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The Red
Badge of
Courage
A unique
approach to
literature

Exploring The Red Badge of Courage NotesLog Out
2:35
Watch the video and think about it.
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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The
introductory
video provides
context and
engages
students.

Check Your Understanding
1.  What genre is The Red Badge of Courage?
a.  fantasy
b.  historical fiction
c.  mystery
d.  legend
2.  During what war does the action of The Red Badge
of Courage take place?
a.  the American Revolution
b.  World War I
c.  the Spanish-American War
d.  the Civil War
3.  Who is the main character in The Red Badge
of Courage?
a.  Henry
b.  Wilson
c.  Jim
d.  Simpson
4.  What did Crane use to write The Red Badge of
Courage?
a.  his experiences as a soldier
in the Civil War
b.  his work as a reporter during
the Civil War
c.  his research on battles and soldiers
of the Civil War
d.  his viewing of Matthew Brady’s
photographs of the Civil War
5.  How was The Red Badge of Courage different
from other novels of that time?
a.  It was very realistic.
b.  It had elements of science fiction.
c.  It was autobiographical.
d.  It had elements of the supernatural.
Check AnswersBack
The Red
Badge of
Courage
This quick
quiz checks
and activates
prior
knowledge.
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Next

What Is Classic Literature?
The Red Badge of Courage is considered a classic work of literature. Read the definition of
“classic literature.” Then think about each word that appears. Based on the definition, decide if the
word describes classic literature or not. Then click on whether the word describes classic
literature or not classic literature.
Classic literature is a book, poem, or short story that is a work of high quality. The work is noted
for its excellence. It also can be appreciated at any time, not just in the time it is written. Often
classic literature is one that was a new form or style when it was written. Classic literature is used
as a model for future writers. The themes continue to speak to readers throughout history.
mediocre timeless current engaging universal
limited enduring valueless superior variable
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
This activity
builds
confidence by
practicing a
language sub-
skill students
will need
when they use
a close
reading.

Review the definition of classic literature. Then write why you think that
The Red Badge of Courage is or is not a classic work of literature.
Classic literature is a book, poem, or short story that is a work of high quality. The work is noted
for its excellence. It also can be appreciated at any time, not just in the time it is written. Often
classic literature is one that was a new form or style when it was written. Classic literature is used
as a model for future writers. The themes continue to speak to readers throughout history.
My Response
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Students
analyze the
nuances of
defining
classic
literature.
Next

Compare and Contrast Two Works of Classic Literature
Read the two texts. Think about how the texts are alike and different.
Song of the Banner at Daybreak
by Walt Whitman
O you up there! O pennant! where you undulate like a
snake hissing so curious,
Out of reach, an idea only, yet furiously fought for,
risking bloody death, loved by me,
So loved—O you banner leading the day with stars
brought from the night!
Valueless, object of eyes, over all and demanding all—
(absolute owner of all)—O banner and pennant!
I too leave the rest—great as it is, it is nothing—houses,
machines are nothing—I see them not,
I see but you, O warlike pennant! O banner so broad,
with stripes, I sing you only,
Flapping up there in the wind.
The Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane
Within him, as he hurled himself forward, was
born a love, a despairing fondness for this flag
which was near him. It was a creation of
beauty and invulnerability. It was a goddess,
radiant, that bended its form with an
imperious gesture to him. It was a woman, red
and white, hating and loving, that called him
with the voice of his hopes. Because no harm
could come to it he endowed it with power. He
kept near, as if it could be a saver of lives, and
an imploring cry went from his mind.
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
Students
compare texts
to understand
that classic
literature is
not defined by
genre.
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Next

Compare and Contrast
poem
Complete the Venn diagram. Think about the words or phrases that describe Song of the Banner at Daybreak,
The Red Badge of Courage, or Both. Drag and drop the words to the correct spot.
first person: point of view
use: metaphors
theme: patriotism
historical fiction
use: personification
use: repetition
third person: point of view
Song of the Banner at
Daybreak
The Red Badge
of Courage
Both
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
This activity
builds
confidence by
helping
students
compare
theme,
perspective,
and language
usage in two
texts.

