COURSE PLAN THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE

Transcription

1 THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE COURSE PLAN METHODOLOGY: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is represented by the abbreviation. Each weekly assignment is summarized in the first line of the week s daily course plan. The specific daily readings are summarized in the following lines indicated by the 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 abbreviations. Discuss the Setting, Point of View/Theme, and Characters with the student. Each week s introduction includes the chapters that will be read that week, instructions for literary devices and elements of fiction that the student will encounter during the week, and a written assignment. The chapter study questions, chapter vocabulary and glossary are located in the Junior High Literature Study Question booklets available for purchase from Kolbe Academy. Discuss the literary devices and elements of fiction with the student using the worksheets included with these junior high literature course plans. We suggest reading the weekly written assignment to the student at the beginning of the week. The student should write the assignment down on a note card (to be used as a bookmark) so that he can think about the assignment as he reads. The written assignments are suggested to be completed by the following Monday. As the teacher, be sure to review the final exam now to ensure all concepts are covered with your student as he reads the book. The Red Badge of Courage is the story of a youth during the Civil War. It is not an epic war story that contrasts the morality of the opposing sides, but the story of the individual, internal struggle of the youth. ELEMENTS OF FICTION Setting: Although Steven Crane does not specifically say, it is evident that the story takes place during the Civil War at a Yankee war camp. Point of View and Major Theme: The story is written from the 3 rd person narrative, yet omnipotent only to Henry s point of view, therefore making the reader more understanding and sympathetic to Henry s battle with the concept of how courage, honor, and manhood coexist with the urge for self-preservation and the universal law that all human life meets the great death and that as soldiers, each man could be considered a cog in the wheel and therefore dispensable. Characters Henry Fleming: the novel s protagonist/main character, he is a youth in the Union army during the Civil War who has an idealistic portrait of war and how it makes heroes of men Jim Conklin: Henry s friend, the tall soldier, he is wounded in the regiment s first battle and dies from his wounds in front of Henry Wilson: the loud soldier who becomes Henry s friend, he changes from a boastful soldier to a wise, young friend tattered soldier: a wounded soldier whom Henry meets in the column of retreating men, he continuously speculates about Henry s non-existent wound, causing Henry shame and embarrassment the lieutenant: Henry s direct commander, a young officer who swears profusely in battle and yells at his soldiers to encourage them, as the novel progresses, he recognizes Henry s brave deeds. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N1

2 WEEK 1 Summary of Chapters 1-12: Henry is a young man who lives on a farm in the North during the Civil War. Referred to as the youth throughout the story, Henry yearns to join the army and dreams of battles full of heroic deeds. Though his mother is opposed to it, Henry joins the army. He initially finds camp life monotonous and begins to wonder if he will run away when faced with battle. He compares himself with other soldiers: the loud soldier (Wilson), the tall soldier (Conklin), the veterans he sees returning from battle, and even soldiers he sees fleeing from battle, but he can find no answer. In his first battle skirmish the youth feels one with the regiment, a battle brotherhood, and then enters into a red rage where he craved a power that would enable him to sweep all the enemy back. Note the theme of a red rage and man s animal instinct which reoccurs throughout the book. After this short battle encounter the youth is self-satisfied, yet in the next attack he turns and flees in confusion, following other soldiers who run. He finds out his regiment was victorious and tries to justify his actions. He joins up with the wounded soldiers returning to their regiments and walks along with a tattered soldier who keeps enquiring about his wound. Henry is embarrassed by the kind questions of the tattered soldier because he has no wound, no red badge of courage. He witnesses the death of his friend, Jim Conklin, the tall soldier. Henry grows so ashamed by the tattered soldier s concern over his non-existent wound that he leaves the tattered soldier wandering around a field. Henry envies those going to battle and longs to gain a wound or a heroic status. He fears returning to camp to the scorn and derision of his own regiment. As some retreating soldiers pass him, he tries to question them for information and one of the soldiers impatiently strikes him in the head with the end of his rifle. Henry is staggering along bleeding from the head and generally unaware of his surroundings when a cheery soldier helps him find his way back to his regiment. Weekly Book Goals and Notes for the Week Breakdown Notes Chapters 1-12 Have the student look up all the vocabulary words for Chapters 1-12 in the glossary prior to reading. Study questions may be completed as the student reads or at the end of the week when reading has been completed. Literary Devices used this week: discuss definitions of character, foreshadowing, simile, mood, metaphor, irony, imagery, and cause and effect with the student (use literary device worksheet included in the syllabus). Students will encounter questions on these devices in the study question booklet. Elements of Fiction occurring this week: discuss the definitions of setting, mood, tone (use elements of fiction worksheet included in the syllabus). Students will encounter these particular elements in their reading this week. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N2

