Chapter 3
New soldiers come to the platoon that Paul and his friends are in right now. They showed off to the new soldiers as to say they have been here for a long time and to show that they aren't scared of the battlefield. Kat, Paul’s friend is an expert at finding things; he can find food, chairs, tables, and other odd items. They have a theory that if you train a dog to eat potatoes and you give it a little piece of meat the dog will snap at it. They see the same effect for other soldiers if you give it a little bite of authority they will snap just as well. War can change a man to become stronger so they can survive the war or they will break from the pressure. Himmelstoss there first drill officer is finally coming to the fronts. They all have nice memories of whipping him for revenge for all the things he did to them. They are also looking forward to having him come to the fronts so they can make his life more miserable.
Vocabulary:
Reinforements have arrived. (AQWF 35) Reinforements means like back up.
He grimaces. (AQWF 36) Grimaces means to be in disapproval or pain.
Paul behavior, feelings has changed from when he was home to when he joined the platoon to become to hateful and seeking for revenge. Sure Himmelstoss could have gone a little easier on them as there drill officer but he was only doing his job to make them perpared for war. If he wasn't hard them how could they surive in war with the pressure of the death, and just mentaly. In a way they think they respect him just a little but the most of it they hate him for making them go through the torture. I think Paul doesn't have such a big revenge on Himmelstoss as Meller does but he still is hateful towards him. War can change someboby towards hatred because there emotions are going crazy from everything else so they have to put there hatred onto somebody and that's what Himmelstoss is an object for them to throw there feelings at.
This chapter shows the hatred the group has against Himmelstoss for everything he made them go through. Even though they all ready did there revenge against him they still wish to give him more torture for more revenage of the past and to get what the rest of there feelings out from the war. They are all putting it on Himmelstoss like it is his fault they they are going through this. They also probably want to see if he can deal with the pressure of war, to see if he can talk the talk as well as walk the walk. At the platoon he sure did talk the talk of having them do drills after drills to have them prepared for war but is he prepared. Paul is starting to forget about how it was like before the war and he is probably is starting to think that war is life, as well as there is nothing else but war.
Revenge can back fire, Himmelstoss is like the 3 head man with all the weapons and the little baby is the gang of friends that gang up on Himmelstoss, to show him a piece of his own medicine. Just like it says, "wait tell the little guy grows up" now that the group as finally grown up they have seen war and death now that Himmelstoss has finally come onto the battle field they think he isn't worth giving him there attention. Remembering there revenge they used it to back fire it towards Himmelstoss, which leads Himmelstoss to fall apart as well as not being able to stand the front. Wait tell the little guy grows up well that is exactly what happens to the group they grow up with revenge and hatred in there hearts, which they used towards Himmelstoss for revenge. In the end the little guy that was bullied will take his revenge on the 3-headed man, like Paul and his friend's they take there revenge on Himmelstoss which for both of them the Himmelstoss and the 3-headed man will fall.
Chapter 4
War is miserable, people are dieing, bombs are exploding, the since of death and an alien world creeps over this no man’s land. Paul and his friends are on the battle field, war changes a man they hear the sounds of war. The crying death of the horses and of the men, Paul’s mood for this chapter changed to being scared to being brave. I consider him to be very brave to be able to survive through the miserable sound of war, and survive the gas as well as those who got hurt. War changes a person to being innocence to evolving to being use to the sounds of death but really you can’t really get use to the sounds of war it will always be with you. You will wake up one night sweating and thinking of the battle field, the dead, also your friends who died in the war. The war will always be with you and you can’t escape from it.
Vocabulary:
The engines drone, the lorries bump and rattle. (AQWF 51) Drone means something that works for others.
The motor lorries roll up after dark. (AQWF 51) Lorry is a british term for truck.
Confused in war Paul becomes a soldier, a beast that you can command and he will go to do what he is told which is to kill the enemy. Paul can't escape war he becomes more use to war as it progress. He is trapped in war he can not escape it. He is becoming more like an animal hunting for his prey, his enemy's. He follows orders when he is on the battlefield to stay alive, but when he returns to the safty of his hut he has no respect for his officers, espcially Himmelstoss. Paul is brave to be able to survive through the misery of war, to be able to stand the pressure of death, of the sreams of war. He has surive longer than some unfortunate soldiers but is he fortunate to stay alive and fight longer in this war. Does he consider himself fortunate to stay live in this war, for now I think is fortunate that he is still live but how long will he be fortunate, I don't think this will contiune to be this way.
