The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide

THE GLENCOE LITERATURE LIBRARY
Study Guide
for
The Red Badge

of Courage
by Stephen Crane
i
Meet Stephen Crane
stressed that realism has only one law: “to be true,
not to the objective reality, but to the objective
reality as the author sees it.” Crane had already come
to a similar conclusion about his writing. Once,
when a friend asked him for advice on writing,
Crane threw a handful of sand into the air and said,
“Treat your notions like that. Forget what you think
about it and tell how you feel about it.” Crane’s
discussions with Garland, which often occurred
while throwing a baseball back and forth, helped
Crane to crystallize his ideas about writing and to
launch himself as a novelist.
Crane’s writing was also influenced by his
upbringing. Born in 1871 in Newark, New Jersey,
he was the son of a Methodist minister. His
I decided that the nearer a writer gets to life, the
mother came from a long line of Methodist
greater he becomes as an artist, and most of my
clergymen. Although Crane did not embrace his
prose writings have been toward the goal
parents’ religion, he was strongly affected by cer-
partially described by that misunderstood and
tain Christian ideas. In particular, he was acutely
abused word, realism.
aware of the insignificance of human beings in
—Stephen Crane the universe and the guilt and fear that the
thought of sin could inspire. In The Red Badge of
Courage, as in many of his stories and poems,
A s a young man, Stephen Crane was determined
to get close to life. While studying at Syracuse
University in 1891, where his two passions were
Crane reveals his interest in moral issues by
focusing on personal responsibility, conscience,
baseball and literature, he worked part-time as a and life as a spiritual journey.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
reporter for the New York Tribune. In his work, Crane’s use of language also reflects the influ-
he explored the slums and police courts of ence of religion in his life. Religious imagery plays
Syracuse. There he fraternized with the poor a major role in The Red Badge of Courage, as well
and homeless and pursued his goal of studying as in Crane’s poetry. Many of Crane’s references
“humanity” firsthand. come directly from the Bible or from the sermons
While working as a journalist, Crane also began and hymns he heard during his youth.
to write fiction, including a story that would become Crane lived a short but adventurous life.
his first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. In his He died of tuberculosis and exhaustion before
early twenties, Crane avidly read the works of realist reaching the age of twenty-nine. His master-
writers such as the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Crane piece, The Red Badge of Courage (1895), was
especially admired Tolstoy’s book Sebastopol for its published before he turned twenty-four. Cited
unromantic portrayal of war. He was also attracted to for its fresh narrative style and realistic depic-
two leading American realists of the time, William tion of combat, the novel made him a celebrity.
Dean Howells and Hamlin Garland. Both wrote Its critical success led to assignments as a
about the hardships and ethical problems of middle- roving newspaper reporter in the West and
and lower-class characters. Crane admired both for as a war correspondent in Cuba, Mexico,
emphasizing “nature and the truth.” Greece, and Turkey. Crane turned his adven-
In 1891 Crane met Garland and had a chance tures into material for more than one hundred
to discuss his literary ideas with the writer. Garland stories and sketches.
The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide 9

Introducing the Novel
When The Red Badge of Courage was first up, in which a young person moves from inno-
published in 1895, many readers were impressed cence, to familiarity, to wisdom.
by its unflinchingly honest portrayal of war. “They In constructing The Red Badge of Courage,
all insist I am a veteran of the Civil War,” Crane Crane drew on a predictable pattern followed in
noted in a letter. In truth, at the time he wrote Civil War memoirs and novels of initiation. But
the novel, Crane had never even seen a battle. what Crane created was not an ordinary Civil War
The Red Badge of Courage is a profile of an story. Crane’s approach was startlingly unconven-
inexperienced young soldier undergoing his first tional. He wrote about the violence and confusion
experience of battle. “The youth” in the novel, of the battlefield. While some European novelists,
Henry Fleming, makes a journey of self-discovery. such as Tolstoy and Emile Zola, had written about
But what he learns, and whether he learns, from war in a gritty and unsentimental way, most war
his experiences is a point that is still debated. novels by American writers at the time were
In writing The Red Badge of Courage nearly simply adventure stories or romances. Crane,
thirty years after the Civil War ended, Crane however, went beyond giving a realistic picture
referred to stories of actual battles written in popu- of war. He focused on the effects of war on the
lar magazines. He also likely had heard oral human mind. Crane himself called the novel a
accounts from veterans and seen Mathew Brady’s “psychological portrayal of fear.”
photographs of Civil War battlegrounds. In addi- The novel’s style is impressionistic, reflecting
tion, Crane was acquainted with the memoirs this subjective approach. Impressionism, a term
many veterans had written in the 1860s, 1870s, borrowed from the fine arts, refers to a highly per-
and 1880s. These works often portrayed going off sonal way of seeing. Like an impressionist painter,
to war as an experience of initiation, or growing the impressionist writer does not present objects
Nearly three million men served in the Civil War. More than two million were Union soldiers like those shown
at this Civil War encampment.
10 The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide

