During class on Wednesday we reviewed the book, ALL Quiet on the Western Front. We reviewed topics such as how Himmelstoss gained power, how identity is gained and lost, and the authors success of the book.
Corporal Himmelstoss was a postman before the war, and he did not have any power and his job required him little intellectual knowledge because all he had to do was find an address and give them the mail. He used the military to gain power, and he let all the new recruits know that he was superior by humiliating them.
Many of the soldiers during the war lost their identity because the military changed their view of the world. The war scarred everybody fighting and Paul's entire generation lost their identity. Many people became adrenaline junkies and the civilian life wasn't suitable for them anymore.
The authors success of the book is based on how Remarque told the story of the war. He showed how brutal the war really was, and thats why so many people bought the book. The book was in such high demand that production of the book could hardly keep up. The original book was translated to other major languages such as english and french and millions of copies were sold.
When i wrote my review of the book I talked about how Paul and his friends were influenced by their teacher to join the military. Then after the first time they went to the frontline they went in with 150 men and only came back with 80. Then I talked about how Paul's friend got shot in the thigh and had his leg amputated so Paul's other friend wanted to take his boots. Then i talked about how they went to the frontline to set up a barbed wire fence and how Kat always can tell when a shelling of an area will occur and sure enough the bombing begins.
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