WWI Trench Warfare:

Exploration in Technology, Encounter with Desperation,

and Exchange of Humanity

Christine Doan, Ada Zhu

Senior Division
Group Website

Work Cited
Secondary Interviews
"Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and the Lost Generation: An Interview with Kirk Curnutt."
Interview by Allie Baker. The Hemingway Project. N.p., n.d. Web. This interview with
Kirk Curnutt by Allie Baker was particularly useful to us because it gave us insight about
Hemingway's life after he served in the war. He suffered from traumatic experiences that
he saw during the war, including a plethora of bleeding and dying bodies as he was an
ambulance driver. We used quotes from Kirk Curnutt on our "Lost Generation" page.
Liulevicius, Vejas G. "Dr. Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius." E-mail interview. Nov.-Dec. 2015. Our
interview with Dr. Liulevicius, the director of the Center for the Study of War and Society
and a professor at the University of Tennessee, was incredibly insightful regarding the
topic of exploration in technology. He discussed the impact of modern technology on past
notions. From this interview, we concluded that trench warfare became a turning point for
the exploration of technology. In addition, he also helped us grasp the concept of the
Christmas Truce and what pushed the soldiers to have an unofficial cease fire. It was a
prime example of an exchange of humanity.
Strauss, Lon. "Dr. Lon Strauss." E-mail interview. Dec. 2015. Dr. Stauss, a professor at the
University of Kansas, examined the psychological effect of WWI. He answered our
questions regarding the soldiers' encounter with desperation. According to the interview,
we concluded that countries were aggressive in the wake of World War I, and he also
discussed the shell shock, which was a condition that was developed by many soldiers in
the trenches during the war. He further provided a summary of his opinion towards the
Christmas Truce, which displayed an evidence of humanity.

Tooley, Hunt. "Dr. Hunt Tooley." E-mail interview. Nov.-Dec. 2015. Dr. Hunt Tooley from
Austin College answered our questions regarding the impact of the exploration in
technology during the Great War. He gave us new perspectives about the advancement of
technology and the front lines that we probably would not have thought to consider
otherwise. He also discussed how the economy played a role in the exploration. We based
half of our analysis on the information gained in this interview for the technology section.
We also learned new facts, such as the exploration in technology's impact on medical
cosmetics and surgery.

Primary Sources
Primary Books
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Bodley Head Scott Fitzgerald. The Beautiful and Damned. N.p.: n.p.,
1967. Print. The second novel, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, explores New York society
and the American Elite during the Jazz Age. The novel unfolded into a story of tragic
examination of an unsustainable relationship and problematic culture of the Lost
Generation. Therefore, we applied the book on our "Desperation: Lost Generation" side in
order to show how literature was also affected by the war.
Hart, Peter. The Somme: The Darkest Hour on the Western Front. New York: Pegasus, 2008.
Print. This book greatly helped our understanding of the intricate details of the Battle of the
Somme. During that battle, and likewise with the many battles that preceded and followed,
soldiers struggled with the devastating reality of the horrors of war. Some specific
information that we found intriguing was the fatalism that the soldiers eventually
succumbed to. Their encounter with desperation had affected them even in their sleep.

Their attitude toward war shifted, making them vulnerable to their emotions, which
heightened feelings of morality and humanity. The knowledge and quotes gained from this
book was used in our analysis and page on "Desperation."
Hobbs, William Herbert, and Theodore Roosevelt. The World War and Its Consequences. New
York: Putnam's Sons, 1919. Print. Scattered through out our websites were primary
accounts taken from this book. We mainly used this book for our comprehension of how
soldiers dealt with their trauma and guilt after the war was over. Some quotes were also
taken to explain the situations that the soldiers faced out on the front.
Hobbs, William Herbert. The World War and Its Consequences; Being Lectures in the Course on
Patriotism Delivered at the University of Pittsburgh during the Summer Session of 1918.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1919. Print. Hobb's book helped us analyze the effects of
the rapidly industrialized weapons. This exploration in technology had tremendous impacts
on not only the soldier but on the pioneering of modernized weapons as well. We used
multiple primary source accounts of soldiers expressing their shock and fear of these new
terrifying weapons.
Persico, Joseph E. Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day, 1918, World
War I and Its Violent Climax. New York: Random House, 2004. Print. Persico's book
included a plethora of primary accounts. We used an account in which a soldier expressed
how he believed that war was gallant and great on our "Desperation" page. However, he
realized in the face of war that it was anything but. This served as proof for the destruction
of war romanticism. Inside of coming to face glory, the soldiers encountered desperation.
Philpott, William James. Three Armies on the Somme: The First Battle of the Twentieth Century.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. Print. We extracted primary quotes from the soldiers on

the Somme from Philpott's book. The quotes we selected expressed how the exploration in
technology produced an artillery war that was never seen before. This new mode of
warfare made the soldiers question what they were really doing. This book gave us primary
evidence that the new means of murder scarred the soldiers both physically and
psychologically.

