Trench Journal- Literary Analysis (Ch 11)

It is Spring.

Everyone on the front has gotten used to death by this point.

Detering goes off to pick some cherry blossoms and flees the war but is caught by the military police.

Many men have abandoned the trenches and have started to fight in the shell holes.

Berger saves Paul and other when they become surrounded by British troops but is killed when he goes off to put a dog out of its misery.

Muller is injured and dies and gives Kemmerich's boots to Paul.

Morale is down because supplies are running low and it seems like the war will never end.

Both Bertink and Leer are killed by shells.

Months pass and it becomes Summer.

The Germans are losing the war.

Kat is shot in the leg and Paul carries him to a dressing station.

When he arrives Kat is dead, a splinter caught him in his temple.

Paul seems disconnected from reality when he sees that Kat is dead.



Paul is filled with grief that all his friends have died, it has reached a point where he doesn't even feel anything anymore.



"If one wants to appraise it, it is at once heroic and banal"(Remarque 272).

Banal-devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite



"A week after we heard that he had been caught by the field gendarmes"(Remarque 277).

Gendarmes-a soldier, esp. in France, serving in an army group acting as armed police with authority over civilians.



War causes countries to make extravagant promises to one another in the hopes of forming an alliance to further their cause. This cartoon shows the Kaiser holding a note saying, "Join with Germany and you get a bit of the United States." This refers to the Zimmerman note, an element which pushed America into the war. Germany proposed a promise with Mexico in hopes that they would accept and support Germany in the war in return for part of the United States. Germany had no way of guaranteeing this or even a way to approach this plan. It only made this proposal to try to gain military support during the war.


I learned that war tears that which you love from you and can leave a person a practically empty shell.

Trench Journal- Literary Analysis (Ch 10)

Paul and his friends are assigned to guard a village.

Paul and Kat find 2 pigs and other food in the village.

They decide to have a feast and 2 radio men join but the house their cooking in starts to get bombed.

Paul stays behind to make pancakes.

They find shelter and have their feast but later become sick because of all the fat.

The men trade some of their food for chocolate to alleviate their sickness.

They remain guarding the village for two weeks.

Then they are ordered back to the front.

The man are sent to evacuate a village and the French start firing on them and hit Albert in the knee. Paul is also hit.

They get medical help. Albert says he will kill himself if they amputate his leg and Paul won't let the orderlies chloroform Albert for fear that they will perform an amputation on him.

Paul bribes an orderly so he may stay with Albert.

Paul fakes a fever in order to go with Albert to a Catholic hospital.

Early one morning the nuns are chanting and this angers the soldiers who are trying to sleep. Paul throws a bottle and a soldier named Josef says he did it because he has a shooting license.

One of the patients is taken to the Dying Room and says he'll return.

Paul has an operation performed on him.

Albert has his leg amputated and tries to kill himself.

Peter returns from the Dying Room.

Albert gets an artificial limb and Paul returns home on sick leave and then returns to the front.

Paul feels worried about what Albert might do when he leaves him. Paul is happy to be returning to the front to his friends.

"Tjaden has become so fastidious that he only half smokes his cigars"(Remarque 238).

Fastidious-Excessively scrupulous or sensitive

"Above us swells the silken cover like a baldaquin"(Remarque 239).

Baldaquin-a portable canopy carried in religious processions

During the Great War Germany did not respect the rights of those countries who claimed neutrality. During World War One Germany would sink American ships in order to stop them from trading with the British. This cartoon shows the kaiser under the Jolly Roger on a U-boat looking at four ships marked as follows: American rights, national honor, freedom of the seas, and international law. This is to say that Germany did not respect any of these principles during the war. As a result of Germany's disrespect and brazen attacks on American ships America changed from its neutral position to a hostile one and declared war. Germany did not focus their attacks only on their enemy but also on those who did business with their enemy.

I learned that friendship can be hard when your friend is depressed and that you being there might be what they need to help them recover.

Trench Journal- Literary Analysis (Ch 9)

Paul returns to the front but his regiment has left on a mission.

Paul learns that they will return in a couple of days.

His regiment returns and he shares his potato cakes with his buddies and he feels like he's at home.

