How does knowing that the battles at "Belleau Wood, Soissons, the Champagne, St. Mihiel and in the Argonne" (146) were among the bloodiest in the war inform your reading of this text? Does knowing about these battles help you understand the character of Krebs? (Is there other information you know about WWI from personal study or other classes that has informed your reading of this story or of Krebs?)
[Message #2 10:10:39 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
robert spajer:
i think that because these were the bloodiest
battles it has certainly made an impact on how he views life. also
it does not help that he came home later and i guess the guys that came
home before him told all these fantastic lies about the war. everybody
likes an exciting story but he clearly objects to the lies. when
he does try to lie too, he cannot keep up because the lies were already
heard from the first set of troops to com in.
[Message #3 10:13:14 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Stephanie Stroman:
I think the fact that these were some
of the bloodiest wars and that his experiences were so horrible is the
main reason why he cannot make connections with other people once he gets
home. No one wants to hear the truth, and Krebs knows that, but he
has to tell the truth in order to get over what happened.
[Message #4 10:16:02 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
robert spajer:
i think he BSs his way through it and
maybe he dilikes himself for doing so. i think that the way he views
the women of the town and the social practices that happen are BS too.
which is why he prefers just kind of walking into a relationship as opposed
to throwing down your pick up line and BSing your way through that too.
[Message #5 10:17:32 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Allison Rubow:
i think that part of him being able to
deal w/ these battles, is having the ability to talk w/ his mother about
the truth and what really happened. she was interested in what really
happened to her son and wanted to know what he had to deal w/ while in
europe. both for her to try and relate w/ what her son had gone through
and also to comfort him and love him once again.
[Message #6 10:18:45 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Stephanie Stroman:
I think that to make a connection with
anyone, he would have to tell them the truth. I don't think anyone
could handle the truth, though.
[Message #7 10:19:32 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
robert spajer:
here, here
[Message #8 10:21:17 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Adam Rosaves:
but what was all that stuff about him
lying, i din't understand it. was it that he didn't really do anything
in the war and made up stuff, or what?
[Message #9 10:21:57 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
robert spajer:
i do not think that the mother really
cares about what he has gone through in the war. she is too worried
about him getting a job, getting a girl, or taking the car out for a spin.
she is caught in the same social crap that is happening in the town.
he is more in ture with life and what really matters because of his experiences.
[Message #10 10:24:45 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Joe Dorsch:
I think that he really did do stuff in
the war, but he made up lies to make the war sound more interesting to
other people. He did it so that the other people would listen to
his stories.
[Message #11 10:25:52 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Adam Rosaves:
it sounds to me like his parents were
really strict and had their minds made up to who he was gonna be.
thus he was rather insecure about himself and had to make up lies and couldn't
talk to girls at home.
[Message #12 10:27:18 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Stephanie Stroman:
I don't think his parents were really
strict. I think they just wanted him to return back to normal and
to be like the other guys in town. They don't understand that after
what he experienced, he couldn't go on pretending like nothing ever happened.
[Message #13 10:27:25 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Lisa Jezek:
I think his parents just have genuine
concern for him to regain society... they may be pushing him too hard,
but at least they are trying
[Message #14 10:28:47 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Adam Rosaves:
but often times parents try to hard
that's not good because it will leave
the kid frustrated and insecure because he wont' have had a chance to find
him or herself because they were so busy being told what they were going
to be
[Message #15 10:29:13 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Joe Dorsch:
His parents were just concerned about
him. They wanted him to come back and just lead a normal life for
someone his age. But they don't know that it was difficult for him
to do this because of all of the stuff he went through.
[Message #16 10:32:25 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Adam Rosaves:
did it say they were religious parents?
[Message #17 10:34:33 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Joe Dorsch:
It made it seem like they were religious.
The mom asked Krebs to knell down with her and pray.
[Message #18 10:35:28 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Colette Ladewig:
You have to remember the time that the
story is told in, things were different back then and parents had more
control over their children.
[Message #19 10:36:32 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Colette Ladewig:
It could have been that the mom was really
religious, and just wanted her son to be the same way she was.
[Message #20 10:37:52 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Joe Dorsch:
Maybe Krebs was as well, but lost his
belief in God during the war.
[Message #21 10:38:35 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Lisa Jezek:
What about the fact that his father was
in the Civil war?
[Message #22 10:39:52 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Joe Dorsch:
It was his grandfather that was in the
Civil War.
[Message #23 10:41:07 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Lisa Jezek:
Then he should have someone to talk over
things with...
[Message #24 10:43:35 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Lisa Jezek:
As I understand it the Civil war was the
one of the most bloody in our history.
[Message #25 10:45:44 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Joe Dorsch:
Ya, but that doesn't mean that they can
still relate. Both of them are from two different generations.
They were two very different wars.
[Message #26 10:46:56 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Lisa Jezek:
that is true, but at least talk to or
try... I dunno...
[Message #27 10:57:52 AM, Thursday,
January 14, 1999]
Adam Rosaves:
byeeeeeeee