Primary Websites
"Ernest Hemingway Biography ~ World War I." Ernest Hemingway Biography ~ World War I.
N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. The Hemingway Resource Center provided us with a
succinct biography of Ernest Hemingway's life, which was useful to us in quickly
understanding how he reacted to his life back home after the war was over. His encounter
with the horrific conditions of the soldiers clearly had a tremendous effect on both his life
and his attitude towards life. We used a primary quote from him on our "Lost Generation"
page.
"History in Dispute." Trench Warfare: Did Trench Warfare Lead to Pointless Slaughter? N.p.,
27 Feb. 2002. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. The attitude of the soldiers began to alter as they
realized that they vulnerable to deadly bombardments at any time. The destructive power
of weapons led to massive slaughters on the western front. Debate on whether trench
warfare had led to pointless slaughter were discussed. We acknowledged that soldiers in
the trenches had been viewed as victims, powerless in the extreme, caught in the grip of an
impersonal war that dispensed death, simply waiting to be destroyed.

Simkin, John. "Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
The casualties in the trenches were discussed on this website. We got most of our timeline
events from this website. In addition, we also used primary excerpts found on the bottom
of the website. Charles Chaplin looked back on his experience with the war and confessed
how they all thought the war would be over soon. However, it was quite the opposite.
Desperation quickly took over and fatalism became prevalent amongst the soldiers.
"Tanks and World War One - History Learning Site." History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 06
Jan. 2016. This article provided us with the cons of the usage of tanks in World War One,
and specifically in the trenches. We extracted a primary source quote from this website,
which can be found on the "Backfire" page. From this website, we came to the conclusion
that the invention of modern tanks were not necessarily helpful. Even when given
advanced technology, soldiers running the tanks were unable to use it to their advantage
because of the lack of instruction and knowledge. While an exploration in technology was
made, it did not matter because it was not used to its full potential.
"Trench Warfare WWI." Trench Warfare WWI. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. We extracted a
primary quote by Robert Graves in 1915 from this website. It consisted of Graves
describing his friend's breakdown and how the war destroyed their hopes and faith. It was
very much an encounter with desperation. Despair and terrors damaged the soldiers in
more ways than weapons ever could. We placed the quote in the "Desperation: Living
Conditions" page.
"World War I." : World War I. N.p., 3 Jan. 2010. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. The quote we took from
this website was said by a British private. We used it in our "Desperation: Living
Conditions" page. It demonstrated the disgusting conditions that the soldiers had to survive

through. Rodents were prevalent and rats even started to feast on dead flesh. After the
soldiers' encounter with desperation, they never separated. The horrors followed them
everywhere, even in their sleep.
"WWI War Gases." WWI War Gases. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. A primary quote regarding
the horrors of poisonous gas on the battlefield was taken from this website, as along with a
picture that we included in our "Technology" page. From this website, we grasped the
importance of poisonous gas. While we knew it played a role in bringing the deaths of
countless soldiers, this website gave us insight on how it psychologically affected the
soldiers. The fears and terrors expressed by the primary sources made us understand the
gravity of the situation.

Primary Images
Arthur, Max. Forgotten Voices of the Great War: A History of World War I in the Words of the
Men and Women Who Were There. Guilford, CT: Lyons, 2004. Print. We selected a
photograph of soldiers aiding one another from the book and applied it to our "Humanity:
Empathy" page in order to highlight the exchange of humankind that was carried out as a
result of the war. Soldiers got to know each other very well, sharing common dangers of
the nature, and they began to rescue one another even with dreadful wounds.
"The Battle of The Somme - 1916." The Battle of The Somme - 1916. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb.
2016. The Battle of the Somme is famous chiefly on account of the loss of 58,000 British
troops; therefore, the experiences that soldiers encountered was great. We apply the
photograph on the "Desperation: Living Condition" in order to display what soldiers