3 Student Daily Assignments Parent Daily Guidelines 1 Introduction Chapters 1-2 Have the student read Introduction and Chapters 1-2 and do Study Questions. Chapter 1. Henry is a youth with a strong desire to join the army. He has romanticized notions of war and dreams of glorious battles as in the ancient times of Homer. He had burned several times to enlist (7). He joins up and on the way to Washington feels like a hero. Camp life is monotonous. Previously he had believed war was a series of death struggles with small time in between for sleep and meals but now he had done little but sit still and try to keep warm. He revises his ideas about glorious battles of Greek days and concludes that things have changed. Now, his province was to look out... for his personal comfort and for recreation he could twiddle his thumbs. (12) A rumor is spreading that they will be going to battle and Henry begins to wonder if he would run away in battle. The problem occupies his mind. He is comforted a little by the tall soldier s uncertainty on the same question. Chapter 2. The rumor about going into battle was false. Henry feels he is a part of a mere blue demonstration, a recurring theme throughout the novel. Henry realizes he doesn t know himself well enough to guess his behavior when faced with battle because he lacks experience. He can t solve his dilemma and wants the opportunity to find the answer, he wants battle action. He compares himself with others: some seem more heroic, some quaking like himself. He wishes he could ask others how they feel. The youth would have liked to have discovered another who suspected himself, but he was afraid to make an open declaration of his concern. (19) The regiment is now moved and the group s despondency turns to enthusiasm and speaking of victory, but the youth takes no part in the discussions. He is engaged with his own eternal debate. (23) He is in distress, feeling alone and homesick and different than the others. No one seemed to be wrestling with such a terrific personal problem. He was a mental outcast. (29) Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N3

4 2 Chapters 3-5 Have the student read Chapters 3-5 and do Study Questions. Chapter 3. As the regiment continues to march along, they lost many of the marks of a new command (30) such as discarding heavy knapsacks. So lightened, they feel a new impetus. In this chapter, Henry experiences a vast range of emotions. He feels part of the blue demonstration (32). He begins to think that he had never wished to come to war and he was dragged by the merciless government (33). With time to reflect, emotions are up and down. The ardor rapidly faded to nothing. He thinks the generals know nothing and it is all a trap and they are being sacrificed. (35) The youth finds marching from place to place and digging in each time to be intolerable because he had been taught that a man became another thing in a battle. He saw his salvation in such a change. (38) When they approach unfamiliar territory, the youth again becomes fearful and ponders death, accepting it as inevitable and something to help us understand life. He must look to the grave for comprehension. (41) As they approach the battle front, the loud soldier, Wilson, believes this will be his first and last battle and asks Henry to keep a letter and give it to his family. Chapter 4. Henry s regiment is now at the edge of the front line and the soldiers speculate amongst themselves about what is happening with various regiments. They watch the fighting in front of them, but haven t actually engaged in fighting themselves. Henry sees fleeing soldiers. There was an appalling imprint upon these faces.the eyes wild with one desire to flee. (47) He thinks that once he has seen the enemy, he might very likely run better than the best of them. (48) Chapter 5. The regiment engages in their first fight. Once it starts Henry lost concern for himself became not a man but a member. He felt that something of which he was a part-a regiment, an army, a cause, or a country-was in a crisis. He was welded into a common personality which was dominated by a single desire. For some moments he could not flee no more than a little finger can commit a revolution from a hand. (51-52) He feels the battle brotherhood followed by the red rage (52) of fighting and the frustration that he can only kill one at a time. He experiences the episodic flashes of sound, images, and chaos of battle. these subdued cheers, snarls, imprecations, prayers, made a wild, barbaric song that went as an undercurrent of sound, strange and chant-like with the resounding chords of the war march. (53) There was a singular absence of heroic poses.the officers neglected to stand in picturesque attitudes. (54) Note that Henry s old, romanticized idea of the nobility of war is being toppled. The attack is repulsed and in the aftermath Henry feels he is going to suffocate and then feels joy at the leisure to look around. He sees the wounded men going to the rear like a flow of blood from the torn body of the brigade. (57) He feels patriotism looking on the flag. He sees fighting on the hillsides around him and then registers surprise at the normalcy of the sun gleaming on the trees and fields. It was surprising that Nature had gone tranquilly on with her golden process in the midst of so much devilment. (58) Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N4

