All Quiet On The Western Front- Cold Hearts

First, one thing that we can learn from war is the recognition of universal similarities. Oftentimes, the soldiers are constantly told that the enemy are beasts and deserve no reason to live. But what makes the enemy different from them? Both sides believe in fighting for the homeland. Also, Both sides encounter the destruction that a war brings to soldier mentally and physically. For example, in the novel when Paul is explaining to the reader what he feels, he says, “And all men of my age, here and over there, throughout the whole wor

Another example of the strength of love, friendship and camaraderie is when Paul is by himself and dwelling upon his thoughts. He decides that one of the most important things the war has taught him so far is: “But by far the most important result was that it awakened in us a strong, practical sense of es prit de corps, which in the field developed into the finest thing that arose out of the war, comradeship”(26). Maneuver and fire, the sound of bombs, and discipline are all war tactics that most soldiers learn in order to stay alive. However the continuous battering from battles, and the separation from society causes the value of life to decline. The will to fight also declines, until the troops realize the love for each other. Love so strong that it soon became the deadliest weapon amongst the war. Like Paul, the bond between comrades saved the lives of many. Even with all the negatives of war we can still learn a very positive message.

Another example of how war destroys the human spirit is when Paul is fighting at the front. He crouches scared in his hole in the midst of battle, and tells himself, “I wage a wild and senseless fight, I want to get out of the hollow and yet slide back into it again; I say “You must, it is your comrades, it is not an idiotic command,” and again: “What does it matter to me. I have only one life to loose”(211). Paul, like many soldiers that have experienced the physical and mental destruction of war, become hardened to feelings. Over time the war brings more and more disbelief in life. Having to see and take part in the destruction of everything they love brings a lust for self-destruction and to face the end. Even though this is the saddest lesson that can be learned from war, it is the most important.

Finally, the realization that war destroys the human spirit is one of the more horrifying and depressing things that we can learn from war. Oftentimes soldiers are sent off to war with

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