I learn that war is a dangerous thing that once once you do something over and over again it becomes natural, you can't change your habits. You will be come so used to it that you will forget about living a different life than the one your living now. War can change people they evolve so they can surive in war. They don't think about there feelings or any else's because that would only break them. Soldiers are strong because of this but it is also there weak points because when they come how can they change back to there normal selfs. The answer is they can't war effects soldiers so much, they have nightmares, they have memories of war, of death, they can never escape from war. Soldiers are a prisons of war, that is what I learn that no matter what happens you will aways be a prison of war.
You can’t escape from war and this political cartoon displays that emotion, the wood represents everyone that is in the war and they wish it all to end but no one can reach for peace which is the water because they don't see it to be real. They see themselves only in war and the fire wood only sees its self as wood to be burn. The soldiers have to stay on the field and fight, the fire wood has to stay on the fire to be burned. They are so use to being on that battlefield that they can not consider themselves to be anywhere else. They survive on the battlefield but will they be able to survive again once they go home. Where there is no matter, will they be able to handle the pressure of not having war any more. Will they have be used to not war, I don't think so they will always be surround by war. Unable to see themselves anywhere else the soldiers stay on the battlefield to fight just like the foodwood will always burn and it will not be turn off until it blows away but, will it ever blow away.
Chapter 5
Paul and his friends talk about the war after it is over, what would they do and will it ever be over. Some people have plans about returning to there farm and helping their wives but those who don’t have that they can’t see themselves returning to that normal life. They can only see the war because they think it is real and having peace time just seems like a joke. Himmelstoss shows himself to the group of friends, none of them show him any respect. Now that they have been on the battle field seen the blood and the sounds of war they don’t care at all about this man who just came to the front. Himmelstoss has no clue what war is like, he has no clue about the terrors of war and the sounds of the dead. Tjaden and Himmelstoss have a talking fight, Himmelstoss leaves stomping mad and returns for Tjaden but he isn’t around. Later they have a meeting about the punishment for Tjaden for showing disrespect to an officer but he didn’t get it to bad because Himmelstoss was also at fault. Paul and Kat go hunting for goose for dinner. Paul sees Kat as a brother at war they eat the goose together then take the rest to Tjaden and Kropp.
Vocabulary:
He says he means to use the fat that slowly accumulates in the tinlid for polishing boots, and roars with laughter for half an hour at his own joke. (AQWF 76) Accumulates means to gather up, piled.
Haie laughs so much that he disocates his jaw, and suddenly stands there helpless with his mouth wide open. (AQWF 83) Disocates means to put out of place, like you pop your jaw.
Paul returns to humanity with the help of his friends and food but the war is still not over. Very soon he will probably go back into the battle fields of death. They think of the past Paul doesn't see himself doing a job or anything like that he can only see himself on the battlefield. He is lost in war unable to escape it he has his own little human-self playing with his friends about Himmelstoss. Probably when he is thinking to himself he probably doesn't understand what is really going on but he just runs with the tide.
In this chapter I learn that don't always have to give some body your respect because they don't deserve it. I learn that if some body messes with you instead of getting in a fight you just ingore them, they don't even deserve to hear you say anything mean about them. They can dance and cry all they want but if you just ingore them they are sure to leave you along, or if that doesn't work you can only always talk them off then they will definitely leave you alone. Sure that isn't the polite but sometimes you have to reserve to that precaution.
There is a man dancing around a few citys trying to get everyone in line, he is like Himmelstoss trying to make the group stay in line. The man, Himmelstoss kicks about and tries to get the cities under control but he never really gets them under control. He dances around with the sign of work on his cape, in the past Himmelstoss makes the group work tell they have no more strength to go on but now it is completely different they won't follow him any longer or show him there respect. This polticial cartoon shows a little man dancing about trying to get the city's under control but has no luck. Which is exactly what happens to Paul and his friends agianst Himmelstoss. They might have followed him a long time ago but they have no plans on doing so again. Himmelstoss is a beginner, like those new recruits not nowing anything they have no plans to show him any respect, like the man dancing around he will never get the cities under control.