5 3 Chapters 6-8 Have the student read Chapters 6-8 and do Study Questions. Chapter 6. The youth now contemplates himself and is self-satisfied. He felt that he was a fine fellow. (59) After his initial jubilation, dejection follows as he hears of another attack. The sore joints of the regiment creaked as it painfully floundered into position to repulse. (61) The youth becomes jaded and exhausted and daunted by the persistency of the enemy. They must be machines of steel. (62) When he sees some of his neighboring soldiers run, he, too, threw down his gun and fled. There was no shame in his face. He ran like a rabbit. (63) He runs with a feeling that if someone is behind him he is safe, they will be killed first. There was a race. (64) The artillery soldiers contrast to the youth and those fleeing the guns, stolid and undaunted, spoke with dogged valor. (65) Yet the youth pities them and thinks he is smarter than the men still fighting, that they will soon be dead. As he runs he sees a brigade hurrying briskly to be gulped into the infernal mouths of the war god (66) and a general issuing orders. He wants to tell them all it is useless and they are uncomprehending fools. Finally, he hears the general chanting, They ve held em, by heavens! (68) Chapter 7. The youth is angered when he discovers that they have won. He feels wronged and cheated. He begins to justify his actions. He thinks that he has done a good thing to save himself- it was the duty of every little piece to rescue itself if possible. (69) He, the enlightened man had fled because of his superior perceptions and knowledge. He felt a great anger against his comrades. He pities himself, imagining the derision of the others when he returns to camp. A dull animal-like rebellion against his fellows, war in the abstract, and fate grew within him. (70) He wants to escape from the sounds of war behind him, but Nature itself seems to be holding him back. The ground was cluttered with vines obliged to force his way the forest was calling out protestations. (71) He conceived Nature to be a woman with a deep aversion to tragedy. (72) He throws a pine cone at a squirrel and when it runs away he sees this as a sign that justifies his actions. The squirrel, immediately upon recognizing danger, had taken to his legs without ado. Nature was of his mind. She re-enforced his argument with proofs that lived where the sun shone. (72) He comes across a dead body in a stand of trees whose arching boughs made a chapel a religious half light. He stares in horror. The dead man and the living man exchanged a long look. (73) He backs off slowly in case the body should jump up and pursue him. He leaves the sad, silent chapel of death. Chapter 8. Twilight falls. Henry begins to see humor in the point of view of himself and his fellows during the late encounter. They had taken themselves and the enemy very seriously and had imagined that they were deciding the war. (76) In reality it would be reported in very mild and unimportant terms. Begins to think he has not seen real battle and desire to get back to war. Now Nature holds him back again and makes him feel bitter. Finally he comes upon a battle scene. He now has a morbid fascination with the grinding of the immense and terrible machine and must go closer to see it produce corpses. (77) He meets up with the stream of wounded soldiers headed to the rear and joins them. He is approached by a tattered soldier and talks with him about the fight. The tattered soldier asks Henry where he is wounded and when he cannot answer, Henry slips off into the crowd with the tattered soldier staring after him in astonishment. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N5

