The scene I want to focus on is the
scene where they pass the coffins. The coffins fit very nicely with
the theme of the horror a soldier goes through in war. When the
soldiers first see the coffins, all of them know exactly who they
were meant for even though they joke about there meaning. The coffins
are such a deathly symbol already, and compounded with the fact that
the are going to the front of a war, they are the perfect symbol of
the fear of death. The coffins stare at the soldiers as if to say
“You go out there you're going to come back in one of us.” The
soldiers are forced to joke about there own deaths, saying things
like “You'll be lucky if even get a coffin,” just to avoid the
inevitable of them coming back in a coffin at some point. That shows
how much war has changed them, they are forced to joke about death
just to avoid the true reality. Paul even says “What else can a man
do?” That's true, if they don't do something to avoid the coffins
deathly meaning they may as well crawl in the now. Looking at the
scene you may just see men joking about on the way to the front, but
I believe it sums up the book quite well. Death is always lurking
behind the men, these coffins are simply a physical representation of
that.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
All Quiet on the Western Front Chapter 6 Summary
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1F0gLr922G2PH7mbvh-cy5e3GTEPnMH1KmGiLafUAMhY/edit?usp=sharing
Chapter six can be see as a somewhat gruesome chapter. It is the first chapter in the book to introduce actual fighting done by Paul and the others.
- The chapter starts with the men heading back to the front. On the way there they notice a large pile of freshly made coffins and know exactly who they were made for, them.Though, they make jokes to cover up their true purpose.
-Once they are at the front Kat tells them he doesn't like what he feels. Paul doesn't like this because Kat usually has a good sense when it comes to the front. It certainly doesn't help that they can hear the enemy transport running day and night, bringing troops to the front. They also hear the difference in the artillery which has become stronger.
-The men grow hungry as the now stronger artillery rains down on them. Many attempts are made to get food to them but fail due to the ongoing bombardment. Even a few of their own shells fall onto their own men because the guns barrels are so worn out.
-The men struggle with rats and come up with a few creative ways of killing them.
-They tell recruits to get rid of their "Sawbacks"
When the bombardment finally lets up, they know exactly whats happening. The attack has come. The men throw out many grenades before retreating back to the reserves.
-Once there, the french take heavy losses, more than expected. The french start to retreat and are chased back by Paul and all the other men.
-Paul recalls a few french trying to surrender but give mixed signals, one is cleaved with the sharpened end of a spade, another is stabbed in the back by a bayonet.
-They eventually pass their original dugout and reach the french where they take as many provisions as possible, notably corned beef.
-Once the fight has ceased Paul reflects on how dull and numb he has become, recalling his childhood and how different he is now.
- A few days later another attack happens, and Paul finds Himmelstoss hiding in a trench, he beats him and tries to get him out with no luck.
- During an attack Haie is killed. Finally when the men return they only bring 35 with them of the 150 they once had.
Chapter six can be see as a somewhat gruesome chapter. It is the first chapter in the book to introduce actual fighting done by Paul and the others.
- The chapter starts with the men heading back to the front. On the way there they notice a large pile of freshly made coffins and know exactly who they were made for, them.Though, they make jokes to cover up their true purpose.
-Once they are at the front Kat tells them he doesn't like what he feels. Paul doesn't like this because Kat usually has a good sense when it comes to the front. It certainly doesn't help that they can hear the enemy transport running day and night, bringing troops to the front. They also hear the difference in the artillery which has become stronger.
-The men grow hungry as the now stronger artillery rains down on them. Many attempts are made to get food to them but fail due to the ongoing bombardment. Even a few of their own shells fall onto their own men because the guns barrels are so worn out.
-The men struggle with rats and come up with a few creative ways of killing them.
-They tell recruits to get rid of their "Sawbacks"
When the bombardment finally lets up, they know exactly whats happening. The attack has come. The men throw out many grenades before retreating back to the reserves.
-Once there, the french take heavy losses, more than expected. The french start to retreat and are chased back by Paul and all the other men.
-Paul recalls a few french trying to surrender but give mixed signals, one is cleaved with the sharpened end of a spade, another is stabbed in the back by a bayonet.
-They eventually pass their original dugout and reach the french where they take as many provisions as possible, notably corned beef.
-Once the fight has ceased Paul reflects on how dull and numb he has become, recalling his childhood and how different he is now.
- A few days later another attack happens, and Paul finds Himmelstoss hiding in a trench, he beats him and tries to get him out with no luck.
