All Quiet on the Western Front

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All Quiet on the Western Front
Introduction
Erich Maria Remarque wrote the novel “novel “All Quiet on the Western Front" to depict to readers the true events that were witnessed during World War I. He has sought to highlight the main events of the war and the impacts on the people who were involved. Unlike other books/writings that mainly focus on the victories and bright sides of the war, Remarque illustrates that war is terrible and has adverse impacts on human beings (DuЕЎaniД‡ 102). Most novels that were written before "novel “All Quiet on the Western Front" were focused on glorifying the war by terming it as an act of honor, glory, patriotism, and loyalty to country (DuЕЎaniД‡ 102). They also show that wars end with villains losing and victims becoming free. On the contrary, war is an event that results in the loss for all people involved. The novel's main theme is to illustrate the brutality of war, with most scenes and situations focusing on the negative impacts of the war on different people. In the last chapter of the novel, most characters are dead, epitomizing the war's adverse effects, especially on soldiers and their loved ones. As a result, war is an activity motivated by high powers and senior personnel but felt by the lowly and poor.
The Use of Irony to Illustrate the Negative Impacts of War
The novel “All Quiet on the Western Front" is a true reflection that those who participate, the captured, and their loved ones are the main culprits of war. Remarque has used several literacy figures to demonstrate that war is unnecessary, given its effect on the affected, who are mainly the low-regarded people and populations in society. One of the commonly used literature techniques Remarque uses is irony, which is an aspect whereby the speaker or writer tends to act differently from their words or what is expected of them. It is also a scene or situation which tends to against reality or norm. The novel “All Quiet on the Western Front" is filled with several scenes or situations that are quite ironic, but the author's intention is to demonstrate the negative impacts of war.
The decision by Paul and his friends to participate in war is quite ironic. To begin with, their decision comes after encouragement from their schools that war is good for them to be considered heroes of the nations. Given that these are young men, the teachers should have guided them on what to expect once they become soldiers. The best thing is to tell the young men the truth and for them to decide whether or not to participate in the war. On the other hand, society shames and ridicules the boys who did not emulate Paul and his friends to become soldiers. Remarque seeks to show that most of the young men who became soldiers did it for pride and to show society that they were 'good enough.' This is illustrated in chapter two of the book, when Remarque states, “With our young awakened eyes we saw that the classical conception of the Fatherland held by our teachers resolved itself here into a renunciation of personality such as one would not ask of the meanest servants.." We had fancied our task would be different, only to find we were to be...