6 4 Chapters 9-12 Have the student read Chapters 9-12 and do Study Questions. Chapter 9. Henry feels guilt, shame, and that others know he has no wound. He wished that he, too, had a wound, a red badge of courage. (83) A spectral soldier catches his attention, he seemed always looking for a place, like one who goes to choose a grave and Henry realizes it is his friend, the tall soldier, Jim Conklin. Henry swears he ll take care of Jim and walks along with him. Jim wants Henry to leave him alone and runs off into a field to die. He won t allow Henry to help and so Henry and a crowd of soldiers, including the tattered soldier, watch helplessly as Jim dies, gesticulating and dancing in a strange way. Henry sees that Jim s side looked as if it had been chewed by wolves. He is enraged, shakes his fist, and seems about to deliver an impassioned speech. Hell- The red sun was pasted in the sky like a wafer. (90) Nature again seems impervious to the drama of the individual man. Chapter 10. Henry grieves for Jim. He fears the tattered soldier might also die but the tattered soldier denies it. They carry on together. The tattered soldier begins to suggest that Henry s wound might be internal and more serious than he thinks. Henry tells him not to bother him. His companions seemed ever to play intolerable parts. They were ever upraising the ghost of shame on the stick of their curiosity. (94) Henry takes his leave of the tattered soldier, who is left wandering around helplessly and half delusional in a field. He now thought that he wished he was dead. (96) Chapter 11. The youth feels vindicated by the sight of the retreating army until a column of soldiers appears heading for battle. He feels the black weight of woe again. He feels he is watching a procession of chosen beings and he wants to be like them so much that he could have wept in his longings. (98) He looks to find something to blame for his actions. He becomes envious of those hastening to their deaths. He imagines a glorious death for himself, of the magnificent pathos of his dead body (99). He is carried along by these thoughts and it arouses a desire for war and uplifts his spirits momentarily. Then he struggles with doubts-he has no rifle, no regiment. He imagines the comments of his fellow soldiers and this interior debate robs him of the ardor to fight. He is overcome with physical pains and believes these are stopping him from fighting. He wants to see the battlefield and know who is winning. He thinks that defeat will help him hide his desertion, because the army would be broken up into fragments and many would be on the run. This would be vindication for him-he would be a prophet, a seer who knew the outcome. A moral vindication was regarded by the youth as a very important thing. Without salve, he could not, he thought, wear the sore badge of his dishonor through life. (103) However, if the army is victorious, then he is lost. He wishes he were dead again. He tries to invent a story to excuse his flight but can t. He imagines he will be the object of camp scorn and derision. Chapter 12. Henry is surrounded by retreating soldiers. He can t get any sense out of them when he asks for news and is struck in the head by one man s rifle butt. He head is bleeding profusely and Henry fought an intense struggle with his body. (110) He struggles along the road, thinking of good things at home, of his pain, and whether he should lie down or carry on. A cheery soldier helps him. The cheery soldier talks incessantly, but guides Henry through the woods, past every obstacle, to his regiment and leaves him there. The youth realizes he hasn t even seen the cheery soldier s face. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N6

7 5 Written Assignment Work on Written Assignment, due Monday. Written assignment. Look at the flashback of the conversation between Henry and his mother. What is his mother s attitude about Henry joining the army? What advice does she give him? How does this foreshadow the main themes of the novel so far? Week 1 Grade Book Assignments Include (A) Points Earned (B) Possible Points A/B x100 =% (C) Study Questions Vocabulary Literary Device Elements of Fiction Written Assignment Other: Week 1 Average Add up column C & divide by number of included assignments = % Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N7

8 WEEK 2 Summary of Chapters Henry is welcomed back to his regiment and treated like a hero. The loud soldier, especially, seems to have matured into a humble and wise young man and becomes Henry s caretaker and friend. In safety now, the youth begins to feel more confident and criticizes the general for leading them to defeat. He is silenced by a sarcastic soldier who asks him if he thinks he fought the whole battle himself. Embarrassment and shame return but the youth is still frustrated by being sent here and there along the line of battle without any purpose. Finally they engage in another battle. The youth fights in a rage and advances almost alone. He wins awe and respect from his peers. On an errand to fetch water, he and the loud soldier, Wilson, overhear the general call their regiment a bunch of mule-drivers than can be spared easily. The regiment is enraged by this news and when they next attack they charge with enthusiasm to prove the general wrong. Henry and Wilson gain the flag from the dying flag-bearer and Henry takes up the job of flag-bearer. He remains in the front throughout the battle and is praised by the colonel. When they engage in battle again the youth is serene and confident and resolves not to budge. The regiment succeeds in their advance and the enemy troops flee, all but one small, stubborn group. Wilson captures the enemy s flag and they finally win the skirmish and take four prisoners. In the end, the regiment is ordered away from the battle front and on the march the youth again ponders his journey. He rejoices at survival, studies his glorious deeds, reproaches himself for his desertion, and finally rids himself of his red sickness and feels a quiet manhood where his soul changes to thirst for tranquility and peace. In the epilogue, The Veteran, we see the youth as an old man. Some of the men from the town and his grandson are gathered around to hear him tell his war story. He is now a wise old war hero who can admit the battle fear he felt as a youth. The book ends during the scene of a barn fire where the old man calmly, efficiently, and heroically rescues the animals from the fire. On his last trip into the barn, the roof collapses and he dies. Weekly Book Goals and Notes for the Week Breakdown Notes Chapters & The Veteran Have the student look up all the vocabulary words for Chapters 13-24, and The Veteran in the glossary prior to reading. Study questions may be completed as the student reads or at the end of the week when reading has been completed. Literary Devices used this week: discuss definitions of simile, foreshadowing, character, personification, suspense, with the student (use literary device worksheet included in the syllabus). Students will encounter questions on these devices in the study question booklet. Elements of Fiction occurring this week: discuss the definition of tone (use elements of fiction worksheet included in the syllabus). Students will encounter this particular element in their reading this week. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N8

