This incredible war story shows us that, even though they display great bravery and valour in battle, the only thing young men who fight in wars accomplish is an early death. The novel talks about many soldiers dying. So many of these soldiers are dead, that in the trenches they can smell the stench of rotting flesh, as the dead men often do not get buried. Those young men lying out in No Man’s Land, unburied, all went to war for the same reason, to prove that they were brave, not cowardly, and to fight for their country. All they end up doing though is becoming another casualty, another statistic, dying in a war that had no real reason.
Soldiers adapt to the different criterions of war, to the point where the word death loses its emotional value. In the text, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, ceaselessly slaughtering people merely becomes a soldier’s duty. Paul says, “We have become wild beasts…we can destroy and kill to save ourselves.”(Remarque, 15) This shows that death no longer is considered a sensitive topic, in the soldiers’ views. Also, they don’t have any humane thoughts/feelings before assassinating someone because it becomes a part of their reflexive skills and therefore, requires no second thoughts or sensitive feelings. They seem to be indifferent to the fact that they have killed someone because assassination merely becomes their ‘job.’ In a similar manner, Generals Die in Bed by Charles Yale Harrison, is inclusive of the same insensitiveness and indifference towards the death and murdering of people.
I pat his shoulder" (p.96) Du bist ein guter Soldat = you're a good soldier "I don't think things now; I feel them. Who was Karl? Why did I have to kill him?" (p.99) "A sergeant once told me that all a soldier needed was a strong ack and a weak mind" (p.103) "I guess it is because we do not want to die - because we hang on so pitifully to life as it slips away. Our lives are stolen - taken from us unawares."
It is impossible to go through life without trust..." This quote doesn't apply to All Quiet on the Western Front because the main character Paul Baumer and his friends trusted their teacher Kantorek and went to fight in the World War. They all eventually died in this war and the war also shortened their lives greatly. They trusted Kantorek thinking the war would be amazing and they would be doing a great service for their country. However the complete opposite happened. They hated the war and lost their lives.
War what a small word, but with a lot of meaning billions of words to describe War it brings fear, anger, pain, sacrifice , and many more stuff to human beings.. Some go to war not knowing what their fighting for they go fight get killed or come out all traumatized. Few become legends heroes that’s why theirs a little medal that brings so much pride in a solider called the medal of honor and no its not a video game .This man mans story is a dream come true from working in the fields getting paid a dollar a day trying to feed his eleven brother a sisters to making movies living the good life His name Audie Murphy. Murphy was the sixth in his family out 12 brothers and sisters. He dropped out of school in the 8th grade to work picking cotton for a dollar a day at in any farm that would hire him to help out his parents.
He decides to go to war because he is ashamed of running from it. “It had nothing to do with mortality. Embarrassment, that's all it was” (O’Brien 59). That same feeling of embarrassment is what made half of the soldiers go to Vietnam. Jimmy Cross went to war only because his friends did, and that led him to danger.
Enraged by this Wilson and Henry begin to say they will prove that they are mistaken. The army is sent into battle one last time and Henry still bears the flag. The regiment has cornered the enemy who is fortified behind some kind of fence. The forces take the fence and take a few prisoners while Wilson grabs the enemy flag and disposes of it. As the day comes to an end Henry begins to reflect on his recent success as a soldier, but cannot help, but feel guilty for how he acted the day before.
Through this detailed description, Gurganus adds to his argument, making the war sound even more horrific. He is trying to get people to see his perspective, and to make all the glory of war seem meaningless. We send these men over to live in terrible conditions and they don’t even know why they are there
Anderson was disturbed and antagonised by the other soldiers who were bursting through the door singing as well as being drunk and talking about prostitutes. Throughout the novel, Anderson was complaining at the cursing of the men from the height of the shelling. The soldier’s experience of shelling makes the hellfire threats of the preachers seem empty and insignificant. Anderson also believes he can predict the end of the war by reading the Book of Revelation and his faith does not reassure him.
Me and my classmates were fed all those great examples of people fighting during Second World War sacrificing their lives and not even dare to look for any kind of reward other then admitting them into “hero ranks” of their “great” country. Fighting for reward was not hero like behavior. I realize though that this understanding of hero was more due to the norms and obligations of certain time and society. In “The Iliad” hero is noted for his courage and strength and desire to fight especially if they risk their life or put it in any kind of danger. But at the same time Homer also pays great attention to rewards, heroes get for their fighting.