Submissive Tendencies

There are many affects war has on a soldier's mental state. One in particular I found static amongst all the war pieces we have read is how submissive these soldiers become. In the Abu Ghraib presentation, multiple soldiers spoke of how easily they obeyed the orders of superior rankings. Whether the soldiers were asking the inferior rankings to take pictures of the tortured peoples or be included in the photographs taken, the soldiers never refused. Similarly, in "All Quiet..." Paul obeyed all orders he was given. At many times throughout the novel, Paul even mentioned not fully understanding what it was he was fighting for, but simply that he was obeying the orders of his superiors. I think it's important to examine how little soldiers begin to think for themselves when put in the atmosphere of war. The power of war to strip soldiers of their free will and individuality is evident in all the war pieces we have read.