needed deal with in the trenches. The battle brought tremendous deaths and casualties just
in a few days, leaving the soldiers wounded physically and mentally.
"Christmas Truce 1914: When WWI Showed Humanity." - The Denver Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 05
Jan. 2016. The three men holding hands in the image demonstrate how humanity and
compassion still existed among the slaughter during the Great War. Both humanity and
compassion toward peace were revealed, softening the fighting spirit and searching for
mortality. A transitory period of peace was achieved. Despite their different languages and
cultures, the opposing sides exchanged gifts. The relaxation of hostilities soon spread
among the soldiers. Through the image, we received a sense of cooperation and connection
between the soldiers, believing that human spirit was able to lessen violence and hostility.
"Christmas Truce of 1914." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016.
The image illustrates humanity's longing for peace during World War I. It was the soldiers
who declared an unofficial truce; they began to recognize one another as humans rather
than enemies. Based on the image, we learned that soldiers who had been killing each other
were seeking a shred of humanity in order to escape the horrors of war.
Combs, Marianne. "All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914." All Is Calm: The Christmas
Truce of 1914. N.p., 20 Dec. 2007. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. During World War I, the sounds of
rifles faded in a number of places along the Western Front in favor of Christmas
celebrations in the trenches. A spark of humanity and generosity appeared, leading to an
unofficial ceasefire between the two countries. After the shooting ceased, soldiers came out
of the trenches and began to greet each other and exchange gifts. The image depicts a
soldier who had received Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. Humanity was shown

when the soldiers played soccer and enjoyed the holidays with men who were their deadly
enemies.
"Conditions on the War Front - World War I." Conditions on the War Front - World War I. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. The living condition that was shown from the visual expresses the
desperation soldiers had to deal with. Living in the trenches during the war was tough and
required courage, while food was scarce, and staying healthy was difficult. Soldiers were
often terrified out of their minds. Death and diseases continued to loom over them.
"Ernest Hemingway Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
We put Ernest Hemingway on "Desperation: Lost Generation" page because he is one of
the most famous novelist in the 20th century, a key part of the "Lost Generation." He
referred the the lack of purpose or drive resulting from the horrific disillusionment felt by
those who grew up and lived through the war as the "lost generation", revealing the sordid
nature of the lives of the young in the aftermath of the war.
"Faces of Battle." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. According to the photograph, even
though the values of patriotism and courage began to disappear, the soldiers were "forced
to smile." They laughed and looked relaxed; groups of friends were formed by the soldiers
during the war. Instead of being demoralized by the destructive war, soldiers were able to
evoke a sense of humanity through their daily encounters with one another.
"Firstworldwar.com." First World War.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. Daily deaths in the
trenches were common to the soldiers, and piles of corpses were just thrown to the side.
Rats would come out at night, eating the dead bodies and running in the trenches. By
displaying the image of a soldier sitting next to a dead body on "Desperation: Living

Condition" page, a reflection of the living condition can be made, showing the miserable
lives of the soldiers.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. "The
Great Gatsby" refers to the loss of innocence in society after WWI, in which the great war
had changed everyone's perception of life. The novel displays that life was dominated by
the pursuit of material wealth and social position. We chose this novel and put it on the
"Lost Generation" page because it encompasses the idea of the loss of purpose that was
prominent among writers in the 1920s.
"German Knights Cross Holders., Etc. Photographs." German Knights Cross Holders., Etc.
Photographs. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. The photograph illustrates the encounter of
desperation during the Great War, in which soldiers were all shaken and experienced the
horrific condition in the trenches. Not only trench fever, but also shell shocks were all
result of the deplorable condition that soldiers needed to encounter during the war.
Hall, Zoe Dare. "Cartoonist Whose Old Bill Sketches Boosted Morale." The Telegraph.
Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2016. Bruce Bairnsfather's Old Bill cartoons
helped to lift spirits on the front line. We applied the six cartoons from the website to the
"Desperation" page because these cartoons were able to describe what everyday life in the
trenches consisted of, provoking a sense of loneliness and dehumanization. Through the
soldier's experience, they truly encountered the value of life and the desperation that was
left.
Hart, Peter. The Somme: The Darkest Hour on the Western Front. New York: Pegasus, 2008.
Print. Only those who had fought in the war could understand the brutality of the war,
leaving them disillusioned. Since the next new set of soldiers did not experience the war,

