Throughout the novel, and in particular in the chapter "Bombardment," it is shown that the men have an intimate knowledge of artillery weapons used by both sides. Although these weapons seem to intercede only occasionally, their effect is devastating and seemingly random. The men have a strange mixture of admiration, respect, and fear of these weapons, mixed in with a strange kind of superstition developed over the course of many months spent trying to avoid death at the hands of these random killers.

Part 1) Using information from the book, discuss some of the types of artillery employed by both sides. How effective and accurate are these weapons?

Part 2) Describe the level of knowledge that the soldiers seem to have of the various kinds of artillery employed against them. Explain some of their more rational beliefs and fears.

Part 3) Explain some of the soldiers more irrational beliefs and fears about the artillery. Speculate about why these almost superstitious fears and practices came into being.

Essay Topic 2

The equipment, appearance, and clothing of the poilus is discussed at length throughout the book. They are depicted as individuals, each with a unique look and personality. This individuality forms an important theme in the novel, demonstrating that the soldiers are normal people thrust into circumstances that they have difficulty adapting to and understanding. They maintain this individuality until the final chapter of the book, when the rain and mud make the men of both sides appear the same.

Part 1) Using examples from the book, explain how the author establishes the individuality of the soldiers on the basis of appearance.

Part 2) Discuss how this individuality reflects the soldier's unique backgrounds and temperaments.

Part 3) How does this individuality become an important theme in the novel? Why is it important that the author picks out and differentiates individuals among the masses of the French army? Explain how this theme is developed in the novel, starting with the introduction of the individual soldiers, and ending with the reflection near the end of the novel that war is made up of individuals, but that they fade into nothing in the grand scheme of the struggle.

Essay Topic 3

The scale of the war is important to many themes in the novel, and the men of the squad have opportunities to glimpse a portion of its full size. The strategic development of deep fronts that are hundreds of miles long necessitates huge armies, and the drive for advanced and numerically superior firepower requires volumes of weapons and material. The scale of the war makes it difficult for the men to fully understand, and it makes them uninformed pawns in a game far too large to be seen from ground-level.

Part 1) Cite examples from the book to explain how the author establishes the size and scale of the war.

Part 2) Discuss the impact of the scale of the war on the men of Bertrand's squad.

Part 3) Based on information in the book, and in particular the analysis of logical men like Cocon and Bertrand, speculate about the factors that contribute to the necessity of the large force sizes seen in the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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