The Problem of Language in All Quiet on the Weste Essays

The Problem of Language in All Quiet on the Weste Essays The Problem of Language in "All Quiet on the Western Front" German Literature The Problem of Language in "All Quiet on the Western Front" For it is no easy undertaking, I say, to describe the bottom of the Universe; nor is it for tongues that only babble child's play. (The Inferno, XXXII, 7-9.) Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel set in World War I, centers around the changes wrought by the war on one young German soldier. During his time in the war, Remarque's protagonist, Paul Baumer, changes from a rather innocent Romantic to a hardened and somewhat caustic veteran. More importantly, during the course of this metamorphosis, Baumer disaffiliates himself from those societal iconsparents, elders, school, religionthat had been the foundation of his pre-enlistment days. This rejection comes about as a result of Baumer's realization that the pre-enlistment society simply does not understand the reality of the Great War. His new society, then, becomes the Company, his fellow trench soldiers, because that is a group which does understand the truth as Baumer has experienced it. Remarque demonstrates Baumer's disaffiliation from the traditional by emphasizing the language of Baumer's pre- and post-enlistment societies. Baumer either can not, or chooses not to, communicate truthfully with those representatives of his pre-enlistment and innocent days. Further, he is repulsed by the banal and meaningless language that is used by members of that society. As he becomes alienated from his former, traditional, society, Baumer simultaneously is able to communicate effectively only with his military comrades. Since the novel is told from the first person point of view, the reader can see how the words Baumer speaks are at variance with his true feelings. In his preface to the novel, Remarque maintains that "a generation of men ... were destroyed by the war" (Remarque, All Quiet Preface). Indeed, in All Quiet on the Western Front, the meaning of language itself is, to a great extent, destroyed. Early in the novel, Baumer notes how his elders had been facile with words prior to his enlistment. Specifically, teachers and parents had used words, passionately at times, to persuade him and other young men to enlist in the war effort. After relating the tale of a teacher who exhorted his students to enlist, Baumer states that "teachers always carry their feelings ready in their waistcoat pockets, and trot them out by the hour" (Remarque, All Quiet I. 15). Baumer admits that he, and others, were fooled by this rhetorical trickery. Parents, too, were not averse to using words to shame their sons into enlisting. "At that time even one's parents were ready with the word 'coward'" (Remarque, All Quiet I. 15). Remembering those days, Baumer asserts that, as a result of his war experiences, he has learned how shallow the use of these words was. Indeed, early in his enlistment, Baumer comprehends that although authority figures taught that duty to one's country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger. But for all that, we were no mutineers, no deserters, no cowardsthey were very free with these expressions. We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but also we distinguished the false from true, we had suddenly learned to see. (Remarque, All Quiet I. 17) What Baumer and his comrades have learned is that the words and expressions used by the pillars of society do not reflect the reality of war and of one's participation in it. As the novel progresses, Baumer himself uses words in a similarly false fashion. A number of instances of Baumer's own misuse of language occur during an important episode in the novela period of leave when he visits his home town. This leave is disastrous for Baumer because he realizes that he can not communicate with the people on the home front because of his military experiences and their limited, or nonexistent, understanding of the war. When he first enters his house, for example, Baumer is overwhelmed at being home. His joy and relief are such that he cannot speak; he can only weep (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 140). When he and his mother greet each other, he realizes immediately that he has nothing to say to her: "We say very little and I am thankful that she asks nothing" (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 141). But finally she does speak to him and asks, "'Was it very bad out there, Paul?'" (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 143). Here, when he answers, he lies, ostensibly to