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the lessons that were learned from WWI were quickly forgotten, leading to another series
of horrific battles. The image from the book entails the commanders trying to push even
more pressure on the soldiers and persuaded them to fight against the enemies more
vigorously.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print. The war damaged the
hopes of countless individuals. The peoples' sense of right and wrong had been destroyed.
The novel also encounters the idea of "Lost Generation." We want to highlight how due to
this loss of hope, many writers turned to fictional stories that criticized the post war
culture.
"Introduction to Great War." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. Young men had faced with the
destruction of the notions of warfare. Seeing pointless deaths on such a huge scale, many
lost faith in traditional values like courage and patriotism, eventually becoming reckless
and aimless. The image displays soldiers marching in the land, seeking help and desiring to
escape the reality of the war. Therefore, we exhibited the image in the "Desperation: Lost
Generation" page in order to express the idea of how men were all shaken by the disaster of
the war.
One Hundred Years Ago. Digital image. One Hundred Years Ago. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2016.
Chemical weapons were also introduced during World War I. The chemical warfare, such
as the using of phosgene and chlorine, played a major role during the war. Through the
illustration, we observed that the gas masks made the soldiers become merciless, and this
means of murder dehumanized the opposing side.
"Radigan Neuhalfen's Web Log." : World War I. N.p., 03 Jan. 2010. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. The
advancement in technology was more harmful than beneficial. Soldiers from the trenches

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always encountered dangerous enemy shells, destroying their faces and killing hundreds of
people. Cosmetic surgery thus became a medical practice due to the numerous horrific
injuries, and its techniques were soon adopted by the scientists.
"Rats and the Trenches of WWI." DeBugged. N.p., 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. The
visual that shows a soldier holding a rat and was surrounded by many rats displays the
horrible condition of the soldier. We apply this image to the "Desperation: Living
Condition" because it illustrates the condition that soldiers needed to experience in the
trenches. Soldiers could easily be defeated by an illness, and rats would plague the men
with disease: taunting sleeping soldiers, creeping over them at night.
"Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. The image
displays three four soldiers posing in a trench flooded with mud almost to waist height. The
living condition in the trenches were terrible, in which the trenches were hard to dig and
kept on collapsing in the waterlogged sand. Because of the narrow place, soldiers were
bound together, aiding one another in the trenches.
STEMPEL, John. "Great War Centenary." N.p., 04 May 2014. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. The site
provided images of the wounded soldiers walking in the dirty trenches. The description of
the long nights in the trenches exhibited a sense of horror and loneliness. The medical
station was full of wounded soldiers, who suffered from disease and injured by the
bombshells. We believed that these images could clearly displayed the destruction of the
war.
Taylor, Alan. "World War I in Photos: Technology." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 11
May 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. The machine gun came to dominate the battlefields during
World War One. We noticed that the crude machine guns could shoot hundreds of rounds

12

of ammunition a minute and killed hundreds of people just in a short amount of time;
casualties were huge. Many soldiers barely got out of their trench before they were cut
down.
"Trench Conditions - Trench Routine | Canada and the First World War." Canada and the First
World War Trench Routine Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. Both morality and
civilization are inevitably forgotten in war, as soldiers become desperate to survive and
lose touch with their humanity during the war. The image from the "Humanity: Empathy"
page depicts three soldiers reading newspaper together. Because of the war and the dangers
they needed to face, soldiers were physically and psychologically connected with one
another, and only those who experienced the war knew what the war really brought to their
lives.
United States. National Park Service. "Francisco G. Montealegre Collection." National Parks
Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 27 Feb. 2016. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. "Destroy This
Mad Brute" is World War I poster that served as advertisements for the enlistment center.
It highlighted the anti-German sentiment, and German Militarism was personified as a
terrifying gorilla with a helmet labeled "militarism" holding a bloody club labeled "kultur".
"The War List." HistoryNet. N.p., 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. Despite the soldiers' desire
to stop fighting, commanders continued to order them to ruthlessly murder the opposing
sides. We placed the image of authoritative commanders in order to highlight how
influential and powerful they were during wartime, forcing the soldiers to fight without
considering the morality of the battles.
Willson, Brian. "The Importance Of The December 1914 Christmas Truce."
PopularResistanceOrg. N.p., 24 Dec. 2014. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. Humanity was revealed