Did You Know?
In a typical Civil War battle, the opposing The thick, eye-watering smoke that
armies were only a few hundred yards apart. settled over the battlefield made combat
Usually one side would attempt to advance madly confusing. Soldiers could see only a
across an open field, while the defenders fired shor t distance ahead. It was not uncom-
at them from the cover of trees or trenches. mon for troops in the second or third line
Such assaults were murderous because the to fire into their own front rank. Soldiers
attackers were so exposed. Nevertheless, this often felt shots coming at them from all
tactic remained common throughout the war. directions. The noise of the battle—the
Large battles consisted of countless booming explosions of cannons, the sharp
skirmishes, or minor fights, involving small bursts of rifle shots, and the shouts and
groups of soldiers. The attacking soldiers did groans of those fighting and dying—added
not advance steadily toward the enemy in neat to the confusion. Gruesome deaths were
ranks. Rather, they dashed forward a few yards, common, and advancing or retreating sol-
fired, then lay down or hid to reload before diers often had no choice but to step on
dashing forward a few more yards to fire again. the dead and wounded.
or events as they might appear to an objective Red Badge of Courage has been called the first
observer, in precise and accurate detail. Instead, modern American novel. Although written
the writer shows the objects or events as they before the turn of the century, Crane’s novel has
seem or feel to an individual at a precise moment more in common with the works of twentieth-
in time. Crane’s impressionistic approach, empha- century writers such as Ernest Hemingway and
sizing the “drama of thought” rather than action, F. Scott Fitzgerald than it does with works of the
was radically new. 1890s. While many war novels have been written
A second element in The Red Badge of since, The Red Badge remains one of the most-
Courage is its ironic tone. Tone refers to the admired in American literature.
writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter.
Irony involves an awareness of a contradiction THE TIME AND PLACE
between appearance and reality. Irony is evident The setting for The Red Badge of Courage is an
throughout the novel in Crane’s attitude toward unnamed battle during the Civil War. However,
both war and courage. His realistic descriptions of historians have studied details in the novel relat-
battle undercut the traditional view of war as a ing to time, weather, the lay of the land, and the
stage for glorious acts of heroism. Many readers movements of the troops during the battle. Using
also believe that Crane’s attitude toward his main these details as clues, they have deduced that
character is ironic. His descriptions of Henry Crane was describing a portion of the Battle of
often call into question the accuracy of Henry’s Chancellorsville, Virginia, which lasted four days
perceptions about himself. Thus, what appears to in May of 1863.
be true to Henry Fleming may not coincide with Crane not only withholds the name of the
what the author or reader knows—or thinks—to battle but also never mentions the Civil War. He
be true about Fleming. devotes relatively little space to the physical set-
Because of its ironic tone, its emphasis on the ting. Many critics believe that the real setting of
psychological, and its impressionistic style, The this novel is Henry Fleming’s mind.

Before You Read
The Red Badge of Courage Chapters 1–7
FOCUS ACTIVITY
How do people discover what their strengths and weaknesses are? How would you respond to the idea that
each person is an “unknown quantity” until he or she is tested by a challenging situation?
Chart It
Working with a partner create a chart listing some challenging or stressful situations that test a person’s
character. Consider using such categories as school, work, or sports. Discuss your examples. What might
people discover about themselves in each situation?
Setting a Purpose
Read to find out how an inexperienced young soldier’s courage is tested in his first combat situation.
BACKGROUND
Did You Know?
Every story is told from a certain point of view. In The Red Badge of Courage, readers see the action
through the eyes of just one character, the youth named Henry Fleming. Henry is not the narrator of the
story but we are inside Henry’s mind throughout the novel. We never know any of the other characters
from the inside. This approach is known as the third-person limited point of view.
In the novel, the narrator describes things as Henry perceives them, and Henry’s observations are
highly colored by his emotions. At times, Henry’s surroundings almost seem to be an extension of his per-
sonality. While the descriptions of what Henry sees might seem distorted, they provide a highly accurate
picture of Henry’s personal reality. This special kind of realism, which is subjective rather than objective,
is known as psychological realism.
A Poetic Style
The style of the novel is closely related to its point of view. In passage after passage, Crane presents
Henry’s impressions of his surroundings. To convey these impressions, or psychological effects, he uses

