ERICH MARIA REMARQUE, Im Westen nichts neues"

THE SENSELESSNESS OF THE WAR

 

 

THE EMPEROR IS LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE

 

"...Der Kaiser kommt zur Besichtigung. (...)

Endlich ist der Augenblich da.

Wir stehen stramm, und der Kaiser erscheint.

Wir sind neugierig, wie er aussehen mag.

Er schreitet die Front entlang, und ich bin eigentlich entwas enttäuscht : Nach den Bildern hatte ich ihn mir grösser und mächtiger vorgestellt, vor allen dingen mit einder donnernden Stimme.

Er verteilt Eiserne Kreuze und spricht diesen und jenen an.

Dann ziehen wir ab.

Nachher unterhalten wir uns.

Tjaden sagt staunend : "Dat ist nun der Alleroberste , des es gibt. Davor muss dann doch jeder stramm stehen, jeder überhaupt !"

Er überlegt : Davor muss auch Hindenburg stramm stehen, was ?"

(...) Aber Tjaden ist völlig fasziniert. Sieh mal, verkündet er, ich kann einfach nicht begreifen,dass ein Kaiser auch genau so zur Latrine muss wie ich". (...)

 Eins möchte ich aber doch wissen, sagt Albert, ob es Krieg gegeben hätte, wenn der Kaiser nein gesagt hätte".

Es ist komisch, wenn man sich das überlegt, fährt Kropp fort, wir sind doch hier um unser Vaterland zu verteidigen.

Aber die Fransosen sind doch auch da, um ihr Vaterland zu verteidigen.

 Wer hat nun recht ? "

 (...) Drüben wird aber mehr gelogen als bei uns, erwidere ich.

Denkt mal an die Flugblätter der Gefangenen, in denen stand dass wir belgische Kinder frässen.

De Kerle die sowas schreiben, sollten sie aufhängen". (p.179-183)

HARPER LEE, To kill a mockingbird .

Harper Lee had an inspiration in the Bible, Genesis 39, the story of Joseph sold by his brothers.

Bible, Genesis 39 :



"When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, he was bought by Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's eunuchs. Now Joseph was handsome and goodlooking, and a time came when his master's wife took notice of him and said : "Come and lie with me". But he refused and said to her, think of my master. How can I do anything so wicked, and sin against God. One day he came into the house as usual to do his job, when none of the men of the Household  were there. She caught him by his cloak, saying : Come and lie with me, but he left the cloak in het hands and ran out of the house. She called out to the men of the Household : Look at this ! My husband has brought in a Hebrew to make a mockery of us. When Joseph's master heard his wife's story of what his slave had done to her, he was furious. He took Joseph and put him in the Round Tower, where the king's prisoners were kept..."

Harper Lee "To kill a mockingbird p.320, 321 :



"Tom, you're sworn to tell the whole truth. Will you tell it ? Mr.Finch, I got down offa that chair and turned around an' she sorta jumped on me. Jumped on you ? Violently ? "No suh, she-she hugged me. She hugged me round the waist. Then what did she do ? "She reached up and kissed me side of the face. She says she never kissed a grown man before and she might as well kiss a nigger. She says : Kiss me back, nigger. I say Miss Mayella leeme outa here and tried to run but she got her back to the door and I had to push her. Tom, did you rape Mayella Ewell ? I did not, suh. Did you harm her in any way ? I did not, suh. Did you resist her advances ? Mr.Finch, I tried..."



On two other pages, Harper Lee is talking about Egypt :



p.103 : Mr.Avery said it was written on the Rosetta stone that when children disobeyed their parents, the seasons would change.
p.375 : "Somewhere along when the Finches were in Egypt one of them must have learned a hieroglyphic or two and he taught his boy".

D H LAWRENCE, about school & education ("Women in Love" 1920).

 

 

 

"Tomorrow was Monday. Monday, the beginning of another school-week ! Another shameful, barren school-week, mere routine and mechanical activity. Was not the adventure of death infinitely preferable ? Was not death infinitely more lovely and noble than such a life ? A life of barren routine, without inner meaning, without any real significance. One could not bear any more of this shame  of sordid routine and mechanical nullity. She had had enough. One could look out on the great dark sky of death with elation, as one had looked out of the class-room window as a child, and seen perfect freedom in the outside." (p.193)



"I beg to resign my post as class-mistress in the Willey Green Grammar School. I should be very grateful if you woud liberate me as soon as possible..." (p.317)



Yes. You cannot go back to the teaching. No, he shrugged his shoulders, that is impossible. Leave that to the canaille who can do nothing else. You are an extraordinary woman, why should you follow he ordinary course, the ordinary life ? " (p.457)

D.H.LAWRENCE, Sons and Lovers, p.205

"There was one tall tower in a corner, rather tottering,where they say Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned. "Think of the queen going up here", said Miriam, in a low voice, as she climbed the hollow stairs. "If she could get up", said Paul, "for she had rheumatism like anything. I reckon they treated her rottenly". "You don't think she deserved it ?" asked Miriam."No I don't. She was only lively". The crypt underneath the manor was beautiful and in perfect preservation. Paul made a drawing. Miriam stayed with him. She was thinking of Mary Queen of Scots looking with er strained hopeless eyes, that would not understand misery, over the hills where no help came, or sitting  in this crypt being told of a God as cold as the place she sat in".

Poor God



"De Spanjaarden brengen God via de katholieke geestelijkheid dank voor hun overwinning op de Fransen op 14 juni


en


de Fransen danken God via de katholieke geestelijkheid voor hun overwinning op de Spanjaarden op 14 juni."




PS pag.1506 : "In deze periode van twintig jaar

blijft een enorm aantal velden onbeploegd,

worden huizen in brand gestoken,

verandert de handel van richting,

worden miljoenen mensen arm of juist rijk,

terwijl miljoenen christenen, die de wetten van naastenliefde prediken, elkaar doden".







Uit Tolstoj, "Oorlog en Vrede" (1869), uitg.Van Oorschot, pag.690.