13

during the Christmas Truce in 1914; many of the soldiers chose to exchange presents, such
as cigarettes and plum puddings. The photograph that we used on "Humanity" page
displays the human spirit that served as a resurgence of a long established tradition,
bringing join to one another during the festive holiday.
"World War 1." World War 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016. Because of the danger of the war,
soldiers were emotionally connected with one another. They sought to secure each others'
lives, even at the risk of dying. However, the commanders failed to experience the
exchange in humanity and kept pushing the soldiers into further tensions between different
enemies.
"World War I History." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. While
WWI may have been the war to end all wars, it also served as the beginning of many
military technologies. The picture depicts the introduction of tanks, which came from a
development of vehicles that could cross difficult land by using caterpillar tracks. We
found out that the exploration of technology leading to tanks was used effectively in order
to break through the enemy lines.
"World War Propagandas." N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. We put this propaganda on the
"Desperation" page in order to display how nationalism was used as a tool to encourage
men to join the army. Fighting for the country, according to ordinary men, was a patriotic
behavior; however, they failed to acknowledge the long-lasting disastrous effects of the
war, leaving them destroyed by the war.

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Primary Videos
"WW1 War Neuroses." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. Information of
war neuroses and disorder was discussed in the video. We found out that by the end of the
war, there were more than 80,000 cases of shell shock, most shell shock victims were
treated harshly and with little sympathy because their symptoms were viewed as a sign of
weakness. This video provided the impact of the shell shock: it helped accelerate the
expansion of knowledge in psychiatry. We applied this video to "The Scars of Trench
Warfare" page to show the destruction of the war.

Secondary Sources
Secondary Books
Bull, Stephen, and Adam Hook. World War I Trench Warfare. Oxford: Osprey, 2002. Print.
Based on the book, Dr. Bull wrote of the infantry weapons in 1914 and he described the
use of a variation of the Maxim machine gun design. By reading his summary of the
examination of trench warfare tactics, we discovered that the Allied had attempted to break
the stalemate of trench warfare by the 'big pushes' of 1916 for several time, and used this
piece of information in the "Technology" page.
Ferguson, Niall. The Pity of War:. New York, NY: Basic, 1999. Print. In "The Pity of War",
written by Niall Ferguson, the author made an argument that war was not inevitable and
was England's fault for bringing out the war. We understood more through the charts and
graphs that were provided by the book and found out that over 200,000 soldiers died in the
trenches of the Western Front in World War I. The appalling war was unpredictable, and
the consequences of using advanced weapons were devastating.

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Hochschild, Adam. To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. Print. Hochschild analyzed the history of WWI and
declared it as a senseless carnage with its myriad tragedies. He mainly focused on the
critics of war, and summarized the Great War on the question of loyalty and rebellion.
Humanity and comradeship were also shown from his description of the soldier's action;
therefore, we related the facts to "Impact" page.
Ousby, Ian. The Road to Verdun: World War I's Most Momentous Battle and the Folly of
Nationalism. New York: Doubleday, 2002. Print. Ousby's book had a primary focus on
how war romanticism was destroyed during the first world war. His analysis greatly
affected our own analysis on the war. We used most of the information gained from this
book in our pages on desperation. One thing that shocked us was that on the last day of
war, commanders still sent out their men in order to crush the opposing side completely.
We found that to be completely absurd and upsetting because of how many people could
have been saved. It demonstrated to us how the higher authorities did not care about their
soldiers, and that was a focal point in our analysis as well.
Rawling, Bill. Surviving Trench Warfare: Technology and the Canadian Corps. Toronto: U of
Toronto, 1994. Print. Products and impacts of the horrors of war were described by the
author. We were able to provide the idea of tactical system and military strategies in our
"Technology" page because Rawling provided information about the weapons and
destruction through a wide range of sources. We acknowledged that the soldiers were eager
to take control over their weapons and places. Rawling traced the evolution on the Western
Front and adopted information of tactical system that was used during the war.

