Last Man Standing.

by: Anastasia Basuki (@bonananastasia) – October 30th, 2018

Let the months and years come, they can take nothing from me, they can take nothing more. I am so alone, and so without hope that I can confront them without fear.

– Erich Maria Remarque

I am numb.

It truly has been a wonderful journey, with Paul Bäumer and the other lads. Erich Maria Remarque had created a moving and eye-opening narrative, worthy of the praise, ‘Best War-Novel of All Time’.

There was a lingering sorrow and sense of hopelessness throughout the book, one so tangible, I could almost feel it writhing within the paper pages. It was beautiful, in a twisted way, I suppose. The important thing is, it succeeded in enrapturing the readers, reaching our hearts and minds. All Quiet on the Western Front is a definitive and unforgettable piece – I truly admire and appreciate the Remarque's mastery of the English language; he is able to pour life into inked words so gracefully and so effectively... I am forever in awe.

Anyhow, with the completion of my reading task, I proceeded with the final assignment – my summative assessment. Insert dramatic music here.

Ha.

Now, how did it go?

Well, I must admit, it's still a bit of a sore for me to discuss how my summative went. I'll be frank, I don't think I did well, or at least, I am definitely not happy with how things turned out. My nerves got the better of me, and I ended up stammering quite a few times. I also had to correct myself for incorrect pronunciation in multiple occasions, which was a definite no-no. So undoubtedly, there was rather large room for future improvement.

Ultimately, I received constructive feedback from all of my peers. Most of the class seemed to actually have enjoyed my little "book club meeting", which was quite surprising. Miraculously, none of them fell asleep either!

What I did notice from the submitted feedback sheets were the recurring suggestions to shorten my live presentation. My classmates claimed that I had babbled on for too long. Seung Gun commented, "You need to be faster at reading, or shorten the words."

This was a point that was further emphasized by Malikha as she suggested, "Get to the point quickly!", implying that I was not summarizing enough, and was gradually losing the audience's interest.

Uh oh. Not good.

Another suggestion for improvement that I received concerned my pronunciation and the lack of coverage on Remarque's application of structure for All Quiet on the Western Front, which was one of the key elements of my learning objective: to demonstrate an understanding of the use of language, structure, technique, and style. Raihan advised, "To improve for next time, work on pronunciations and including evidence on how the author uses structure."

In regards to the Approaches To Learning (ATL) skills that may require improvement, I believe I should work extensively on my self-management skills – my affective skills in particular. Although I had rehearsed multiple times prior to my presentation, I remained extremely anxious. Nerves aren't unusual for public and live performances, I mean, everyone gets jittery at one point, but it is of the uttermost importance to know how to handle such situations. On the day of my scheduled "book meeting", I was overcome by a wave of nervousness, and I wasn't able to properly manage myself. This resulted in several instances of broken speech, horrendous articulation, and the butchering of many, many words.

I hope to overcome the issue by conducting more rehearsal and practices before any form of presentation or live performances. By doing so, I aim to instill a certain amount of confidence and belief in myself, knowing that I am far from unfamiliar with the materials I will be presenting. I would also like to complete several mindfulness activites which may help calm a restless mind. A relaxed mind has an increased likelihood of producing better results in performance, compared to a chaotic one.

Here's an example discussing the impact of stress and a troubled mind on one's capabilities: a study done by Dr. Conor Liston of the Weill Cornell Medical College indicates that there is always a limit to the amount of pressure an individual can withstand – by exceeding the said limit, the risk of a dramatic decrease in productivity and performance grows. Dr. Liston even asserts, "Students with the greatest degree of perceived stress were slower on a test of cognitive flexibility."

Therefore, it is enforced that our minds remain composed at all times, should we wish to do our best.

by: Anastasia Basuki (@bonananastasia) – September 2nd, 2018

We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but we also distinguished the false from the true, we had suddenly learned to see.

– Erich Maria Remarque

One word: phenomenal.

I am merely four chapters into this book and already, am very much engrossed. It's rather interesting, flipping through the pages, drinking in the words, all whilst having sudden bursts of realization that this story is, in fact, one told from the perspective of a German soldier.

Here's the thing, Remarque effectively utilizes the art of literature to erase a large number of prejudices against the Germans, most of which were not of the positive sort. I cannot vouch for all the readers who happened to have stumbled upon this piece, but I'm sure this applies to most readers.

The point is, Remarque just shoves those preconceived notions of a certain savagery and ruthlessnes aside. He creates a sense of mindful neutrality, allowing different convictions and stances to enter, some of which may potentially alter the way we seem to view this particular group of people.

