Silverstein Name_________________________________Per__English 2RAll Quiet on the Western FrontChapter 6: “Forlorn like children and experienced like old men”

Context: This chapter presents violence on a new level, but also Paul’s quiet moments of reflection and meditation on his life and the war. The men face French soldiers face-to-face, killing young soldiers who look a lot like themselves. They try to help the frustratingly immature and poorly trained recruits. This section further develops the animal motif (pattern), with the soldiers becoming primal in a fight for survival. Paul, haunted by his past, feels unable to face it, feeling both helpless as a child and jaded as an old man. After a horrible battle in which the men defend their trenches against the enemy, the death and destruction leads only to the gain of a few hundred yards for the opposing side.

Pre-reading Activity: Read the “Over the Top” handout from Eyewitness World War I. Then answer the following questions based on inferences from the reading and images.

A) World War I led to the deaths of over fifteen million soldiers. New war tactics made mass-casualty attacks part of the wartime norm, so each side built trenches. Explain the important role that the new technology of the machine gun played in the war and why this led to trench digging.

B) Explain why the Battle of the Somme led to over a million deaths. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________Close Reading Questions: For each question, respond in two to three full sentences. Be clear and specific, smoothly incorporating supporting quotes to back up your interpretation.

1) Re-read pages 99-100. Why and how do the men joke when they see the coffins?

2) Re-read page 100. Chance is personified as a figure of trust. Explain the role of “Chance” in the soldiers’ lives as Paul describes it.

3) Re-read page 103. The men are disappointed by their generous rations of cheese and rum. Explain the irony behind this.

4) Re-read pages 104-107. Describe the stages leading up to and during bombardment and how the soldiers respond.

5) Re-read page 106-107. Describe the “beast of prey” simile. Describe what happens to the soldiers’ trench during bombardment.

6) Re-read pages 109-111. Describe the breakdowns among the new recruits and how Paul and Kat handle each.

7) Re-read pages 112-113. Describe the soldiers’ encounter with the enemy up close.

8) Re-read pages 113-114. How do the men become “wild beasts”? Identify the use of at least three examples of animal references in this scene. Explain why this is an appropriate comparison.

9) Re-read page 115. What motivates the men to keep fighting?

10) Re-read pages 116-117. Describe the process of entering the enemy trench in this scene. Why is it ironic that the mess of a corpse is wearing a clean cap?

11) Re-read pages 118-121. Identify diction (word choice) that indicates that Paul is haunted by the ghosts of his past?

12) Re-read pages 120-123. How and why does Paul think that the soldiers are cut off from their own memories?

13) Re-read pages 124-125. Describe the disembodied voice that the men keep hearing and why it is so disturbing.

14) Re-read pages 127-128. Describe the contrast (juxtaposition) of images of beauty of nature and horrifying violence of war.

15) Re-read pages 129-130. Why does Paul feel that the recruits are “more trouble than they are worth”? Describe their child-like qualities.

16) Re-read pages 131-132. How does Paul respond when he sees Himmelstoss on the battlefield and why?

17) Re-read pages 134-135. Describe the injuries Paul witnesses and the meager payoff for them.