many images and symbols. For example, to Henry the campfires of the enemy across the river look like the
“red eyes” of a “row of dragons.” In other cases, the images suggest the author’s attitude toward the subject
of the novel––war. For example, as Henry’s regiment marches through the woods and fields, the narrator
says, “They were going to look at war, the red animal—war, the blood-swollen god.” The abundant visual
imagery, which often emphasizes particular colors, contributes to the highly poetic style of the novel.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
annihilate [ə n¯ə lāt] v. to totally destroy
ardor [ardər] n. burning passion
din [din] n. loud, jarring noise
fathom [fa
thəm]
v. to understand; to probe
ominous [omə nəs] adj. forecasting disaster or threat
prowess [prouis] n. bravery and skill
solemnly [soləm lē] adv. seriously
tumult [t¯¯¯
ooməlt] n. uproar; disorder

Name 㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭 Date 㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭 Class 㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭㛭
Active Reading
Many striking images appear throughout this section. Variations on these images occur throughout the
novel. As you read, use this chart to record phrases and sentences that contain examples of each kind of
image listed.
Animal images Other images from nature
enemy campfires look like “red eyes” of

a “row of dragons ”
Religious images Machine images


Responding
Personal Response
What is your first impression of Henry Fleming?
Review the chart you created for the Focus Activity on page 12. What challenging or
stressful situations does Henry face?
Analyzing Literature
Recall and Interpret
1. Why does Henry enlist? What new thoughts does he struggle with before battle? Do
other soldiers share these thoughts? Explain.

2. How does Henry perform during the first attack? Why does he run from the battle during
the second attack?
3. Alone in the woods, how does Henry justify his flight? When Henry enters the chapel
of trees, does he find comfort? Explain.

Responding
Analyzing Literature (continued)

Evaluate and Connect
4. Crane usually calls Henry simply “the youth.” What reason might he have for referring to
the main character in this way?
5. What details help to give a realistic picture of the combat experience of Civil War soldiers
and of soldiers in general?
Literature and Writing

Critic’s Analysis
Review the chart of images you completed in the Active Reading on page 13. Then write an
analysis of the way the images contribute to the impact of the novel. In your writing, consider
the following: How do the images help to create a certain mood? How do they reflect Henry’s
psychological state at certain moments? How do they reflect the author’s attitude toward war or
his view of human nature?
Extending Your Response

Literature Groups
In Chapters 1 through 7, Henry’s emotions swing back and forth, mirroring the conflict within
him. In your group, discuss the character and the nature of his conflict. Anchor your discussion
in the text by assigning one or more chapters to each person for review. Skim your chapter to
find passages in which Henry expresses a strong emotion. Describe the emotion and the
thoughts or perceptions that accompany it. Give everyone a chance to describe at least one
passage. Then, based on your group’s discussion, make a list of adjectives that describe Henry.
Compare your lists with those of other groups.
Learning for Life
Employers often evaluate the performance of their employees in a report. This report is then
shared with the employee as feedback. Both positive comments and suggestions for improvement
are usually included. Play the role of Henry’s commanding officer and evaluate his performance
during the first brief attack (see Chapter 5). In your written report, give specific examples of
behaviors that you feel deserve praise or criticism. Based on this performance only, evaluate
whether Henry has the potential to be a good soldier.
Save your work for your portfolio.

