Overview
This lecture covers key events, characters, themes, and literary techniques in "Left to Tell" and "All Quiet on the Western Front," as well as guidelines for research and MLA citation.
Left to Tell: Part One – The Coming Storm
- Immaculée's loving, educated family is introduced.
- Ethnic tension between Hutus and Tutsis rises in Rwanda.
- Immaculée is denied university admission for being Tutsi.
- Conflict escalates after President Habyarimana's assassination, sparking genocide.
- Setting: Rural Rwanda in the early 1990s, shifting from peace to chaos.
Left to Tell: Part Two – Into Hiding
- Immaculée escapes to Pastor Murinzi’s house and hides in a small bathroom.
- Eight women hide for 91 days; Immaculée prays and experiences deep faith.
- Immaculée learns English and copes with loss of family, finding inner strength.
- Themes: Faith overcomes fear and violence destroys communities but faith aids survival.
Left to Tell: Part Three – A New Path
- Immaculée is rescued by RPF soldiers and learns her family's fate.
- She finds employment with the UN due to English skills.
- Only her brother Amiable survives; she forgives Felicien, her family's killer.
- Themes: Faith leads to peace, forgiveness, and rebuilding after trauma.
All Quiet on the Western Front: Events by Chapter
- Paul and friends face brutal training, lose trust in authority, and endure trench horrors.
- Soldiers suffer massive casualties, live like animals, and dream of lost futures.
- Paul’s leave home feels alienating; he empathizes with Russian prisoners.
- Paul kills a French soldier, feels guilt; all friends die, and Paul dies in 1918.
All Quiet on the Western Front: Characters
- Paul Baumer: Narrator, loses hope, killed at war’s end.
- Stanislaus Katczinsky (Kat): Mentor; dies from shrapnel.
- Albert Kropp: Smart; loses leg.
- Other significant soldiers and authority figures shape Paul’s experience.
- Russian prisoners and civilians highlight universal wartime suffering.
Battle and Off-the-Front Lines: Themes & Moods
- Battle scenes evoke fear, numbness, and loss of identity; quote: "We are not youth any longer."
- Off-front-line scenes show isolation and psychological wounds; quote: "I feel so terribly alone."
All Quiet: Literary Devices & Imagery
- Simile: “We are like a wasteland.”
- Metaphor: “The war has ruined us for everything.”
- Imagery features vivid descriptions using all senses, such as “Rotting flesh and powder smoke fill the air.”
Research and MLA Guidelines
- BOOLEAN operators: AND, OR, NOT, quotation marks for phrases, asterisk for wildcards.
- Effective research questions are clear, focused, open-ended, and researchable.
- MLA Works Cited includes author, title, publication info, and is alphabetized with a hanging indent.
- In-text citation format: (Author’s Last Name Page Number).
Key Terms & Definitions
- Genocide — Systematic killing of a large group, especially an ethnic group.
- Trenches — Deep ditches used in warfare for protection.
- MLA citation — A standardized method for citing sources in academic writing.
- Boolean operators — Words (AND, OR, NOT) for refining research searches.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review character lists and key events for both novels.
- Memorize major quotes and literary devices for "All Quiet."
- Practice MLA citation and Boolean research strategies.
- Prepare examples of effective research questions.