All Quiet On The Western Front And Dulce Et Decorum Est, By Erich Remarque

War is Not One of Glorification

“Pro patria mori,” in English is to die for one's country. Essentially, in Erich Remarque's book All Quiet on the Western Front, the main character Paul Baumer is swayed to go to war to fight for his country. The society around him has made him believe war is a triumphant thing and feel as if he is obliged to fight for his country. Similarly, the Poem “Dulce et decorum est” by
Wilfred Owen discusses the true atmosphere of war which contrasts the society's acclaimed beliefs of it. Both works All Quiet On the Western Front and “Dulce et Decorum Est,” aim to examine a perspective on war, as presented in the characters’ experiences with its brutal and crude nature, that is not one of glorification.

The Society
This is demonstrated through the societies beliefs in both All Quiet on the Western Front and “Dulce et Decorum est.” In Remarque's book,
Paul is persuaded to join war by his schoolmaster Kantorek, who was much very like the whole society, which was full of “thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that there was only one way of doing well, and that way theirs” (47). Being within such patriotic society, the society's beliefs are hammered into Paul's mind and he feels obliged to go to war. He is under influence of the society, that being a young man the only choice is to serve your country and get a accomplished feeling from it. Similarly, in “Dulce et Decorum est,” the society has a outlook of war that risking your life and joining war is a righteous thing to do. The whole society including
“The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori” (27-28), which In other words means “It is sweet and honourable to die for one's country” (WarPoetry). Likewise, the community in the poem similar to Remarques book thinks that going to war for your country is an act of honour. Telling this to a young man who knew little of what war is like the main character in the poem and Paul
After the characters in the book and poem come face to face with the war, they realize war is opposite of what the society has been praising and romanticizing. They come to the conclusion that war is not an act of whom is glorious. In All Quiet on the Western Front, when coming to the front line “The first bombardment showed [them] [their] mistake, and under it the world as they had taught it to [them] broke into pieces” (63). Having a large anticipation of going to this what seemed to be glorifying war, unless death and monotonous killing was considered to be a glorious act when they got to the front lines no aspect of war could be seemed as a noble act. War was glorified because of the feeling of having victory (140), if the society had seen true war “My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory” (29)
Similar to the book, the main character in “Dulce et Decorum est” comprehends that the society is wrong for enforcing their belief that war is delightful on to others. The writing pieces both resemble the same series of events in which after experiences the true cruel nature of war,