1.Why is the war different for Paul and the others his age?
2.Who was Himmelstoss?
3.How did he treat the recruits?
4.How did the training effect the boys?
5.What happens to Kemmerick?
6.Why does Paul run?
Chapter 3
1.What do the men call the new recruits?
2.What does Paul and his friends feel like in comparison?
3.What does Kat have a “sixth sense: about?
4.Why does Kt think is the reason they are losing the war?
5.How does Kat think a war should be fought?
6.How does Kropp think a war should be fought?
7.Why do you think the men bet on the airfights?
8.Why does Tjaden hate Himmelstoss?
9.How did they get back at him?
Chapter 4
1.What is wiring detail?
2.Who are they fighting?
3.What kind of screams are “impossible to take”?
4.Why do you think Detering says “it is terrible to use horses in war”?
5.Where do the men take cover?
6.What does Kat want to do to the wounded recruit? Why?
7.Why don’t Kat and Paul go through with it?
Chapter 5
1.Who comes to the front?
2.What would Kropp do when it is peace time?
3.What about Haie?
4.What about Kat and Detering?
5.Why do you think their answers differ from Kropp and Haie?
6.What happens when Himmelstoss comes over to the men?
7.Why has the war ruined the boys for everything?
8.What punishment does Tjaden get for his treatment of Himmelstoss?
9.What is significance of catching the goose?
Chapter 6
1.What is stacked up against the school house?
2.What is the significance of it?
3.Why do the men make jokes about it?
4.What shares the trenches with the men?
5.What effect does the constant bombardment have on the men?
6.What do the men become?
7.Why do you think this is?
8.What happens once the fighting is over?
9.Why does Paul have childhood memories at this time?
10.Why do you think Paul feels lost?
11.What happens to most of the new recruits?
12.How does Paul react to seeing Himmelstoss?
13.How many men did the Second Company loose at the front?
Chapter 7
1.What are the two things a solider needs to be happy?
2.What would happen if the men took the time to think?
3.Who do the men meet?
4.What happens?
5.Why is this significant?
6.What does Paul get?
7.How long will he be away?
8.How does Paul react to being home?
9.Why does Paul lie to his mother?
10.What does Paul’s mother have?
11.How is Paul’s father different from his mother?
12.How does Paul’s former teacher act towards Paul and the war?
13.Who does Paul go to visit?
14.What new information does Paul learn?
15.How does Middelstaet treat Kantorek?
16.What lie does Paul give Kemmerich’s mother?
17.What does she blame Paul for?
18.Why do you think Paul thinks he should never have come home?
Chapter 8
1.What is next to the training camp?
2.What has made these men the enemies?
3.Who comes to visit Paul?
4.Why doesn’t Paul’s father want to ask how much the operation will cost?
Chapter 9
Who comes to visit the camp?
According to Kat, why is there war?
What do the men see in the forest?
On patrol, how does Paul react when he hears bombs or something going off around him? Why?
What is more than life to Paul?
Where is Paul during the attack?
What does Paul do to the man that comes into the shell-hole?
Why do you think Paul muddies his bloody hand?
This is the first time Paul has done what?
Why does Paul talk to the dead man?
What does he promise to do?
Who is the man?
Who does Paul see when he comes out of the shell-hole?
What do they say when Paul tells them about the man?
Chapter 10
1.What are the men guarding?
2.Why does the enemy start firing on the village?
3.How long are the men in the village?
4.What happens to Albert as they are evacuating a village?
5.What picks up Albert and Paul?
6.What does Albert say he will do if the amputate his leg?
7.What does Paul not want as the surgeons are going to fix him up? Why not?
8.Why does Paul bribe the sergeant-major?
9.Where do Paul and Albert end up?
10.What is the Dead Room?
11.What is the Dying Room?
12.Why are the men so surprised to see Peter again?
13.What does Paul know of about life?
14.How is Albert dealing with his leg?
Chapter 11
What does Detering see?
What happens to Detering?
What happens to Muller?
What rumors do the men hear in the summer of 1918?
What happens to Kat?
What does Paul to do try and save him?
Why does Kat end up dying anyway?
Chapter 12
1.What time of year is it?
2.Why does Paul have a rest?
3.Why does Paul think things might have been different if they returned home in 1916?
4.Why won’t people understand him?
5.Why are the last two paragraphs in third person?
