All Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque

A comparison between a novel and poems written during World War I

World war I is an era that produced literature that is pro-war, anti-war and some indifferent about the war. All quiet on the western front by Erich Maria Remarque is a novel that was published during World War I. It addresses the tragedy and misery brought upon by the war. Poems were also written to address the war. Some of these poems are against the war, some for the war and some indifferent about the war. The Soldier by Rupert Brooke is a poem that is pro-war. In the poem, the persona glorifies war and sees dying for one’s country as a noble act whereas In Flanders Fields by John McCrae is anti-war. The poem addresses the gruesome death brought upon by the war. An Irish

This character can be directly linked to the theme of the poem The Soldier. The central theme of the poem is patriotism and praising dying for ones’ country “Those who must die loose little except the body and breath are glad to escape their environment.” (Riesman 2012: 80). The persona addresses patriotic ideals and believes that dying for your country will express gratitude. Kantorek pursued Paul and his friends by convincing them that joining the army is a glorious deed. He referred to them as the “iron youth”, that painted a picture of the soldiers being indestructible. The persona in the poem is ignorant to the tragedy of war. Being ignorant to the tragedy of war is a surviving instinct in the novel. To survive, Paul had to disconnect himself from his emotions to survive. On the other hand, In Flanders Fields is a complete

In the poem is it clear that in war there will always be death and the lives of youth are cut short all in the name of fighting for the country. The persona states “In Flanders Fields the poppies blow”, this line can be can be contrasted to the lives of the “iron youth” in All quiet on the Western Front. In the poem poppies may symbolise a new blossoming generation that will not know about the tragedy of what it took to have the beauty on land. In contrast to the poppies in the poem, the “iron youth” will not be part of a new beautiful land. The persona used the word “blow” to indicate that there was a breeze of wind blowing the poppies. In everyday life, the wind blows in a certain direction. This can be associated to the young lives that are lost in the war. Paul and his friends are convinced into joining the army with the belief that they are going to fight for the greater good of the country and be heroes when in actual fact what happened to them is, they were literally blown by shells and that was a traumatising experience for them. “Two years of rifle fire and hand-grenade- you can’t just take it all off like a pair of socks afterwards-" (Remarque 1994: 61). The persona in the poem mentions “Scarce heard amid the guns below.”, the “iron youth” had to live in conditions where bombardments are a