What to Do if You Missed the SAT

What to Do if You Missed the SAT So, you are one of those people who registered for the Redesigned  SAT and, for whatever reason didnt take it. Maybe you had the flu on test day (which would be decidedly awful) or perhaps you pulled an all-nighter on Friday and didnt feel up to par when you woke up on Saturday morning. Maybe, you thought better about taking the SAT when you hadnt prepared for it and instead of taking the test, you opted to sign for an SAT prep class instead. No matter the reason, you decided not to take the SAT on the day you had initially chosen. The question is, what in the world do you do now? There is an answer to your question, and it is not going to cost you your SAT score, your college admissions, or a ton of money, either. What Will Happen After Missing the SAT   If you have registered for an SAT test but decided not to show up to take the exam, two things are going to happen to you moving forward: You will get a credit. The registration fee you paid for the SAT test will sit in your College Board account just waiting to be used again. Thats good news, right? You thought you or your parents would be out of luck when it came to the cash, but thats not how it works. Sure, you will not get a refund (life isnt always that easy), but the money is not completely lost unless you choose to never take the SAT because you think you dont need it or because the ACT suits you better.  Your registration for that date will go away. Go ahead and breathe a quick sigh of relief. You will not get a zero on the test for not showing up to take it. Dont sweat it. Bonus? Colleges and universities will never know that you registered to take the SAT and did not make it to the testing center. Moving Forward Now what? Should you go ahead and register to take the exam another time? Are you able to do so? Is there a compelling reason to take the SAT at all? Actually, there are four good reasons to take the SAT, so wed strongly recommend it unless youre going to take the ACT.   The good news is that you can take it again. The College Board wont hold it against you that you did not show up the first time. If you decide to register again, you can transfer your SAT registration to another test date coming up by paying a transfer fee. It isnt free, but its better than having to pay for the whole SAT again. This time, however, be sure to pay attention to your preparation. Preparing for the SAT There are dozens of test prep companies out there hoping that you will choose them when it comes time to get ready for the SAT exam. This time, you are going to make sure you do that, right? Right. Before you do, take a peek at the following informational articles to help set you on the right path.

Development of Health Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Development of Health Care - Assignment Example The British masses willingly bore with the hardships, scarcity and want imposed by the coalition government under Winston Churchill to divert the scarce resources to war efforts. The politicians and the leadership of the times felt a dire need to reward the British working class for its forbearance and sacrifice by ushering in reforms that were to give way to a more egalitarian society (Stevenson 1990). The UK government deputed Sir William Beveridge to draft a report that was to be the basis of a pragmatic policy targeted at helping low-income groups in Britain (Hills, Ditch & Glennerster 1994). The report furnished by Beveridge in December 1942 proposed that all the working age citizens ought to be made to pay a weekly levy. The funds accumulated through the accrual and management of these weekly contributions were to be used by the state to help people who were needy unemployed or retired. Beveridge called for a minimal standard of living that was to be mandatorily extended by the state to all the poor and needy. The Labour government elected in 1945 resorted to the suggestions made by the Beveridge Report to chalk out measures that were to form the basis of a modern welfare state (Hills, Ditch & Glennerster 1994). The concept of a welfare state includes within its ambit the need to resorting to public and statutory measures to extend the agreed upon minimal standards of living to the deprived and marginalized individuals and groups across the society. In an ideal scenario, the objective of any welfare state is to strive to eradicate poverty, to ensure an all-inclusive distribution of resources and national wealth to promote and enhance social cohesion and unity. In consonance with the above-mentioned ideas, the Beveridge exclusively attacked the evils of ill health, lack of education, lack of hygiene, unemployment, and poverty (Hills, Ditch & Glennerster 1994).

Is There Enough Food to Go Around Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Is There Enough Food to Go Around - Essay Example Abundance best describes the quantity of food supply in the world today. The rate of food production has increased tremendously (Einarsson, n. pag). Despite having enough food for everybody on earth, unfortunately, some people still go hungry. This is extremely shocking more so in the developing countries where hunger is being experienced in the face of ample amount of food. It is noted that even the countries that are considered the most devastated by hunger do have enough for all its citizens. If these countries export more of their agricultural products than they do import, then they end up suffering from food insecurity (www.whale.to). The world today has demonstrated over-reliance on corn as a source of calories. Corns are used in preparing almost every single diet in the menu. Additionally, it has proved to be the most productive crop across the world. Its seeds are edible while its stalks are detrimental in generation of biogas, feeding animals and manures. This simply tells us that we cannot do without it in everyday part of our lives. Therefore, corn meals become part of daily human diet. The overdependence on this crop has led to the development of genetically modified corn to speed up the production so that it can match the demands globally. Genetically modified products are associated with health problems hence corns that are modified are not good for human health if over consumed. With increased production, the environment becomes over utilized leading to nutrient depletion in the soil (Misselhorn et al.,