All Quiet on the Western Front
Study Guide
Chapter One
1. In the first chapter, several soldiers are introduced. Briefly identify the following
characters:
Albert Kropp—
Müller—
Leer—
Paul Baumer—
Tjaden—
Haie Westhus—
Detering—
Stanislaus Katczinsky—
2. Why do the men have a problem with the cook, Ginger?
3. Why do the men think that the open latrines are better “than any palatial white-tiled
‘convenience’ ”? What is Paul’s view of nature when he and his friends are enjoying
their latrine time?
4. Briefly describe Kantorek. Why do you think Müller wishes Kantorek is in the war
with them?
5. How does the experience of war change Paul’s attitude toward authority?
6. Find an example of a simile in Paul’s description of Kemmerich.
7. List the ways Kemmerich’s friends try to help him.
8. Why do the soldiers smile bitterly when Kantorek refers to them as the “Iron Youth” in his letter to Kropp?
Chapter Two
1. Why does Paul think the younger soldiers’ lives have become a wasteland while the
older soldiers’ lives have merely been interrupted?
2. List two benefits the recruits receive from their basic training. What methods does
Himmelstoss use to prepare the recruits? Why do they hate him?
3. Support the following statement: Paul describes the natural beauty of Klosterberg
because he thinks of the beauty of nature whenever he tries to hold onto life.
4. Find a passage in this chapter that illustrates why Paul must distance himself from the death of his friend emotionally or be lost himself.
5. Explain how the boots are a symbol of expendability of the young soldiers at the front.
Chapter Three
1. What is Katczinsky’s sixth sense?
2. Compare Katczinsky’s idea of how to end the war with Kropp’s.
3. Why do you think the author changes his style of writing to a more poetic style in thefollowing passage? What is the literary term for this literary technique?
“O dark, musty platoon huts, with the iron bedsteads, the chequered bedding, the
lockers and the stools!” (Pg. 42)
4. Why does Kat think men like Himmelstoss use their power over others to be cruel and mean?
6. How is the “revenge” on Himmelstoss, just before the soldiers leave the barracks, an
example of irony? How is it an example of a Flashback?
Chapter Four
1. How do the men transform in preparation for battle, the moment the first shells
whistle over their heads? Cite a quote from the text to illustrate the men’s feelings.
2. Cite an example of apostrophe in this chapter. Why does Paul believe “To no man does the earth mean so much as to the soldier”? (Pg. 55)
3. Cite a quotation in this chapter to support the following statement: Nature continues
as usual despite the destruction of war.
4. Support the following statement: Kat is an authority figure Paul still respects because he has the wisdom and insight necessary to survive the war.
5. Support the following statement: The horses are a symbol for the innocent young men sent to the front lines. Do you think the suffering horses more profoundly affect the men than the suffering young soldier who burrows into Paul for safety?
Chapter Five
1. What keeps Tjaden from fearing the consequences of disobeying Himmelstoss’ orders?
2. Explain the differences between Kropp, Müller, and Paul’s plans for after the war and Kat and Detering’s plans for after the war.
3. Where is the clink? Why is open arrest a good thing?
4. Find a simile in this chapter to support the following statement: Kat is a symbol of
home for Paul.
5. How is eating the goose in the guard house an example of irony?
Chapter Six
1. Why does the shelling from their own guns depress the soldiers?
2. Support the following statement: The lives of the soldiers are in the hands of fate.
3. List the items the soldiers see or receive that foreshadow the dangers at the front.
4. Why does the young recruit go mad in the dug out?
5. Define microcosm. Support the following statement: The rats are a symbol for the
enemy. The soldiers’ battle with the rats is a microcosm of their battle with the French
soldiers.
6. Define automaton. Why do you think Paul’s description of nature, in the following
quotation, is so desolate? “The brown earth, the torn, blasted earth, with a greasy shine under the sun’s rays; the earth is the background of this restless, gloomy world of automatons….” (Pg. 115)
7. What two qualities are part of Paul’s memories of the church and the old poplars?
8. List two souvenirs the soldiers retrieve from the battle field. Why do you think they
take chances with their lives to get them?
9. Cite a selection from the text that illustrates the author’s use of sensory language.
Create a description of “No Man’s Land” by using the three senses of sight, smell, and
sound.
10. List four reasons why “Between five and ten recruits fall to every old hand.” (Pg. 131)
Chapter Seven
1. What does Himmelstoss do to get on good terms with Paul and his friends?
2. How does Paul explain the fact that the soldiers are almost happy at the field depot?
3. Support the following statement: The poster of the young girl makes Paul want to be
young and happy again, but his encounter with the young brunette shows that Paul
will never be young and happy again.
4. How is the refusal of Paul’s mother to discuss her illness with her son similar to Paul’s refusal to discuss the war with her?
