1225 Daumcher Dr.
Frankfurt, Hessen
Dear Mother,
I do hope that your health has improved since my last leave. I am much better off since I got that job in the kitchen now. I'm no longer at the front trenches but, I'm back near the artillery guns. It's much safer back here. The only time I must go to the front trenches is to deliver food to the soldiers.
The condition here has changed since I left. Both sides seem to be quieting down. I think we are all getting tired of fighting. The firing has stopped for the most part. For most of the day the soldiers play cards and smoke to pass the time. Some are even helping out in the dressing station since there is less fighting. I think that this war will end soon and that we will all be able to return home.
I hope to see you all soon. Take good care of yourselves, I can't wait to see you again.
With much love,
Paul Baumer
My Little Toy Soldier©
By Hayley J. Moudy
Just a little toy soldier,
forced to fight,
told to kill,
cold at nights.
You eat so little,
you've been on a run.
You have a family that loves you waiting at home
Though, you continue to fight,
you fight for me.
With a tear in your eye,
You're there for your country.
You're so strong you've been through so much
surrounded by the bodies of whom you may love.
You might not agree with why you are there
you still fight, though it's not fair
With confidence you hold your head high,
for your a proud soldier with so much pride!
This poem shows how soldiers are not treated like men. They are treated more like machines. They are given a gun and told to go against everything they have learned and kill other men. They aren't given enough rest or food and must fight under terrible conditions. Paul Baumer doesn't know why Germany is still fighting this war, or why anyone is for that matter. This matches the lines "You might not agree why you are there, you still fight, though it's not fair." It shows that he is forced to fight this war for those who don't understand the trauma that war causes. It isn't his fight but he must fight for his country, his honor. His only reason to fight is to save those he loves around him; his comrades. As a result of his treatment and trauma Baumer is hardened and is comfortable with war but is not comfortable at home during peace. He is confident out in the field fighting, for his life and the life of his friends. This poem shows his change and the horrors he must overcome during war.
Here in this triptych in the center frame we see a soldier with a gas mask; the lone survivor of an attack. Around him are the bodies of other soldiers, decomposing. This section is similar to when Paul had to hide in a shell hole in no man's land to survive. on the left we see two soldiers leaving for the front and on the right we see two soldiers returning from the front. on the left they are armed and have supplies. On the right they are as white as ghosts and one is dragging the other back to the trench. You can see the destruction behind them. On the bottom panel we see some soldiers under the tarp of a tent either sleeping or dead. This triptych shows the destruction war causes and the changes it has on men. However it also shows the value of friendship during war as is seen on the right panel. Paul relied on his friends to help him return to the trenches while stuck in no-man's land and they came through. This painting shows the destruction and horror brought about by war and how friendship is like a light in the midst of all this chaos.
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