WLC+Erin


 * What do you think this novel will be about based on the cover art? (complete sentence) - I think it is going to be about a war.
 * READ THE FIRST PAGE ALOUD IN YOUR GROUP
 * What is the POV (provide evidence)? It is first point of view. 'We are at rest five miles behind the front.'
 * What conflict is introduced? There is a war going on. They haven't been eating very well.
 * What characters are introduced? The cook, Tjaden, and Muller are introduced.
 * What do you learn about each of the characters (provide textual evidence)? They are soldiers in the eastern front. The cook wants the people to eat.
 * What is the setting (time, location)? WWI, western front.
 * What do you think this book will be about? (complete sentences) I think it will be about the lives of soldiers in a war in the western font during WWI.

Reflections: After each world literature circle discussion, please complete the following reflection in complete sentences on your page. (Clearly label each discussion reflection.) **What was the most interesting idea or insight that was discussed in your group meeting today?** Describe the discussion in as much detail as you can, noting the ideas various members came up with as well as any follow-up questions that were asked. (This reflection needs to be a paragraph in length.)

Discussion #1 We discussed a lot about Kemmermich's death and what we could infer from the reactions from other soldiers. Why did Paul lie to Kemmermich? To make himself better? Moreover, the action of Muller taking Kemmermich's boots right after his death also led us to another discussion. What does this show? There was no grief in the death however, only the effort to survive in the best environmental factors for oneself. Also, we compared the book to each different books that we read earlier in the year and it was very interesting to see the different perspectives.

Research

Life in the Trenches The Western front was between Germany and the Allies and was a static state of war including No Man’s Land. Life in the Western front trenches were as horrible as one could think of. Death was a daily happening whether there was an attack or not. Other than casualties due to injuries or attacks, there were much more to handle within the trenches : rat infestation, frogs, lice, and worse diseases. A day in the trench was started before dawn and the whole day would be under the inexplicable tension of machine gun fires and attacks. There was barely enough time to take more than a few minute break before moving onto the next task. However, neither were they allowed to move around freely in the light. For men patrolling the front line of their own trenches, they sometimes met in the No Man’s Land, resulting in a physical fight. Last but not least, the odor of the trench was beyond the description of words. With thousands and thousands of bodies decaying on the land, the strong unacceptable smell never disappear.
 * your topic of research : Western Front; Life in the Trenches
 * a URL link to your reliable source : http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm
 * state why you think the source is reliable : I think it's reliable because the website is entirely about WWI, and the site has all the information that you need to use MLA format.
 * write a one paragraph summary of your source (5-8 complete sentences) :
 * be prepared to share with your group and the class

Sentence Pattern Discussion #2 "We might exist there; but should we really live there??" (pg. 123, pattern #1 ) - This is a sentence with a patter #1 because two related, independent clauses are connected with a semicolon.

Discussion Reflection In our discussion today, we discussed mainly about how the war changed people and what change it brought to the environment itself. The soldiers have discussions frequently about how they lost everything in their lives and how the only thing they believe in is the war and protecting themselves. Their only objective is to survive. Even the almighty superior authority, Himmelstones changes. Despite his obnoxious and cruel personality and use of authority, after he comes to the front, he realizes the reality and starts to change. Such as Himmelstones, lives of the soldiers become very war-focused so that even imagining of going back home is very awkward for them. During today's discussion, we learned how much of an impact of a single war could be on innocent people's lives.

Sentence Pattern Discussion #3 In today's discussion, we mostly talked about Paul's incident with the French man underground. While being the first time to physically interact with the enemy, Paul had to kill the French soldier. Although this is quite obvious and inevitable for a war-like situation, Paul is in great depression of guilt when he realizes that he just killed an innocent person that is in the same situation just as him, with a family waiting for him. Discussing this passage, we really realized how many innocent people were dying and the impact of dehumanization on people from wars.

Sentence Pattern #4 Today's discussion was mostly about the connections between All Quiet on the Western Front and other books that we read over the year. I personally thought that All Quiet On the Western Front, especially the last part, was very much similar to the story of All Things Fall Apart. Both environments are in a tensed situation against other countries or cultures and fight to protect their own. Both Okwonko and Paul temporarily leaves the tensed situation, his hometown or the army, and find himself lost in both situations, realizing how much they changed. However, returning to the town/army, Okwonko and Paul realizes that things are going bad in these situations also. The British are taking over, and Germany's losing control. Okwonko loses all his honorable positions, wealth, and Paul loses his friends, joy, and hope. Realizing that nothing is left over, both characters all end up dying.