...Crane’s Differences (The Analysis of Stephen Crane in the Red Badge of Courage and “An Episode of War”) Many people have noticed that Stephen Crane tends to ask questions in his writings but fails to answer them. This is guessed to be strategic, causing the readers to think deeper about the concept at hand. Or, in this case, to evaluate their own ideas about people’s behaviors, feelings and thoughts. Donald Vanouse commented, “Stephen Crane's works present sudden shifts in tone and point of view, and frequently the works end without establishing either certainty about characters or resolution of thematic issues.” Stephen Crane’s novel, The Red Badge of Courage and the short story, “An Episode of War” are two exceptional examples when assessing Crane’s tendency to vaguely describe things, causing one to assume and evaluate the event closer....
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...questions throughout their works. Stephen Crane is one of these writers. According to Julie Armstrong, “One of America's most influential realist writers, Stephen Crane… produced works that have been credited with establishing the foundations of modern American naturalism.” This conveys just what an amazing writer Stephen Crane truly was. Much of Stephen Crane's fame comes from his novel, The Red Badge of Courage. As said by Aaron Ezis, “Crane is less well known for his short stories, essays and poems, including An Experiment in Misery and In the Depths of a Coal Mine.” Along with this, critics often point out that Stephen Crane often asks...
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...Henry Fleming, along with most Civil War soldiers, endured psychological struggles when faced with the reality that death is inevitable. Stephen Crane wrote The Red Badge of Courage as a realistic novel by using average soldiers and conflicts that the average person could easily understand. Crane also included naturalism in this novel by associating the setting with the protagonist. Stephen Crane’s use of these psychological struggles made The Red Badge of Courage a truly unique novel of its time. The Red Badge of Courage is set in during the Civil War at the three day long Battle of Chancellorsville. The Civil War lasted for about four years in which the Union Army fought the Confederate Army, to preserve the United States, in sixty-seven full-scale battles, three hundred and ten engagements, and 6,337 skirmishes (Bowman 280). The Civil War claimed approximately 360,000 Union soldiers’ lives and left hundreds of thousands of men disabled. More than 400,000 men died of diseases, accidents, and other causes than war (Bowman 280). The war also severely hurt the economy. The property losses would cost billions of dollars by today’s terms. The total cost of the Civil War was fifteent billion in 1860 dollars which is equal to three hundred and fifty billion in 1990 dollars (Bowman 280). These losses resulted in the restoration of the American Union and the emancipation of four million enslaved African Americans. The Confederate Army fought against the mighty Union army for their...
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...Crane, Stephen The Red Badge of Courage. London: Puffin, 2009. 205 pages. In The Red Badge of Courage, a young solider, Henry Fleming, reflects on what will become of him when he gets to battle—will he run or will he stand and fight bravely? He enlisted because he wanted to be a hero, like the warriors of the Greek epics. His mother, however, was not interested in such notions of bravery, and she discouraged Henry from enlisting. She denied him a goodbye when she learned of his enlistment, and she told him to go with his feelings should he find himself in a situation. Days later, Henry’s regiment marched with other Union army regiments. During this time, Henry’s thoughts are mixed and distracted. After he passed a corpse for the first time, he believed his regiment was being lead to their death, but they soon faced an actual conflict. After a raging battle, Henry felt satisfied that he had overcome the trials of war. However, the Rebels attacked again. During the second battle, Henry dropped his weapon and ran. He ran into an open field after he passed through a forest, and he came upon a group of wounded soldiers. Henry saw that one of his friends, Jim Conklin, was one of the wounded men; Henry tried to help him, but Jim ran away and soon died. Henry continued wondering and encountered mass chaos. He was hit on the head with a rifle, and a nice man helped him return to his regiment. Upon his return, Henry believed he would have harsh words awaiting him because of his...
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...saw. Over the century and a half since the war, there have been many novels written by writers who have had military experience or are more experienced altogether. A writer such as Michael Shaara, winner of the Pulitzer prize, for his novel, The Killer Angels. Shaara’s novel is written in an entirely different light than Crane’s. In particular, the way that Shaara starts The Killer Angels, is...
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...matter the conflict and its details. The sheer risk of the situation in itself makes it defining for many involved, particularly those in the thick of battle. In Stephen Crane’s novel The Red Badge of Courage, the protagonist Henry Fleming shows ambition, bravery, and eventually reflection, and is shaped by his stressful and horrific life as a Union soldier in the American Civil War, which forces him to progress mentally. In The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming demonstrates an ambitious nature, however, this nature is altered by his experiences on the battlefield, causing him to become a more reflective individual. For example, when describing Fleming’s eighteen year-old, untested thoughts towards the regiment’s first battle, Crane writes, “He had, of course, dreamed of battles all his life-- of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire” (Crane 3). Essentially, before experiencing any combat firsthand, Fleming thinks of war as a glorious and heroic situation, and is eager to join the cause. However, later in the novel, after experiencing a few battles, Henry loses this sense of eagerness. When describing his feelings after an especially bloody battle, Crane writes, “He appeared dazed, looking as if he was questioning ever joining the great war” (Crane 56). While Henry begins the novel ambitious and...