5. Paul’s family tends not to be physically affectionate. “We were never very
demonstrative in our family; poor folk who toil and are full of cares are not so.” (Pg.
159) How does Paul’s mother show her son that she loves him?
6. Cite an example from the text that Paul’s mother understands him better than his
father does?
7. List two ways that words annoy Paul and show him that he does not belong in his
home town anymore.
8. What does Mittelstaedt do to torment the old school master, Kantorek? Why will this
make it easier for Mittelstaedt to return to the front lines?
9. Why do you think Paul regrets coming home on leave?
Chapter Eight
1. Why are the German peasants the cruelest to the Russian prisoners, eating their food
in front of the starving men?
2. What sole aim has Paul “looked for as the only possibility of existence after this
annihilation of all human feeling; this is a task that will make life afterward worthy of
these hideous years”? (Pg. 194)
3. How does Paul stereotype doctors in this chapter?
Chapter Nine
1. What do Himmelstoss and Kantorek have in common with the Kaiser? Why does Kat think the war is useful to the Kaiser?
2. Support the following statement: Kantorek is a foil for Kat.
3. How is Paul saved from the paralyzing fear that grips him during his first patrol after his leave?
4. Why does Paul feel so desperate in his shell hole that he plans to kill anyone who
enters it with him?
5. What two weapons does the dying man in the shell hole have to use against Paul? Howdo they hurt him?
6. Why does Kat think it is a good thing for Paul to watch the snipers shoot the enemy?
Chapter Ten
1. List the comforts the men find in the village while they are guarding the supply depot.
2. What does the ambulance driver do for Kropp and Paul that gives them a chance to
survive? Why does Kropp consider suicide?
3. Why does Paul refuse to be chloroformed? How does Paul manage to get Kropp and himself shipped out on the same train?
4. When Paul and Kropp are on the train and attended to by the nurses, why is Paul so
uncomfortable about his appearance and reference to his normal bodily functions?
5. What is a shooting license? How does it help the men get a good night’s sleep in the
hospital? Why do the men not get in trouble when they do not act with proper
decorum in the hospital?
6. What is the “dead room”? How does Peter beat the odds?
7. Cite a passage from the text to support the following statement: Paul thinks it is useless to study history.
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Chapter Eleven
1. In what ways does the war transform the soldiers into unthinking animals? What is
their only comfort?
2. What is the danger inside all of the soldiers that may erupt and influence them to do
dangerous or crazy things? Give one example of the dangerous behavior.
3. Support the following statement: When one soldier dies, another soldier,
indistinguishable from the first, comes along to take his place.
4. Support the following statement: Paul is a reliable narrator when he talks about the
attitudes of the soldiers but may be unreliable when he discusses the surgeons.
5. How is the great number of deaths in this last chapter an example of foreshadowing,
and what might it be foreshadowing for Paul?
6. Why is the summer of 1918 the most terrifying for the soldiers?
7. Why does Paul think they have not been beaten although Germany is losing the war?
8. What is important about the line at the end of the section describing Kat’s death—
“Then I know nothing more” (Pg. 291)?
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Chapter Twelve
1. Support the following statement: If there is an armistice, Paul will try to make a life for himself.
2. Why does the narration change to third person in this chapter? What evidence is there that Paul is satisfied with his fate?
Web Links
All Quiet on The Western Front The following provide useful links to understand the story Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque URL: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/remarque.htm Timelines of World War I The Great War Interactive Timeline URL: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/timeline/ Eyewitness - Assassination of an Archduke URL: http://www.ibiscom.com/w1frm.htm This site provides information about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which was a major incident that sparked W.W.I. Propaganda
W.W.I Thirty Thousand Women Were There URL: http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/femvets4.html This site provides information about American Women in W.W.I and can be used for background information in order to understand the roles of women in W.W.I. This site also provides a link to The Unsung Women of World War One - The Signal Corps Women.
Charles Fair's Battlefield Guide URL: http://www.fylde.demon.co.uk/charles.htm Comments: This site provides links to other sites concerning various battlefields on the Western Front that contain text and images. Trenches on the Web - Western Front Tourist's Guide URL: http://www.worldwar1.com/sftour.htm This site provides information on locations to visit along the Western Front. There are travel tips and some images of monuments. Trenches on the Web - Map Room URL: http://www.worldwar1.com/maproom.htm Links to many maps of areas involved in W.W.I.
Project - Blog Writing
LITERATURE AND
THE GREAT WAR
The soldiers and civilians who experienced the First World War recorded their reactions in both prose and poetry. Great poetry and memorable novels are still able that convey the depth of the World War I experience. Some of the written records are informal in the form of diaries, journals or letters and serve as great primary sources recording the actual feelings of the people of the day.