- During an attack Haie is killed. Finally when the men return they only bring 35 with them of the 150 they once had.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Christian Democratic Union
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11W1o3CQhiQKQG_s8SHYSs7lT2u9Q3Eh_G2eTxxfpH-A/edit?usp=sharing
Party Platform
From Wikipedia
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) applies the principles of Christian democracy and emphasizes the “Christian understanding of humans and their responsibility toward God.” Members of the party are do not have to belong to a certain religion or be religious at all. Its policies are derived from Political Catholicism, Catholic school teachings, and political Protestantism. The CDU supports European integration and a strong relation with the US. They do not want to allow Turkey to enter the European Union but want a privileged partnership. They cited Turkey for numerous human rights violations and they believe that because Turkey is unwilling to recognize Cyprus as an independent, sovereign state, Turkey is contradicting the EU policy that its member must recognize the existence of one another. The CDU supports stronger punishments of crime and involvement on the part of the Bundeswehr (armed forces) in cases of domestic anti-terrorism offensives. The CDU believes that Germany should integrate immigrants through language courses and wants to further control of immigration. They also believe that dual citizenship should only be allowed in exceptional cases.
Opponents/Supporters
Opponents of the CDU include the SPD, The Left party, and The Greens. The CDU has governed two Grand Coalitions with the SPD and various coalitions with The Greens. A preferred partner of the CDU is the FDP, who has similar attitudes towards fiscal policy.
States that support the CDU are concentrated in rural and Catholic regions such as Eifel, Sauerland, Thuringia Eichsfeld as well as areas in Saxony, Vorpommern, and Nordfriesland. There is less support in Bremen, Brandenburg, and East Berlin.
Similar Parties
The party most similar to the CDU would be our Republican Party. Both parties advocate for fiscal conservatism and support the use of armed forces for anti-terrorism offensives. The Republican Party and the CDU have affiliations with the International Democratic Union. The IDU allows political parties with similar views to come together and exchange views on matters of policy and organizational interest.
Views
They are currently focussed on weathering the financial troubles of the last few years.It is among their goals to keep the economy competitive, and taxes low. They have been going by the slogan “Germany’s future: in good hands.” They also stand for protection and promotion of the family. Most recently, the party has put its efforts on phasing out nuclear power.
History
Following the collapse of the Third Reich and the end of WWII. Germany began restricting its government. This brought about the Christian Democratic Union. The CDU aimed to establish a union, and as such a party of German people, something the likes of the Weimar Republic failed to achieve. The CDU was founded in Berlin on the 26th of June 1945, 49 days after VE-Day. The party spread out to Westphalia and Rhineland after its formation. The first Chancellor of Germany since WW2 was Konrad Adenauer (serving 1949-1963) of the CDU. Adenauer was imprisoned twice during the Nazi years, under the accusation of ‘Opponent to the Regime.’ Adenauer and his colleagues were successful in taking power because of their views of; economic flexibility, and oppositional to the Nazis, two attributes favored by the United States and Britain. The CDU would lose their grasp when Adenauer was replaced. Moving forward, the next successful leader was Helmut Kohl (serving 1982-1998). Kohl was the longest running chancellor since Otto Von Bismarck. Kohl was seen a main architect for the reunification of Germany, and the creation of the EU in 1993. Today, the current Chancellor of Germany is Angela Merkel. She, a Research Chemist and Politician started as an opposition leader in 1998 versus the SPD. Merkel became chancellor in 2005 and remains chancellor today. She is currently ranked 5th on Forbes.com’s most important people list, the highest achieved position of a woman.
Members
The Christian Democratic Union has roughly 485,000 members, as of May 2012. Each German state had a series of members, and a chairperson. North Rhine-Westphalia had the most members of any state in Germany, with more than 165,000 members. The chairperson of North Rhine-Westphalia, representing the CDU, is Armin Laschet. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, is the chairperson of the CDU party.
The average age of members in the party is 59. Less than 6% of members are under the age of 30. 75% of the party’s members are male, and the remaining 25% are female members. Therefore, this party has a strong population of middle aged adults and seniors.
Sources
Monday, January 27, 2014
Group 3 - Bremen
Group 3
- Bremen [You're here]
Bremen
From Wikipedia:
Officially
established as “Bremen” by Roman Emperor Charlemagne in the year
787. In 965 the market rights granted to Bremen brought increased
trade activity, this led to Bremen becoming one of the religious and
economic centers of northern Germany. The first stonewalls of Bremen
were built in 1032. In 1358 it joined the Hanseatic League, and
became known as the imperial free city. From 1618 to 1648, it
successfully defended its independence in the Thirty Years' War.
