All Quiet on the Western Front Chapter 3 Response

Author’s Note: Throughout the first three chapters in All Quiet in the Western the horror of war has proved to be a major motif/theme. This inspired me to write a poem about my perspective of war.  

Here comes the shore

Blue water, red blood

Young men, they scream

As they flee the flood

Officers shout orders

But little is heard

Just booms and explosions

And dying men’s last words

To look upon this wasteland

To look, yet not to see

That is this world’s puzzle

It’s very strange to me

War brings only death

It banishes all light

Humanity persists however

And so our armies fight

Resources and money

Pour into our wars

Wouldn’t it be better,

To spend it on the poor?

But no, we are like madmen

Destroying what we have

To kill another man

Is to kill your other half

And to murder that man’s family

Is to sign away your life

The devil has your soul now

Go, wander in strife

War is for the wicked

Ask the forgotten dead

A young prospective life

Ended, shot in the head

All Quiet on the Western Front Chapter 2 Response

Throughout the beginning chapters of All Quiet on the Western Front, the author Erich Remarque starts to develop many vital themes. Although all of his themes were meaningful and important, the theme of discipline was the most important theme thus far.

Erich Remarque begins his novel by educating the reader on their experiences in the war. Remarque explains how important it was to follow orders, or be disciplined. For instance, he explained the importance of discipline when he said “salutes, springing to attention, parade-marches, presenting arms, right wheel, left wheel, clicking the heels, insults, and a thousand pettifogging details.” There are so many rules that soldiers needed to follow and those were just some of them. Remarque also stresses discipline through deep diction in some parts of the novel. Through his diction and writing, he stresses that no one will survive or win the war without discipline. If no one in their army was disciplined, they would have no chance in the war.