Chapter 6
Paul and his friends are in there tents lately the rats have been all over the place eating their bread. They think of a way to kill them, by putting piece of bread in the center of the room then smashing them with there shoes. Paul and the Second Company are sent out to the battlefields. War changes a man into a beast when he is in danger the beast will run and survive by listening to their instincts. Then there are some who don’t listen to there instincts and they turn crazy because of the effects of war. Paul and his friends tie those who have gone crazy up so they will no go out of the trenches to get shot. Bombs are exploding and they head back to saftly. Paul finds Himmelstoss muttering to himself, he can’t handle the pressure of the sound or the deaths of war. Paul becomes angry that Himmelstoss is hiding here while the new recruits are out there dieing. He forces him out and Himmelstoss seems to return to normal. At the end of the day of war the second company has shrink to 32 men. They are not a company any more they are more like squads.
Vocabulary:
Besides these they have brought up a number of these little French beasts with instantaneous fuses. (AQWF 100) Instantaneous means to be quickly do your work. Fuses is like a bomb on one in you light and you toss it over to the enemy then it explodeds.
There company is in ruins and Paul is probably very shacken up about what is happening around him. People are dieing, some are suffering, some are crying for help but no one can help them, they are on there own. Paul is angry at Himmelstoss sure he is new to all of this but he still has no right to hide from it all, while others are dieing out there and are in worster conditions than he is. Looks like Himmelstoss couldn't handle it, he talk the talk but he can't walk the walk. This part probably has Paul thinking he is more superiour than Himmelstoss because he can stand the war, he can stand the suffering going around him while Himmelstoss can't.
War is a dangerous place to be, you come in innocent but once you start, you can't stop tell it is finished, you have to survive so you have no choice but to kill. If you don't kill the enemy they will kill you. War is a battlefield you have to turn into a beast, ingnore your feelings, to be able to survive out in that battlefield. Some are weak minded and can't stand the pressure of it, Himmelstoss is one those. Although Paul isn't isn't one of them he is strongth, brave, and he can stand the pressure of war. He can go out onto that battlefield and do what he has to do to be able to survive, to be to able live one in this war.
An innocent men heads towards the mouth of teorrism prepare to die, this man is Paul he heading out on to the battlefield ready to fight for his country. Unknowning if he will live or die he becomes a heor of war, he marches into the mouth of the skull unafarid and to deterime to do is job, as a soldier. Paul marches on that battlefield, mouth of teorrism not knowning if he will ever see his friends again. The skull reprensts the enemy's territory while Paul and his friends are the men marching into it with no regreats or fear, they march through the opening of the mouth unknowning if they will ever retrun alive.
Chapter 7
Himmelstoss is defeated he becomes a helper in the kitchen, he gives the group some food in a way to say sorry and that he is meeting defeat. He probably can’t believe that they lasted longer out on the field than he has. The group finds this poster with a girl with a man all dress up and clean this poster seems unreal to them. They forgot that there was such a thing as a woman, seeing it for a first time in a long time they can't believe that such a pretty thing can exist. They are the iron youth in the army but they don’t remember much about how it feels to be away from the war. They go swimming and they meet really girls, later they take some food to there house. Paul has a pass that says he doesn’t have to go to the front for a while, so he says good bye to the girl and he leaves for home. Now that he is at home he seems more alone and bazaar as every he doesn’t feel like its his home, its seems alien, like a dream to him.
Vocabulary:
If it were possible for us to save them, then it would be seen how much we cared -- we would have a shot at it though we went under ourselves; for we can be damned quixotic when we like; fear we do not know much about -- terror of death, yes; but that is a different matter, that is physical. (AQWF 139)
Quixotic means to be caught up in the romance to do a noble deed.
When a man has seen so many dead he cannot understand any longer wht there should be so much anguish over a single individual. (AQWF 181) Anguish means to feel sufering and to feel pain.
