Prompt 2 Question 2

Post #2:

Chapters 1-4

1. Paul offers 'a strong, practical sense of esprit de corps which in the field developed into the finest thing that arose out of the war - comradeship" (26-27) - Examine this concept through the first 4 chapters of the novel.

2. Several times in the novel, Paul and his friends mention that the war was brought about by men who are power hungry, and those longing to exert their power.  Do you think the combatants on both sides see things the same way? Are all wars brought about by petty, power-hungry nameless men? Can both sides be right about the reason for going to war, for defending their fatherland?  

2) In the book when Paul is mentioning that the war was brought about by men who are power hungry, and those longing to exert power. Which means they were hungry to win and wanted to help their country to increase their power. The reason this was said several times in the book is to show the comparison between what people thought about people fighting in the war and what it actually felt like to be fighting in a war. The public believed that every solider was fighting in in the war to help their country gain power or to defend it. I believed this didn't only happen to the French since they were viewed as the good guys but also Germans had to experience exactly the same thing. They all go through these horrific experience with trench warfare and gas ambushes just a terrible environment to be in. I wouldn't say all wars are brought about by petty, power nameless men. Since these soldiers are not voluntarily joining war majority of them don't want to be in one. I mean you have a motivation to fight for the war which is to defend your country and not to exert you countries power from taking over another country but in general  vast majority most people want to be searching a life but that has all been ruined by war. Well most people didn't even have a choice to go to war but instead were forced so I would say that most people had their motivation to defend their fatherland in war then it being a reason. Germany wasn't really defending their fatherland for out but instead invading people's father lands.