1. HUMANISM CENTERED EDUCATION Langenselbold-Germania
FOR A PEACEFUL EUROPE
Langenselbold-Germania
25-31 Marzo 2017
Results of the students’comments about the film All Quiet On The Western Front

2. Results of the students comments about the film All Quiet On The Western Front
First of all I must say that I was surprised that the students (15 years old) that watched the film in their classroom stayed quietly all the time, alone without the constant control of the teacher. I was in a near classroom.
I asked them to write their opinions and what scenes impressed them most. Reading their comments it has resulted that
Most wrote that they enjoyed the film and that everybody should watch it because more and better than modern movies this film shows how unjust war, is, especially because those that take profit of it stay home safely while innocent people die.
The majority was amazed by the teacher’s role.
Nowadays in our democratic society, no teacher would persuade his/her students to join the army or to fight against other groups of people. When some of them tell me they want to join the army or the police I understand that they are forced by high unemployment but I warn them about the risks.
The students were much more astonished when Paul, the main character comes back to school and when asked by his teacher to set an example so as to persuade the younger students to fight, at first he hesitates, he wouldn’t like to disappoint his teacher or in spite of all his suffering he isn’t able to rebel openly against an authoritarian society. Only after a long reflection Paul tells them the cruel truth.
No wonder that this film was censored during the fascism.
Other students were impressed by the naivety of young soldiers that went to fight to gain honour and glory but they didn’t think at all they risked to die.
My students hadn’t reflected that newspapers were the only media and were strongly influenced by the government.
Only one student was moved by Paul despair to his killing of the French soldier.
Few of them, the most sensitive or the most sensible gave a symbolic value to the butterfly in the last scene. For them the butterfly stands for freedom, life and peace.