Remarque humanizes them in such a way that we forget about the cynical attitude we seemed to have adopted towards their nation. I mean, given Germany's past, the emergence of a subconscious wariness was inevitable; their history undoubtedly left behind a longlasting, marginalized and underlying mistrust. Yet through his writing, he is able to shed an entirely new light on the Germans' standpoint, or rather, their diverse collection of perspectives during the First World War.

We are reminded of their mortality, we are reminded of their individualities, and we are gently urged to stop viewing them as a bunch of similar-minded brutes.

Time and time again, we fail to remember these things. We continue to generalize and allow our perception to be shaped by this generalization, when in reality, it's not as simple as we presume.

All Quiet on the Western Front truly challenges this habit by unveiling a side to these men –German troops nonetheless– that isn't really promoted by society.

As I plunged deeper and deeper into the novel, I felt a spark of compassion for most of the characters mentioned thus far. Remarque wrote splendidly and made great use of the first-person point of view; it allowed for the creation of a level of intimacy between the protagonist –Paul Bäumer– and the readers.

From what I discerned, there seemed to be underlying grief emanating from these fellows; it seemed a palpable thing, buried in the depths of those soldiers' minds. Grief not only for their fallen comrades, but also for themselves, in a way. Why, you may wonder? Alright, try picture the following:

You are a young adult, still attending classes, surrounded by familiar faces in a familiar environment. Outside this small ring of familiarity, a war is raging. Influenced by a patriotic authority figure, you, along with your buddies decide to volunteer and join the army. Suddenly, the world you are accustomed to is cast aside, or rather, replaced. Nothing is as it was. All around you are the sounds of barked orders and marching feet. Discipline, obedience, and indifference are drilled into your mind. After weeks of endless preparation, these principles eventually become who you are.

It's just as Bäumer stated, "We became hard, suspicious, pitiless, vicious, tough – and that was good; for these attributes were just what we lacked." (Remarque, 26)

You think you've become acquainted with the whole army-boy ordeal, and you think you know what it's like in the front.

You are wrong.

Your company is brought to the front, and the new recruits are slapped hard by reality. Gunshots, shells, poisonous gas. You bear witness to it all. Everything is chaotic, messy, deadly. Out there, you fight to survive. Without realizing you've become a human animal. An unknown being is awoken from its slumber. You feel the presence of a second consciousness wash over you, and it's as if you've morphed into an entirely different creature, both a predator and prey. You are consumed by your primal instincts, screaming at you to shoot, to kill, and to survive.

Your senses are heightened; you are acute, sharp, on the edge.

Bäumer speculates this phenomenon as, "Our inner and most secret life that shivers and falls on guard." (Remarque, 55)

However, the moment you are relieved from the front, the being retreats and resumes its hibernation. It is at this moment, you regain a piece of your humanity. Not the whole entirety of it, but a mere fragment. A soft voice in you whispers, "Face it, you'll never be whole again."

The war has taken too much, and war does not give back.

Yet, there remains an instance where you are able to brush against the ghost of the person you once were. What instance may that be, you ask? Showers. Yeah, you read it right.

It's the vulnerability of being stripped bare. In the novel, Bäumer remarks, “It is a strange moment when we stand naked; then we become civilians, and almost feel ourselves to be so.” (Remarque 29)

Personally, I love this little revelation or confession, if you will. It's very raw, the acknowledgment of how he, along with the other men in the battlefield, have wholly become part of the war. They had devoted themselves to the war in an act of what may be considered self-sacrifice, after all, these soldiers had given up their homes, their families, their lives, for their empire. They'd willingly surrendered to the turmoil, losing themselves bit by bit in the process. As for the youths? They had given up their lives and future to fight for their people.

It's unfortunate, to say the least.

Heart-wrenching, really. Not to mention, when Kropp revealed how he believed themselves to be the mere pawns of the masterminds behind the mess; how he believed that the wrong men were doing the fighting? That they were expendable puppets, to be used and discarded should circumstances deem it necessary?

Oof, that struck hard.

And Remarque's ability to pluck my feathers in such a way have caused me to absolutely fall in love with the book. Quite literally, my nose has been buried deep in those pages the past week. I love getting gutted by narratives – I love impactful stories that make me think and feel. All Quiet on the Western Front is exactly that.

I am thoroughly immersed in the novel, and I love, love, love it! I cannot wait to see how the rest of the book pans out, and I am so ready for the next leg of this journey.