All Quiet on the Western Front

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout the novel, there are many examples of personification when the author describes life at the front.

• How does Remarque’s use of personification help create a clear description of the setting? (topic sentence)
• Analyze how various aspects of war are personified, such as the front, the earth, Chance, and other elements, by selecting at least 3 examples to discuss in support of your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentences, summarize how the examples you chose develop the theme of The Devastation of Trench Warfare.

2. In All Quiet on the Western Front, there is often a close proximity between life and death.

• How does the juxtaposition of life and death convey meaning about the complexity of war? (topic sentence)
• Describe and analyze at least 3 moments from a variety of locations in the novel in which Paul is aware of both his closeness to death and his acute awareness of life.
• In your concluding sentences, articulate the ways in which Paul tries to make meaning of these contradictions.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The theme of Dehumanization as a Means of Survival is developed throughout the novel. As the war progresses, Paul and his comrades gradually dehumanize not only the enemy soldiers but also themselves. Why is this process of dehumanizing essential for survival, and what message does it send about war itself? What consequences does this collective dehumanization (of the other and of the self) have on not only an individual but a society?

2. Remarque often uses metaphor to describe various aspects of war. The soldiers, the front, the earth, and the enemy are often compared creatively to other things. Why does Remarque choose to make such frequent use of this literary device? Choose at least three significant examples of metaphor and analyze both what each metaphor shows and how metaphor in general helps convey a truth about war and war storytelling.