9 Student Daily Assignments Parent Daily Guidelines Have the student read Chapters Chapter 13. Henry is welcomed back to camp by the sentinel and tells them that he was separated from the regiment during the fighting and was wounded in the head during some terrible fighting. The corporal says he thought Henry had been dead four hours ago. More soldiers keep turning up from their regiment- 42 had been missing in all. Henry is taken care of and sits at the fire and looks around. Everyone seems pale and exhausted. Wilson nurses Henry, giving him water, bandaging his head, and giving Henry his own sleeping bag. Chapter 14. There is a change in attitude of the loud soldier, Wilson. He looks after Henry with tenderness and care. (127) He was no more a loud soldier. He showed a quiet belief in his purposes and abilities. Henry realizes that Wilson had become wise because he could perceive himself as a very wee thing. (128) Wilson shows marks of humility and says I believe I was a pretty big fool in 1 Chapters those days (129) He changes from being the loud soldier to being the friend. He even tries to break up a fight amongst some other soldiers. As they sit around recouping, almost all of the regiment is returning from being scattered. Chapter 15. Henry realizes he has a hold over his friend. He has his letters and knows of Wilson s weakness when he thought he wouldn t survive battle. Henry feels superior. He adopted an air of patronizing good humor. (134) Henry decides to hold this over him, but the friend asks for the letters and Henry gives them up, believing himself to be generous. His self pride is now restored and his panting agonies of the past he put out of sight. (134) He doesn t think too much about battles ahead now because a faith in himself had secretly blossomed. (135) Now he believes he had fled with discretion and dignity. (136) He feels his experience allows him to return home with glorious stories of war. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N9

10 2 3 Chapters Chapters Have the student read Chapters and do Study Questions. Chapter 16. Henry decides it is the general s fault they lost the fight because every one of them fought like the devil. A sarcastic youth asks Henry if he thought he fought the whole battle himself. Henry is embarrassed because he knows he fled, so he keeps quiet from then on. He expressed frustration at going around in circles being sent here and there and never fighting. Finally they engage in battle. Chapter 17. The enemy advances and the youth is filled with a hate for the relentless foe (146) and attacks and fires upon them almost in a fog. Once in his intent hate he was almost alone in firing. (149) Others are amazed at him but he realizes he was acting as a barbarian. He wins some respect and awe from his peers, they now looked upon him as a war devil.he had overcome obstacles like mountains he was now what he called a hero. (151) Chapter 18. There is a lull in the fighting and Henry and Wilson go to fetch water and overhear the general and an officer talking of the battle and how their regiment, the 304 th, can be spared easily because they fight like a lot a mule drivers. (156) The most startling thing to learn he was insignificant spoke of the regiment as if he referred to a broom. Some part of the woods needed sweeping, perhaps, and he merely indicated a broom in a tone properly indifferent to its fate. (157) Henry and Wilson tell the regiment what they ve heard and that they re going to charge and that there will be hell t pay and they don t believe many will make it back. (159) Have the student read Chapters and do Study Questions. Chapter 19. The regiment charges with enthusiasm. There was the delirium that encounters despair and death, and is heedless and blind to the odds. (162) They pause, then goaded by the lieutenant, surge forward again. Henry and Wilson get their flag from the dead color sergeant. Chapter 20. Henry watches the ebb and flow of victory and defeat, advance and retreat. Sometimes he believes the regiment has lost again and feels shame and anger at the general who called them mule-drivers. He takes up his position as flag bearer and remains stolid throughout the battle. When the smoke clears, they find they have repulsed the advances of the enemy. Chapter 21. The skirmish ends and Henry is proud of himself but is also amazed at how little ground was covered and how short the time in battle. They are taunted by other regiments and hear the same officer berating their colonel for failing their mission. Then two other soldiers tell Henry and Wilson about overhearing a conversation between the colonel and lieutenant complimenting Henry for his performance-standing well to fore of battle with the flag. The lieutenant also mentioned Wilson. Both knew that their faces were flushing from thrills of pleasure. (184) Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N10