Piri Thomas Alien House Essay Example for Free

Piri Thomas Alien House Essay Throughout the short story Alien Turf, Piri, a little Puerto Rican boy who just moved to an all-Italian neighborhood encounters many obstacles. Piri will face rejection and inadequacy. He gets teased, and beaten up, but still, he stays strong and acts older than he really is. At the end of the story, Piri is encountered with a strong sense of compassion from Rocky, an Italian boy who had previously beaten him up. The boys realized that racism is only skin deep, but each person may be a kind, caring human being. In the beginning of the story, all Rocky saw was a Puerto Rican invading his Italian neighborhood. According to him, only Italians belonged in the neighborhood, and Puerto Ricans, like Piri and his family, should be ultimately banned. Racism is a belief that one race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities. Racial differences may produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Rocky fully lived by this in the beginning, and even throughout most of the story. What is compassion? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, compassion is sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Some other people may see compassion as being sympathetic toward someone or something when they are struggling or having some sort of problem. If this is what compassion means, then Rocky truly showed compassion for Piri at the end of the story. During the last fight that the Italian boys got into with Piri was when everything changed. One of the boys screamed to Piri from down the street, You even buying from us paisans, you must wantta be an Italians. Usually, he would just run away from them, but this day was different. Piri, sticking up for himself, screamed back to them, I wouldnt be a guinea on a motherfucking bet! Rocky and his gang were shocked that he said this. The boys started fist fighting and Piri hit Tony in the stomach as hard as he could, watching him fall to the ground. Tony grabbed a handful of asphalt and threw it in Piris face. Rocky hit Tony in the face, knowing that his friend had crossed the line. Rocky showed compassion by sticking up for Piri. He took Piris hand saying,  Comon kind, lemme take you home. Rocky recognized that yes, Piri was a little bit different because he was Puerto Rican, but he was also a human being. He realized that racism is only skin deep, and everybody has feelings. Piri was also touched in this instant. He never would have thought that any of the boys, especially Rocky, the leader of the gang, would ever stick up for him. To his amazement, not only did Rocky yell at his friend, but he also threw a couple of punches at him. Compassion was displayed in this because Rocky new that even though he really didnt like the fact that there was a little Puerto Rican boy that moved into his neighborhood, he could not dismiss the fact that what his friend did was wrong. He was going to help this little boy out. Rocky experienced a true epiphany during this part of the story. His views about everything were disregarded in that instant when his friend threw the asphalt in Piris face. He knew that if they really wanted to, they could have beaten Piri up real bad since he couldnt see, but Rocky knew that it would not be a fair fight. Rocky also recognized the fact that Piri needed his compassion and care in that instant, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Videogames Dont Have a Negative Effect on Kids Essay example -- Argum

