85 pages • 2 hours read
Goodbye to All That
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During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-9
Reading Check
1. In reflecting on some of his earliest childhood memories in Chapter 1, Graves remembers his father keeping what famous author’s work in the drawing-room cupboards?
2. During his summers in Germany, Graves develops a distaste for which major German city, expressing revulsion at its “disgusting beer fumes […] and enormously stout population” (Chapter 4)?
3. As described in Chapter 5, Amalie had a house built in what quiet town, where Graves loved exploring the desolate rocky countryside?
4. What health issue causes Graves to stop playing football (soccer) in his second year at Charterhouse?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How did Graves first become “class-conscious” as a young boy?
2. What are the two main reasons that Alfred often removes Graves from his prep schools, as Graves describes in Chapter 3?
3. At Charthouse, why does Graves’s full name—Robert von Ranke Graves—pose a problem for him?
4. In his last 2 years at Charterhouse, how does Graves’s relationship with the Church of England begin to fade?
Paired Resource
“Robert Graves—WWI Poet—His Son Recalls: How War Shaped My Father’s Life”
- To honor 100 years since the start of WWI in 2015, the BBC interviewed William Graves, the son of Robert Graves.
- William mentions that his father never truly got over the things he experienced in the war, a testament to Graves’s Post-Traumatic Stress after the horrors of combat.
- What do you make of William’s report that, at the end of his father’s life, the war started “coming back” to his father?
CHAPTERS 10-15
Reading Check
1. Graves belongs to what regiment within the army?
2. En route to the Laventie sector in Chapter 14, Graves and Robertson spend the day at the Hotel de la France, where they hope to see which celebrity?
3. During the intense gas bombardment in Chapter 15, Graves calms himself by drinking a pint of what alcohol that he finds on the trench floor?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What are Graves’s primary reasons for enlisting in the army in Chapter 10?
2. What is the army’s attitude toward suicide? Describe the situation with the soldier Graves comes upon in the machine-gunner shelter, who died by suicide, in Chapter 12.
3. What is a “cushy one” and why do the soldiers in Graves’s company want one?
- This list from the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History describes how, from the trenches of the First World War, an entirely new type of slang was born to describe the soldiers’ experience.
- Better understanding the colorful, highly specialized language of WWI gives a more intimate insight into Soldiers’ Experiences of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Which of these slang terms have you heard in Graves’s writing in Goodbye to All That? Were there any terms you found particularly useful in understanding what life must have been like in the trenches?
CHAPTERS 16-20
Reading Check
1. At what age does Graves receive a promotion to become the Special Reserve captain?
2. In Harfleur, Graves runs a seminar instructing newly-arrived soldiers on what subject?
3. On what religious holiday does Graves attend the last church service of his life?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. While in Trafalgar Square, what causes Graves to be compelled to “touch wood” (Chapter 18)?
2. Why is Graves unable to use his new gas helmet in Chapter 18?
3. Despite their alliance, why does Graves think that the English soldiers in Pas de Calais have trouble sympathizing with the French?
Paired Resource
“Life in the Trenches WWI - Trench Warfare Explained”
- The Imperial War Museum presents this brief video explaining the prevalence and important of trench warfare during WWI.
- Conditions within the trenches were deplorable for the vast majority of soldiers, thus contributing to Soldiers’ Experiences of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Which of Graves’s experiences do you see reflected in this video?
CHAPTERS 21-26
Reading Check
1. As officers, Graves and Sassoon both have honorary membership to what social sporting club?
2. In Chapter 23, Graves jokes to Sassoon that only men over what age should be allowed to serve in the military?
3. Sassoon and Graves both simultaneously have poems published in which “pacifist” magazine?
4. After leaving the service, what does Graves derive his income from?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does The Times send Graves a letter of formal apology in Chapter 21?
2. Why does Graves feel conflicted about serving as a member of the Field General Court-Martial to prosecute an Irish sergeant for “casting away his arms” in the presence of the enemy (Chapter 22)?
3. In Chapter 24, Graves receives a letter from Sassoon that fills Graves with “anxiety and unhappiness.” What is the nature of this letter?
4. Why does Graves wonder about seeking a transfer to Palestine in Chapter 25?
Paired Resource
“Siegfried Sassoon—First World War Poet - Biographical Documentary”
- In this brief video, Professor Graeme Yorston gives a short history of Graves’s close friend and fellow soldier.
- Sassoon developed mental health conditions following the Western Front and his Soldiers’ Experiences of Combat.
- Based on this video, along with what you’ve learned about Sassoon from Goodbye to All That, do you think that he had PTSD? Do you think the army treated him fairly by sending him to a psychiatric hospital?
CHAPTER 27-EPILOGUE
Reading Check
1. Graves and Nancy find a cottage to rent in what location, notable for being home to a number of other poets?
2. At the end of Chapter 28, the house-agent in Oxford recommends that Graves and Nancy purchase what property?
3. With Nancy in poor health, her doctor advises that she needs to spend the winter in what African country?
4. In Chapter 31, Graves takes a job working as a professor at what university?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. When Nancy tells Graves that she’s stifled in Chapter 28, what are they inspired to do?