11 4 Chapters Have the student read Chapters 22-24, The Veteran and do Study Questions. Chapter 22. Now the youth felt serene confidence. (185) He watches the various parts of the battle with detachment and when the time comes, participates in the battle with confidence. When the enemy engages them, he still has the flag and resolved not to budge whatever happened. (190) Chapter 23. The regiment charges the enemy; the troops are eager. The soldiers sprang forward in eager leaps with a new and unexpected force in the movement of the regiment. (192-3) Most of the enemy troops flee, but one group holds grim and obdurate (195). Henry sees the enemy flag bearer faltering, determines they must get it, and watches Wilson win it. Henry s regiment wins their battle and takes four enemy captives. Henry notes how each of the men handles his captivity differently. Chapter 24. The regiment is ordered to move and goes away from the battle front. The youth muses as they march. His mind was undergoing a subtle change. At last he was enabled to more closely comprehend himself and circumstance. He had been where there was red of blood and black of passion, and he was escaped. His first thoughts were given to rejoicings at this fact. (202) He spent delightful minutes viewing the gilded images of memory. He saw that he was good. A specter of reproach came to him. (203) Whichever way his thoughts turned they were followed by the somber phantom of the desertion in the fields. (204) Yet gradually he mustered force to put the sin at a distance. He found that he could look back up the brass and bombast of his earlier gospels and see them truly. He felt a quiet manhood. So it came to pass that as he trudged from the place of blood and wrath his soul changed. (205) He had rid himself of the red sickness of battle. He turned now with a lover s thirst to images of tranquil skies, fresh meadows, cool brooks-an existence of soft and eternal peace. (206) The Veteran. Many years later old Henry Fleming is telling his tale to a group of townsfolk assembled at the grocery store. He is a local hero. In his old age, he can admit that he was afraid and he ran. His admission troubles his young grandson, injuring his stout, boyish idealism. That night Fleming s barn catches fire through the drunken negligence of one of his farm hands. The old man Fleming is the only person who seems not to panic and is able to do anything productive. He rescues the horses and cows and on his final, riskiest trip into the barn, it collapses on him and he is killed. Have the student work on Written Assignment, due Monday. Written Assignment: One of the main themes of the novel is to explore the idea that the Universe, or Nature, is indifferent to human life. What does it mean for Nature to be indifferent to mankind? How does the book convey this theme? 5 Written Assignment Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N11

12 Week 2 Grade Book Assignments Include (A) Points Earned (B) Possible Points A/B x100 =% (C) Study Questions Vocabulary Literary Device Elements of Fiction Written Assignment Other: Week 2 Average Add up column C & divide by number of included assignments = % Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N12

13 Book Notes Weekly Breakdown Book Report Review Final Exam WEEK 3 Goals and Notes for the Week This week s main focus should be on composition. The student should focus on the writing and perfecting of the book report; more than one draft may be necessary. This assignment can be applied to the composition grade. Please see the syllabus portion of the Literature course for guidance on writing a book report appropriate for 7 th or 8 th grade. Student Daily Assignments Parent Daily Guidelines The student should work on his book report. 1 Book Report 2 Book Report Review your student s report to make sure everything he has written supports his thesis statement, and the entire paper has a gentle flow from one supported idea to the next. Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. 3 Book Report The student should rewrite the final draft book report neatly if the he is writing it in long hand. 4 Review Encourage the student to go over the study questions, vocabulary, character lists, and other notes he has taken while reading the book in order to prepare for the final exam. If you did not do so upon starting this book, be sure to review the exam ahead of time to ensure all concepts are covered with the student. 5 Written Assignment Administer the final exam to the student. Week 3 Grade Book Assignments Include (A) Points Earned (B) Possible Points A/B x100 =% (C) Study Questions Vocabulary Literary Device Elements of Fiction Written Assignment Other: Week 3 Average Add up column C & divide by number of included assignments = % Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N13