Read about each Key Character. Use the sliders to decide how tragic or heroic each Key Character is.
Highlight the text evidence that supports your decision.
Henry Fleming
Jim Conklin
Wilson
Tattered Soldier
Henry’s Mother
Tragic Heroic
Back
Analyze Key Characters
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students use
a close
reading of
the text to
evaluate
the key
characters.

Henry Fleming
Who is he?
•  The protagonist, a young boy fighting in the Civil War
•  Leaves his mother and their farm to fight
•  304th regiment of the Union army
What do we know about him?
•  He has romantic ideas of war but wonders if he has
the courage to fight in battle and when the first
battle comes, he deserts his regiment and flees to
the forest where he finds a dead soldier.
•  When Henry leaves the forest, he meets up with a
procession of wounded soldiers, including the
tattered soldier, who make Henry feel paranoid that
the other soldiers might find out he was a deserter.
•  Once back with his regiment, Henry proves himself to
be a courageous soldier in battle when he seizes the
enemy’s flag and wins a small victory. However, he
continues to struggle with paranoia about being
found out as a deserter and holds himself high above
the others, even after he learns how insignificant his
life is compared to the war.
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students
highlight text
to provide
evidence that
supports their
decisions.

Who is he?
•  Introduced as the “tall”
•  Rooms with Henry and is considered his friend
•  Dies early on from being shot in the side
•  He tells the regiment the rumors he’s heard about
them being soon mobilized for battle and quarrels
with Wilson.
•  He tells Henry that he would do his part to fight in
battle but would also run away from battle if
everyone else ran.
•  He leaves the procession of the wounded soldiers to
die off the road and out of the way of the marching
troops and wagons. He dies as a courageous and
humble soldier.
Back
Jim Conklin
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students
continue to
evaluate
the key
characters.

Who is he?
•  Introduced as the “loud” soldier
•  Young man in Henry’s regiment
•  Fights alongside Henry and shows courage in battle
•  He argues regularly with other men about the
rumors of their war strategy.
•  As the first battle approaches, he admits to Henry
that this will probably be his only battle as he expects
to die. He gives Henry an envelope to give to his
family.
•  When Henry rejoins his regiment, Wilson is there to
greet and care for him and they become close,
fighting alongside each other. Henry notices that
Wilson has transformed from a loud, brash instigator
to a thoughtful and dutiful soldier.
Back
Wilson
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students can
revise earlier
decisions
about tragic
vs. heroic
characters.

Who is he?
•  A soldier Henry meets when he deserts his regiment
•  Walks along in the procession of wounded soldiers
•  Curious about Henry’s wound
•  Henry meets the tattered soldier when he deserts his
regiment and finds a line of wounded soldiers.
•  The tattered soldier asks Henry where his wound is,
heightening Henry’s sense of paranoia that they will
know he deserted his regiment.
•  As Henry tries to break away from the tattered
soldier, he meets a dying Jim Conklin. Together they
watch Jim die.
•  Mentions to Henry that he’s not feeling too well
himself and Henry, unable to stand any more death,
leaves him in a field to die.
Back
Tattered Soldier
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next

Who is she?
•  Henry’s mother
•  A farmer
•  Introduced in Henry’s flashback
What do we know about her?
•  She tells Henry that he is more important to their
farm than to the war and discourages him from
joining the army.
•  She cries when Henry tells her that he enlisted and
gives a speech telling him to be careful and be smart.
She doesn’t want him to do anything he’d be
ashamed of her knowing about.
•  She wants Henry to live up to his father’s morals, and
she sends him away with clothes, socks, and
blackberry jam so he will be comfortable during his
service.
•  Henry is irritated by her reaction to him leaving and
is relieved to finally go.

