What effect does hope have on our lives? When many people think of hope they usually only think of it as something that affects their mental condition. However, I would like to argue that hope has a bigger effect than we might think. What are the effects of hope on all aspects of our lives and our societies? Does losing hope of recovering from an illness make us get sick quicker? Does gaining hope help our financial situation? Can we use this hope to better our society? 

In World War 1, the allies and the central powers had been at a stalemate for months. This changed later on in the war when the United States entered on the side of the allied powers. We see in the book All’s Quiet On The Western Front the point of view of a German soldier, Paul. He and his regiment have been in the war for many months, but have managed to mostly survive the front lines. After the United States enters the war the reader can feel the characters losing hope. As they lose this hope the quality of their fighting and their survival instincts decreases. As they realize they do not have a high chance to survive, they almost stop trying to survive. It is not clear whether this is an active choice each soldier makes or if they have made it subconsciously but it is obvious that after their hope is lost, they have almost no chance at survival.

By losing their optimism they have consequently lost their lives. After all, if you’re already going to die, what’s the point in wasting energy trying to stay alive. Hope changed everything for them and it still changes everything for us. Having it can create amazing things and losing it will destroy. Hope is a powerful tool that can transform our lives as long as we remember to hold on to it.