Before You Read
FOCUS ACTIVITY
How would you define the word conscience? How can having a guilty or troubled conscience interfere with
a person’s daily life?
Sharing Ideas
Think about the meaning of the word conscience. Write a brief definition in your own words. Then, meet
with a partner to share definitions. Discuss why feeling guilty is such an uncomfortable experience.
Setting a Purpose
Read to find out more about how Henry Fleming struggles with his conscience.
BACKGROUND
Did You Know?
Desertion was common during the Civil War. Some soldiers deserted out of fear during battle. Most recruits
received little training and almost no guidance about what to expect in battle. Whole units were often com-
posed of untried men, without veterans who could provide information or advice. In their memoirs, Civil War
soldiers often express a fear of battle, but many were as afraid of being branded cowards as they were of being
wounded or killed. “Showing the white feather,” or displaying cowardice, could bring humiliation both in the
regiment and back home with friends and family.
Other desertions were more calculated and for reasons other than fear. Some men left the army because
of the harsh physical conditions. Others tired of not being paid on time, or returned home to help their
struggling families. Still others resented their officers, who often lacked military training. Many men deserted
because they had enlisted simply for the bounty, or reward that was offered to enlistees late in the war.
Religious Imagery
“The red sun was pasted in the sky like a wafer.” This sentence, which appears at the end of Chapter 9,
contains probably the most famous image in The Red Badge of Courage. The image is a topic of much debate.
Some critics believe that Crane is making a comparison between the red sun and a communion wafer. In

the Christian sacrament of communion, participants recognize the death and sacrifice of Christ by receiving
both bread and wine as symbols of Christ’s body. Readers who accept this interpretation of Crane’s image
also see Jim Conklin as a Christ-like figure who helps to redeem, or save, Henry. They point to his initials
and to other elements of Christian imagery that occur in Chapter 9 as justification for this interpretation.
As you read, think about the role Jim Conklin plays in the novel and about his effect on Henry Fleming.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
conjure [konjər] v. to think up
derisive [di r¯siv] adj. scornful
frenzy [frenz ē] n. wild or violent activity
gaunt [ont] adj. excessively thin
plight [pl¯t] n. unfortunate situation
spectral [spektrəl] adj. ghostly
sullenly [sulən lē] adv. gloomily; with silent anger
transfixed [trans fikst] adj. held motionless
valor [valər] n. bravery
vindication [vin´də kāshən] n. justification; confirmation

Active Reading
In Chapters 8 through 16, Henry continues to wrestle with his conscience. In the chart below, list several
statements from Chapters 11 and 15 that reveal Henry’s feelings and thoughts. Focus on passages where
he reflects on his experiences and considers the future. Next to each passage, note the main emotion
expressed in the statement.
Chapter 11
Statement Emotion Expressed
“He felt that he was regarding a procession of chosen envy

beings . . . He could never be like them”
Chapter 15
Statement Emotion Expressed

Responding
Personal Response
Think about Henry’s experiences with and behavior toward Jim Conklin, Wilson, and the
tattered man. What questions would you like to ask Henry about these relationships?
1. What happens to Jim Conklin? How does Henry respond? How does the wounded
“tattered man” treat Henry? Why does Henry desert him?

2. Why does Henry envy the other soldiers? How does he become wounded? What is
ironic, or contradictory, about his “red badge”?
3. What fear does Henry have as he returns to his regiment? How is he received? What
loud remarks does Henry make as the regiment waits to fight?

Responding

4. What change does Henry notice in his friend Wilson? How, in your opinion, does
Wilson provide a foil, or contrast, to Henry?
5. Do you think that Henry’s thoughts and actions in Chapters 8 through 16 illustrate some
basic tendencies that all human beings have? Explain.

Comparing Characters
Compare and contrast the characters of Jim Conklin (the tall soldier), Wilson (the loud sol-
dier), and the tattered man. How are they similar and how are they different? What interac-
tions do they have with Henry in Chapters 8 through 16? How are they like or unlike Henry
Fleming? What role do these minor characters seem to play in the novel? Write a one-page
analysis of one of the three minor characters.
Literature Groups
After returning to his regiment, Henry seems to develop a new attitude:
There was a little flower of confidence growing within him. He was now a man of
experience. He had been out among the dragons, he said, and he assured himself that they
were not so hideous as he had imagined them.
Discuss whether you believe this statement. In your discussion, consider these questions:
• Is Henry really a “man of experience” at this point? If so, in what way?
• Is Henry being overconfident here? Is Crane making fun of him, or being ironic, by
describing Henry’s attitude in such elevated terms?
• Do you think Henry has changed since receiving his wound? Do you think he will behave
differently when the regiment fights the next time?
To prepare for your discussion, review Henry’s thoughts about himself that you listed in
your Active Reading chart on page 17.
Performing
Prepare a dramatic monologue that explores Henry’s internal conflict. Before writing the script
for your monologue, review your notes about conscience and guilt from the Focus Activity on
page 16. Then review the events in this section of the novel and Henry’s responses to those
events. In addition, skim the chapters, especially Chapters 11 and 15, to note key statements
that indicate Henry’s shifting frame of mind. Finally, think about how you can use posture,
gesture, vocal quality, and expression to capture Henry’s personality. Perform your monologue
for a small group of students or for the entire class.