Paul puts on his old cloths and they seem weird to him but even though it seems weird Paul is trying to keep this human life within him before he goes back to the war. Paul sees some old friends and they seem funny to him after words he stops by Franz mother to say hello. She asks him questions about how Franz died and he tries to convince her that he died well with no pain. He returns home and starts to regret about even coming home and seeing everything that he used to have. Seeing things that he used to have and the loving memories of the past those memories hurt him because they are nice memories but he will have to leave again back to the terrors of war.
From this chapter I learn that if you get to used to something and he you return to what you use to have you have this pain deplevp inside. The pain of lost, the pain and the thoughts that you will never be the same. That you cann't go back to the way things were, you can never return to the past. Those memories can either be a pain, or they can be nice to think about, for Paul they are sad memories because he can never have them again. He has to go back to war, he has to back to the sounds of death. Paul can't stay home and be at peace, in fact he can never be at peace, even though he is at home, it doesn't seem right to him, it seems wierd, and over all it just seems like it isn't his home. This home of his is not here wear his mother is, and family is, his home is back on the front of the battlefield.
A man in a rocking chair trys to stay on, it rocks with such force that the man can hardly stay on, he is uncomfortable about being in chair and like Paul he is uncomfortable about being at home. Paul feels like is once true home as turn into an alien world were he does not belong. You would think that coming home would be a relaxing vaction but for Paul it is another story it is uncomfortable and it seems weird to him. He is so use to war that he can not stand being at home in his home town. Seems weird that he can not stand being at home and living peacefully but it is all because of the war. All he sees in his eyes are the sounds of war, of death, of a place that seems like an alien world to outsiders but to his eyes it is normal. Paul sees and thinks war is normal, and he feels comfortable there than his home town. This political cartoon shows a man in a rocking chair trying to sit in it, as it rocks very fast which becomes uncomfortable, Paul is the man in the rocking chair and the chair is his home both of them feel uncomfortable about there sourands which produce the feelings of wishing they were back where they belong.
Chapter 8
Now that he still at home he walks by and he sees the men working as recruits getting ready to go to war. He thinks of the war and he starts to miss the battle field thinking that this home of his is unreal and that he misses his true place on the battle field. He feels weird about the peace from all the noise. He returns home and he learns that his mother went to the hospital because she is ill. He can’t do much to help them and it comes time to leave again to go back to war. As he goes on the train he says his last good byes to his family not knowing that he will ever see them again.
Vocabulary:
We are too little acquainted with one another to do more than joke a bite and play poker or nap in the evenings. (AQWF 189) Acquanited means to be used to doing something, like a habit.
They used to have intrigues among themselves, as always happens, and it would often come to blows and knifes. ( AQWF 193) Intrigues means to keep a sercet, like a sercet plan.
I think Paul doesn't feel like at home as he should feel like, he got so use to the battlefield that now that he is home, he feels wierd, and consern. Consern about where does he belong, does he belong on the battlefield or does he belong with his family at home. He walks around his home town wondering about how the war going, how his friends are doing, and he thinks about why am I here, in this town where there is no war. He feels like he doesn't belong, like he is in the way of his family and his friends. Paul is very confused at the moment he doesn't no were he belongs until it is time to leave, he realizes that even though this is his home where is family is. This is not the place were he belongs, this use to be his home, but it isn't any more, it is time for him to return to the true place he belongs and that is the battlefield.
This chapter shows that once you gotten to use to a habit, a life you can't change, sure you change but it will take a long time and you might start to think that you can't change. No matter how much you wish you can change, you can never change. Once you go to war it will always be with you, even if you return home war will still be on your mind and it will be in your eyes. Everything will seem weird to you, it will seem unreal, it will seem like a dream. I learn that once you lived in such a life you can't return to normal. I think Paul has realize this in this chapter that he will never be the same and that he can't return to normal but what will he do. Will he return home after the war, what will to him afterwards, even though he can't seem himself doing anything but being a soldier of war.
The man is like Paul who has just return from the war he is unable to stand the sounds of no war, so he plans for it all to end. Confused about his feels of being at home, feeling like an outsider and he feels weird about returning to his home town. His confused feelings is like the bomb unknowing when it will it exploded. Paul walks around the town it is like an alien world of no tension from war but no matter where he is. Paul still thinking about war and his life on the battle field. Paul is the crazy man holding the bomb, the bomb is his feelings, he doesn't know when it will go off. He doesn't really understand what is feelings really are, he missing the battlefield, or some times he wishes to remain at home but through it all he realizes that his true place is on the battlefield. War is a battlefield of emtions and terror, this poltical cartoon shows a man holding a bomb and it says that it wouldn't exploded in Amercia. Paul is that character but he doesn't known when the bomb of emotions will exploded. He is imbetween two things home and the battlefield, not knowning which one to pick, he returns to the battlefield where he feels like he belongs.
