I. a) Why didn't he kill the French soldier?
Paul hesitated to kill the French soldier because the littlest ounce in his body felt remorse towards the suffering soldier. Paul did have some thoughts in killing him, but when he thought about it, he just could not bring himself to kill him. He talked to the soldier and explained how their country did not know what they were doing to each other. Paul just wanted to increase the peace and he felt killing the French soldier would not do any good, since he was dying anyway.
II. a) Why doesn't the old folks listen to what Paul has to say about the war?
The old men don't give Paul a chance to speak about the war, because they do not want to hear Paul's view on the war. The old men had their own perspective on the war and they did not want to listen to what Paul had to say. They didn't really think much of the war; they didn't consider it as big of a deal as it really was. They really didn't want to understand the war the way it was.
III. b) Why did Paul swear to Mrs. Kimmerick that her son died instantly? Did she want to hear the truth?
Paul could not bear to break Mrs. Kimmerick's heart by telling her that her son died slowly and painfully, instead of instantly. He really did not want to hurt her because he knew she didn't really want to hear the truth.
The war made Paul miserable. Paul watches his friends die before his eyes, watches himself kill others, and sees his family and the interests that he had before the war slowly fade away because his life had become the war.
b) What traits of Paul were not changed?
Paul's love for his country has not changed. He continued to fight in the war for his country although the war was retched and horrifying. His love for birds and drawing birds did not change, for he died in the middle of it.
V. a) What image of the war most stuck to your head?
The part when the French soldier startled Paul and
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