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 or knowing how We march up, moody or good-tempered soldiers, we reach the zone where the front begins and become on instant human animals. (55-56 All Quiet on the Western Front) This transformation happens in both novels and soon we begin to see the actions of the characters in both novels reflecting their psychological change. ... In ...

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• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

In this quote, Paul explains how the soldiers transform from their natural human instincts and personality and become "animals" during war: "We have become wild beasts. ... The natural war instincts of Paul forced him to stab the opposing soldier, but he felt like he had killed and innocent man fighting for the opposing country rather than the enemy. ...

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He argued that reason, democracy, progress, and respectability were all defining aspects of conventional morality, and that what we should really be concentrating on is the inner passion and animal instincts that provoke us as beings to think and act, and to be truly creative. ...

• Word Count: 1360
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The twentieth century really begins before the end of the nineteenth century. Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1887 was felt by many to represent the end of an era. An end-of-century stoicism, and a growing pessimism among writers and intellectuals, may be traced to several sources, not least the publication in 1859 of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species which put the existence of God into radical question. Across the whole population, and in the face of rapid economic and social changes, radical doubts about the stability of the existing order were expressed. By the end of the nine...

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