Chapter 9
Paul returns to the front and there is talk that they will be going to Russia. Paul goes to the front and he gets separated from his group and he meets a French men who is injure. Paul tries to help him and he shows compassion to him and he try’s to bind his bandages. He finds the French men’s wallet and he decides that he will write to his family to explain everything to them. Paul even started thinking that he will become a printer since he didn’t save this man life but he soon thinks that is crazy. Later he hears the sounds of his friends calling his name and he returns back with them to there hut.
Paul is able to show compassion to a human again he gains some of his humanity back even though he is an enemy he still helped him. That is really good news for Paul that he isn't to driven to war, that he isn't to use to war that he would kill that man immediately. This shows that he might just have a change to get back to normal, to go to a stage where he can get away from the war. If he just killed that French men it would prove that he had no humanity left but since he didn't kill that man it shows that there is still somthing human remaining within him.
Vocabulary:
Everyone is peevish and touchy, we do not take kindly to all this polishing, much less to the full-dress parades. (AQWF 202) Peevish means to be ill tempered, mad or be upset about something.
On the way we pass through a devastated wood with the tree trunks shattered and the ground ploughed up. (AQWF 207) Ploughed is like a tool that is used to bring up the earth.
This chapter displays to me that Paul still has a human side to him. That he hasn't lost all of his feelings, emotions, and his humanity. This chapter shows me that he still has compassion to save a human life even though it was enemy. I learn that even though you are at war you can still have some humanity within you. No matter how use you are to war, you can still gained back your humanity. There is still a chance for you to gain all of your humanity and feelings. There is still a chance that you will not turn crazy, not turn into a beast of war where you can't listen to anyone and just kill off the enemy. I learn that even though you are at war and your about to kill your enemy there is still room to show some compassion to the enemy because he is still human he is laying in the ground with a wound you just have to help him even though he might not do the same for you. Paul shows that he is still a human and that he hasn't turn into a complete beast of war.
A man throws a bomb towards the US flag but it returns because it is connected to a boomerang. Paul’s feelings are very confused right now because he tryed to helped a French soldier even though he was an enemy, Paul still try to help him live. Paul tryed to send his feelings to the wind so he could kill the French soldier but his feelings return, so he couldn't kill him. Since Paul was unable to kill the soldier he trys to help him but it ends up blownin up in his face because the guy dies right in front of him. The political cartoon shows a man throwing a bomerang at the flag of the US the man throwing the bomerang is Paul and the boomrand represents his feelings but they return the bomb connected to the boomrang explodes in Pauls face because the man dies. Paul trys to save the man, sadly though the man dies instead but at least Paul was able to show some hope of compassion left within him, it also shows there is still hope that Paul can remain human while he still is at war.
Chapter 10
Paul and his friends are stationed at a village and they live in a shed they sometimes get out to find food. They ate well like kings because they found 2 pigs, vegetables and they even made pancakes. One day while they were roaming the area, some airplanes appear and started bombing the area some of them got injure. They were then sent to a hospital were they would heal. Paul sat on the top bed and he even started to like a sister. At 7 o’clock in the morning the sisters would open there door for prayer. Paul threw a bottle out the door so they would close there door. A couple of days ago the man underneath him was bleeding really badly and no one could get up to get a nurse, in the morning a nurse came. The man was then sent to the dying room and his bed was replaced by a new man.
Paul is getting use to the pain from the war, and the pain from his injure. Paul is getting relaxed and feeling normal in the bed of the hospital. He sometimes thinks about escaping from his bed but he will only be put back into the war and he will have to fight again. The plus side to him being stuck in the hosptial is that he gets plunty of sleep and once he is done healing he will beable to storm out of there onto the battlefields. Paul is very consern about his friend who slept underneath he wonders if he is still a live, if he will ever see him again.
