Red Badge of Courage Analysis

Topic #1-Popularity

        The red badge of courage is popular because it is a story that makes war look like a brutal violent terrible thing not something that represents heroism and romance. This was Cranes goal for the book and he accomplished it. Throughout the book gruesomeness is portrayed and men not acting like heros. This is popular because it is like no other book it is truthful and honest about what happens it doesn't make up heros.

Passage #1

        He suddenly lost concern for himself, and forgot to look at a menacing fate. He 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. (501)

Explanation #1

This shows how Henry is realizing that  this isn't like the Greek stories that he has read all his life. This is the real situation this also is when he is almost runs away from the battle because he knows that he is not courageous enough for the Civil War

Passage #2

        THIS ADVANCE OF THE ENEMY SEEMED TO THE YOUTH LIKE A CRUEL hunting. He began to express his anger. He beat his foot upon the ground, and looked with hate at the rising smoke that was approaching like a flood. There was a maddening quality in this apparent determination of the enemy to give him no rest, to give him no time to sit down and think. Yesterday he had fought and run away. There had been many adventures. Today he felt that he had earned opportunity for rest and thought. He was sore and stiff from his experiences. He had had enough, and he wished to rest. But the rebels seemed never to grow tired; they were fighting with their old speed. He had a wild hate for the enemy. Yesterday, when he had imagined the world to be against him, he had hated the world. Today he hated the army of the enemy with the same great hatred. He was not going to run all his life, like a cat hunted by dogs, he thought. It was not good to push men so hard. (569)

Explanation #2

This shows the battle about to start between the unions and the confederates Henry id about to have the courage to fight in a battle. This is a big change in the book and is the climax of  the story. This is the final tale in a large bloody battle

Topic #2-Entertaining

        The Red Badge of Courage is entertaining to people because of its aspect of war that goes so in depth that no other book at the time could compare with. The red badge of Courage gives people who have never experienced warfare up close and personal when reading this book. When writing Red badge of Courage Stephen Crane set out to destroy the notion that war was full of heroism and romance. Some libraries and schools have banned the Red Badge of Courage because of its violence in the book. Many warjunkies love this book.

Passage #1

        The Lieutenant of the youths company was shot in the hand. He began to swear so wondrously that a nervous laugh went along the regimental line. The officers profanity sounded conventional. It relieved the tightened senses of the new man. It was as if he had hit his fingers with a tack hammer at home. He held the wounded member carefully away from his side so that the blood would not drip upon his trousers. The captain of the company, tucking his sword under his arm, produced a handkerchief and began to bind with it the lieutenants wound. And they disputed as to how the binding should be done. The battle  flag in the distance jerked about madly. It seemed to be struggling to free itself from a frightful pain. The clouds of smoke were filled with flashes. Fast running men came through the smoke. They grew in numbers until it was seen that many brigades were running away. The flag suddenly sank down as if dying. Its motion as it fell was a movement of despair. Wild shouts came from behind the walls of smoke. A mob of men rushed past like wild horses.(496)

Explanation #1

        This is a brutal scene where blood is right in your face, meaning that you don't have to read inbetween the lines to realize oh there is battle going on here where people are getting hurt and it is very bloody. This scene is entertaining because how much you learn from it about war because there is the hurting lieutenant who is being laughed at by his troops. This is a cool and entertaining scene for many because of the gruesomeness and the graphicness.

Passage #2 

        The men dropped here and there like bundles. The captain of the youth's company had been killed in an early part of the action. His body lay stretched out in the position of a tired man resting, but upon his face there was an astonished and sorrowful look, as if he thought some friend had done him an ill turn. The babbling man was grazed by a shot that made the bloodstream widely down his face. He clapped both hands to his head. Oh! he said, and ran. Another grunted suddenly as if a club had struck him in the stomach. He sat down and gazed ruefully. In his eyes there was mute, indefinite reproach. Farther up the line a man, standing behind a tree, had had his knee joint splintered by a ball. Immediately he had dropped his rifle and gripped the tree with both arms. And there he remained, clinging desperately and crying for assistance that he might withdraw his hold upon the tree.(504)

Explanation #2

        This is another graphic scene that shows the battle of the 304th regiment attempting to hold off the confederates. Whats makes this so entertaining is the detail Crane goes into in this scene it makes you go wow  and allows the reader to feel like there is in that moment some people get a rush of adrenaline from reading this book just because of the detail that Crane is going into.

Topic #3- Inspiration

        One idea that would inspire young writers today would be the detail of the book not only with the side of war but in the details of every aspect of the book. The detail in this book focuses on the setting more than the overall story of the book. Something else that could inspire young writers is how Crane gets rid of the notion that war is full of heroism and romance.

Passage #1

Blue figures began to drop. Some fell down at the feet of their companions. Others, wounded, moved away; but many lay still, their bodies turned into impossible shapes. The youth looked around for his friend. He saw him. The lieutenant, also, was in his position in the rear. He had continued to curse, but with a voice rapidly growing weak. The colonel came running along behind the line. There were other officers following him. We must attack! they shouted. We must attack! They had strained voices, as if expecting a refusal by the men. The youth, upon hearing the shouts, began to study the distance between him and the enemy. He made a guess. He saw that to be firm soldiers they must go forward. It would be death to stay in the present place. Their hope was to push the enemy away from the fence. He expected that his companions would have to be forced to make this attack. But as he turned toward them, he saw that they were giving quick and unquestioning expressions of approval. At the words of command, the soldiers began to push forward in eager leaps. There was new and unexpected force in the movement of the regiment. It was a blind and despairing rush by the men in dusty blue, over grass and under a bright sky, toward a fence. From behind it spoke the fierce guns of the enemy.

