Summary: In chapter one we meet the character Paul, and he describes all his friends in the army with him. According to his input, they are all fairly young. They are given extra food because the chef forgot about all the soldiers who just died. Later they gossip about an old schoolteacher whom they hate, and is injured. Unwillingly, they go to see Kammerich on his death bed. In chapter 2, Paul is feeling disconnected from himself and what he used to care for. He finds himself caring for new things, like he lives of those around him. The chapter ends with the death of Kammerich.
Quote: “It is strange to think that at home in the drawer of my writing table there lies the beginning of a play called ‘Saul’ and a bundle of poems.”
Sig. of Quote: Back in his old life, where he wasn't fighting for his life, Paul was an ordinary boy who loved poetry. Now he doesn't have the time to care for the things he used to be very passionate about, like poetry.
Reflection: Kammerich, I believe, has set the theme for the book. His death is going to be the one of very many; for we are reading a war novel and its bound to happen. What's interesting, is how Kammerich was from the boys’ past. One they had known for a long time, and had once cared for, has died. And in the first chapter, Paul and them were discussing how much they despised Kammerich; however, they decided to see him anyways. And Paul came back! To the man he claimed he hated, Paul was with him when he died. With the death of their old professor, they must already have been used to deaths of those they knew just by glances and rare “Hello”s. Kammerich was somebody who Paul knew before the war had started. Whats worse, is how a student and his teacher were fighting the same battle.
No comments:
Post a Comment