Back
Henry’s Mother
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next

Analyze Your Data
What does your data tell about the key characters? Write what your data shows
about the characters. Tell why you think the character is heroic or tragic, or both.
heroic

tragic

Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students use
a graph of
their close
reading
results to
analyze key
players that
were tragic
or heroic.

Analyze Settings
Read about the time period and settings of The Red Badge of Courage. Think about how the
time period and settings affect the characters. Highlight text you might want to use in your
final essay. Then use the slider to decide if the setting affects character or does not affect
character.
Time Period
Inspiration
Home on
the Farm
Marching along
the road
Camping along
the river
In the forest
The
battlefield
Affects Character

Does Not
Affect
Character

Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Students use
a close
reading of
the text to
evaluate
how setting
affects the
characters.

When?
•  During the American Civil War (1861-1865); this was a time of upheaval and pitted states against each other. One of the
primary causes of the Civil War was the issue of slavery.
What?
•  It is believed that Crane used the battle of Chancellorsville in northern Virginia (May 1–5, 1863) as the inspiration for the battle
scenes in The Red Badge of Courage. It was a critical battle of the Civil War, a bloody battle with about 17,000 casualties.
Where?
Home on the farm
•  Distanced from the war, safe, quiet, close to town where church bells ring announcing the war, cows, nostalgia, childhood,
flashback, barn, fields, house, seminary with classmates, rows of desks, village streets
Camping along the river
•  Morning fog, tranquility, safety, comfort, resting on the hills, rain, muddy roads, contrasted at night by darkness and red fires
across the river that Henry imagines to be dragons advancing toward them
•  Henry’s hut – temporary, log walls, cracker boxes as furniture, fireplace, picture from illustrated weekly, rifles on pegs,
equipment hung on the walls, tin dishes lying on a pile of firewood, roof made of a folded tent, warm yellow glow of sunlight
through the roof, sometimes the room is smoky from the fire
•  Tents spring up like strange plants, campfires like red blossoms, fire makes rays that create satanic effects, a red shivering
reflection, doom, romance, moon was lit and hung in a tree, blades of grass press against Henry’s face, rustling grass
•  Glaring fire tints the water the color of wine, shines silver and gold on the masses of troops, insects sing solemnly across the
river, caves along the woods
Marching along the road
•  Marching men, creaking and grumbling of wagons, chatter, laughing, singing, high spirits, dust, fairy blue skies
In the forest
•  Odor of the peaceful pines, monotonous axe blows, insects croon like old women, cathedral light of a forest
•  Safety, men build barriers of sticks and branches, men flee here to retreat
•  Henry deserts his regiment and goes into the forest – quiet, ground cluttered with vines and bushes, thick, takes effort to push
through the branches and brush, seeking darkness, insects singing, birds singing, woodpecker pounding, peaceful, assuring,
deep thickets, bogs, pine needles as a soft carpet, chapel of high arching boughs
The battlefield
•  Musketry, screams, cannon fire, floating smoke, blood, writhing bodies being shot, still corpses, horses, galloping hoofs,
swords clashing and flashing, chaos, hills, trenches, a house stands ominously placid in the distant fields, open, exposed
•  However, nature is never affected by the battle. It always goes on, sun shining, gleaming fields, despite the chaos caused by
the people.
Back
Analyze Settings
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students use
a close
reading of
the text to
evaluate
how setting
affects the
characters.

What does your data tell about the settings? Write what your data shows about the settings. Tell why you
think the settings had a great or little effect on the characters.
Affects Character

Does Not Affect
Character

Back
Analyze Your Data
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students use
a graph of
their close
reading
results to
analyze the
effect of
setting.

