节选自电影《西线无战事》(All Quiet On The Western Front)，是教授煽动孩子去参军的第二个段落。在本部影片中，教授的演讲都是反面教材，是一个不食人间烟火、不问世人冷暖的书呆子在鼓动一群没有任何切实的生活经历的单纯的孩子。直到亲身体验炮火硝烟的战场之前，学生们都坚信老师的话是没错的——

We have sought to make ourselves worthy¹, and let a claim come when it would. But to be foremost in battle is a virtue² not to be despised.

I believe it will be a quick war that there will be few loses. But if losses there must be, then let us remember the Latin phrase which must have come to the lips of many Roman when he stood embattled in a foreign land:“Dulce et decorum est pro³ patria mori.” (“Sweet and fitting it is to die for the fatherland.”)

Some of you may have ambitions. I know of one young man who has great promise as a writer, and he has written the first act of a tragedy which would be a credit to one of the masters. And he is dreaming, I suppose, of following in the foodsteps of Goethe and Shiller, and I hope he will.

But now our country calls. The fatherland needs leaders. Personal ambition must be thrown aside in one great sacrifice for our country. Here is a glorious beginning to your lives. The field of honor calls you. Why are we here?

重点讲解

　　教授就是教授，总能颠倒黑白、巧舌如簧，这样的教授仅仅是可恶的。但影片中出现的这位白头发的老教授却是可恨又可怜的，因为他真心实意地相信自己的观点是高尚的，是为了大我而牺牲小我，是非常时期的非常选择。

　　教授说，我们都寻求让自己活得有价值（make ourselves worthy），而且若条件允许（when it would）还会作出这样的要求。名词claim，要求权，要求而得到的东西。情态动词would是一个虚拟式句子的缩写，表示如果是非战争状态的和平年月。

　　然而，现在面临的是战争，有一种美德是在战场上不容轻视的（not to be despised），是重中之重的（foremost）（就是下文说到的“为祖国而战”）。

　　教授相信，眼前的这场战争不会持续太久（a quick war）、不会伤亡惨重（few loses）。他引用了一句拉丁语的名言“为祖国而死，甘之如饴，死得其所，”（Sweet and fitting it is to die for the fatherland.），是当初罗马士兵异国他乡与敌作战的时候经常挂在嘴边的一句话，只是为了说明，如果牺牲必不可免就要学会“甘之如饴”。

　　每个人总要为自己的存在找到一种价值，最好是自己和别人都认可，都孜孜以求的。教授最后的结论是：荣耀召唤着你们（the field of honor calls you），祖国召唤着你们（our country calls）。