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Stone, Norman. World War One. New York: Basic, 2009. Print. An excerpt from Stone's chapter
on the impact of the Great War was placed in our "Aftermath" page. Stone's explanation
was useful because he related the topic to present issues. It helped significantly with our
overall impact analysis. The exploration in technology was a turning point in history.
Secondary Websites
Bajekal, Naina. "Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce of 1914." Time.
Time, 24 Dec. 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. We found this website useful because it used
vivid descriptions to provided a sense of humanity that many people thought had
disappeared due to the brutality of war. We came to believe that the soldiers wished to stop
the fight an go home soon. This site also described to us of how the truce began: two
nations both sang the same carol in the middle of a war. German soldiers emerged from
their trenches, calling out Merry Christmas in English, and later their enemies also came
out to greet them. This truce could be remembered as a representation of hope and
humanity.
"Battle of the Somme." H100 We Remember. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. The Battle of
Somme, which was fought in 1914, was one of the famous battles during WW1. According
to the website, 2,000 heavy gun bombardments occurred, leading to mass slaughters. We
applied the information from the site to our "Desperation" page because it revealed the
inhumanity and horrific condition in the trenches. The encounter with desperation among
the soldiers was unimaginable, and only those who had experienced before could
comprehend.

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"First Trenches Are Dug on the Western Front." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d.
Web. 16 Dec. 2015. The content in our "Inception" page mostly consisted with information
given on this website. We found fundamental information on the start of trench warfare
and how much it progressed throughout the four years. From this website, we concluded
that the start of trench warfare was consequential for World War One's exploration in
technology, encounter with desperation, and exchange of humanity.
"Firstworldwar.com." First World War.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2016. This site provided
information about the casualties and life in the trenches. The constant shellfire directed by
the enemy brought random death, and explosions were common in the battlefields. The
images that were depicted from the website illustrated a sense of horror and savagery. We
found this website valuable because it offered a detailed account of how the introduction of
advanced technologies had also caused a great number of deaths during the battles. As a
result, we used this website for our "Aftermath" page in order to reveal the impacts of
powerful weapons that were introduced.
Flank, Lenny. "World War One: Life and Death in the Trenches." Daily Kos. N.p., 18 Sept.
2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. Descriptions of both life and death in the trenches were given
from the website. It not only described how typical trenches looked like, but also provided
information about the living condition that was experienced by the soldiers. We discovered
that war romanticism was also destroyed because of the both physical and psychological
scars the soldiers carried along. Under the conditions of trench warfare, the
dehumanization of opposing sides spread quickly.
"Germans Introduce Poison Gas." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 Dec.
2015. Information about exploration in technology was provided, discussing the use of

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poisonous gas and the introduction of gas masks. We learned that the first major gas attack
was done by the Germany, devastating the Allied line. As the use of poisonous gas became
more frequent, more sophisticated masks were also introduced. We used the images and
quotes from the website in our "Technology" page and concluded that poisonous gas was a
feared weapon during the war, and the masks made the soldiers look inhumane.
Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Scribner Classics, 1997. Print. "A Farewell
to Arms" was written by Ernest Hemingway, who was deeply influenced by his
experiences at war. Considering to be part of the "Lost Generation," Hemingway felt "lost"
after witnessing the horrors of World War I, losing the faith in the institutions of Western
civilization. This information was vital to a section of our "Lost Generation" page that was
dedicated to Ernest Hemingway.
"Hemingway's Paris." : June 2006. N.p., 30 June 2006. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. In order to escape
the depression that resulted from the First World War, writers such as Ernest Hemingway
began to migrate to Paris since the Parisian cultural scene was more permissive of
literature. We learned that the group of writers who moved to Paris believed that America
was intolerant, materialistic, and unspiritual.
Jones, Nigel. "Life and Death in First World War Trenches." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media
Group, 30 May 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. Based on the information it has provided, we
used the website for our "Desperation: Living Condition" page. We were horrified by the
reality of the food and environment in the trenches. Vermin including rats and lice were
very numerous, and disease was easily spread by them, More than about 3 millions of
soldiers, according to the research, died due to the diseases.

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Lilies, Jordan. "Stories of Chaplin: World War I." RSS. N.p., 7 Oct. 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
Jordan Liles provided quotes from the survived soldiers to portray the horrific difficulties
the soldiers had encountered in the trenches. The information from the website was applied
to "Desperation" page because it explained distress and disorder the soldiers had suffered.
The soldiers in the trenches experienced traumatizing bombardment every day.
"The Lives of Soldiers." Alpha History. N.p., 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. Primary quotations were
listed by this website, which discussed the psychological distress the soldiers had to
encounter. Therefore, we organized the quotes under the "Desperation"page in order to
display the helplessness and disruption that were carried out by the war. The stimulating
and realistic description exhibit the frightening conditions that each soldier needed to
experience in the trenches.
"The Lost Generation." The Lost Generation. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. From this website
we were able to gain information about various Lost Generation writers and artists. We
used a quote about the Lost Generation moving to Paris because of their distaste at
America's culture on our "Lost Generation" page. This website was also helpful in aiding
our comprehension of why the Lost Generation was so prone to be alcoholics.
Nater, Adrienne. "Death, Dying, Grief, and Mourning." Erich M. Remarque, All Quiet On the
Western Front-Death of French Soldier. N.p., 2008. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. The article was
excerpted from the famous novel, "All Quiet on the Western Front". The well developed
phrases outlined all the responses of the soldiers during the war. Grief and mourning were
conventional responses from the soldiers. We applied the quotes from the extract to our
"Desperation" page so that the psychological response could be revealed, connecting to
soldier's encounter with desperation.

