All Quiet on the Western Front

Read through chapter 4 (up to page 75). In this chapter Paul states:

"At the sound of the first droning of the shells we rush back, in one part of our being, a thousand years. By the animal instinct that is awakened in us we are led and protected. It is not conscious; it is far quicker, much more sure, less fallible, than consciousness. . . . It is this other, this second sight in us, that has thrown us to the ground and saved us, without our knowing how. . . . We march up, moody or good-tempered soldiers—we reach the zone where the front begins and become on the instant human animals."

Why would Paul characterize himself and his comrades as "human animals"?

Your task: Discuss the meaning of this quotation and the experiences the boys are enduring internally. In addition to your posting, comment on one other student's post.

Post: Minimum 200 words
Comment: Minimum 100 words

During war, people let out their human nature. The quotation is saying that once the first explosive comes, the sounds of firing, then the animal inside of each solider has "awakened". This is when their true human nature and instincts have come out. They march up civilized like good soldiers, and haven't experienced battles yet. They stand straight and good mannered until the fire shots. The fire which signals "GO!” It's as if a trigger as been set off in their brain, a gate opens and their instincts emerge. Soldiers start screaming, shooting, running, and stabbing. They act like total lunatics, barbarians, like ANIMALS. They are animals in a human body. This is what I think Paul means. He describes himself and his comrades marching up good-mannered. However, once the fire shoots, everything completely changes. Humans run up to each other like animals, doing anything they possibly can to kill the others, and do anything they can to stay alive. They do whatever it takes to survive, that’s human nature. We all have this, it’s our instinct. It’s so amazing that in less than a second, a person can act totally unlike himself, like an animal in that short point in his life. Then when everything is over, he can go back to his family and home as his own good-mannered self. This quotation really shows us true human nature.