Jayden Isabella
Mrs.Berry
English 3.1
9 March 2023
In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque uses powerful symbols to illustrate the effects of war on the human mind and to convey the universal themes of beauty, and destruction to convey the emotional and psychological impact of war on individuals and society. Showing that war is always destructive for both the “winners and losers”. In All Quiet on the Western Front, the first-person point of view focuses on the true perspective of war & creates a deeper impact on the reader. This allows the reader to feel like they are “in the book” and puts them in Paul’s perspective. Paul said “The man gurgles. It sounds to me as though he bellows, every gasping breath is like a cry, a thunder--but
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Paul and his buddies come across a group of butterflies in a field early in the novel, which they pursue and capture. The beauty and fragility of butterflies contrast sharply with the violence and cruelty of war, emphasizing the value of life and the sadness of its loss. Paul reflects on this contrast, saying, “I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow”. In the middle of the destruction and chaos of the battlefield, the narrator describes the trenches and is stunned by the sight of a butterfly: “One morning two butterflies play in front of our trench. They are brimstone-butterflies, with red spots on their yellow wings. What can they be looking for here? There is not a plant nor a flower for miles. They settle on the teeth of a skull.” (pg.126) In this situation, the picture of the butterfly provides a moment of peace. Despite the seriousness of the war, the narrator perceives the universe as a bright ball traveling through space. In the midst of war's devastation, the butterfly signifies the promise of beauty and
1. Erich Remarque’s purpose for writing All Quiet on the Western Front was to show the devastating effects of war on soldiers and to protest against the war. He does this by depicting the experiences of a group of young German soldiers who are fighting in World War I. One example of how Remarque fulfills this purpose is when the protagonist, Paul Baumer, reflects on the futility of war and the sacrifices soldiers are forced to make. On page 49, Paul says, "We are forlorn like children, and experienced like old men, we are crude and sorrowful and superficial - I believe we are lost."
All Quiet on the Western Front is a story, in which it allows people to know the true horrors of war. Throughout the story and in Erich Maria Remarque’s writing he uses many literary devices to emphasize what he experienced and the emotions he felt. The devices that he used are used in order to help the readers understand his experience and emphasize the theme of his war novel. Throughout this essay, I will show you a few of the literary devices used within the novel that emphasized the theme, the brutality of war. Within this essay you will learn about imagery, metaphors, and symbolism.
The ongoing battle against the world continues as the Polyphemus moth crawls “down the driveway... hunched...on six furred feet, forever” (Dillard); despite the torture of not being able to fly and the unlikeness of survival, Dillard’s moth does not falter. However, the plain moth of Woolf’s illustration accepts defeat against the world, proving that “death is stronger” than any purpose or want of life. The Polyphemus moth is innocent and pure, having just begun its life. Although unlikely, there is still a chance that the Polyphemus moth may live to see another day.
During the scene, Paul describes how he “[does] not think” and “make[s] no decision” which shows that the suffering of war has made Paul not consider the enemy as real people (216). The detachment that Paul demonstrates contributes to the idea that the notion of war makes people detach from empathetic views of the soldiers fought
During the book Paul talks about how the everyday things that you see during the war will affect you when you sleep. He talks about how at night men are waking up screaming, crying for loved ones or for buddies that they have loosed during battle. “ Some nights I am awoken by the awful screams of men” ( Remarque 92). When Paul and his unit are fighting in a graveyard they are hit with more artillery from the enemy a couple miles out. Paul talks about how the ground shook and how with every blow you would see the buried bodies of the people blown out of the coffins and litter the field.
Warfare has a devastating impact, that can provide an impact on the nature of humankind. “All Quiet on the Western Front” is a film that visualizes to the audience the struggles and hardships that the soldiers endured while fighting in World War 1 for Germany. The audience sees the stress not only mentally, but physically that the soldiers have to go through while at war. This film allows future generations to understand the devastating impact warfare had on everything and also provides insight into the nature on humankind. There are many scenes that are good examples for future generations to see the impact war had on the humankind throughout this film.
How does she create that effect? She creates that effect by using the story of moth dying than the author describes his inner thoughts. According to the essay, she says, “but, as I stretched out a pencil, meaning to help him to right himself; it came over me that the failure and awkwardness were the approach of death”. This shows that struggle for life even in a small figure of insects.
Dillard writes, "It was a small thing, a moth, but it seemed to me a magnificent moment, the stillness of the moth’s body as it died, the awful effort of its last stiff wings." This passage evokes a sense of empathy for the moth and its struggle, and also highlights the
All Quiet on the Western Front: Analysis In the literary work “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque, the readers are shown the brutal physical and mental tolls of war. In the novel, dehumanization is explored through the perspective of soldiers and the impact of war on them. Throughout the story, Remarque uses objects and symbolism to vividly portray the harsh reality of war. The theme is crucial to understanding the novel's message and provides insight into the motivations of the characters.
In addition, Paul was injured in the book and goes home and stays with her family while he recovers. He is no longer able to relate to his family, since it is very difficult to think and have emotions and at the same time with much death all around him in the war. There is much talk of how he and his friends do not think about deep things, but just think about eating and silly things. His father and people over all his people want me to tell them stories of war and hate Paul because their experiences are horrible. Paul has just returned to the fight and basically everyone in the book is wounded and dies.
Anaca Griffin Ms. Rudolph Honors English 10 January 9, 2023 In the Time of the Butterflies Character Analysis “Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.” Anthony Brandt. Brandt is stating that no matter how much one changes throughout one’s life, they are born with family and die with family. People have highs and lows throughout their lifetimes, but they have family to make it through.
Paradize Martell 05/10/2023 English 1 Mr.Schipper All Quiet on the Western Front Assessment Paul's multifaceted perspective of the war serves to develop themes of the dehumanization of soldiers and the power dynamics embedded in war, illustrating the devastating consequences of warfare on the individual soldier and their views of society. The novel “All Quiet On the Western Front'' by Enrich Maria Remarque and the documentary film “They Shall Not Grow Old; showcase the futility of war and the challenges this affects due to boundaries the human psyche must endure to survive. Moreover, the psychological toll of war acts as a conduit for its destructive force, leading to the deindividuation
The moth which was once full of life, and excitement, was knocked over, and battles death to find its way upright. As the moth struggles to right itself, Woolf says, “The unmistakable tokens of death showed themselves.” The inanimate force of death is being represented as something animate, in a way personifying, that is causing a physical toll on the moth. Woolf uses this metaphor to show death as an object, which can consume life, and in this case, the moth. As we just knew the moth as a Lively, and nimble , we know know the moth as life that is weakening so rapidly.
His mother calls him a“[p]oor bird! [who’d] never fear the net nor lime” (4.2.34). The mother says the boy does not fear things he should, using the motif of birds to both warn the boy and create a sense of foreboding. In that way, the birds warn that peace is destined to be broken. The birds’ quick shift from hopeful to foreboding highlights how order leads to chaos.
Erich Maria Remarque was a man who had lived through the terrors of war, serving since he was eighteen. His first-hand experience shines through the text in his famous war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, which tells the life of young Paul Bäumer as he serves during World War 1. The book was, and still is, praised to be universal. The blatant show of brutality, and the characters’ questioning of politics and their own self often reaches into the hearts of the readers, regardless of who or where they are. Brutality and images of war are abundant in this book, giving the story a feeling of reality.