节选自影片《西线无战事》最开头教授的战争鼓吹。首次世界大站马上爆发，德国某个中学，窗外是马上开赴前线的雄赳赳进军的士兵，教室里是极力鼓动孩子们去充当炮灰的慷慨激昂作着演讲的教授。
Now, my beloved class, this is what we must do: Strike with all our power. Give every ounce of strength to win victory before the end of the year. It is reluctance1 that I bring this subject up again. You are the life of the fatherland, you boys. You are the iron men of Germany. You are the heroes who will repulse2 the enemy when you are called upon to do so
Perhaps some will say that you should not be allowed to go yet, that you are too youg, that you have homes, mothers, fathers, that you should not be torn away.
Are your father so forgetful of their fatherland that they would let it perish rather than you? Are your mother so weak that they cannot send a son to defend the land which gave them birth? And after all, is a little experience such a bad thing for a boy? Is the honor of wearing a uniform something from which we should run?
重点解说
先给戴上高帽：你们是祖国的生力军，你们是德意志的铁人，你们会是击退敌人的英雄。Repulse，击退，打败。
接着，估计了几种可能出现的反对理由。然后在第三段中，用了四个连续的反问排比句，极具煽动性。记不记得Partrick Herry那个不自由勿宁死的著名演讲？里面也有个类似的反问句：Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery?（生命是这样珍贵、和平是这样甜蜜，以致可以用忍受奴役、镣铐加身作为交换么？）生活用语中极少用到如此的句式，但在饱含激情的讲演或文章中是常常可以看到的。
教授是在驳斥反对参军的原因：爸爸会这样忘恩负义以致让祖国先于他的儿子毁灭？妈妈会这样软弱以致不可以让她的儿子去守卫哺育他的国家？穿上军装这么光荣的事会让大家避之惟恐不及？这一点点的砺炼难道对一个男生来讲是坏事？
在年轻学生心中，离得远远的现实的幻想最易挑起激情。这类还没经去世事沧桑的满腔热情也最易被误导。当影片的男主角Paul牺牲前最后一次返回家乡，听到教授对着教授对着教室里的孩子鼓吹着同样的话，他再没出征前的意气风发，由于他已经亲身体验到了战争的残酷。可孩子们宁可相信教授，他们觉得Paul是胆小的懦夫。有句话不是说么，不少事情，当大家年轻的时候不会，当大家了解的时候已不再年轻。