Bremen joined the German confederation in 1815 and then the German
Empire in 1871. It was joined by Bremerhaven in 1947 and
re-established as an independent federal state. Bremen was bombed in
World War II and was captured by the British. In 1947, Bremen became
part of the American occupation zone to prevent its incorporation
into the state of Lower Saxony.
Bremen as a state
has a population of 654,774. It is separated into two different
cities. The city of Bremen has a population of 546,451 and the city
of Bremerhaven has a population of 108,323. As of 2012, it is the
2nd most populous city in northern Germany and 10th
largest in Germany.
The legislature is called the
“Bürgerschaft” or “Citizens’
assembly”. The current political party in charge of the
legislature is the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The City of Bremen
has two mayors, as does Bremerhaven. In Bremerhaven, one of the two
mayors is elected to be the President of the Senate and is the head
of the city and of the state. In the early 1300s, Bremen has
primarily Catholic roots. It wasn’t until between 1532 and 1547
that Bremen became predominantly Lutheran and appointed Albert
Rizaeus as the first Cathedral pastor of Protestant affiliation. It
is still Protestant today.
Bremen has two UNESCO world heritage
sites: the Town Hall and the Roland “statue of Liberty”. They
have been sites since 2004. The Town Hall was built in the early 15th
century and features a gothic style. In the 17th century
it was renovated to the Weser Renaissance style. The Statue of
Roland is 5 ½ meters tall and dates back to 1404.
From Wikipedia:
Modern day Bremen hosts a very mixed
variety of industries including: Aerospace, brewing, coffee, IT,
logistics, energy, steel, and many others. Two ery notable companies
are Airbus and Mercedes Benz. Bremen forms part of the Airbus
Deutschland GmbH, where the equipping of the wing units for Airbus
aircrafts and the manufacture of small sheet of metal take place.
More than 3,100 people are employed here, the second largest Airbus
site in Germany. Beck & Co and St Pauli Girl beers are also
brewed in Bremen. In the past, it was also a trading spot and
producer of quality wines because of its location.
Some notable Germans that come from
Bremen include Edward Voigt, a U.S. representative from Wisconsin;
Frederick Charles Winkler, an American Civil War Union Brigadier
General; Bert Trautmann, a football goalkeeper; Murat Kurnaz. a
Guantanamo Bay prisoner for four years; and Angelique Kerber, a
professional tennis player.
KISS is band from playing in Bremen
because in 1999, they played a live show and were told by the fire
marshal to not use fireworks. They refrained from using fireworks
until the very end of the show where they set off all the fireworks
at once.
The largest wine cellar in the world is
located below the city’s main square and was once said to hold over
1 million bottles of wine before WWII when it was looted by occupying
forces.
Fallturm Bremen is a 146 m tall drop
tube where 9 seconds of weightlessness can be achieved. It is
located at the University of Bremen.
From brementourism.de
The song of the Bremen Town Musicians
is the reward for anyone who throws a coin into the Hole of Bremen.
The money collected from the Hole is donated to the Wilhelm Kaisen
charity.
The Bremen Town Musicians is a Grimm
Brothers’ fairytale that involves a donkey, cat, dog, and cock on a
journey to Bremen. They are all getting too old and aren’t useful
to their owners anymore. The donkey starts out by himself and
gradually collects the other three. They band together and never
make it to Bremen, but settle in a house that robbers happen upon.
They scare the robbers and then continue to live out the rest of
their days in the house.
St. Peters Cathedral is between the
Town Hall and the Parliament in the Town Square. Its two towers
dominate the city skyline and one is open to visitors. It was
originally a Catholic cathedral and became first Calvinist and
finally Lutheran. You can discover the mysteries of the mummy in the
cellar.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
My expectations for German 110
The biggest factor that led me to take German 110 was so that I could see history from a different perspective. There is the saying "History is decided by the victor." Obviously this class will be more than just focusing on the wars, but that really interests me so id really like to see it from the opposite side. Besides that other cultures are very intriguing to me. I have not traveled out of the country except for a few miles across the Canadian and Mexican borders. So never having any first hand experience I am very interested in seeing what I can find out. The reason Germany interests me more than other countries is because of my family. I have a lot of German ancestry on both my mom and dads side so I would really like to find out more about where I came from. From what I am told my last name "Lemke" is actually a small town in Germany which is apparently where our name came from. I have no idea if that is true or not but hopefully I can get an answer while taking this class, or at least some more information. One other thing worth mentioning is that I am extremely interested in cars, and Germany has quite a rich history with car, however I don't expect to learn much on that subject.
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