If you train a dog to eat potatoes and then afterwards put a piece of meat in front of him, he'll snap at it, it's his nature.
~Kat
Chapter SummarySummary by Reid Monahan, Jack Eames and Hayden Galusza
New troops enter the camp to replace the fallen troops from the previous battles. They are a relief to our tired faces. We are now known as the veterans. This can be a good thing but also a bad. They are only 17, we are old men to them. But who cares, being relived is great. This is a long and boring war. Anyway to get away from it and get back to personal life is great. It is hard seeing many people drop like flies. Today many things have happened.
Of course the new men came in. Kat described that if all soldiers got the same food rations and pay the war would end quickly. I do not agree with him completely but I guess he has a point. The war is still quite a drag and it weathers us men and I understand that higher level men make more money because of the work they do. The most exciting thing is that happened in this chapter was that Himmelstoss was sacked and beaten. We all know that it was Tjaden that threw the sack over Himmelstosses head, but Himmelstoss does not know it. A German plane was also shot down that day. We then realized that we have to be serious because it is war and is not just fun and games. Today has been a long day and one of the most exciting in a while. It is nice to be relieved but back to work I will go soon.
Chapter AnalysisAnalysis by Johnny Xu and Conor Zachar
In the third chapter of All Quiet on the Western Front, the greatest war novel of all time, we see many different themes and a great difference between veterans and recruits. Time in the war has separated the men from the boys and the new recruits stuck out like a sore thumb. Cruelty of war is ever present in this novel, just like it is in real combat. As the soldiers are almost enjoying themselves in the camp, they see a plane being shot down above them. In chapter there are examples of revenge, separation from family and friends in the most infamous trench of a bloody World War.
The first theme that is worth exploration is separation within the army. When the recruits enter the camp, we could clearly feel the grave difference between the “veterans” like Paul and “babies” (the new soldiers). In fact, a quote from Kropp says “See the infants?” referring to the new soldiers who were not seasoned to warfare. The hardships of war created separation between the men - for that their living conditions were bad as hell, while they are in threat of death all day. However, the new soldiers learn quickly and the harsh walls of separation crumble. Separation is constant throughout the chapters because it shows how war divides people. For example, it is not just the soldiers who are separated from each other by experience. Soldiers and officers face separation because of rank. This separation leads to conflict later in the chapter. In fact, whole nations are separated in World War I. The soldiers of the allies are separated from those of the opposite side, the central powers. This leads the soldiers t kill each other mercilessly, because of these walls of separation. The second most prominent theme is cruelty of war. In this great war that was to “end all wars”, the conditions were definitely not even remotely good, especially in the most obnoxious battlefield of this war. Even for those who just joined the squadron, hot bread was like god's gift, for that “The artilleryman's pipe drops from his mouth. He feels the bread. 'Real bread, by God, and still hot too?'” But reflecting on our own lives will we find hot bread almost ubiquitous, and indeed not something to be regarded as a big deal. If bread is a small deal, then we shall talk of the men themselves: after losing almost half of their squadron, they had reinforcements--babies too. For these reinforcements, the cruelty for them was the veterans, who constantly bothered - if not bullied them. Yet for the veterans, it was to recover from the previous shock at the battle lines, as well as continue dealing with the poor conditions as before. The last theme that we see is revenge. Tjaden, who pissed his bed at night, was a pain for the leader Himmelstoss. Ever since Himmelstoss decided to cure Tjaden's habit. With rage Tjaden plotted revenge, and soon, in the middle of the night, Himmelstoss was jumped by several veterans. Their planning was seamless - whip, bed (bed sheet and the cushion) and several fierce boys ready for some fun in the middle of war. So Himmelstoss was mercilessly whipped and slapped. He was probably almost choked by the gang, as he “yelled and made off on all fours. Haie, after the jumping, said 'Revenge is black-pudding.” This quote refers to how revenge can be sweet against oppressors. This reference is never wrong as it continue its existence on and beyond the billets of The Western Front. In this chapter, Paul Bäumer did not depict the scenes of war on the Western Front against the English, but instead, the scenes in their billets and trenches that was as unenjoyable, yet satisfying, as warring and killing for young boys like him. Scenes like these make war become more memorable, as these young men fight along each other, forgetting all that has happened in the billets such as jumping and bullying.The young patriots put aside their own struggles and take on the struggles of their countries, battling for the same purpose called survival. MetacognitionsWalking into English on this first day back from break was a breath of fresh air. Knowing that we would have to read the book All Quiet On The Western Front was intriguing. Before I had heard that it was a great book but others said otherwise. So when we started reading it I instantly fell in love with it. The Book All Quiet On The Western Front is arguably the best war novel of all time.
So far in the book I would have to agree. Chapter one of the book is more of an introduction to all the characters. There you can see what kind of person that they might turn into later on in the book. Throughout the next two chapters they continue to grow not only as characters but also as leaders. Chapter three is one of my favorite chapter so far in the book. In chapter three all of the characters become leaders in their own way. When new recruits come in the veterans act like leaders. Every single character thus far has taught me how to do something better, whether it is dealing with a problem or simply becoming a better leader. My favorite part in chapter three is when they capture Himmelstos and beat the living pus out of him. Throughout the book I have been able become a leader by noticing the characters way of leading. One example of that is when Kat stands before the new recruits and acts like a leader. Later on in the chapter the new recruits look up to him as someone they can trust and follow in his lead. ~Jackson Roderick |