14 ASSIGNMENT ANSWER KEY WEEK 1: Look at the flashback of the conversation between Henry and his mother. What is his mother s attitude about Henry joining the army? What advice does she give him? How does this foreshadow the main themes of the novel so far? His mother s attitude: she discourages him from joining, looks with contempt on his war ardor, and gave him hundreds of reasons why his presence on the farm was more important than his presence in the army (7), she thinks it s foolish to enlist (8), but also has a resignation and acceptance of the Lord s will (8) Advice she gives him: Watch out and take good care of yourself, don t think you can lick the whole rebel army by yourself at the start, keep quiet and do what you re told, choose your company wisely, don t drink liquor and swear, don t do anything you d be ashamed to tell me, and if it came down to being killed or doing the right thing, do the right thing-don t shirk. Henry s mother seems to know that it is in his character to question authority and strike out on a course of his own thinking, one that is much grander in his mind than in reality. She foreshadows Henry s anger at being a little piece in the army rather than a grand and sweeping force that could wipe out the whole enemy in one swoop, as Henry longs to do when in his red rage of battle. As well, his mother seems to know that Henry will question those in charge, as indeed he does in chapters 3 and 6. In chapter 7, he even feels a sense of superiority to the other soldiers who are not smart enough to save themselves and over the generals who seem not to know how to lead the battle. His mother s advice not to shirk his duty and to never do anything he would be ashamed to tell her foreshadows the central theme of manhood, courage, and honor versus self-preservation. Henry s dilemma is whether he will run or not when faced with battle. After Henry desserts the field of battle, he spends the rest of the novel trying to figure out if he should be ashamed of his actions or not. WEEK 2: One of the main themes of the novel is to explore the idea that the Universe, or Nature, is indifferent to human life. What does it mean for Nature to be indifferent to mankind? How does the book convey this theme? For nature to be indifferent to mankind means that the universe neither knows nor cares about what happens among men. In this case, Nature does not trouble herself over the drama of a war nor over Henry s individual struggles with courage, manhood, and death. Some examples may include: After the first battle, Henry sees the sun over the tree tops and notes that it looks pretty and that Nature had gone on tranquilly. The corpse in the chapel is a stark example of how death conquers every man. The grotesque sight of ants crawling busily across the face of the corpse. After Jim s death, Henry is upset and desires to make a passion filled speech, but is cut off by the observation of the uncaring sun in the sky like a wafer. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N14

15 FINAL EXAM Part I: Identify. Give a description of each of the characters. (5 points each) 1. Henry Fleming 2. Jim Conklin 3. Wilson 4. tattered soldier 5. the lieutenant Grade: /100 Part II: Short Answer. Answer in complete sentences, giving as much detail as possible. Omit 1or do all for extra credit. (5 points each) 1. What does Blue demonstration mean? 2. What do most of the soldiers think of their commanding officers? 3. Explain the significance of the loud soldier s letter. 4. Why doesn t Henry return immediately to his regiment after fleeing from battle and being separated from them? 5. Tell about the encounter with the squirrel and how it helps Henry justify his actions. 6. What is the significance of the corpse in the stand of trees? 7. Where is Henry wounded and how does Henry receive his wound? 8. What is a red badge of courage? 9. Describe the four Confederate prisoners. 10. Stephen Crane uses colors symbolically throughout the novel. Give two colors and what ideas they represent. Part III: Essay. This should be a minimum of three paragraphs with examples or quotes from the text to support your answer. (30 points) Compare and contrast Henry, Wilson, and Jim. What does each character represent? How does Crane s point of view (the 3 rd person limited omniscient), with insight only into Henry s thoughts, give the reader a different picture of Henry than the other two? Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N15

