“We are not youth any longer. We don't want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces. The first bomb, the first explosion, burst in our hearts. We are cut off from activity, from striving, from progress. We believe in such things no longer, we believe in the war” (87-8).

“We are not youth any longer. We don't want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world, and we had to shoot it to pieces. The first bomb, the first explosion, burst in our hearts.  We are cut off from activity, from striving, from progress. We believe in such things no longer, we believe in the war” (87-8). The narrator in the story "All Quiet on the Western Front" Paul Baumer agree's with the idea on how the so called "Iron Youth" has crumbled upon the crew. Alberts message provides a very enthusiastic view based on what makes the crew lose their sense of innocence, despite the fact that the majority are not officially in their adulthood yet. In other words they are unexperienced. While the passage also discusses the importance of growing up, with the idea that "We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world, and we had to shoot it to pieces." the likelihood of being innocent and young is not an excuse you could use. However Paul Baumer enrages a fundamental question associating back to the critical themes of the story. Growing up is part of being able to strive and dream about the future, but is it in the sense that the soldiers no longer "want to take the world by storm"? Or is it just relying on your own personal decision making in times of war? These questions engages the readers and make them think as it relates back to the idea we discussed in class on whether the crew are indeed an "Iron Youth." or they are mature enough to make their own decisions. According to the view point of Paul Baumer, the concept of accepting maturity is displayed greatly throughout the context of the passage. The use of imagination converting it into real life examples shows the depth on how the soldiers are ready to accept death.