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...Stephen Crane is one of America’s most famous writers with his use of imagery. In all of Stephen Crane use a wide variety of imagery throughout all of his works of literature . One of Stephen crane most popular from to use was Animal Imagery. Stephen Crane’s use of imagery to show how we all have animal instincts. Throughout all of Stephen crane works contain Imagery. For example all through the book The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane employs vivid use of Animal Imagery. “He developed the acute exasperation of a pestered animal, a well - meaning cow worried by dogs ” (crane 201). The vivid use Animal Imagery in The Red Badge of Courage leads you to believe most of the battles are in the main characters head. Also Stephen Crane use of imagery makes you lose sight at what is going on talking about from men then changing them to animals within them. “The regiment is sometimes a monster and sometimes a reptile. These images cause the reader to lose sight of the fact that the regiment is really a unit of men” (cliffnotes). Stephen Crane also he uses color imagery to show contrast in things. Constantly use different versions of animal imagery frequently in connection with battle. “To the youth it was an onslaught of reportable dragons “ (crane 230). “The mouthed rumors that had flown like birds out of the unknown” (crane 221). Stephen Crane use of Animal Imagery throughout his works show how we all have animal instincts. “He is tapping into the core of his being that...
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...Symbolism in The Red Badge of Courage The term Symbolism can be defined as the use of symbols to represent ideas, natural objects or facts (Mork). Throughout history, Symbolism has been used as a means of uniquely conveying certain messages across a public spectrum. Take for example the Underground Railroad system before the Civil War. Many slaves made quilts containing several pictures and symbols as a means of secretly communicating with other slaves (Breneman). The use of symbolism can especially be seen in literature; a great example of this is Stephen Crain’s novel The Red Badge of Courage. Written in 1895, the plot mainly takes place in the Civil War, more specifically in The Battle of Chancellorsville. It is said that this battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War (The New York Times). The story centers around a young man Henry Fleming, who is very much obsessed with fame and recognition. Part of this obsession makes him join the Union Army, as an attempt to die with honor and to be forever immortalized by fame. Crane makes use of Symbolism through his characters, such as Henry, and the environment in which these characters are placed in. Through the use of Symbolism, Crane is introducing and informing the readers about the concept of Naturalism in such a subtle yet effective manner. Crane’s novel is filled with symbolism, take the title for example. Back in that time period, Civil War solders used the term red badge to describe a blood stain or wound attained...
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...Stephen Crane was an accomplished author who wrote many well-known books during his lifetime. When Crane was alive, he struggled to sell copies of his first novels as a professional author, many of the people he asked to publish his novel Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, rejected it. Although Stephen Crane was not a popular author at the beginning of his career, now, nearly one hundred and fifteen years after his death, he is considered a monumental American author. Stephen was born on November 1, 1871 in Newark, New Jersey. He was the fourteenth and last child of his parents, Jonathan and Mary. He was plagued by colds constantly as a child; however, he was very intelligent and taught himself to read at the age of four. When Stephen was 8, his father died and his mother moved to Roseville, New Jersey leaving the boy in the care of his older brother, William, whom he lived with for several years, before going to live with his other brother, Townley and his wife Fannie....
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...Eshana Batra WR 100 Byttebier Manhood by the virtue of Martyrdom The mental and physical suffering of the protagonist, Henry Fleming, in Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage drives him to his ultimate quest for manhood. Henry, often referred to as ‘the youth’, enlists in war with the belief that he’ll achieve manhood through a valiant soldier’s life. The premise of his enlistment is his endeavour to attain self-worth and a heroic stature, a microcosm of the need for human beings to achieve recognition. The novel is spanned across two days of heated battle between the Confederate soldiers and the Union during the American Civil War (schmoop,2012). This essay will bring to light Michael Walzer’s opinions on the rules of war and moral decencies in battles in situ to Henry’s red badge of courage. Walzer, a political theorist, insists on the importance of ethics and need for conventions for the abolition of war rather than it’s toleration. As Henry is exposed to the realities of war, his conceptualization of manhood evolves from a naïve lust for glory to a noble and selfless rationale of life. This essay will identify the changes in Henry’s perception of manhood as a result of his experiences on and off the battlefield by analyzing his inner turmoil of self-doubt and insecurity. The heroism associated with military exultance intoxicates and thus misleads Henry into believing that war brings glamour and honor. This resonates with Walzer’s argument that “military honor...