Analyze Key Events
Read about each Key Event. Decide what are the main ideas of each section of
the text. Highlight the text evidence that supports your decision.
Chapters 1-3 Before the Battle
Ø  Henry enlists in the war against his mother’s wishes but is
convinced that war is a thing of the past now that it seems men are
more educated and less inclined to violence. His regiment has been
stationed along a riverbank for weeks and it seems there are only
rumors, spread by Jim Conklin, that they’ll see battle the next day.
Henry struggles internally with the question of whether or not he is
brave enough not to run away from battle.
Ø  The rumor turns out to be false, and although they don’t engage in
a battle, the regiment is on the move. Henry observes the men in
his regiment, wondering if any of them feel as unsure as he does
about facing battle. The other men seem to be in high spirits,
laughing and making jokes along their march. When Henry finally
asks Wilson if he would run from a battle, Wilson says that he
would definitely do his duty and fight, leaving Henry feeling alone.
Ø  Henry is woken up by Jim and told to run. As the regiment runs
along, Henry realizes that even if he wanted to escape, it would be
physically impossible to break out of the group of soldiers
surrounding him. Whenever the regiment stops, the soldiers build
protective barriers around them, but the enemy is nowhere to be
seen and Henry believes his superiors are incompetent in their
leadership.
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students
identify main
ideas for each
of the key
events.

Chapters 4-6 The Battle Begins:
Ø  Rumors about the battle spread as the battle gets closer and more
intense. Henry’s Lieutenant gets shot in the hand and has it casually
bound up as a flood of soldiers come. Henry decides that he would
run if he could get his legs to run as soon as he satisfies his curiosity
and gets a glimpse of the battle.
Ø  The enemy approaches and Henry’s first battle begins. He is
nervous, but when the time comes he turns into an autonomous
machine firing at the enemy. Although his captain is killed early on,
they are successful in holding back the enemy. When Henry finally
stops to look around he sees the horror of the dead soldiers and
observes that the serenity of nature was not disturbed by their
battle.
Ø  Henry is very pleased with the way he acted in the battle, but the
enemy attacks soon again and the men are tired and in disbelief.
Henry freezes and most of the soldiers run, and he then runs away
with them, overestimating the abilities of the enemy. He thinks that
his superiors don’t know what they’re doing. However, in the end
the enemy is once again held back.
Back
Analyze Key Events
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students
continue to
evaluate
the key
events.

Chapters 7-10 Desertion:
Ø  Henry feels that he did the right thing for himself and for the army
by fleeing the enemy, and as he wonders if he’ll have to convince
others of this, he creates a hypothetical situation that makes him
hate the other soldiers and so he flees into the woods. He comes
upon a place in the trees that he thinks is beautiful but sees the
dead body of a soldier staring at him and runs.
Ø  When Henry hears sounds of gunfire, he runs toward the battle out
of curiosity and happens across a line of wounded men. He joins the
march and a tattered man tries to talk to him about the battle, but
when he asks Henry where he got hit, Henry panics and drops away
from the line of men.
Ø  Feeling ashamed for being unharmed among wounded men, Henry
wishes he had been wounded as well to show that he had be
courageous enough to fight. As he drops back through the line, he
comes across Jim Conklin wounded and tells him he’ll take care of
him. Jim runs into the woods, afraid of being trampled on the road
and is followed by Henry and the tattered man where he dies.
Ø  Henry is upset over Jim’s death. The tattered soldier tries to console
him but then says he’s not feeling too well himself. Henry does not
want to experience another death and can’t stand the guilt of
desertion anymore, so he leaves the tattered soldier in a field.
Back
Analyze Key Events
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students
highlight text
to provide
evidence that
supports their
decisions
about the
main ideas.