Before You Read
FOCUS ACTIVITY
In what ways do you think young people become more realistic as they grow into adulthood?
Discuss
In a small group, discuss some situations in which young people adjust their dreams or expectations to fit
reality as they get older. What factors contribute to a more realistic view? Is there any comfort or advan-
tage in learning that life is complex?
Setting a Purpose
Read to find out whether Henry Fleming resolves the conflict with which he has been wrestling.
BACKGROUND
Did You Know?
The soldier who carried the regiment’s flag, or colors, was exposed to great danger on the battlefield. The
regimental flag was a badge of honor and pride. Therefore, the color-bearer had to carry the flag visibly, in
front of the action, as an inspiration to the fighting men. Because the flag symbolized defiance and aggres-
sion to the enemy, the color-bearer was always a first target. The color-bearer had the shortest life
expectancy in the unit. Several color guards in succession might be killed in the same battle. Civil War
battle accounts are full of stories of the exceptional bravery and sacrifice of the color guards.
A Plotless Novel?
Some critics have called the The Red Badge of Courage a nearly plotless novel. While this may be an over-
statement, the novel certainly does not follow a conventional structure. Many of the most important
“actions” occur inside Henry’s head. In addition, the action does not rise steadily to a climax, or point of
highest tension. Rather, action alternates with reflection. Instead of creating a neat cause-and-effect chain
of events, Crane presents a series of tense and conflicting episodes. As you finish reading the novel, think
about how this structure—or lack of structure—serves the author’s purpose. Also, think about the novel’s
climax and resolution. Is there a distinct turning point in Chapters 17 through 24? Is Henry’s conflict

resolved at the end?
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
clamor [klamər] n. noisy shouting
delirium [di lēre əm] n. confused or excited mental state
despondent [di spondənt] adj. depressed; hopeless
frantic [frantik] adj. emotionally out of control
gospels [ospəls] n. things taken to be the truth
lurid [loorid] adj. shockingly pale; horrifying

Active Reading
In the final pages of Chapter 24, Henry reflects on how his experiences have affected him. Using the
chart below, list statements in which Henry draws conclusions about how he has changed. Next to each
statement, note whether you find the statement convincing and why.
Convincing?
Statement Why?
Yes No
Henry realizes that, in spite of his

“He saw that he was good.”
failures, he is still a good person.

Responding
Personal Response
What was your response to the ending of the novel? How do you feel about Henry and his
journey of self-discovery?
1. When the enemy charges (in Chapter 17), how does Henry fight? Afterward, how does
he feel? How does he feel after eavesdropping on the two officers?

2. How does Henry earn the praise of his lieutenant? During the regiment’s second charge
(in Chapter 23), what role does Henry play?
3. What memory at first darkens Henry’s proud feelings after the battle? How does he think
his experiences have changed him?

Responding

4. Crane repeatedly uses animal images to describe the regiment’s fighting. Find three
examples. Based on these images, how do you think the author might define courage?
5. In what ways do you think the qualities Henry shows in battle would be useful in war
today? Explain.

War Correspondent’s Report
In writing about war, reporters strive to give an accurate picture of what happened in a
particular battle or incident. Many also try to capture the gritty reality of warfare “on the
ground.” Write a factual account of the Union regiment’s charge, enemy counterattack, and
second charge into the enemy line, as described in Chapters 19 through 23. For ideas on accu-
rately representing the entire scene, reread Chapter 22, in which Henry becomes almost a
spectator of the larger battle. To humanize your story, focus on the raw recruit who becomes
the flag bearer. You may also want to incorporate “invented” quotations from the fighting men.
Literature Groups
In the novel, Henry’s encounters with war and death challenge his perception of himself and
test his moral character. Think about your responses to the Focus Activity on page 20.
Then, in your group, discuss this question: Has Henry truly matured through his experiences?
To prepare for your discussion, review the Active Reading chart on page 21 in which
you listed and evaluated Henry’s perceptions of himself in the final chapter. What has Henry
discovered about himself and about life? In your opinion, does he see himself clearly at the
end? Do you think the author wants readers to accept Henry’s statements at face value, or is
there a note of irony in the final paragraphs? If so, what is the source of the irony? Cite evi-
dence from the novel to support your opinions.
Music Connection
In your group, work together to develop a soundtrack for Chapters 17 through 24. To begin,
create an informal outline that briefly states what happens in each chapter. Then, think
about what type of music would be appropriate for each scene. For example, will you use
instrumental or vocal music? blaring brass horns or a quiet guitar? pleasing sounds or jarring
sounds? After selecting or creating music and recording your soundtrack, play it for the class,
explaining how the music conveys the mood and meaning of this section of the novel.

