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Writing Portfolios
Article posted October 14, 2007 at 10:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 3036
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Article posted October 14, 2007 at 10:34 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 3036
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The Power of Words
Article posted March 4, 2007 at 05:16 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 85
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As you complete the novel, you may want to reflect on how it has affected your understanding of the subject matter. Your last article may be a discussion of the ways in which your beliefs have (or have not) changed as a result of reading this text. You might consider the following statements and your agreement with them before and after reading All Quiet on the Western Front.
In war, no one really wins.
Most of the responsibility for the atrocities of war lies with political leaders.
You should try to love your enemies.
Only through the horrors of war can a person truly appreciate peace (paradox, anyone?).
Revenge is sweet.
Suffering builds a person’s character.
It is unpatriotic to criticize your nation’s leaders.
Killing another person is wrong, under any circumstances.
Be sure to ground your response with textual evidence. Avoid generalizations and be as specific as possible.
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Article posted March 4, 2007 at 05:16 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 85
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Comparison to a Poem
Article posted March 4, 2007 at 05:05 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 81
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For this article, you will study a poem by Wilfred Owen, another young man who fought in World War I. First, follow the link to read the short biography about the author on this website: http://www.english.emory.edu/LostPoets/Owen2.html
DULCE ET DECORUM EST*
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets8 just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
8 October 1917 - March, 1918
* DULCE ET DECORUM EST - the first words of a Latin saying. The words were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean "It is sweet and right." The full saying ends the poem: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - it is sweet and right to die for your country. In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country
Points to consider when writing your article:
-Who is the “you” addressed in the final stanza?
-What types of figurative language does Owen use? How does his writing style, and the images he creates, compare to that of Remarque?
-In the last lines of the poem, Owen says that the idea that it is “sweet and honorable to die for one’s country” is a lie. What experiences do you think led Owen to this conclusion? Would Remarque agree with Owen? Do you agree with him?
-What is the theme of this poem? how does the theme of the poem compare to the theme of the novel?
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Article posted March 4, 2007 at 05:05 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 81
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Homecoming
Article posted February 26, 2007 at 11:26 PM GMT0 •
comment (2) • Reads 80
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Many soldiers returning home from war have had the experience Paul describes: they feel detached or out of place, and they are reluctant or embarrassed to speak of their experiences in the war. What are the various causes of Paul’s silence when he visits his family? What are the effects of this silence?
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Article posted February 26, 2007 at 11:26 PM GMT0 •
comment (2) • Reads 80
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Suspense
Article posted February 26, 2007 at 11:23 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 83
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Suspense is the uncertainty or anxiety a reader feels about what will happen next in a story. How does Remarque use suspense, particularly in the Gerard Duval episode?
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Article posted February 26, 2007 at 11:23 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 83
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The Russian Prisoners
Article posted February 21, 2007 at 02:21 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 52
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At the end of the section in which Paul first describes the Russian prisoners, he thinks “This is a task that will make life afterward worthy of these hideous years.” What prompts these thoughts? To what task do you think Paul refers? How do these thoughts further develop Remarque’s theme of comradeship?
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Article posted February 21, 2007 at 02:21 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 52
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Theme: Chance
Article posted February 21, 2007 at 02:18 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 41
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Paul claims that every soldier believes in chance. What role does chance play in the novel? What statement is the author trying to make about war through his descriptions of luck?
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Article posted February 21, 2007 at 02:18 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 41
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Life of the Author
Article posted February 21, 2007 at 02:10 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 43
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Find out more about Remarque. Research the life of Erich Maria Remarque. You may be interested in his years and Hollywood and his later literary career, or you might want to focus on the events that inspired him to write All Quiet on the Western Front. Be sure to cite your sources.
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Article posted February 21, 2007 at 02:10 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 43
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Theme-Dehumanization of War
Article posted February 11, 2007 at 01:33 AM GMT0 •
comment (5) • Reads 53
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When describing a battle scene, Paul states, "We have become wild beasts...it is not against men that we fling our bombs, what do we know of men in this moment when Death is hunting us down"(113). The theme of the dehumanization of war is repeated throughout the book. How is this theme developed both on and off the battlefield? Do you agree with Remarque's perspective on war?
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Article posted February 11, 2007 at 01:33 AM GMT0 •
comment (5) • Reads 53
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DIRECTIONS
Article posted February 10, 2007 at 06:00 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 37
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Welcome to our blog! We will be using this space to discuss our current novel, All Quiet on the Western Front.
Each week you will be expected to write 1 article and post 1 comment to another article.
ARTICLES: Your article should be a response to one of the "teacher articles." For example, you might write an article on the use of nature imagery in chapter 1 in response to the teacher article entitled "Nature Imagery." Your article should be, at the very least, a thoughtful and well-developed paragraph. When you write your article, be sure that you give it a title that clearly indicates which "teacher article" it relates to. (Yes, I did end that sentence with a preposition. Blogs are a less formal rhetorical situation than academic papers--we're going to allow a relaxation of some grammatical conventions here, but this is not IM. Please use the type of language you would use in a letter to your aunt. Contractions are ok, colloquialisms (such as ok) are ok, but sentence fragments and other blantant affronts to the English language will not be tolerated.) After you write your article, be sure to check the box that says "submit for approval." I will check over your article to make sure it is appropriate, and if it passes my inspection it will appear on our blog.
COMMENTS: Comments should be academically based responses to one of your peer's articles. Your response may indicate that you agree, disagree, or would like to qualify or add to another person's article. *You may disagree, but you may not criticize.* Part of the purpose of this blog is to create a space in which you can carry on intelligent discussions with your peers, not only to enhance your understanding of the text, but also to improve your skills in communicating in an academic forum.
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Article posted February 10, 2007 at 06:00 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 37
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