Ptsd In All Quiet On The Western Front

Approximately 20% of all war veterans suffer from a mental disorder called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD for short. This continues to affect many soldiers, just like it did in the past. For instance, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a first-person narrative set during World War I about a young boy and his friends’ journey to the battlefield. An anti war propaganda, Remarque’s novel debates the corruption of WWI. However, this novel can be used in connection with almost any war, regardless of the time period; many say that older ones, such as WWI, were extremely different than current ones. Their reasoning usually includes the fact that there is new technology, and strategies on the battlefield. While this
…show more content…

Personification in this passage familiarizes readers with the horrors of PTSD. He pairs this personification with the alliteration of shriek, shell, and straight to alter the mood, which, combined with personification, provides evidence of a decrease in Paul’s mental health by showing that he was falsely frightened by a normal tramcar. Like Paul’s struggle, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder continues to affect soldiers in the present. An article published by The Washington Post debates the appearance of PTSD in modern wars, specifically the Iraq War. Emily Badger, the author, states that “research consistently concludes that veterans are returning from Iraq, … with what appears to be greater exposure to stressors and higher levels of PTSD” (Badger 3). This source proves the appearance of this specific mental disorder in present wars. Along with that, Department of Veterans Affairs also estimated that approximately 20% of veterans suffer from the disorder (Badger 4). Badger’s statement expresses the idea that the majority of men went to Iraq healthy but often came out with a mental disorder. Demonstrating another recent example of
…show more content…

To explain, WWI introduced mechanic weapons onto the battlefield, which allowed men to kill the enemy without seeing them. In the book, Paul and his friends attack the enemy using grenades. “We crouch behind every corner, behind every barrier of barbed wire, and hurl heaps of explosives at the feet of the advancing enemy before we run,” describes Paul (Remarque 113-114). Because they decline the need to quantify the amount of bombs thrown, the alliteration of “hurl heaps” expresses the actions of the boys in the way that characterizes them without empathy. The ability to throw a bomb and run away frees a man from seeing their killing in action, and, without taking responsibility for their actions, they become less hesitant to kill, desensitizing them to the situation. In correlation, if automatic weapons were a problem in WWI, it was bound to get worse, considering that each year, more technology is being incorporated into battle. For instance an article published by the Center for a New American Society informed readers that “more than 30 nations already have or are developing armed drones” (Ewers). The article then continues to explain that autonomous weapons are used to help identify targets easier. This, however, increases soldier’s the ability to kill an enemy without seeing them or taking emotional responsibility for it. With more automatic weapons,