Chapters 11-14 Returning to the Regiment:
Ø  Sounds of battle grow louder and Henry comes to a road crowded
with men and wagons. He wants to join them because he is hungry
and tired and thirsty, but he fears what they might say about him.
He tries to invent a story to tell them but ends up hating himself
and wishing he were dead.
Ø  Henry watches a group of men march away and then is suddenly
surrounded by men running in every direction. When he tries to ask
a fleeing man what’s happening, the man hits him on the head with
his rifle to make him let him go. He thinks he might die from his
head injury and reminisces about his life at home and his desire to
be there instead of at war. Then a cheery soldier finds him and
helps him back to his regiment.
Ø  Henry approaches his regiment with caution because he is afraid of
what they might do or say to him for leaving them, but they are
glad to see him. The loud soldier, Wilson, is on duty. Corporal
Simpson determines that Henry only got grazed by a shell, which
actually was just a wound from the soldier hitting him on the head
with a rifle. Wilson bandages up Henry’s head and gives him coffee
to drink and his mat and blanket to sleep with.
Ø  Henry wakes up and surveys all the men sleeping that look like
corpses. Wilson, tending the fire and making food, gives some to
Henry. Henry realizes that Wilson is now a wise, caring, and
reserved man, no longer loud and foolish.
Back
Analyze Key Events
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next

Chapters 15-16
To the Trenches: Ø  Henry’s regiment is ready to march. Henry realizes he still has
Wilson’s yellow packet and plans to use it and Wilson’s confessions
against Wilson. These items give Henry a superior sense of self, but
then Wilson asks for the packet back, and Henry deems himself
honorable for not holding it against Wilson. Henry decides to glorify
himself because he saw war and now can mystify people back home
with his stories.
Ø  After marching to fight in the trenches, the men spend all day
fighting and are tired and disheartened. They retreat to the woods
and Henry denounces his superiors for being incompetent and
causing them defeat. He’s paranoid that someone knows that he
deserted the regiment and is sick of being shot at. When Wilson
tries to console him, they argue and get yelled at by the Lieutenant.
Chapters 17-18
Fighting In the Forest: Ø  Henry is outraged at the advancement of the enemy and makes
threats against them. Wilson admits that if the enemy keeps
coming, it is they who will be in trouble, not the enemy. Fighting
begins and Henry turns into a fighting machine, not even stopping
once they are no longer in danger. The other soldiers stare at him in
exasperation, the lieutenant compliments him.
Ø  There is a lull in the fighting, and the soldier Jimmie Rogers cries out
in pain from his wounds. Wilson and Henry offer to fetch water for
him but find no stream and, as they turn back, they come across a
General who they overhear offering to send their regiment on a
charge against the enemy, not expecting many of them to survive.
Henry learns how insignificant his life is to this war.
Back
Analyze Key Events
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next

Ø  The charge begins and Henry rushes forward, thinking it’s better to
get this over with as soon as possible. The charge leaves a trail of
bodies across the field and into the woods. The color Sergeant is
shot and dies, Henry and Wilson pry the flag from his hands.
Ø  The charge continues and there are confusing and conflicting
orders. Henry and Wilson fight over the flag, but Henry gets the flag
for himself. Henry is angry at the officer that sent them on the
charge and urges his men to keep fighting, ending with a small
victory.
Ø  There is a lull in the shooting and the men are anxious as they
return to the woods. They are greeted with mockery by another
regiment who watched them charged and the General who sent
them out said they didn’t even try. The Colonel says they did their
best and the Lieutenant backs them up and says they did great. The
men come to Henry and Wilson to tell them that they received
praises from the Colonel and Lieutenant for fighting so well.
Back
Charge: Chapters 19-21
Analyze Key Events
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next

Ø  As the enemy attacks again, Henry feels confident. It is chaos, and it
is impossible to tell which side is winning. Henry is engrossed in the
battle, not fighting back as a rebellion against the officer who called
his regiment mule drivers and sent them on a charge. The Sergeant
is shot in the face, but Wilson and the Lieutenant are unharmed.
Ø  The Colonel orders the regiment to charge and Henry sees that it is
the best way for them to survive. The others act similarly as they
charge exhilarated and determined, closing in on the enemy. Henry
lunges for the enemy flag and sees the bearer fighting to stay alive.
Wilson captures the enemy flag and there are cheers. Four
prisoners are captured and Henry and Wilson rest contentedly in
the grass, each with a flag.
Ø  The sounds of war become weaker, troops leave the battlefield and
are ordered to retrace their path. They groan and complain but get
up and move toward the river. Henry takes time to evaluate
himself. He is gleeful with no regrets until he is haunted by the
memory of his desertion and the tattered soldier. He becomes
paranoid. Then he decides he ultimately acted as a man and looks
toward tranquil skies.
Back
Victory: Chapters 22-24
Analyze Key Events
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next