16 FINAL EXAM ANSWER KEY Part I: Identify. Give a description of each of the characters. (5 points each) 1. Henry Fleming: the novel s protagonist/main character, he is a youth in the Union army during the Civil War who has an idealistic portrait of war and how it makes heroes of men 2. Jim Conklin: Henry s friend, the tall soldier, he is wounded in the regiment s first battle and dies from his wounds in front of Henry 3. Wilson: the loud soldier who becomes Henry s friend, he changes from a boastful soldier to a wise, young friend 4. tattered soldier: a wounded soldier whom Henry meets in the column of retreating men, he continuously speculates about Henry s non-existent wound, causing Henry shame and embarrassment 5. the lieutenant: Henry s direct commander, a young officer who swears profusely in battle and yells at his soldiers to encourage them, as the novel progresses, he recognizes Henry s brave deeds Part II: Short Answer. Answer in complete sentences, giving as much detail as possible. Omit one or do all for extra credit. (5 points each) 1. A blue demonstration is what Henry calls his regiment when he thinks they will never see battle and only parade around from place to place for show in their blue uniforms. 2. Most of the men in the regiment feel that the general and the commanding officers do not know what they are doing and simply order them to move from place to place. They feel their efforts and fighting are useless. 3. The loud soldier, Wilson, gives Henry a letter to bring home to his family when Wilson fears he will not return from his first battle. This letter gives Henry a sense of superiority over the loud soldier. 4. Henry does not return immediately to his regiment because he is afraid they will guess that he deserted them and he will be mocked and scorned for his lack of courage, especially since he has no wound. 5. After fleeing from battle, Henry comes upon a squirrel in the woods. He throws a pine cone at the squirrel and it runs away. He takes this as a sign that there is a universal law that creatures should save themselves from danger and that he was simply following this law in running from battle. He uses the squirrel to justify his actions. 6. Henry comes upon a corpse in a stand of trees that he describes as a chapel, a quiet place with a religious light. This signifies death and every man s mortality. 7. Henry receives a wound in the head when one of his own Union soldiers strikes him with the butt of his rifle so that Henry will stop pestering him for news of the battle front. 8. A red badge of courage is a wound. It is a sign that a soldier engaged in battle and therefore had courage. Henry longs for this badge of courage. 9. The first prisoner was nursing a superficial wound and cursing them with resentful oaths, the second prisoner, a young boy, was calmly and good-naturedly conversing with his captors, the third was morose and bitter, telling everyone to go to hell, and the fourth prisoner sat in utter shame for having been captured. 10. Red = war, wounds, courage, anger, strength, animal instinct Blue = machine of war, unity, the sky, indistinctness Yellow = cowardice, deathly pallor, or the golden rays of the sun Grey = death, threat, haziness Orange = light, fire Purple = uncertainty, shadows Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N16

17 FINAL EXAM ANSWER KEY Part III: Essay. This should be a minimum of three paragraphs, with examples or quotes from the text to support your answer. (30 points) Compare and contrast Henry, Wilson, and Jim. What does each character represent? How does Crane s point of view (the 3 rd person limited omniscient), with insight only into Henry s thoughts, give the reader a different picture of Henry than the other two? Henry: a Youth, idealistic about war, visualizes Homeric deeds, romanticized notions of heroes and returning dead on their shields, has traditional ideals of courage that are untested and naïve; he is also vain and selfcentered, caring only for what others think of him-is he a hero or not? fighting not for his cause but for a personal reputation. He finally fights as part of the regiment, a piece of the whole and in so-doing loses sight of himself, sheds his self-centeredness and ironically this is when he fights more valiantly and gains the respect of his fellow soldiers, finally able to shed his shame and be at peace with himself Jim: the tall soldier, he is steady, quiet, simple, and above all dutiful and practical. He answers Henry with calm assurance that he would run if the others ran and fight if they fought. He doesn t spend his time complaining about his superior officers and speculating about the battles like Henry and Wilson, he would rather eat the sandwiches. He is an important contrast to Henry s introspection and Wilson s loud, false confidence. Jim, even in his death, is dignified and self-effacing. Wilson: At the beginning of the novel he is a Loud Soldier, he brags overtly about how he will fight, cares about his reputation among his peers, and is naïve. Yet we also see that his loudness is covering his fear when he gives an envelope to Henry to give to his family should he die in battle. In his fear and self-centeredness he is much like Henry. After his first battle, Wilson changes from the loud soldier to the friend. He becomes aware of his own mortality, no longer cares for what others think of him, and quietly asks for the letter back. He has matured into a generous, wise young man who can care for a friend. Wilson foreshadows the conclusions Henry will reach at a much later stage in the novel. Crane tells the story in the third person, but he only reveals the thoughts of Henry. Because of this, we know the personal struggles that Henry faces with issues of courage and his journey into manhood. In our understanding of Wilson and Jim we must rely solely on observation of their words and actions, much of this given to us through the filter of Henry s eyes. We cannot know how much fear, anger, selfishness, or how much bravery, hope, or patriotism motivated them. It is only Henry that we see completely and can understand, and with whom we can possibly sympathize. Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved The Red Badge of Courage N17