Wednesday, October 5, 2011

All Quiet on the Western Front Reviews

“All Quiet on the Western Front is about the violence of war, comradeship, disappointment and the casualty that confronts even those who return from the war. The graphic and nightmare-like scenes in the trenches are horrific. So too is the intense sense of loneliness for the protagonist on leave only to return to the front. The hospital scenes will cause most readers to gasp and become uneasy. In its quiet, short and to the point, yet perfect style, this is a book that creates a long-lasting impression on the person reading it.”
“All Quiet on the Western Front is the story of one man caught up in a war that he doesn’t even seem to fully comprehend. The story is that of Paul Baumer, a young German soldier serving in the trenches in France. Baumer volunteered for the war when his instructor in school, Kantorek, urged the class to join up for the glory of Germany. After training, Baumer and his friends go to the front as infantrymen. Filled with glorious ideas about war by authority figures back home, Baumer quickly discovers that the blood-drenched trenches of the Western Front are full of misery and violent death. As Paul’s friends slip away one by one through death, desertion, and injury, Paul begins to wonder about his own life and whether he will survive not only the war but also a world without war.”  (leserglede.com, Peter)

            "Through the book, All Quiet on the Western Front, we, as human beings, should find attempt to find solutions through discussion and compromise instead of warfare. Countries in war may feel that they are gaining a lot through wars but what they fail to see is the losses they have suffered. In many cases, the gain is negligible when it is compared to the losses." (esinearticles.com, Cooper, Michael)

The way I interpreted All Quiet on the Western Front was that is was written to show the hard parts of war. Of course war is not going to be something happy and good feeling, but someone needs to point out the obvious. This is an anti-war novel none the less. The author wants you to understand that the people are not just a general title such as "soldier," they are a person and their lives mean more than what they are honored for.  The fact is people know these things when they start a war, they know there will be people dieing, and young people and their families suffering, but still there is war being declared. This book did a very good job at pointing out what happens to soldiers especially during the lost generation period of the war.  I can understand why this book was such a big deal when it was written because back then there wasn't much anti-war anything. Today we can watch multiple movies and documentaries about the truths of war, while back then All Quiet on the Western Front was the closest thing to a movie they could get.

Works Cited

Cooper, Michael. "All Quiet on Teh Western Front-A Book Review." Ezinearticles. Web. 5 Oct. 2011. <http://ezinearticles.com/?All-Quiet-on-the-Western-Front---A-Book-Review&id=84991>.

Peter. "All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque | Book Review, Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front | The World of Books." Nettsted for Bokelskere: Bøker Og Bokanmeldelser, Anmeldelse Bok, Anmeldelse Bøker, Leserglede, Leseglede, Krim, Skjønnlitteratur, Litteraturnyheter. 29 Dec. 2007. Web. 05 Oct. 2011. <http://www.leserglede.com/engblogg/all-quiet-on-the-western-front-by-erich-maria-remarque/>.






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