They hear that the Kaiser is coming to visit and in a few weeks he arrives and hands out medals.

Albert and Paul have an argument about who is right about the war. None of them can think of a reason for the war but assume that those who declared it have their reasons.

While on their way to the front they see a man and call for a stretcher.

Paul and his regiment are sent out to scout out the enemy and a bomb goes off and Paul suffers a panic attack.

Kat yells at him and Paul regains his senses.

While heading back to his trench the bombing starts up again and he gains shelter in a shell hole.

He feigns death while the French troops advance.

A French soldier jumps into his ditch and Paul stabs him.

Paul feels guilty and attempts to help him but he bleeds to death.

Paul goes through his items and learns that he was a printer with a wife and child.

Finally, Paul is able to leave the shell hole and return to his trench.



Paul feels guilty about killing the Frenchman and not being able to save him. He is also relieved that he is back with his friends and the shelter of his trenches.



"Irresolutely I take the wallet in my hand"(Remarque 224).

Irresolute-doubtful; infirm of purpose; vacillating



"With wet lips I try to placate him"(Remarque 225).

Placate- To allay the anger of, especially by making concessions; appease.



A country may follow a plan if it stops conflict even if it isn't the right thing for the country. This cartoon shows an emaciated hand signing the treaty of peace. This hand could represent Germany as it signs the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty was refused by the German government the first time it was proposed. However, under new government the treaty was excepted and Germany suffered loss of land, colonies, and military strength. This was to reduce the risk of another war. Germany had no other option other than to sign the treaty or continue to fight and the latter was out of the question. Germany was forced to sign this treaty which did not help it other than stopping the war.

I learned that war turns people into unthinking machines. They don't view the enemy as men but as a weapon. They focus only on their gun and grenades not their lives and goals.

Trench Journal- Literary Analysis (Ch 8)

Paul returns to the training camp.

Paul is bored by the training and decides to focus on nature instead.

He watches the Russian prisoners beside the training camp and sees how similar they are to German farmers.

He sees how tired and defeated they are. They are no longer like they once were.

Paul thinks that his own officers are more harmful than the Russians are and he gives them some cigarettes.

Paul's father and sister come and visit him and tell him that his mother is now in the hospital and will require surgery.

They give him some potato cakes his mother baked and he gives two of them to the Russians.

Paul feels guilty that he must leave his family and is worried about his mother. He is also worried about whether his friends are still alive or not. He is tired of the fighting and of the questions directed towards him.

"They have dysentery; furtively many of them display the blood-stained tails of their shirts"(Remarque 190).

Dysentery-An inflammatory disorder of the lower intestinal tract.

"They used to have intrigues among themselves, as always happens, and it would often come to blows and knives"(Remarque 193).

Intrigues-A secret or underhand scheme; a plot.

There is never a perfect solution to prevent war. The United States and other countries formed the League of Nations to prevent future wars. However the Congress of the US did not want to join saying that it would drag the US into entangling alliances which could cause future conflict. However they did eventually join for lack of a better solution to prevent war. This cartoon portrays a battlefield with a man labeled Congress ducking in a ditch labeled The League of Nations to Prevent War. The man is saying, "This is a 'ell of a 'ole," while another man says, "Well if you know a better 'ole, go to it." This implies that the League was not a foolproof plan or would shield us from war forever but that it would have to do until a better plan was devised. The League of Nations was formed to try to stop future events like the Great war from recurring.

In this chapter I learned that war rips men away from their homes and sucks their will to live right out of them.

Trench Journal- Literary Analysis (Ch 7)

Paul's company is taken to a field depot in order to regain strength.

Himmelstoss walks up to Paul and his friends and gets on good terms with them.

The terror of the front lines sinks in as they are able to rest and reflect on their experiences.

Kropp and Paul find a poster with a girl on it and this makes them urge to become clean for the first time in a while.

Paul and his friends see three French girls and plan to meet them later but since there are only three girls the other soldiers get Tjaden drunk and go meet them themselves.

They meet the girls at their home and eat and afterwards they sleep together.

Paul is saddened by the fact that he is unable to forget about the war.

On the way back to their camp they see Tjaden, naked, running towards the girls' house and laugh.