Summarize
Click on your notes. Review the text you highlighted. Then write a
summary of the key events in the book.
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students use
their close
reading of
the text to
summarize
the key
events.

Analyze How the Author Develops Text: Scene 1
As he mused thus he heard the rustle of grass, and, upon turning his head, discovered the loud soldier. He called out, "Oh, Wilson!"
The latter approached and looked down. "Why, hello, Henry; is it you? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, thinking," said the youth.
The other sat down and carefully lighted his pipe. "You're getting blue my boy. You're looking thundering peek-ed. What the dickens
is wrong with you?"
"Oh, nothing," said the youth.
The loud soldier launched then into the subject of the anticipated fight. "Oh, we've got 'em now!" As he spoke his boyish face was
wreathed in a gleeful smile, and his voice had an exultant ring. "We've got 'em now. At last, by the eternal thunders, we'll lick 'em
good!"
"If the truth was known," he added, more soberly, "they've licked US about every clip up to now; but this time—this time—we'll lick
'em good!"
"I thought you was objecting to this march a little while ago," said the youth coldly.
“Oh, it wasn't that," explained the other. "I don't mind marching, if there's going to be fighting at the end of it. What I hate is this
getting moved here and moved there, with no good coming of it, as far as I can see, excepting sore feet and damned short rations."
"Well, Jim Conklin says we'll get plenty of fighting this time.”
"He's right for once, I guess, though I can't see how it come. This time we're in for a big battle, and we've got the best end of it, certain
sure. Gee rod! how we will thump 'em!"
He arose and began to pace to and fro excitedly. The thrill of his enthusiasm made him walk with an elastic step. He was sprightly,
vigorous, fiery in his belief in success. He looked into the future with clear proud eye, and he swore with the air of an old soldier.
The youth watched him for a moment in silence. When he finally spoke his voice was as bitter as dregs. "Oh, you're going to do great
things, I s'pose!"
The loud soldier blew a thoughtful cloud of smoke from his pipe. "Oh, I don't know," he remarked with dignity; "I don't know. I s'pose
I'll do as well as the rest. I'm going to try like thunder." He evidently complimented himself upon the modesty of this statement.

Read the passage involving the key characters Henry and Wilson on the eve of battle. Think about what is explicit
and what is implied in the way Crane frames the dialogue and in the dialogue itself.

Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students
identify
explicit and
implicit effects
of the author’s
use of
dialogue.

1.  In paragraphs 3 and 5, Henry responds to
Wilson’s first two questions briefly, beginning with
“Oh” each time. What does that suggest to you
about Henry at this moment?
a.  He wants Wilson to leave him alone.
b.  He wants to unburden himself to Wilson.
c.  He is reluctant to talk about what’s wrong.
d.  He is bored with Army life and has nothing
to say.
2. In paragraph 6, why doesn’t Wilson try to draw
Henry out if he thinks there’s something bothering
his “peek-ed” friend?
a.  He has gotten used to Henry’s moodiness.
b.  He is too afraid to find out what’s wrong
with Henry.
c.  He accepts Henry’s explanation that
nothing is wrong.
d.  He is too insensitive and excited to care
what’s wrong with Henry.
3. In paragraph 8, why does Henry bring up Wilson’s
earlier complaints?
a.  He wants to start a fight with Wilson.
b.  He finds Wilson’s enthusiasm irritating.
c.  He thinks Wilson’s confidence is insincere.
d.  He wants to know why Wilson has
changed his mind.

