• The use of the adults in a country to fight a war with the influential young. 
• How the human being can withstand the world at its worst.
• An entire generation devastated by the previous' political choices.
• The end result of the war was the cause for the second one.
• Such a widely read book, from high school to college.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

 

Chapter 10 is both a mix of how terrible the effects of war are and also that sometimes it can still hold some vestiges of humanity. Paul and his comrades find a supply dump, where they acquire all sorts of luxuries including ingredients to make pancakes and fresh produce. It was a nice break from the constant warfare but also very short lived because the enemy found their position and shelled it. This was an important piece to include because it showed that they could still relax and enjoy a more humane living standard no matter what the situation or how short lived it might be. Soon after this Paul ended up going to the hospital with his friend and learned that war was not just momentarily terrible, but it would have long lasting effects of horror afterwards. The multitude of wounds he sees at the hospital makes him realize that his generation will grow up scarred. But it isn't all bad, the hospital also shows the bond between soldiers that is built in the trenches. One of the patients wives shows up and in order for them to have any privacy the other soldiers needed to work together so they could enjoy their time together. In essence chapter 10 shows that although Paul's generation will have long term negative effects from the war, they are still people and will survive through their struggle. This chapter is mostly about mans ability to survive the harshness the world will throw at him and still come out as a human being.

Kantorek is a major character in the story and symbolizes the nationalistic pride that led the nation to war. he is an energetic man who preaches to his students about doing a duty to their country. Because the students are easily mailable it is easy to shape their ideology. Much like a king or emperor would do to promote their regime. The students look up to him at the beginning of the novel, but after they experience war for themselves they despise him. They led them into an inhumane and harsh war where there is constant death and agonizing wounds that will last their generation a life time.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Konrad Adenauer Foundation

Abbreviated as KAS, this political foundation offers civic education conferences and events. They state their main goals are, “our civic education programs aim at promoting freedom and liberty, peace, and justice. We focus on consolidating democracy, on the unification of Europe and the strengthening of transatlantic relations, as well as on development cooperation.[i]” They are named after the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Konrad Adenauer. The foundation was created in 1955 as the Society for Christian-Democratic Civic Education, but adopted their new name in 1964. They are not only focused on the people of Germany, they are also involved in other countries, in fact they say, “Our offices abroad are in charge of more than 200 projects in more than 120 countries.[ii]” They are considered a think tank for the basis of political possibilities in Germany. Their Academy in Berlin focuses on the economy, politics, science and society. The KAS offers over 2500 events per year for people to attend. These events attract over 145,000 participants collectively. The group also provides moral and material support to intellectually gifted young people across all of Europe.

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[i] http://www.kas.de/wf/en/71.3628/, sept 15 2012

[ii] “ ”, sept 16 2012

Group Work:

The group work was a little choppy, but turned out well during the presentation. Every ones parts made it up there and was spoken on. The communication was a little difficult due to the group size and available meeting times.