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"Nobel Lecture." Lord Boyd Orr. N.p., 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. Not only the history of war,
but also the power of science was discussed in the article. Science has advanced during the
war, giving mankind more powers over the forces of nature. We found the information
necessary in discussing the page of "Technology" and "Backfire." We analyzed the use of
gas masks, tanks and artillery in order to highlight the casualties that were caused by the
advancement of technologies.
"The Organisation Cultural Legacies of the Christmas Day Truce & The Accrington Pals."
Fromthelighthouse. N.p., 5 Jan. 2015. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. The legacy of the Christmas
Truce was discussed in the website. Although the truce had only lasted for a while, its
legacy provided us with hope and inspiration. After reading the article, we were impressed
by the communication between the two opposing sides. They were able to cooperate and
talk about their families, even though they were just enemies who tried to kill one another
just several hours before the ceasefire. Hence, we applied the information to our
"Humanity" page in order to show that the soldiers stilled provoked a sense of humanity
rather than dehumanization.
"Propaganda as a Weapon? Influencing International Opinion." The British Library. N.p., n.d.
Web. 07 Jan. 2016. The British Library provided us with good propaganda posters that we
placed in our "Desperation" page. From this website, we realized that propaganda was a
contributor to the false glorification about war. It made it seem like it was the best thing to
do--that fighting for your country was a noble decision and everyone was doing it. Of
course, the propaganda did not come close to describing the real nature of war. This only
made the soldiers' encounter with desperation all the more devastating.

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Remarque, Erich Maria, and A. W. Wheen. All Quiet on the Western Front. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
"All Quiet on the Western Front " is another book that exemplifies the idea of "Lost
Generation." It analyzed how soldiers were corrupted by the disaster of the war, and how
soldiers were so depressed due to their loss of humanity and morality. This book was
important to us because it connected all the aspects of the topics we tried to hit with our
website.
"This Side of Paradise Book Review." Vandegrift Voice. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2016. "This
Side of Paradise" details the life of the passionate youth Amory Blaine, and his quest for
love and glory as he becomes older. This novel portrays the Lost Generation after WWI
and describes life at Princeton as boring and disillusioned, just like how the veterans of
World War I felt after the war was fought. We used this connection on our "Lost
Generation" page.
"Trench Warfare: Did Trench Warfare Lead to Pointless Slaughter?" Gale Group. N.p., n.d.
Web. Trench warfare's stalemate was explained in this site. We found it helpful because it
described to us how explorations and advancements was were not always a good thing. We
used quotes from this website on the and "Backfire" page. Gale Group also discussed the
soldier's daily routine and how traumatizing it was for them on the front lines. We used the
information from this page to write the analysis for the "Desperation" page.
"The Trenches: Symbol of the Stalemate." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. The trenches
were described as the symbol of stalemate in this site. It provided detailed information
about the organization of trenches and No Man's Land, which separated the two opposing
sides. Having seen this piece of information as helpful, we decided to apply the knowledge
to our "Desperation: Living Condition" page.

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"What Really Happened in the Christmas Truce of 1914?" BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 16 Dec.
2015. After one of the member had watched a video about the Christmas Truce in 1914, we
began to search for information about this event. This website was able to answer our
question: What really happened during the Christmas Truce? It symbolized the truce as a
peaceful escape from the devastatingly violent war. We also acknowledged that generals
became belligerent because they feared that men would then question the war and
uprisings.
Secondary Images
"World War I 1914-1918." HSC Modern History. N.p., n.d. Web. We used a diagram from this
website. The diagram demonstrated and labeled several lines in the trenches. It was useful
because it had everything that we needed to explain point out in visual terms. It is the
second picture on our "Inception" page.