4. In paragraph 14, what does Crane suggest with the
phrase “’thoughtful’ cloud of smoke”?
a.  Crane wants to suggest that Wilson is not a
thoughtful person.
b.  Crane wants to suggest that men who smoke
pipes are serious.
c.  Crane wants to suggest that Henry thinks
Wilson as pretentious.
d.  Crane wants to suggest that smoke can have
human characteristics.
5. In paragraph 17, what could Crane be showing the
reader about Henry?
a.  That Henry believes he’s a “good-a-'nough”
man
b.  That Henry assumes men must do “great
things” in battle
c.  That Henry knows a lot of men who deserted
from the Army
d.  That Henry wants to make Wilson more fearful
of the coming fight
Check AnswersBack
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
This quick
quiz helps the
teacher
monitor
student
progress.

When the enemy seemed falling back before him and his fellows, he went instantly forward, like a dog who, seeing his foes lagging, turns
and insists upon being pursued. And when he was compelled to retire again, he did it slowly, sullenly, taking steps of wrathful despair.
Once he, in his intent hate, was almost alone, and was firing, when all those near him had ceased. He was so engrossed in his occupation
that he was not aware of a lull.
He was recalled by a hoarse laugh and a sentence that came to his ears in a voice of contempt and amazement. "Yeh infernal fool, don't
yeh know enough t' quit when there ain't anything t' shoot at? Good Gawd!"
He turned then and, pausing with his rifle thrown half into position, looked at the blue line of his comrades. During this moment of
leisure they seemed all to be engaged in staring with astonishment at him. They had become spectators. Turning to the front again he saw,
under the lifted smoke, a deserted ground.
He looked bewildered for a moment. Then there appeared upon the glazed vacancy of his eyes a diamond point of intelligence. "Oh," he
said, comprehending.
He returned to his comrades and threw himself upon the ground. He sprawled like a man who had been thrashed. His flesh seemed
strangely on fire, and the sounds of the battle continued in his ears. He groped blindly for his canteen.
The lieutenant was crowing. He seemed drunk with fighting. He called out to the youth: "By heavens, if I had ten thousand wild cats like
you I could tear th' stomach outa this war in less'n a week!" He puffed out his chest with large dignity as he said it.
Some of the men muttered and looked at the youth in awestruck ways. It was plain that as he had gone on loading and firing and cursing
without proper intermission, they had found time to regard him. And they now looked upon him as a war devil.
The friend came staggering to him. There was some fright and dismay in his voice. "Are yeh all right, Fleming? Do yeh feel all right? There
ain't nothin' th' matter with yeh, Henry, is there?"
"No," said the youth with difficulty. His throat seemed full of knobs and burrs.
These incidents made the youth ponder. It was revealed to him that he had been a barbarian, a beast. He had fought like a pagan who
defends his religion. Regarding it, he saw that it was fine, wild, and, in some ways, easy. He had been a tremendous figure, no doubt. By
this struggle he had overcome obstacles which he had admitted to be mountains. They had fallen like paper peaks, and he was now what
he called a hero. And he had not been aware of the process. He had slept, and, awakening, found himself a knight.

Back
Read the text. Think about how the characters react to the battle. “He” in the text is Henry, the youth. Think about
the language the author uses. Highlight text you might want to use in your final essay.

The Red
Badge of
Courage
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Next
Students
make
inferences
based on the
author’s
language
choices.

1.  What does the word “lull” mean?
a.  agitation
b.  calm
c.  confident
d.  disconnect
2.  Which sentence best defines a “blue line”?
a.  The Union soldiers wore blue uniforms.
b.  The Confederate soldiers wore blue
uniforms.
c.  The soldiers appeared to be very sad.
d.  The soldiers had formed in a large circle.
3.  Which character propels the action in the text?
a.  the enemy
b.  the lieutenant
c.  his comrades
d.  the youth
4.  What is another word for “crowing”?
a.  singing
b.  bragging
c.  laughing
d.  coughing
5.  Why does the youth refer to himself as a
“knight”?
a.  He has acted heroically.
b.  He has defeated the enemy.
c.  He had fought through the night.
d.  He had saved his comrades during
battle.
Check AnswersBack
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Teachers use
this quick quiz
to monitor
student skills
in evaluating
the author’s
use of
language.