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...Describe the elements of war and death in Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. This book is divided into two parts. In the first part the main characters, Henry Flemings. illusions disappear when confronted by the reality of battle(WAH 642). During the first battle he sees vague figures before him, but they are driven away. In the next battle he is so frightened that he runs away becoming one of the first heroes in literature to actually desert his fellow soldiers in the field. While Henry is separated from his fellow soldiers, he wanders through the forest. There he experiences the kind of illusions that predominate in all of the writings of Crane (WAH 642). First he tells himself that nature does not blame him for running. Next he finds himself in a part of the woods that he believes is religious. The insects are praying and the forest takes the appearance of a chapel. Henry is comfortable with this until he finds a dead soldier in the heart of the “chapel”. Henry sees an ant carrying a bundle across the face of the dead soldier. That view is beautiful in the sense of conveying great emotion through minute detail(WAH 643). As he moves back henry sees a line of injured soldiers including his friend Jim Conklin,who is badly wounded and another friend called “the tattered man”. Trying to make up for deserting his friends, Henry tries to help Jim Conklin who is dying.After Conklin dies, the tattered man probes deeply into Henry’s conscience by repeatedly ...
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...Seminar Paper on the Topic: Scarlett O’Hara as a Complicated Heroine INTRODUCTION Gone with the Wind, a popular romantic novel by Margaret Mitchell, differs from most Civil War novels by glorifying the South and demonizing the North. Other popular novels about the Civil War, such as Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, are told from a Northern perspective and tend to exalt the North’s values. Mitchell’s novel is unique also for its portrayal of a strong-willed, independent woman, Scarlett O’Hara, who shares many characteristics with Mitchell herself. Mitchell frequently defied convention, divorcing her first husband and pursuing a career in journalism despite the disapproval of society. Gone with the Wind was published in 1936; ten years after Mitchell began writing it. A smash success upon publication, Gone with the Wind became—and remains even now—one of the best-selling novels of all time. It received the 1937 Pulitzer Prize. In the late 1930s a film version of the novel was planned, and David O. Selznick’s nationwide search for an actress to play Scarlett O’Hara captivated the nation’s attention. The resulting film starred Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable as Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler, and it quickly became one of the most popular motion pictures of all time. My research paper discusses about the character of the protagonist. No doubt Scarlett O’Hara is a complicated heroine in the story. But there is nothing to say...
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...one of the central moments for defining the American nation since the second half of the nineteenth century. The facets of the Civil War, its protagonists, places, events, and political, social and cultural underpinnings seem to hold an ongoing fascination for both academic studies and fictional representations. Thus, it has been considered by many the most written-about war in the United States. The War That Never Goes Away: The Significance of the Civil War for the Cultural Imagination in the United States Despite the overwhelming body of academic work on the Civil War produced in the United States (and beyond) most of the American public (as well as the international audience) has been exposed to it through cultural texts such as novels, poems, songs, motion pictures, TV series, and documentaries. Hence the Civil War has been regarded “A War that Never Goes Away,” as most convincingly suggested by American historian James McPherson in his ground breaking studies on the Civil War and its...
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...1. Literature of the 17th century. John Milton. “Paradise Lost”. John Bunyan. “Pilgrim’s Progress”. The peculiarities of the English literature of the 17th century are determined by the events of the Engl. Bourgeois Revolution, which took place in 1640-60. King Charles I was beheaded in 1649& General Oliver Cromwell became the leader of the new government. In 1660, shortly after Cro-ll’s death, the dynasty of the Stuarts was restored. The establishment of new social&eco-ic relations, the change from feudal to bourgeois ownership, escalating class-struggle, liberation movement and contradictions of the bourgeois society found their reflection in lit-re. The main representatives of this period is: John Milton: was born in London&educated at Christ’s College. He lived a pure life believing that he had a great purpose to complete. At college he was known as the The Lady of Christ’s. he Got master’s degree at Cambridge. It’s convenient to consider his works in 3 divisions. At first he wrote his short poems at Horton. (The Passion, Song on May Morning, L’Allegro). Then he wrote mainly prose. His 3 greatest poems belong to his last group. At the age of 23 he had still done little in life&he admits this in one of his sonnets. (On his 23d B-day) In his another sonnet he wrote on his own blindness. (On his Blindness) Milton wrote diff. kinds of works. His prose works were mainly concerned with church, affairs, divorce & freedom. The English civil war between Charles...
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...started is the hardest part. You may have noticed that when it is time to begin a writing assignment, you suddenly develop an enormous desire to straighten your books, water your plants, or sharpen your pencils for the fifth time. If this situation sounds familiar, you may find it reassuring to know that many professionals undergo these same strange compulsions before they begin writing. Jean Kerr, author of Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, admits that she often finds herself in the kitchen reading soup-can labels—or anything—in order to prolong the moments before taking pen in hand. John C. Calhoun, vice president under Andrew Jackson, insisted he had to plow his fields before he could write, and Joseph Conrad, author of Lord Jim and other novels, is said to have cried on occasion from the sheer dread of sitting down to compose his stories. To spare you as much hand-wringing as possible, this chapter presents some practical suggestions on how to begin writing your short essay. Although all writers must find the methods that work best for them, you may find some of the following ideas helpful. But no matter how you actually begin putting words on paper, it is absolutely essential to maintain two basic ideas concerning your writing task. Before you write a single sentence, you should always remind yourself that 1. You have some valuable ideas to tell your reader, and 2. More than anything, you want to communicate those ideas to your reader. These reminders may seem obvious to you,...
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