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Gmcc

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Gmcc is Currently Reading

Gmcc is currently reading

All Quiet on the Western Front

by Erich Maria Remarque

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Gmcc said: " Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is an account of the German experiences in the trenches of World War One. The novel is narrated by Paul Bäumer, a nineteen-year-old soldier on the Western front in 1918. Paul is cajoled into enlis Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is an account of the German experiences in the trenches of World War One. The novel is narrated by Paul Bäumer, a nineteen-year-old soldier on the Western front in 1918. Paul is cajoled into enlisting by a quixotic school teacher named Kantorek who preaches the romanticism of war and refers to them as the “iron youth.” Paul and nineteen of his classmates enlist. Behm, one of Paul’s classmates, was reluctant to join and in irony is the first to die in battle. He dies being blinded by a bullet in no man’s land and then shot down while screaming and stumbling about. It was at that point that, “the world that they had taught broke into pieces.” They, being teachers like Kantorek who, “were acting for the best—in a way that cost them nothing.” Again and again Paul experiences dehumanizing conditions and witnesses horrifying deaths. Remarque uses these experiences to show the steady loss of Paul’s soul. This is best seen when Paul returns home on leave from the front. He is basically unable to function in a civilian environment. He has difficulty conversing with his parents. His father takes him to a bar, and he listens to a couple of older men talking about the war. They talk about what Germany should annex, and when the breakthrough will come. Paul tells them that, “a breakthrough may not be possible”, and then the old man tells Paul he knows, “nothing about it.” The encounter angers Paul and he storms out. The encounter reinforces a theme that is continuous throughout the novel, the idea that the younger generation fights and dies for the older generations’ ambitions. This theme first appears when Paul watches a friend, Kemmerich, die in an army hospital. Kemmerich’s death is preceded by a conversation with Paul about his life’s ambitions. After he realizes death is imminent, Kemmerich dies in a pool of his own tears at the age of nineteen— his ambitions stolen by an older generation’s war. Paul and his friends focus their anger on Kantorek who represents the older generation throughout the novel. This novel is neither a glorious tale nor an adventure, but you will be swept away by the power of it. It provides insight into the destruction of lives by The Great War both by shells and by the psychological effects of standing face to face with death. All Quiet on the Western Front provides a view of how humanity can be stripped out of a man to make an animal, how desperation can lead to unimaginable acts, and how a generation can be destroyed by war. It a piece of excellent Lost Generation literature which has not entertained or thrilled, but it has served as a somber reminder of the horrors of war. ...more "

Apr 18, 2009 06:35PM · see review

Gmcc is currently reading

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

by Jon Krakauer (Goodreads Author)

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Gmcc said: " Level One:

Q: What year does the disaster the book chronicles take place?
A: 1996

Q: What is the name of the two mountain guiding teams who had the most tragic role in the disaster?
A: Mountain Madness and Adventure Consultants

Q: Who were the leaders of ...more "

Feb 11, 2009 08:05PM · see review

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Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë

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Gmcc said: " Charlotte Bronte, who is the author of Jane Eyre, created a dramatic love story of a young girl in 19th century Great Britan. Jane Eyre, for whom the book is named, struggles againts society to fight for a greater roll for women in the world. The sto ...more "

Jun 25, 2009 05:36AM · see review

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