They make unpleasant jokes about them because they know that they are for them.
Later that night their morale drops because they are shelled by their own artillery because of the ware of the guns.
Paul talks of Chance and how lucky he has been.
Paul describes the intensity of the rat infestation.
The bombing starts and Paul must stay in the dug-out.
At one point the dug-out becomes buried.
One of the recruits has a panic attack and tries to leave the dug-out but Pual and Kat keep him under shelter.
The bombing stops and the French troops advance in hopes of gaining ground. They hold them off and advance to the French lines.
There they steal food and return to their trenches. While eating Paul wonders whether the war has stripped him of his ability to be happy and quiet.
A few days pass and a man is wounded in no-man's land and they can't find him. They can hear cries of pain as he dies.
During an attack Paul has to force Himmelstoss to continue to advance because he is scared and dazed.
Haie becomes hurt and is left to die.
After it all they gave up a few hundred yards of land and many soldiers are dead. Their Company Commander Bertink counts the remainders; there are only thirty-two soldiers left. They march back to camp.
Paul feels angry at his "superior" officers for their cowardice. He is also upset about how prepared the new recruits are. They aren't ready to be out on the front. He feels grief for the loss of his friends and the youth that are fighting.
"We toss the bits of rat over the parapet and again lie in wait"(Remarque 103).
Parapet-An earthen or stone embankment protecting soldiers from enemy fire.
"We are gradually benumbed"(Remarque 107).
Benumbed-having lost or been caused to lose sensation because of overexposure.
Wars affect countries worldwide, even those which claim neutrality. The United States refrained from joining the war until the Lusitania was attacked and sunk by a German sub. This cartoon shows a ship labeled U.S. Patience sinking into the sea and a periscope of a submarine watching. The cartoon is labeled "The Crowning Achievement" and reads, "This latest submarine victim may be the last." This portrays U.S. Patience as the merchant ship the Lusitania. This was a civilian ship with many American citizens on board when it was attacked. This was one of the major reason the U.S. joined WW1. America was pushed into the war by continuous attacks on its navy and commercial shipping industry.
In this chapter I learned that friends help you when you may feel trapped and can protect you when you are in danger. I learned that war drives men to the edge of their sanity by putting them under the harshest living conditions.
1 comment:
Hello, I am a History student currently researching the role of u-boats in the FWW. Do you know which American newspaper the cartoon "The Crowing Achievement of the German Navy" was published in?
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