In Flanders fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
John McCrae's (1872-1918) In Flanders Fields is probably the single most recognizable literary memory from the Great War. Its poignant image of the graveyards on the Western Front have made the European red poppy a worldwide symbol of the soldier and the ultimate sacrifice.
No war in history has left a more memorable legacy of poetry. The number of notable poets who died in the war is an incredible list that includes John McCrae, Wilfred Owen, Joyce Kilmer, Alan Seeger, and Rupert Brooke.
Lost Poets of the Great War provides information from poets Rupert Brooke, John McCrae, Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, Alan Seeger and Edward Thomas.
The Hydra was the magazine produced by the patients in residence at Craiglockhart Military Hospital during the First World War. Some of the war's greatest writers spent time here recovering from wounds and frequently used their literary arts as therapy to help them overcome their war experiences.
World War I Poetry site of Sara Katlen will guide you through one this tragic period and the many poetic contributions, many of which were ironically written by poets of great potential who did not live to see the Armistice.
Assignment Write poetry that reflects the personal feelings of the people who experienced World War I. You may either choose to write poetry from the viewpoint of someone serving at the front or from the viewpoint of someone at home writing to the front. It should tell of recent events that are consistent with the date of the Novel.
All Quiet Review
Characters: Paul Baumer- main character; loses “youth” during war; last of boys to die
Katczinsky (Kat)- leader of the boys; has a “sixth sense” for finding food and accommodations; disagrees the way boys are trained (not trained properly); cobbler in civilian life
Kantorek- teacher who encouraged boys to enlist; boys meet with him later as “Territorial Kantorek”; calls boys the “Iron Youth”
Himmelstoss- tortures boys at first; strict disciplinarian; cowardly; later joins boys on the front because of mistreating magistrate’s son; boys get back on him by beating him up; postmasn in civilian life
Behm- first of the boys to die; did not want to enlist
Gerard Duval- French soldier Paul kills in the shell hole; printer in civilian life; Paul has great guilt about killing him
Muller- soldier who receives boots as a present from Kemmerich
Leer- ladies’ man
Kemmerich- has leg amputated; Paul meets his mother, tells her he died quickly; watch gets stolen
Detering-farmer; fond of horses
Berger- shot trying to help wounded dog
Haie Westhaus- would like to be non-commisioned officer
Tjaden- arch enemy of Himmelstoss
Kropp- shot in leg; stays with Paul; gets artificial leg
Facts and Events
• Adults, parents and people in authority tell boys it is their “duty” to enlist in war • Boys grow up quickly during war; life changes drastically (e.g. Duval incident-killed by his own hand ) • Paul realizes that he is a changed person when he goes home- sees butterfly collection on wall-reminds him of his innocence; he regrets going home because he cannot relate to life the way it used to be; realizes his comrades are more important than his family; mother is dying of cancer-gives Paul cakes and woolen underwear when he leaves • Paul goes to a bar where people tell him he knows nothing about war; meets a major (while he’s on leave) who makes him march • The boys resent the falseness of the Kaiser’s visit • Peasants- trade items for food; girls give themselves for bread • Mortar blows bodies, trees apart; daisy • Paul and Albert are shot while evacuating a village; moved to hospital by train; bribe sergeant major with cigars so that they can stay together fear surgeons because they like to amputate; Paul fears chloroform • Russian prison camp located next to Paul’s camp; Paul feels sorry for prisoners
Problems • Rats who eat all food and dead bodies in trenches • Lice • Foot rot due to lack of good boots • Starvation • Dysentary • Surgery- doctors experiment; amputate rather than patch things up
All Quiet Essay
Remarque states at the beginning of his novel: This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession , and at least of all an adventure , for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply tell of a generation of men who , even though they have escaped its shells , were destroyed by the war.
Has Remarque fulfilled his purpose as set forth in the preface to the book? Illustrate your essay with examples from the book.. You can also use characters from the book to answer the question.
After researching the terms “romanticism” and “realism,” identify elements of romanticism present in this book. What elements of realism are present in the book?
By citing incidents from the novel, support or refute the following thematic statements: • War is an unimaginable horror for both man and nature. • Strong bonds of comradery are forged in the heat of war. • Older generations (Pre-World War I), full of romantic notions of the fatherland and glories of war, lack any understanding of the reality of modern war. • The young men subjected to war experience a sense of betrayal at the hands of the older generation; their loss of faith in the older generation is accompanied by a sense of complete disillusionment with that generation’s values and traditions.
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