Videogames Don't Have a Negative Effect on Kids There are many things that today’s society worries about; television, role models, etc. The biggest ones are those that affect the children. One that many people overlook is video games, a national past time in almost every home. It is clear that they can cause changes in children, but are the changes good or bad? Do video games have a negative effect on kids? Personally, I felt there was nothing wrong with video games. I play them for fourteen hours or more a week, and I’ve been doing â€Å"fine† in life. I made it to a fine college, I learned unique words when I was young, and I even won prizes in some video game contests. I still have that Star Fox t-shirt even to today. Still, I wanted more than just my input before coming to a conclusion. There are hundreds of ways to get information, and the internet is not a reliable one, yet I still rummaged through it. At first, I merely found commentaries and opinions from people that were quite biased. In fact, most of them were trying to get me to buy what they were talking about, whether it was a new game or even a phone. However, after a few hours, I struck gold. Studies have been done on video games before, but unless the children are in a controlled environment from birth, it is nearly impossible to find how video games truly affect people. Many of the independent researchers produced the same results that while placing an action game the child’s testosterone levels rose, along with heartbeat and breathing patterns. The same pattern is found in a person when involved in a fight, usually with adrenaline running through them, or when a person is doing an intense workout at the gym. This research can be taken in many ways, ... ...s rummaging and questioning, I feel that there is no definite answer to this question, but rather only opinions due to personal experiences. There are simply too many variables and not enough research to make a clear judgment. And what is my view on the matter? I feel that videogames do not have a negative effect on kids as long as the parents are there to help guide them through. While there are clearly some bad things they can pick up from playing a videogame, there are also many good things to be taught as well. Works Cited Croal, N’Gai. â€Å"This is serious fun.† Newsweek 4 October 2004: 61. Kellerman, Jonathan. â€Å"Violence Doesn’t Begin in the Theater† Wall Street Journal 9 Jun. 1999: pg. 1 Paul Gee, James. â€Å"Turning Games into Learning Machines.† Game Developer 10.9 (2003): 56. â€Å"Videogames are bad for you.† Electronic Gaming Monthly September 2003: 68.

