Listen & Learn: All Quiet on the Western Front

Learn about one of the most famous of all anti-war novels

Pre-listening vocabulary

• enlist: to voluntarily join the military
• nationalist: strongly supporting one’s country, especially with the belief that it is superior to other countries
• trench: a long ditch in the ground used as cover in war
• propaganda: information that intends to convince people of a certain political idea
• controversial: causing a lot of conflict and disagreement
• pacifist: opposed to war and violence
• nominate: to suggest something for an award

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

All Quiet on the Western Front is a 1929 novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque. It tells the story of 20-year-old Paul Baumer, a in the German army during World War I. In the novel, Paul and his friends are convinced to enlist by their ‘s nationalist speeches. However, when they enter the trenches, they realize that the reality of war is nothing like the propaganda. The characters in the novel are , but the story borrows from Remarque’s real experiences as a soldier. The book sold well when it was first released, but it was controversial. Politicians in Germany and around the world its pacifist themes. When the Nazis gained power, they attacked and All Quiet on the Western Front for being “anti-German.” The book was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. It is still viewed as one of the most important war novels in history.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. In All Quiet on the Western Front, the main characters are convinced to enlist by
   a. their parents
   b. the newspapers
   c. their teacher
   
2. The book was controversial for its
   a. nationalism
   b. patriotism
   c. pacifism
   
3. In 1931,
   a. the book was first published in a German magazine
   b. the book was made into a movie
   c. the book was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

Discussion/essay questions

1. Books are often banned if they contain controversial ideas. Have any books ever been banned in your country? What was the reason?

Transcript

All Quiet on the Western Front is a 1929 novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque. It tells the story of 20-year-old Paul Baumer, a soldier in the German army during World War I. In the novel, Paul and his friends are convinced to enlist by their teacher‘s nationalist speeches. However, when they enter the trenches, they realize that the reality of war is nothing like the propaganda. The characters in the novel are fictional, but the story borrows from Remarque’s real experiences as a soldier. The book sold well when it was first released, but it was controversial. Politicians in Germany and around the world disliked its pacifist themes. When the Nazis gained power, they attacked and burned All Quiet on the Western Front for being “anti-German.” The book was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. It is still viewed as one of the most important war novels in history.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2c 3c

See also:

• Futility (First World War from the other side)
  Wilfred Owen, British war poet