Responding
The Red Badge of Courage
Personal Response
Henry’s personal test comes in war. What is a personal test you have faced? Did surviving
this test help you to grow in some way or make you feel wiser? Did succeeding or failing at
this test affect what you learned about yourself?
Can you see any parallels between your own experience and Henry Fleming’s experience?
Explain.

Writing About the Novel
Early in the novel, Henry Fleming wonders if he will prove to be “a man of traditional
courage.” Would you describe Henry in this way? Do you consider him to be a hero? On a
separate sheet of paper, define what courage means to you. You may wish to refer to tradi-
tional views on courage or heroism in your definition. Then analyze Henry’s character
according to your standards. Support your analysis by referring to his responses in battle, his
encounters with other characters, and the thoughts and feelings he expresses as he reflects
on his actions.

A Son of the Gods Ambrose Bierce
Before You Read

Focus Question
What steps do you go through when you have to make difficult decisions? Does one of those steps include
fighting feelings of fear and doubt?
Background
Ambrose Bierce enlisted in the Union army when he was eighteen years old and served until the Civil War
ended three years later. He was involved in some of the most fierce and important battles of the war. Despite
the fact that he had firsthand knowledge, Bierce, like Crane, did not emphasize specific battles or military
leaders in his writings. Instead he focused on the emotions and impressions of men caught up in the war.
Responding to the Reading

1. Although Bierce’s horseman knew that allowing himself to be captured might save his life, why was it
important to the troops that he did not exercise that option?
2. How does the young officer make the best use of his remaining time and life after he spots the
concealed enemy forces? What feelings might he be having at this time?
3. What does the author mean when he writes “At what a dear rate an army must sometimes purchase
knowledge”?
4. How does the soldiers’ attitude toward the young officer change over the course of the story? What
dramatic gesture does their feeling for the officer inspire them to make?
5. Making Connections Today, technology allows troops to communicate with each other and gather
information about enemy positions with little risk to the intelligence gatherer or the communicator.
What important communications function did Henry Fleming perform for his regiment after he
retrieved the flag from the wounded bearer? What task was Bierce’s young officer performing? What
risks did the two men share?
Creative Writing
One of the challenges of communicating effectively is being able to describe something to someone who is
completely unfamiliar with it. Imagine you are one of the soldiers who survived the events Bierce
describes. In a letter to a family member who has never seen military conflict, write in detail about your
recent experiences.

A Day Louisa May Alcott
Before You Read

Focus Question
What challenges could you expect to encounter if you volunteered to work in a battlefield hospital?
Background
In her twenties, Louisa May Alcott wrote in her journal that she “longed to see a war.” Because women
could not join the army at that time, she enlisted as an army nurse. If Henry Fleming had been wounded
in the battle Crane described, he might have arrived at the makeshift hospital in Washington, D.C.,
where Alcott worked.

1. What is Alcott’s first reaction when the wounded from Fredericksburg arrive? How does she soon
come to view the soldiers?
2. Bill Smithers, a wounded soldier in The Red Badge of Courage, said he would have “rather been in ten
hundred battles” than in the hospital. From Alcott’s and Smithers’s descriptions of hospital conditions,
do you think the soldier was exaggerating? Why or why not?

3. Making Connections Compare the attitudes and personalities of the captured and wounded
Confederate soldier in The Red Badge of Courage and the Confederate soldier in Alcott’s hospital ward.
Letter to the Editor

“A Day” is part of Alcott’s Hospital Sketches, which were originally written for publication in a newspaper.
Imagine her readers’ reactions to one or more of the situations she described. Write a short letter to the
editor of the newspaper praising or criticizing the work of the hospital staff.

