Explication of Greater Love
Wilfred Owen's "Greater Love" and Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front are two pieces of literature that examine the bond that men made with each other during World War I. The speaker in "Greater Love" tells of the sacrifices made during war to his lover, who he does not believe can understand the relationships made between soldiers. All Quiet on the Western Front is a story told from the perspective of a German soldier caught up in a war he doesn't understand. Both stories suggest that the love made between soldiers during the combat is the purest type possible. Wilfred Owen compares the love between soldier and the love between a man and a woman many times to show how strong the camaraderie between soldiers is. Owen does this by comparing different aspects of war to a characteristic of a woman. In the first stanza he compares war to her lips, in the second stanza he compares it to her figure, in the third it is compared to her voice and in the last stanza he compares the sacrifices made during war to the fullness of her heart. The speaker states that "Kindness of wooed (The women) and wooer (The man)/ Seems shame to their love pure" (line 4). The love b
etween soldiers is so pure that erotic loves seems disgraceful when compared to it. The idea of camaraderie is touched upon often in Erich Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. An example of the love that the soldiers have for each other can be seen when Kemmerich is in the hospital and all the men go to visit him. Kemmerich has a nice pair of boots that Muller desperately needs. Remarque states that, "were Kemmerich able to make any use of the boots, then Muller would rather go bare-foot over barbed wire than scheme how to get a hold of them" (Remarque 24). This type of love between soldiers cannot be matched. The men were willing to pay the ultimate price and die for each other. Or in the case of Paul and Kat, pure willpower was used to accomplish amazing feats. Examples of this willpower can be seen when Kat is injured in the end of the book he needs to be treated immediately. Although Paul is extremely tired he gathers the strength to carry a man that weighed more than he does for a very long distance. He does this because he loves Kat more than anyone or anything else in his life. These men were all each other had. Hence the reason for the title of the poem, "Greater Love", the men knew nothing more pure than their love for each other. The conditions of war create the most pure forms of love. Love for one's country and love for fellow soldiers. This love, although forced upon the men, was the only thing that kept them alive during their stays on the front lines. However, is it really necessary to force these men into forming this love? I think Owen summarizes it best by saying, "Weep, you may weep, for you may touch them not" (line 24). The impacts of war are forever; these dead men cannot be brought back to life. The lives of their parents, wives and children are forever empty. War is a terrible situation for men to live through, but when needed men will become soldiers and fight and die not just for the cause, but also for each other. The
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Approximate Word count = 1327
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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