All Quiet on the Western Front
Disillusionment is "a freeing or a being freed from illusion or conviction." (Webster's 384) A synonym for this word that we all are probably much more familiar with is reality. In my case, reality has really only hit me once in my life, when my son was born almost 5 years ago. I can only imagine how war can make reality seem so clear, so, well, real for the lack of a better word. There is no false security and no mental relaxation. The soldiers in this book, and all soldiers, everywhere, are disillusioned when in the trenches of war. All Quiet on the Western Front is the story of young men who enlist in the German Army during World War I. Their expectations of army life and battle are met and far exceeded during their first stint in the trenches. They see fighting and death in an amount they could have only imagined while envisioning their journey to becoming heroes. The experiences they share will change their lives, and for many, will end them. Disillusionment occurs for many reasons. The biggest of all is being in the middle of a war. Most people in their lifetime will never experience the reality that comes with being in a war, or with b
eing on the warfront. These days war is being brought to us, the American public, in the form of terrorist attacks, sniper shooters, and chemical warfare. We have all seen what can happen to our country because of war, and because of poor decisions and misunderstandings, but only a handful of people can experience the fear and harsh reality of a warfront. The worst part about being on the war front is the loss of a fellow soldier. There is no time to comfort and no time to mourn. The death almost goes unnoticed until the fighting has ceased. On just the second page of the story Baumer states, "...on the last day an astonishing number of English heavies opened up on us with high-explosive drumming ceaselessly on our position, so that we suffered severely and came back only eighty strong." (Remarque 2) This followed thirteen days of relative silence on the front. It just goes to show that as soon as a soldier became comfortable there would be an action against him.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Kropp Tjaden, World War, Tjaden He's, Front Disillusionment, Corporal Himelstoss, war front, Western Front, quiet western front, Quiet Western, pride cause soldier, toes constantly, division soldiers, cause soldier, pride cause, personal pride, lack respect, days war, quiet western, base camp,
Approximate Word count = 1166
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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