Deception Point Page 36

â€Å"Jesus Christ!† Norah shook the device and looked again. â€Å"Damn it! Something's got to be wrong with this refractometer!† â€Å"Saltwater?† Corky gloated. Norah frowned. â€Å"Partial. It's registering three percent brine-which is totally impossible. This glacier is a snow pack. Pure freshwater. There should be no salt.† Norah carried the sample to a nearby microscope and examined it. She groaned. â€Å"Plankton?† Tolland asked. â€Å"G. polyhedra,† she replied, her voice now sedate. â€Å"It's one of the planktons we glaciologists commonly see in the oceans under ice shelves.† She glanced over at Tolland. â€Å"They're dead now. Obviously they didn't survive long in a three percent saltwater environment.† The four of them stood in silence a moment beside the deep shaft. Rachel wondered what the ramifications of this paradox were for the overall discovery. The dilemma appeared minor when compared to the overall scope of the meteorite, and yet, as an intel analyst, Rachel had witnessed the collapse of entire theories based on smaller snags than this. â€Å"What's going on over here?† The voice was a low rumble. Everyone looked up. The bearish frame of the NASA administrator emerged from the dark. â€Å"Minor quandary with the water in the shaft,† Tolland said. â€Å"We're trying to sort it out.† Corky sounded almost gleeful. â€Å"Norah's ice data is screwed.† â€Å"Bite me twice,† Norah whispered. The administrator approached, his furry eyebrows lowering. â€Å"What's wrong with the ice data.† Tolland heaved an uncertain sigh. â€Å"We're showing a three percent saltwater mix in the meteorite shaft, which contradicts the glaciology report that the meteorite was encased in a pristine freshwater glacier.† He paused. â€Å"There's also plankton present.† Ekstrom looked almost angry. â€Å"Obviously that's impossible. There are no fissures in this glacier. The PODS scans confirmed that. This meteorite was sealed in a solid matrix of ice.† Rachel knew Ekstrom was correct. According to NASA's density scans, the ice sheet was rock solid. Hundreds of feet of frozen glacier on all sides of the meteorite. No cracks. And yet as Rachel imagined how density scans were taken, a strange thought occurred to her†¦ â€Å"In addition,† Ekstrom was saying, â€Å"Dr. Mangor's core samples confirmed the solidity of the glacier.† â€Å"Exactly!† Norah said, tossing the refractometer on a desk. â€Å"Double corroboration. No fault lines in the ice. Which leaves us no explanation whatsoever for the salt and plankton.† â€Å"Actually,† Rachel said, the boldness of her voice surprising even herself. â€Å"There is another possibility.† The brainstorm had hit her from the most unlikely of memories. Everyone was looking at her now, their skepticism obvious. Rachel smiled. â€Å"There's a perfectly sound rationale for the presence of salt and plankton.† She gave Tolland a wry look. â€Å"And frankly, Mike, I'm surprised it didn't occur to you.† 42 â€Å"Plankton frozen in the glacier?† Corky Marlinson sounded not at all sold on Rachel's explanation. â€Å"Not to rain on your parade, but usually when things freeze they die. These little buggers were flashing us, remember?† â€Å"Actually,† Tolland said, giving Rachel an impressed look, â€Å"she may have a point. There are a number of species that enter suspended animation when their environment requires it. I did an episode on that phenomenon once.† Rachel nodded. â€Å"You showed northern pike that got frozen in lakes and had to wait until the thaw to swim away. You also talked about micro-organisms called ‘waterbears' that became totally dehydrated in the desert, remained that way for decades, and then reinflated when rains returned.† Tolland chuckled. â€Å"So you really do watch my show?† Rachel gave a slightly embarrassed shrug. â€Å"What's your point, Ms. Sexton?† Norah demanded. â€Å"Her point,† Tolland said, â€Å"which should have dawned on me earlier, is that one of the species I mentioned on that program was a kind of plankton that gets frozen in the polar ice cap every winter, hibernates inside the ice, and then swims away every summer when the ice cap thins.† Tolland paused. â€Å"Granted the species I featured on the show was not the bioluminescent species we saw here, but maybe the same thing happened.† â€Å"Frozen plankton,† Rachel continued, excited to have Michael Tolland so enthusiastic about her idea, â€Å"could explain everything we're seeing here. At some point in the past, fissures could have opened in this glacier, filled with plankton-rich saltwater, and then refroze. What if there were frozen pockets of saltwater in this glacier? Frozen saltwater containing frozen plankton? Imagine if while you were raising the heated meteorite through the ice, it passed through a frozen saltwater pocket. The saltwater ice would have melted, releasing the plankton from hibernation, and giving us a small percentage of salt mixed in the freshwater.† â€Å"Oh, for the love of God!† Norah exclaimed with a hostile groan. â€Å"Suddenly everyone's a glaciologist!† Corky also looked skeptical. â€Å"But wouldn't PODS have spotted any brine ice pockets when it did its density scans? After all, brine ice and freshwater ice have different densities.† â€Å"Barely different,† Rachel said. â€Å"Four percent is a substantial difference,† Norah challenged. â€Å"Yes, in a lab,† Rachel replied. â€Å"But PODS takes its measurements from 120 miles up in space. Its computers were designed to differentiate between the obvious-ice and slush, granite and limestone.† She turned to the administrator. â€Å"Am I right to assume that when PODS measures densities from space, it probably lacks the resolution to distinguish brine ice from fresh ice?† The administrator nodded. â€Å"Correct. A four percent differential is below PODS's tolerance threshold. The satellite would see brine ice and fresh ice as identical.† Tolland now looked intrigued. â€Å"This would also explain the static water level in the shaft.† He looked at Norah. â€Å"You said the plankton species you saw in the extraction shaft was called-â€Å" â€Å"G. polyhedra, Norah declared. â€Å"And now you're wondering if G. polyhedra is capable of hibernating inside the ice? You'll be pleased to know the answer is yes. Absolutely. G. polyhedra is found in droves around ice shelves, it bioluminesces, and it can hibernate inside the ice. Any other questions?† Everyone exchanged looks. From Norah's tone, there was obviously some sort of â€Å"but†-and yet it seemed she had just confirmed Rachel's theory. â€Å"So,† Tolland ventured, â€Å"you're saying it's possible, right? This theory makes sense?† â€Å"Sure,† Norah said, â€Å"if you're totally retarded.† Rachel glared. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† Norah Mangor locked stares with Rachel. â€Å"I imagine in your business, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing? Well, trust me when I tell you that the same holds true for glaciology.† Norah's eyes shifted now, looking at each of the four people around her. â€Å"Let me clarify this for everyone once and for all. The frozen brine pockets that Ms. Sexton has proposed do occur. They are what glaciologists call interstices. Interstices, however, form not as pockets of saltwater but rather as highly branched networks of brine ice whose tendrils are as wide as a human hair. That meteorite would have had to pass through one hell of a dense series of interstices to release enough saltwater to create a three percent mixture in a pool that deep.†