ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
ESSAY OUTLINE
English 9
Mr. Castellano
On next Wednesday, 17 January, you will write an in-class essay on the novel. This essay is a literary
analysis, similar to the essay you wrote in discussing the lyrics of the song. Your task is to develop a
focused thesis and then discuss, illustrate, and support it through the use of specific details from the
novel. As always, I want you to say a lot about a few things, not a little bit about everything. This sheet
gives you some suggestions on how to prepare and an indication of the types of questions I will ask. Use
the next five days to read your notes, think about the novel and the questions, and make some notes on
this sheet. You will be able to use this sheet for the essay but not any other notes or books. I am looking
for good writing, evidence of your knowledge about the book, and, most important, demonstration of
good thinking. Do your best.
I will give you two questions on Wednesday; you will pick one and write your essay on it. I have not
decided on the exact questions, but they will focus on the two main themes of the novel:
1- the strong and growing camaraderie that develops between Paul and his friends;
2- the horror, destruction, and revulsion of the war.
I will give you a more specific question about these topics. You can decide now which one you want to
write about. Spend the next five days to gather evidence to support the topic you choose. A few really
good and well-explained details are better than many poor examples. I have written another question
below and a sample introductory paragraph.
INTRODUCTION: this is one paragraph
 clearly state your thesis
 name the title and author
 take a few sentences to explain fully your thesis
 make sure it is clear what point you will make about the novel: you are putting forth an argument
BODY: this can be one paragraph or many; for this essay, 2-3 will be good
 each paragraph should focus on one major idea
 that idea will be a support of your overall thesis
 use specific references to the novel to support and illustrate your ideas
 remember the see-saw: balance your use of details with your commentary; having too much of
one or the other will not make for a good essay
 fully develop and explain your ideas
 do not summarize the plot
CONCLUSION: one paragraph
 should be short: 2-3 sentences
 remind the reader of your thesis
 do not bring in new evidence
 give the essay a sense of closure
SAMPLE QUESTION and INTRODUCTION (not the question for next week): Discuss how Paul’s
experience in the trench with Gerard Duval affects his outlook and personality.
In All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, the narrator and main protagonist
Paul Baumer has a life-altering experience when he spends many hours in a trench with a man he kills.
After stabbing Gerard Duval, Paul must listen and watch as the French soldier slowly and painfully dies.
After Duval dies, Paul spends the night in the trench talking to him. Through this experience in the
trench, Paul realizes that the enemy is no different from himself. While Paul later forgets much of what
he says in the trench, the experience illustrates profoundly the horror and evil of war. After this
experience, Paul will never be the same.
PREPARING
Between now and Tuesday, you should spend time looking over your notes, reviewing the novel,
and thinking about what we have talked about and the two proposed questions. My advice is to choose
now which topic you will be writing about. A question about both topics will appear. Your job will be to
develop a focused thesis about one of the topics and then write a good essay about it.
As you well know, a good essay says a lot about a few things, not a little bit about everything. As
you review, prepare, and study for the essay, look for specific details from the novel that you can use to
discuss one of the two topics. It is always best to over-prepare: this is true for all your classes. When you
come to write the essay in class, you will probably use only 2 or 3 specific examples from the novel; you
will need to develop your commentary on them fully. Using any more examples will lead you to merely
skimming the surface of your commentary. Having said that, be sure to over-prepare: find 5 or 6 specific
details for your chosen topic. Then, when you come to writing the essay, you will have the luxury of
making choices; you will have more than enough material for your essay, and you will not feel boxed in.
We will talk about all of this in class on Tuesday. But you need to be prepared in advance of Tuesday.
I have written below 2 samples of how I would prepare for the test. I have chosen a passage or
scene that I could use to discuss each of the questions. Then I have written some notes about the scene.
My notes are not exhaustive or complete: I just want to give you a sense of how to proceed. You need to
develop these ideas more fully; you also need to develop your ideas about 3-4 more scenes or passages.
This is a good preparation for all written exams. You can do this, but you need to give time to it. So do.
FRIENDSHIP: I am using the scene on pages 94-97 that we discussed in class.
NOTES:
 Paul says he and Kat share a “complete communion.”
 Their moment of peace is in spite of the horror of the war outside.
 Paul feels so intimate that they “do not even speak.”
 Their friendship is sealed around a meal.
 Because of all Paul and his friends have experienced previously, they share this deep love – even
though they cannot say those words.
HORROR OF WAR: I am using the scene on pages 113-114 that we discussed.
NOTES:
 It is a scene of complete chaos.
 The men act automatically and without thinking.
 As a result, they wind up denying their own and their enemy’s humanity: they are no longer men
but “thugs.”
 The men fight for survival, not for any abstract cause.
 Paul is so intent on living that he says he “would not hesitate to fling a bomb at him” even if his
own father came into the trench.