2. Having moved to a more rural area, how do Nancy and Graves become involved in local politics in Chapter 29?
3. In Chapter 32, Graves says he did two “useful pieces of educational work” while in Africa. What were they?
4. In the Epilogue, Graves re-reads Goodbye to All That and wonders if he would have done anything differently. What does he decide and why?
Recommended Next Reads
I Claudius by Robert Graves
- Published 5 years after Goodbye to All That, I, Claudius is a work of historical fiction that describes the early years of the Roman Empire from the perspective of the Emperor, Claudius.
- As protector of the Roman Empire, Claudius must involve himself in military affairs, and as such touches upon themes related to Soldiers’ Experiences.
- Though fiction, I, Claudius is written in the style of an autobiography and deals with war, empire, and power—all topics that hearken back to Goodbye to All That.
- I Claudius on SuperSummary
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
- Protagonist Paul Bäumer is a young German boy who enlists in the army during WWI. After years of horror on the Western Front, Paul becomes disillusioned with the values of hate and power that drive all wars.
- All Quiet on the Western Front is considered to be one of the greatest war fiction masterpieces of all time. It aptly describes Soldiers’ Experiences of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, particularly in WWI.
- This novel provides a new angle on WWI when compared to Goodbye to All That. Contrasting Graves’s British perspective, All Quiet on the Western Front is told from a German soldier’s point of view.
- All Quiet on the Western Front on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-9
Reading Check
1. Shakespeare (Chapter 1)
2. Munich (Chapter 4)
3. Harlech (Chapter 5)
4. A heart condition (Chapter 7)
Short Answer
1. When Graves was stricken with scarlet fever, his parents sent him to a public hospital to recover. There, he was exposed to classism; he noticed that he was well-treated compared to the other boys, who were underprivileged and living in poverty. (Chapter 2)
2. Because the schools lack academic rigor, and also because Graves begins using “naughty words” (Chapter 3).
3. On the eve of WWI, people constantly ridicule German goods, customs, and people. The “von” in his name betrays his German heritage, thus making him subject to bullying by his schoolmates. (Chapter 6)
4. Though Graves was once a zealous supporter of the church, when he receives his confirmation he is disappointed. His atheist friend, Raymond, also gives Graves ideas about the hypocrisy of the church. Even though Graves does not fully believe Raymond, his ideas plant seeds of doubt in his mind. (Chapter 8)
CHAPTERS 10-15
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. He thinks the war will be a quick one, first of all. Graves also wants to get out of going to Oxford. (Chapter 10)
2. The man died by suicide, having shot himself in the face the previous night. The machine-gunner explains that he is sure they’ll write “the usual sort of letter” to the man’s family, telling them that he “died a soldier’s death” and not make any explicit mention of suicide. (Chapter 12)
3. A “cushy one” is a serious, but non-life-threatening injury suffered by a soldier. Soldiers want a “cushy one” because it will get them out of combat. (Chapter 13)
CHAPTERS 16-20
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. The Adjutant makes an unlucky statement when he says that they haven’t lost a single officer in the past month, despite heavy casualties. “Touching wood” is supposed to ward off bad luck. (Chapter 18)
2. The helmet requires him to take breath in through the nose and out the mouth. Because Graves recently got a nose injury boxing, he’s unable to breathe through his nose. (Chapter 18)
3. Graves sees the soldiers as having more admiration for the Germans’ combat skills than the French people, whom the English see as ineffectual, ungrateful, and in need of constant help. Graves also claims that the French have “all the shortcomings of a border people.” (Chapters 16-20)
CHAPTERS 21-26
Reading Check
1. The Formby golf club (Chapter 21)
2. 45 years old (Chapter 23)
3. The Nation (Chapter 24)
4. His savings, the War Bonus, and a disability pension (Chapter 26)
Short Answer
1. They mistakenly published an obituary for him. In that obituary, they included some “biographical details” that they should not have (Chapter 21).
2. Graves feels like he might have done the same if he were in the position of the Irish sergeant. Knowing that the sergeant will be put to death if found guilty, Graves is conflicted about indicting him. (Chapter 22)
3. Sassoon sends a single newspaper clipping. On one side is an opinion essay defending conscientious objectors. On the other side is Sassoon’s public letter condemning the war on behalf of all soldiers. (Chapter 24)
4. Graves has damaged lungs. In Palestine, gas was relatively unknown and shell-fire was not an issue when compared to France, where Graves is currently stationed. (Chapter 25)
CHAPTER 27-EPILOGUE
Reading Check
1. Boar’s Hill (Chapter 27)
2. The “World’s End cottage” in Islip (Chapter 28)
3. Egypt (Chapter 30)
4. Royal University (Chapter 31)
Short Answer
1. The two of them leave their children in the care of a nurse. They ride off on their bicycles; they sleep during the day and ride at night. They land at the home of writer Thomas Hardy, who entertains them and tells them about postwar life. (Chapter 28)
2. They offer their house for weekly meetings of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Graves also serves on the Parish Council. (Chapter 29)
3. The first was when he ordered a library of textbooks for the English department at Royal University. The second was when he served as an examiner at the Higher Training College, thus helping ensure quality English teachers in primary and secondary schools. (Chapter 32)
4. He claims he would not do anything differently. His Protestant morality and “rebellious nature” with a “poetic obsession” are all hard to overcome—he simply is who he is. (Epilogue)
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