Maria

War Trauma; The Influence it Placed on Remarque’s Writing “On the threshold of life, they faced an abyss of death…” (A.W. Wheen, as quoted in All Quiet on the Western Front) Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front represents an idea of loss of innocence. Soldiers during this time period are at the “threshold” of their lives, as quoted by Wheen, to only face the brutal horrors of war. The horrors of the war steal the innocence away from these young men without them even knowing. These…

Henry and his friends go through a period of time where they switch back-and-forth between being weak and being strong. Henry starts off as being the weak one with all of the different events that goes on in his life during the time period of the war. Cranes states, “He feared that if he turned his back the body might spring up and stealthily pursue him” (52). The quote is referring to Henry and one of his fears at the time. During the war, Henry runs away and shows his weakness to his fellow…

The Second World War also continued the First World War tradition of documenting the western theatres in landscapes. By the early 1920s, a new group of Canadian painters emerged with the aim to help establish a Canadian identity in art. These seven artists, known as the Group of Seven, traveled around central and northern Ontario to paint landscapes with broad sweeping brushstrokes, which ultimately become their signature style. From 1920 until 1931, their Canadian landscapes were held in eight…

In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque, a man named Paul Baumer is persuaded to join the war by his school teacher. As he gets more into war itself, he questions his decision to join and so do his mates in the war. When Paul has time alone on sentry duty, he really opens up and tells the reader about what he is thinking about the war. As the war progresses, Paul begins to think about memories of home and how pride of being in the war was something that is not all that…

Whilst reading John Steinbeck’s novel “The Pearl”, many readers may overlook the role of women, particularly the role of Juana, Kino’s wife. The focus of this story is portrayed as a family desperate to save their child from a wave of death that will soon follow. However, reading about the way Juana is occasionally treated during Steinbeck’s story may replenish your memory to a time many years ago when women lacked rights and the freedom to live their life. Kino’s wife Juana plays a crucial role…

One of the major themes of All Quiet on the Western Front was the brutality of the war. Throughout the book, there were numerous times depicting what war was actually like, not what it was made out to be by the commanders behind the front line. The war brought strangers together and friends even closer. The comradeship that happens during the book is in direct result of how much the brutality of the war has caused. With the increasing brutality of the war, we’ve seen the increase of camaraderie…

A lot of people agree with the saying that “ Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.”- Erich Fromm. The novella The Pearl by John Steinbeck shows the reader a glimpse of the dreadful world of a greedy soul. John Steinbeck conveys this message by showing the reader the life of somebody who has been conquered by the sharp thorns of insatiableness. Throughout the story, we follow a character named Kino, who…

Why Do We Change For Something We Like: Kino V.S. Greg Have you ever acted in a way different from the original way you act because of an event or a situation that has taken place? At the novel, The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck and the fictional short story, “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers, this is exactly what occurs. The Pearl is about a guy named Kino finds a pal to help his son cure a scorpion sting, but changes his characteristics in a not so good way… However a…

After reading the novella, The Pearl, and considering the style that the book is written in, I am convinced that John Steinbeck is one of the most descriptive authors in the history of American literature. His use of figurative language and vivid imagery are instrumental in allowing his readers to visualize the characters as the drama unfolds in La Paz, Mexico. One of his literary techniques is his use of metaphors. This is demonstrated earlier in the story when the entire town of La Paz knew…

How I Relate to The Pearl A parable is a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. The Pearl is a great example is a parable because Kino is used to show how something good can ruin your life. When he finds the “Pearl of the World,” his wife Juana knows that it will make them evil. I felt that Kino was already turning evil because every offer that he got for The Pearl, Kino turned it down. I was not expecting Kino to be so…