Pauls gets put on leave for seventeen days and worries about who will be alive when he returns.

Paul returns to the girl's house and tells here he is going on leave but she takes no special notice.

Kropp and Kat walk Paul to the train and Paul goes home.

Paul doesn't recognize anyone when he returns home and when he sees his sister and mother he collapses.

He feels out of place amongst his childhood possessions.

Paul gives his family food and attempts to ease their fears about the war.

Paul discovers his mother has cancer.

A major sees him in the street and won't let him leave until he salutes him properly. After this he won't wear his uniform anymore.

Paul feels a barrier between him and his father and becomes mad at him for asking him questions about the war and being so proud that he's a soldier.

Paul hears that his teacher, Kantorek, is now a soldier and an old friend of Paul's, Mittelstaedt, is in charge of him. He makes Kantorek go through torturous exercises.

Paul's mother starts to become upset that Paul must leave again.

Paul goes to see Kemmerick's mother and lies about his death to her saying it was quick and painless.

On his last night on leave Paul's mother comes into his room and warns him about French women and tries to get him to obtain a safer position in the army.

Paul says he will and she goes to bed. Paul wishes he had never gone on leave.

Paul feels disconnected from his home. He is angry at those who are fascinated with the war and talk about it as if it were a game. He is concerned about his mother and his friends back at the front.

"for we can be damned quixotic when we like"(Remarque 139).

Quixotic- impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.

"After my leave I have to report for a course of training to a camp on the moors"(Remarque 151).

Moors-A broad area of open land, often high but poorly drained, with patches of heath and peat bogs.

War causes the citizens of a country to make sacrifices; they must either fight or work, for their country to succeed. This cartoon shows Uncle Sam holding a hoe and hammer in his right hand and a gun in his left hand. They have labels saying "work or fight." America needed more troops to support itself in the war and it needed a stronger workforce to supply the troops with necessities such as food and ammunition. American citizens needed to make sacrifices either with their life or with their time to ensure that America is victorious in WW1.

I learned that families will always look out for you and want you to be safe.

Trench Journal- Literary Analysis (Ch 6)

The battalion is sent out early to prepare for the offensive and see some coffins.

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.

Trench Journal- Literary Analysis (Ch 5)

Paul and his friends are back at camp trying to rid themselves of lice.
Himmelstoss has arrived at the front for overdoing it with some recruits.
Muller starts to ask the others what they'll do when the war is over and Haie says he'd stick it out with the army because it's easier than digging peat.
Himmelstoss approaches them and Tjaden calls him a dirty hound and continues to insult him.
Himmelstoss marches off to have Tjaden court-martialed. Haie laughs so hard he dislocates his jaw.
Muller continues to question the other soldiers which leads to them making fun of all the things they learned in school.
They discuss how difficult it will be to adjust to their lives after the war. Himmelstoss returns with the Sergeant-major who tells them that Tjaden must report to the Orderly Room in ten minutes.
The trial comes about and Kropp is given one day in jail and Tjaden gets three days in jail. Kat and Paul go to steal the two geese they spotted earlier. Paul grabs them but is attacked by a bull dog. He fires his gun and gets away with the birds. Kat cooks them and they give the leftovers to Kropp and Tjaden.


Paul feels good about Himmelstoss being reprimanded for how he treats recruits and about catching the two geese.


"Muller is insatiable and gives himself no peace"(Remarque 77).


Insatiable-incapable of being satisfied or appeased


"Everybody wants to be well in with a bobby"(Remarque 79).


Bobby-a policeman (term generally refers to a British Policeman)


The German navy, in order to stop the shipping of neutral countries and to defeat the British navy without suffering many losses, resorted to the U-boat to sink ships without taking any losses themselves. This cartoon shows a large hand labeled Germany reaching up from the depths of the sea to the ships floating on the surface. The cartoon is headed "Germany under all." This refers to the Germans' utilization of the submarine to sink their enemies navy with relatively little casualties. The Germans also used their subs to sink trading ships since they could not capture them and force them into port. This method worked and made the Germans an intimidating foe at sea.


In this chapter I learned that friendship can help a person overcome obstacles in their way and provide some relief from the stress one may endure.