Read the text. Think about how Henry has changed. Highlight text you might want to use in your
final essay.
The colonel came running along the back of the line. There were other officers following him. "We must charge'm!" they shouted.
"We must charge'm!" they cried with resentful voices, as if anticipating a rebellion against this plan by the men.
The youth, upon hearing the shouts, began to study the distance between him and the enemy. He made vague calculations. He saw
that to be firm soldiers they must go forward. It would be death to stay in the present place, and with all the circumstances to go
backward would exalt too many others. Their hope was to push the galling foes away from the fence.
He expected that his companions, weary and stiffened, would have to be driven to this assault, but as he turned toward them he
perceived with a certain surprise that they were giving quick and unqualified expressions of assent. There was an ominous, clanging
overture to the charge when the shafts of the bayonets rattled upon the rifle barrels. At the yelled words of command the soldiers
sprang forward in eager leaps. There was new and unexpected force in the movement of the regiment. A knowledge of its faded and
jaded condition made the charge appear like a paroxysm, a display of the strength that comes before a final feebleness. The men
scampered in insane fever of haste, racing as if to achieve a sudden success before an exhilarating fluid should leave them. It was a
blind and despairing rush by the collection of men in dusty and tattered blue, over a green sward and under a sapphire sky, toward a
fence, dimly outlined in smoke, from behind which sputtered the fierce rifles of enemies.
The youth kept the bright colors to the front. He was waving his free arm in furious circles, the while shrieking mad calls and
appeals, urging on those that did not need to be urged, for it seemed that the mob of blue men hurling themselves on the dangerous
group of rifles were again grown suddenly wild with an enthusiasm of unselfishness. From the many firings starting toward them, it
looked as if they would merely succeed in making a great sprinkling of corpses on the grass between their former position and the
fence. But they were in a state of frenzy, perhaps because of forgotten vanities, and it made an exhibition of sublime recklessness.
There was no obvious questioning, nor figurings, nor diagrams. There was, apparently, no considered loopholes. It appeared that
the swift wings of their desires would have shattered against the iron gates of the impossible.
He himself felt the daring spirit of a savage, religion-mad. He was capable of profound sacrifices, a tremendous death. He had no
time for dissections, but he knew that he thought of the bullets only as things that could prevent him from reaching the place of his
endeavor. There were subtle flashings of joy within him that thus should be his mind.
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students use
close reading
to determine
how the
protagonist
has changed.

Drag and drop to the correct box the adjectives that describe Henry and his
views and reactions to war at the beginning of the book and at the end.
Henry at the Beginning of the Book Henry at the End of the Book
scared courageous questioning proud dreamer
heroic fearful angry romantic
confident
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students use
a simple
drag-and-drop
activity to
synthesize
their
understanding
of how the
protagonist
has evolved.

Essay
Write an essay on whether or not you think The Red Badge of Courage is a work of classic literature.
Use text evidence from the book to support your claim and position. Revise your essay and
complete the checklist. Then submit your essay.
q  I know my audience.
q  My position is clear.
q  My position is supported
by text evidence.
q  I have proofed for
grammar and spelling.
q  My writing is logical and
makes sense.
q  I have made transitions
so my writing flows.
Back
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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Next
Students are
now ready to
write their
report using
the data and
evidence they
collected in
their notes.

Exploring The Red Badge of Courage Log Out
Congratulations!!
You’ve completed the lesson.
End of Lesson
The Red
Badge of
Courage
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the class
discussion,
students
review
the class
results.

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