The horrors of war and the effect of ordinary men

The Horrors of War and their Effects on Ordinary Men

Remarque 's (1929 ) novel , All Quiet on the Western Front , is a story of deep pain experienced by ordinary young men who have offered themselves as soldiers during World War I . Paul Bdumer was inspired by his teacher to go to war . However , he realizes soon enough that war has destroyed his youthful , innocent existence through which he had learned to love life . His friends similarly realize that they are supporting the efforts of some national leaders who alone would benefit from the

war (Remarque

When Paul visits his home during the war , he is asked about his experiences but is unable to explain them (Remarque . According to a researcher , this experience is common among war veterans . Indeed , they are unable to put their war experiences into words because of a deep feeling of shame that they experience by killing countless innocent people during war ( Shame prevented soldiers from expressing war traumas ' 2006 . Paul had experienced a constant fire of artillery besides the persistent fear of losing his life during the war . He also had to fear losing his friends on the battlefield (Remarque . Needless to say , such horrors of war have a longlasting effect on the soldiers

Numberless war veterans are known to experience post-traumatic stress dis . Furthermore , when soldiers return from war they are confused (Vasterling et al , 2006 . Paul and his friends were confused on the battlefield as well . However , when Paul returns home his confusion is more pronounced as he feels disconnected from the environment that he knew so well (Remarque . Soldiers are known to experience impaired concentration ' to boot (Vasterling et al Perhaps this is another reason for the disorientation experienced by Paul . His mother is dying , so therefore he is able to connect with her alone (Remarque . In other words , the horrors of war have turned his focus on death alone

References

Remarque , E . M (1929 . All Quiet on the Western Front . A . W . Wheen trans . New York

Ballantine Books

Shame prevented soldiers from expressing war traumas (2006 , Aug 21 Academy of Finland

Retrieved Nov 19 , 2007 , from http /www .aka .fi /modules /release /show_release .asp ?Id C17DDA35E8E84FE0A9 6653D7C2455072 groupid FE7F4E3397DE0056442AC8E1 layout aka_eng_s isa tabletarget data_1 pid 70983D3CBACD636146B0A

Vasterling , J . J , Proctor , S .

, Amoroso ,

, Kane , R , Heeren , T White , R . F (2006

Neuropsychological outcomes of army personnel following deployment to the Iraq War . Journal of American Medical Association , Vol . 296 , pp 519-529 PAGE

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