential Questions Novel Class

Directions: For each question make a list of your initial ideas and add notes from our classroom discussions of the novel. When you have gathered enough background information, develop an answer to the essential question. Check your answer and revise before the essay exam.

1. Trace Paul’s development. Describe him before joining the army; his initial army experiences; and his war experiences. How has he changed? What physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual effect has war had on him? Explain his final sense of detachment?

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Position PaperAll Quiet on the Western Front

Directions: Write a paragraph stating your position (claim) on each of the four statements. Be sure to add support (evidence), and tell why/how (warrant) it supports your position.

I. It is important to keep a strong military presence in Iraq until he Iraqi government can

maintain order.

II. If we pull out of Iraq now, it will increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks in America.

III. Because of the necessity to maintain a strong military presence in both Afghanistan and Iraq for years to come, we should reinstitute the draft.

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IV. War is inevitable. There will always be war despite attempts by society to avoid it.

ClaimA claim states your position on the issue you have chosen to write about.

• A good claim is not obvious. • A good claim is engaging. • A good claim is not overly vague. • A good claim is logical; it emerges from a reasonable consideration of the evidence.

EvidenceThe evidence or data which you cite to support your claim. Like a lawyerpresenting evidence to a jury, you must support your claim with facts; anunsupported claim is merely an assertion.Data can include:

• Facts or statistics: objectively determined data about your topic. • Expert opinion: Learned opinion, theory, and analysis that you should cite frequently, both to

support your argument and to disagree with. • Primary research: an explanation and discussion of your own research findings and how they relate

to your topic.• Personal anecdotes: the most difficult kind of data to use well because doing so requires a persuasive argument that your own experience is relevant and can be objectively grasped by your

reader. Personal experience can, however, bring an argument to life.

WarrantThe warrant interprets the data and shows how it supports your claim. Inother words, the warrant explains why and how the data proves the claim.

• A good warrant will be a reasonable interpretation and analysis of the facts.• A good warrant will not make illogical interpretive leaps.• A good warrant will not assume more than the evidence supports.• A good warrant may consider and respond to possible counter-arguments

Position Paper Notes

I. It is important to keep a strong military presence in Iraq until he Iraqi government can maintain order.

II. If we pull out of Iraq now, it will increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks in America.

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III. Because of the necessity to maintain a strong military presence in both Afghanistan and Iraq for years to come, we should reinstitute the draft.

IV. War is inevitable. There will always be war despite attempts by society to avoid it.

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