his own

Setting a Purpose: As you read, you will discover nineteen-year-old Paul Baumer's ideas ab

generation and that of his elders through his experiences during World War I. The expectations of this

conflict, and war in general, were quite different from the realities that ensued from 1914-1918. Reflect

upon current conflict situations in the world and the contrasts between public perceptions and the

realities faced by the soldiers and civilians actually involved in those conflicts.

BACKGROUND:

Time and Place:

The scenes from All Quiet on the Western Front take place in three basic locations: the front itself,

settings hear the front but away from the fighting (such as a camp or hospital), and settings away from the front

(such as Paul's hometown or the army training camp). By shifting between calm and violent scenes, Remarque

emphasizes the contrast between life at the front and life everywhere else.

Did You Know?

Soldiers in the trenches could distinguish the different kinds of shells being fired by the sounds they

made in the air. In World War I, artillery-or cannon-like weapons - were used in far greater numbers than

ever before. These lont-range and close-range guns fired large missile-shaped shells of different types. Of

these, shrapnel shells were especially deadly because they contained a large powder charge and deadly

projectiles flew through the air making a singing sound. Large shells nicknamed "Jack Johnsons," after a

famous heavyweight fighter of the day, made a high-pitched whistle. The "whizz bang," a lighter shell, buzzed

briefly just before it arrived at its target.

CHAPTERS 1-5: PERSONAL RESPONSE: Based on Paul's description of the front, what part of the

experience do you think would be the hardest to bear? What might provide some consolation in such a

situation?

In the opening scene, why does Paul's company have extra food to eat? Why is Franz Kemmerich dying? How

are Muller's feelings about Kemmerich's dying different from Paul's feelings?/nHow does the schoolmaster Kantorek refer to his former students? Why do Paul and Kropp scoff at the term

Kantorek uses? How do the young men feel about Corporal Himmelstoss? Why?

What mission at the front is Paul's group sent to perform? What do the men rely on to survive?

What scene provides a contrast to the tension and horror that the men experience at the front? How?

What does Kropp mean when he says of himself and his classmates, "The war has ruined us for everything?/nAll Quiet on the Western Front Chapters 6-8

Time and Place:

World War I was a "total war," meaning the populations of entire nations were caught up in the conflict.

Factories produced weapons, ammunition and military supplies. Women replace man male workers in industry,

and civilians sacrificed food and supplies to help support the war effort. Near the battle lines, civilians were

also exposed to the dangers of shelling; in some cases, entire villages were obliterated.

As the fighting wore on, all the participating nations experienced food shortages. In response, wartime

governments in Europe instituted food rationing, which led to long lines at tstores for what little food was

available. In Germany, shorages were especially severe because the Allies had blockaded German ports. With

little grain available, turnips and potatoes were used to make krieg(war) bread, and acorns were gathered and

ground up to make coffee. By the winter of 1916-1917, German citizens were becoming weak and thin, and

some were sying from starvation.

Did You Know?

The Germans were the first to use poison gas on a large scale, At the Second Battle of Yprees in Aptil 1915,

German soldiers in a front-line trench released chlorine gas from more that five thousand pressurized sylinders,

time the release with a westwar-blowing wind. Chlorine gas, visible as a greenish-yellow cloud, is a lung

irritant that causes extreme pain the the nose and throat and slow suffocation. Death results if the concentrated

gas is inhales for more than a few minutes. Many people thought the Greman's use of poison gas was barbaric,

but the British and French quickly developed their own gas weapons. The most widely used gas, mustard gas,

was introduced in mid-1917. Odorless and colorless, it burned the skin, eyes and respiratory tissues. Gas

attacks caused at least one million deaths during the war. After gas masks were developed, few men were killed

by gas, but gas attacks were still used to unsettle the enemy.

CHAPTERS 6-8: PERSONAL RESPONSE: Paul says that "every soldier believes in Chance and trust his

luck." If you were a soldier in combat, do you think you would find yourself trusting chance or trusting

something else instead? Do you feel differently about change as it relates to your everyday life? Explain.

Why are Paul and his company moving back to the front? How does the battle progress over the two weeks the

company spend at the front?/nWhen Paul tells Kemmerich's mother bout her son's death, why is he surprised at her grief?

At the training camp, what sights seem to soothe Paul's mind? What thoughts does Paul have as he observes

the Russian prisoners of war?

Were you surprised that the three young French women were willing to spend the evening with Paul, Kropp and

Leer? Why or why not?

How does Paul's Classmate Mittelstaedt taunt and humiliate Kantorek? Do you think this treatment of

Kantorek is justified? Explain./nAll Quiet on the Western Front Chapters 9-12:

Time and Place:

During most of the period of the novel (1916-1918), Germany was fighting on two fronts, By late 1917, Russia

had withdrawn from the war after accepting harsh terms for peach with Germany. German troops in the wast

were then sent to the Western Front to try to break the stalemate there. Earlier that year, however, the United

States had entered the war on the side of the Allies. Strengthened by American troops, Allied forces stopped a

massive German offensive launched in the spring of 1918. By October, the Allies had driven the German Army

back to Germany's pre-1914 borders and crushed morale. German troops were exhausted and replacements,

many younger than fourteen years of age, were too inexperienced to fight a major war. The armistice ending

World War I was signed on November 11, 1918.

Did You Know?

The Allies, as well as the Germans, designed new weapons to try to break the deadlock of trench warfare. The

British thought that tank warfare would be the solution. Thanks could easily roll over barbed wire and cross

trenches up to ten-feet wide, clearing the way for advancing infantry. Tanks were prone to breakdowns,

however, and often got stuck in the mud. Noisy, cramped and hot inside, tanks could travel at only six miles

per hour and were stressful for the crew to operate. British tanks were first used in 1916 at the Battle of the

Somme. Looking like "mysterious monsters" that nothing could stop, tanks incited fear int eh enemy,. But

there were too few of them to make a significant impact. Later in the war, the Allies launched two massive tank

attacks. Both attacks used over three hundred units and were successful in breaking through German lines.

Great Britain deployed almost three thousand heavy tanks between 1916 and 1918, while the Germans used

only twenty. Although tanks proved increasingly helpful to the war effort, their full potential would not be

realized until World War II.

CHAPTERS 9-12 RESPONSE QUESTIONS:

Why doesn't Paul flee from his foxhole after he stabs the French soldier? How does the incident affect Paul?

How do you interpret his comment afterward: "After all, war is war"?

What happens at the hospital after Paul and Kropp are each wounded in the leg? What does Paul see and think

as he walks through the rooms of the hospital?/nAfter Paul returns to the front, what happens to his comrades? What does Paul learn about the progress of the

war?

What incidents in Chapter 11 show that the men's nerves are frayed? What metaphor does Remarque use to

make this same point?

What is ironic and unexpected about the book's ending?/nName:

All Quiet on the Western Front Discussion Questions:

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