All Quiet on the Western Front Seminar

Seminar Reflection

India Waller

Lori’s Choice Question: 

                    The truth of war depends on the person, so this quote represents the truth of war for a soldier.  “In quiet hours when the puzzling reflection of former days like a blurred mirror, projects beyond me the figure of my present existence, I often sit over against myself, as before a stranger, and wonder how the unnameable active principle that calls itself to life has adapted itself even to this form.  All other expressions lie in a winter sleep, life is simply one continual watch against the menace of death; ---it has transformed us into unthinking animals in order to give us the weapon of instinct --- it has reinforced us with dullness, so that we do not go to pieces before the horror, which would overwhelm us if we had clear, conscious thought --- it has awakened in us the sense of comradeship, so that we escape the abyss of solitude--- it has lent us the indifference of wild creatures, so that in spite of all, we perceive the positive in every moment, and store it up as a reserve against the onslaught of nothingness.  Thus we live a closed, hard existence of the utmost superficiality, and rarely does an incident strike out a spark.  But then unexpectedly a flame of grievous and terrible yearning flares up.”  -All Quiet on the Western Front (page 273 middle of paragraph 2)  

                    I chose this quote because I feel it really shows what war does to the soldiers fighting it, which to me is the truth of war.  The truth of war does not come from the logical mind of a philosopher, nor does it come from the mind of a General standing over his map, it comes from the experiences of the ones fighting it.  This quote shows how war hardens and dulls a person, how it turns one more creature than human.  It also speaks of how the only thing a soldier has is his comrades.  It speaks of the “hard existence of the utmost superficiality” but also of the “grievous and terrible yearning”.  All these things are horrible truths of war. 

                    I would represent this truth through a piece of art work of some kind.   A picture is worth a thousand words.  If I can figure out a way to portray all the emotions and things that is a result of war in a picture of some sort that would be amazing. 

Reactions: 

                    A concept that was disgust during seminar that was very interesting to me was the question; “when is war necessary?”  Before this seminar I had never really thought about it.  Of course I had thought about war before “its bad blaaa blaa blaa” but I had never really thought about why the wars were fought.  When is war the right thing to do?  Is it ever?  At the end of the discussion most of us agreed that there are occasions when war is necessary.   An example of a war that was necessary to fight was WW1.  Our logic was that the slaughter of thousands of innocent people was a good enough reason to fight.  What would have happen if the war hadn’t been fought?   This discussion was interesting and eye opening.  It helped me look at war, and fighting in general with a new perspective. 

  Detailed Response:

                    The death and destruction is nothing compared to agony and depression.  Nothingness is preferable to feeling.  The soldiers in that trench were not affected so much by the pain of the animal.  The heart wrenching, ear piercing cry of the innocent, that’s what they reacted so strongly to.  “We are pale.  Detering stands up.  “God!  For God’s sake!  Shoot them.””(Remarque 62)  These innocent creatures suffering was the thing that upset them the most.  Death they have numbed themselves to.  So, why is the horses pain that much worse than a man’s pain.  I believe that there is three reasons for this.  One, horses do not grit their teeth and fight the urge to scream they let it out which intensifies the noise which Implies more pain.  Second they are innocent loyal creatures, pure in a way.  Pure things should not die such a horrible death.  Third, they could not see the animals therefore the cries seemed    like screams of agony from the world. 

                    “It’s unendurable.  It is the moaning of the world, it is the martyred creation, wild anguish, filled with terror, and groaning.” (Remarque 62)  To these men of death, the only way to survive is to become “unthinking animals”, all the death “has reinforced us(them) with dullness, so that we(they) do not go to pieces before the horror, which would overwhelm us(them) if we(they) had clear, conscious thought.” These quotes come from AQotWF page 273.  The cries of the horses awaken feeling in these men.  It reminds them of the pain that they have tried their best to ignore.  The horses cry of anguish turn into their cries of anguish.  But the pain is too much; it is unbearable just like the screams of the dying noble beasts was to their tortured minds. 

Connections:   

                    In seminar we talked about how the soldiers reacted so much stronger to the deaths of the horses than the men.  I can relate to this in the way that when I read the book Where the Red Fern Grows I balled my eyes out but when I watched one of those war movies with my brother I feel almost nothing when  a man gets stabbed.