Stephen Crane’s Historic War

Novel Owes a Debt to His
Love of Baseball Ed Burns
Before You Read
Focus Question
What might sports and war have in common?
Background
Because Crane’s descriptions of battle scenes seem so authentic, many readers in the 1890s were surprised
to learn that the author of the best-selling novel had no experience in warfare. To research the war, Crane
read recollections written by veterans and saw drawings and photographs of the battlefields. Crane himself
attributed his talent for capturing the feel of combat to his experiences in competitive team sports.

1. What two activities did Crane participate in at the Hudson River Institute that would be helpful in his
life’s work?
2. What similarities can you find between a game of baseball, or another team sport, and the battle
scenes described by Crane? Take into account periods of waiting, reversals in winning and losing, and
the leadership of teams.
3. Making Connections Compare the temperament of the regiment’s young lieutenant in The Red Badge
of Courage to Burns’s description of Crane’s interactions with members of his university baseball team.
Art Connection
From Ed Burns’s description of Crane and his baseball gear, draw a cartoon figure of Crane as the catcher of
his college and university teams. Write a caption or a balloon dialogue that typifies Crane’s love of the sport.

War Stories:
Andy McNab from Frontline
Before You Read

Focus Question
What do you think it would be like to be a soldier in wartime?
Background
The United Nations’s action against Iraq in 1991, called the Gulf War, involved armed forces from several
nations. This interview with a British soldier highlights how weapons have changed drastically since Civil
War days, but shows how the feelings and actions of soldiers remain much the same.

1. Why does McNab call the moments after hearing the track vehicles “a very frustrating time”?
2. What was the condition of many of the Iraqi soldiers? How did this affect McNab’s attitude toward
those soldiers?

3. Making Connections Speaking of his most vivid memories of the engagement, McNab says “it’s . . .
just small contained areas that . . . you see.” If the British soldier was not familiar with The Red Badge
of Courage, how would you draw an analogy for him showing the similarity between his comment and
Crane’s approach to writing about war?
Listening and Speaking

Ask a fellow student to play the role of a United Nations soldier and interview that person on his or her
first experience in the battlefield. On a separate sheet of paper, record your notes on the interview.

A March in the Ranks Hard-Prest,

and the Road Unknown Walt Whitman
Before You Read
Focus Question
Have you ever had to get your bearings quickly in an unfamiliar room? If so, what did you observe first?
Background
The Civil War was very real to poet Walt Whitman. Moved by the suffering he saw as he searched for
his wounded brother, Whitman spent his spare time as a volunteer in the overcrowded, poorly equipped
Union hospitals in Washington, D.C. He wrote many poems about war in the years immediately
following the end of the Civil War.

1. What emotions do you think the “sullen remnant” of the army felt when they first saw a dim-lighted
building in the opening? What emotions might they have had when they realized that the church was
a makeshift hospital?
2. What might Whitman mean when he says, “a sight beyond all the pictures and poems ever made”?
3. What happens to the young soldier who is shot in the abdomen? How does the soldier seem to meet
his fate?
4. Making Connections What similarities do you see between the experience of Whitman’s soldier in
the church and Henry Fleming’s experience in the “green chapel”?
Creative Writing
On a separate sheet of paper rewrite the poem as an objective, narrative paragraph including the many details
that Whitman provides. Or, if you choose, rewrite the poem in Crane’s prose style. Remember Crane’s advice to
write how you feel about your subject rather than how you think about it. Read your paragraph to a partner.

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THE GLENCOE LITERATURE LIBRARY

The Red Badge

The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide 9

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The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide 11

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12 The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide

Animal images Other images from nature

enemy campfires look like “red eyes” of

Religious images Machine images

The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide 13

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14 The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide

Analyzing Literature (continued)

Literature and Writing

Extending Your Response

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“He felt that he was regarding a procession of chosen envy

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Analyzing Literature (continued)

Literature and Writing

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Henry realizes that, in spite of his

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Analyzing Literature (continued)

Literature and Writing

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24 The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide

A Son of the Gods Ambrose Bierce

Before You Read

Responding to the Reading

The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide 25

A Day Louisa May Alcott

Before You Read

Responding to the Reading

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Letter to the Editor

26 The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide

Stephen Crane’s Historic War

Responding to the Reading

The Red Badge of Courage Study Guide 27

Before You Read

Responding to the Reading

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Listening and Speaking