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The Red Badge of Courage
The Red Badge of Courage
Vocabulary
Part 1: Write the dictionary definition of each of the words below in the space provided, then quote the
sentence in which the word appears in the chapter. The first one is done for you.
QUOTE: “If so be a time comes when yeh have to be kilt or do a mean thing, why, Henry, don’t think of
anything ‘cept what’s right . . .”
QUOTE: “He could not accept with assurance an omen that he was about to mingle in one of those
great affairs of the earth.”
QUOTE: “They might not be distinctly Homeric, but there seemed to be much glory in them.”
QUOTE: “She had affected to look with some contempt upon the quality of his war ardor and
patriotism.”
QUOTE: “Moreover, on her side, was his belief that her ethical motive in the argument was
impregnable.”
Terms from military life are used throughout The Red Badge of Courage. Match the numbered terms
with the letter of the definition given below. You will need a dictionary to help you.
A. a minor battle in a war, as one between forces K. a cylindrical casing containing the charge of
ammunition for a firearm
B. variation of entrenchment; trenches built for L. a blade adapted to fit the end of a rifle and used
fortification or defense as a weapon in close combat
C. a rod used to force the charge into a musket M. a soldier in the Confederate army
H. a brigadier general; a commissioned rank in the R. a noncommissioned rank in the army; the
U.S. Army above colonel and below major general lowest rank
I. a horse trained for battle S. a commissioned rank in the armed forces that is
above lieutenant general
J. troops trained to fight on horseback T. short for “Johnny Reb” – soldiers in the
Confederate army
Questions:
1) Describe each of the characters listed below as they are currently portrayed in the book. You may
want to return to this exercise in later chapters to add more information as each character is pictured in
greater detail. Some of the characters do not appear until later in the novel. The first one has been
started for you.
a. The Tall Soldier (Jim Conklin) – He is described as being liked “a herald”; can be argumentative;
humble; serene; possessed of a calm faith; philosophical; courageous;
b. The Youthful Private (Henry Fleming) – Youthful private, protagonist, young boy in the union army,
question his own courage. Runs from battle. In the beginning he is plagued by fear but then shows he
can be a hero.
c. Mrs. Fleming (Henry’s mother) – Henry's mother opposed his enlisting in the army. Though her advice
is only briefly summarized in Henry's flashback, it contains several difficult themes with which Henry
must grapple, including the insignificance of his life in the grand scheme of the world.
e. The Tattered Soldier – Twice asks Henry about how he was wounded. This questioning angers Henry,
and he leaves the tattered soldier wandering in the same field where Jim dies. Henry feels ashamed for
leaving him alone to die.
2) Henry Fleming (“the youthful private”) experiences contradictory feelings about the war and his
participation in it. Describe some things that sway his emotions for or against the war. The first one is
done for you.
a. All his life he has read about marches, sieges and conflicts; every day the newspapers carry an
account of victories in battle.
b.
c.
d.
e.
3) Below, list some of the words the author uses in the first chapter to describe Henry’s contradictory
feelings about the war. Categorize these words as being either positive or negative. Several have been
done for you.
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Astonishment Regret
4) What advice does Henry’s mother give him as he sets off for the army?
5) How does the reality of camp life compare to how Henry has always imagined war to be?
One night, as he lay in bed, the winds had carried to him the clangoring of the church bell as
some enthusiast jerked the rope frantically to tell the twisted news of a great battle. This voice of the
people rejoicing in the night had made him shiver in a prolonged ecstasy of excitement.
This is the final event that lures Henry to enlist in the army. What might the author be suggesting about
the role of the church in times of war? What is the responsibility of the Christian church when the
government and the people are contemplating war? How is the church’s responsibility different from
the responsibility of the government that wages the war?
2) Reflecting on war, Henry had the notion that there would be no more “Greeklike struggles” for these
reasons:
Men were better, or more timid. Secular and religious education had effaced the throat-
grappling instinct, or else firm finance held in check the passions.
What does the author mean by the term “Greeklike struggles”? Explain Henry’s reasons in your own
words. DO you agree with his general statement – that there will be nor more “Greeklike struggles”?
Do you agree with his reasons? Explain your answers.