Explanation #1

Passage #2

        The youth was shocked. He discovered that the distances, compared with the large measurings in his mind, were small indeed. The trees, where much had happened, seemed unbelievably near. The time,too, he realized, had been short. He wondered about the emotions and events that had been crowded into such little spaces. Tricks played by the thoughts of the moment must have enlarged everything, he felt. It seemed then that there was some bitter justice in the speeches of the other regiment. He looked down upon his friends lying upon the ground, breathless with dust and heat. They were drinking from their canteens, fierce to get every drop of water. However, to the youth there was considerable joy in thinking of his own performances during the attack. There had been very little time before in which to admire himself, so now there was much satisfaction in quietly thinking of his actions. He remembered things that in the battle had sunk unnoticed into his mind.

Explanation #2

If she allows talk about how he was inexperienced writer talking about the touchy subject of war and not getting anyone's opinion who have experienced war.

Topic #4 -Writing Style

        Stephen Crane uses a contemporary writing style which means that it is based in a realistic setting and uses a style. This also means that there is either a hidden or open meaning of World politics for example the civil war a real time and still affects politics to this day

Topic #5- Something About Ourselves

        This book shows something that many all can relate to, this shows book shows the change of Henry from a boy to a man he experiences this as a soldier. All people have some point in there life when they realize that they become an adult. This is caused usually by something that you do wrong. There are many coming of age stories but none show coming of age like it is shown in Red Badge of Courage. This book also shows how at one point in  your  life you have to leave behind your family and what you know to go somewhere else whether it be to College or a new home many will leave their home to go somewhere out of the ordinary. Usually you leave for something that is better than what you have prior to leaving.

Passage #1

He saw his vivid error, and he was afraid that it would stand before him all his life. He took no share in the chatter of his comrades, nor did he look at them or know them, save when he felt sudden suspicion that they were seeing his thoughts and scrutinizing each detail of the scene with the tattered soldier. Yet gradually he mustered force to put the sin at a distance. And at last his eyes seemed to open to some new ways. He found that he could look back upon the brass and bombast of his earlier gospels and see them truly. He was gleeful when he discovered that he now despised them. With the conviction came a store of assurance. He felt a quiet manhood, nonassertive but of sturdy and strong blood. He knew that he would no more quail before his guides wherever they should point. He had been to touch the great death, and found that, after all, it was but the great death. He was a man. (573)

Explanation #1

        This scene shows Henry realizing that he is a man this scene also shows Henry realizing the error in his ways. Henry knows that he cannot look at the people who fought while he stood watch the same way because of what he did in the war

Passage #2

He felt that in this crisis his laws of life were useless. Whatever he had learned of himself was here of no avail. He was an unknown quantity. He saw that he would again be obliged to experiment as he had in early youth. He must accumulate information of himself, and meanwhile he resolved to remain close upon his guard lest those qualities of which he knew nothing should everlastingly disgrace him. (480)

Explanation #2

        This passage shows Henry's fear of leaving and having the courage to fight. He is worried about leaving what he knows behind him and that scares him. This show's the life lesson that all people go through something where they leave something behind to go somewhere that will turn them into manhood.

Topic #6 learning

        The Red Badge of Courage is based during the American Civil War, one of the most influential wars in American history. In this story you learn about what a soldier at that time was going through, how many died and if they didn't die they experienced a friends death. Although Red Badge of Courage is not completely accurate but it still shows how the American Civil War was a tough time for many and it was an awful time. You also learn how many soldiers not just Henry way have ran away from the fight and it was a mistake for them to enlist. There were many cowards in the war and I don't blame them because they had the courage to enlist even though they didn't end up fighting.

Topic #7-Title

        The Title of the book Red Badge of Courage is named what it is because on page 518 it is stated wishes that he, too, had a wound, a red badge of courage.(518)This quote makes it seem like the Red Badge of Courage is a medal of some sort, but really, it is just the blood that is coming at of the wound . This is an appropriate title name because this is what Henry wishes to receive but, for this you have to have courage not cowardice. Henry ends up being shot by a union soldier and pretends that he was hit by a confederate this is the ultimate form of cowardice because Henry is a coward. One alternative for a name could be Courageses Cowardly face. This would be appropriate because Henry represents someone who wishes to be courageous but he is to cowardly to fight in the Civil War. This title also could mean that Henry is two faced. Another possible name for the book could be  Internal wounds of war this means that war could not only leave the scars on the inside but the life lessons that you learn on the inside.  

Topic #8-Likes

        One thing that I enjoyed in this book was the reality of war I had never read a book that goes into so much detail about war I have seen movies but I have never read about war. Reading about a war story is different than watching one, when watching a movie the picture is right there but when reading a book you imagine it with the detail that is given to you. I also really like how the story doesn't get me attached to the characters it gets me more attached to the details and what is going on around the characters.

Topic #9 Dislikes

        I disliked how the language of the story was hard to follow and how at some points you didn't realize what was going on. At some points of the story I didn't know if Henry was dreaming or if he was in a battle. Also at some points of the story you don't know where Henry and the other Troops are at. This may be because I am not used to the language at this time period or it could be because I am not used to reading a book with a format like this.

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