Character Analysis: The Red Badge

In every American war combined, about 1.2 million soldiers have died fighting in battle. Many look past the effects and consequences that going to war can lead to and every soldier is assumed to be a hero. Others believe that killing anybody, whether they are innocent or on a battlefield, is in no way honorable. Writers who protest war use imagery, irony, and structure to explain the negative effects of battle.

Authors in many instances use the main elements in the story such as setting and narrative to prove a point in the story. For example, writers often use characters, their actions, and their interaction with other characters to support or prove a theme. In the short story “Our Thirteenth Summer”, Barry Callaghan effectively uses characters to develop the theme that childhood is fragile and easily influenced. One of the ways that Callaghan makes effective use of characters to develop the theme is by describing the tension between Bobbie and his parents. This usage of characters supports the theme because Bobbie’s childhood is no longer free to do what he wishes, but has to bow down to his parents’

Wars are often glorified in tone to give praise and respect for those on the battlefields. There is an overall understanding that there are sacrifices needed in order to accomplish a larger goal. Excluded from this understanding is the realization that the effects of war

Since the dawn of mankind, war has played a significant role in numerous societies. War is typically a conflict between two or more people or groups. With this in mind, it’s possible to conclude that there are two sides to every story in war. The struggle of war, as we can observe, may not always be as “black and white” as it may seem. Just as other subjects, war has many different viewpoints. A fascinating viewpoint comes from the mind of Samuel Clemens, the man also known as Mark Twain. Twain’s perspective in “The War Prayer” reveals the sad, tragic reality of war.

Kurt Vonnegut is able to put a man’s face on war in his short story, “All the King’s Horse ”, and he exemplifies that in a time of war, the most forgotten effect on nations is the amount of innocent lives lost in meaningless battle due to unjust rulers fighting each other against a nation’s will. As Americans, we are oblivious to the fact that we have people fighting every day for our country. In addition, we ignore the fact that we do a lot of collateral damage and hurt innocent people unintentionally in order to get what we want. Vonnegut shows the reader in Pi Ying’s own sadistic way of demonstrating how he feels about war brings attention to the point that war, while unruly and cruel, is nothing

The idea of war has been around for centuries and yet humanity is still doubtful as to what causes us to be so engaged in war. Could it possibly have anything to do with the feelings and emotions that come along when dealing with an actual war? In “The Ecstasy of War”, Barbara Ehreneich argues that war brings such powerful and uplifting feeling that it seems to resemble a religious experience. War exposes a lot about human nature and why despite the destruction caused by war, we still manage to participate. It is important to understand the origins by acknowledging the repetitive and compulsive behavior that arises in human beings at war. By changing the perspective on war, humanity can begin to take the first step to freedom. I will examine

I was pleased to have attended a lecture cosponsored by the Ethics Center, the Fresno State office of the president, the Fresno Bee and Valley PBS. The lecture began with Dr. Castro recognizing a few leaders on campus, including a past Fresno State president, Dr. John D. Welty and campus volunteer Mary Castro. Dr. Castro then mentioned a few things about Mr. Brooks stating that he is a columnist for the New York Times and an analyst for the PBS “News Hour” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Dr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, one the finest university in the country. Dr. Castro continued by saying that he learned that Mr. Brooks office hours are from 9am to 1pm and how “cool” it sounded to him. I was surprised how many people attended the event. I was fortunate to find a seat. David Brooks mentioned how he has some remote roots in the Central Valley because his father grew in Chowchilla, CA but Mr. Brooks grew in New York.

“It’s because he no longer loves us sweetheart. Pack your stuff, we’re leaving this house and your father who doesn’t care enough anymore about this family.”

it was from the butt of a fellow soldier's rifle. Now he was determined to

During war, a soldier's most important support system is his/her regiment. This is a support system that Henry has, then loses throughout this time period in his life. All through the war Henry questions his courage and bravery. He wonders if he will turn and run when death is looking him in the eyes, or if he will decide to stay and do what he came to do; prove that he is a man and can handle even death itself. During battle several soldiers are wounded earning their "red badge of courage" and Henry's confident, Jim Conklin, dies. Here is where Henry's second isolation, the isolation from his regiment, occurs. The soldiers in the regiment feel a certain pride and respectability from earning their "red badge." Henry didn't earn this sense of pride and respectability because of the abandonment of his fellow soldiers. He felt that his assumption was clearly rectified- he was a coward. Henry Fleming seemed to become the virtuoso of separation, individualism, and isolation. The tension is eased after he mistakenly "earns" his "red badge" from a friend.

Psychology of a Soldier (Evaluation of the psychological elements of the soldiers in Red Badge of Courage and An Episode of War) War is inevitable. It has happened over and over in history. Battles are sometimes recognized with honor, sometimes shame. There are even invisible wars that occur within ourselves.

However, he witnesses several men getting injured and seeing this contributes to his fear toward war. Henry’s emotional badge of courage is his cowardness which is seen when he explores the way wars are fought. He seems to be in a state of shock when watching how his friends of the regiment die ruthlessly in a battle. Henry, being able to escape from the battlefield, serves as an evidence that he was not ready for the lifestyle in a war. Soldiers dying out of pain, the extreme weather conditions, and the lack of supplies was horrifying for Henry. Henry’s red badge(s) of courage support the theme of overcoming his or her fears. Henry escapes the battlefield because he could not handle the terrors of the war, but the taunts of the society and the desire to get a red badge of courage compelled him to come back. Henry returns to war prepared to fight the enemy. It is an understanding that in order to defeat an individual’s fear, motivation and inspiration is required. Henry’s desire to get a red badge of courage inspires him to face his fears of war.

War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, written by the talented author Chris Hedges, gives us provoking thoughts that are somewhat painful to read but at the same time are quite personal confessions. Chris Hedges, a talented journalist to say the least, brings nearly 15 years of being a foreign correspondent to this book and subjectively concludes how all of his world experiences tie together. Throughout his book, he unifies themes present in all wars he experienced first hand. The most important themes I was able to draw from this book were, war skews reality, dominates culture, seduces society with its heroic attributes, distorts memory, and supports a cause, and allures us by a

The Red Badge of Courage tells the story of a young boy that is forced to become a courageous man. The story portrays Henry as an antihero the eventually becomes heroic. An antihero is a person who lacks heroic qualities such as courage and morality, which Henry displays in the first portion of the novel. By the end of the story, Henry becomes someone who demonstrates courage, bravery, strength and defeats his fears. In most novels, a single character is not portrayed as both the antihero and the hero. Throughout The Red Badge of Courage Henry’s thoughts show us that he starts out an antihero and is forced through his experiences in war to grow into a hero.

In The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, Henry Fleming, the main character, is frightened of battle. His first battle was not as bad as he expected, but when the enemy returns, he decides to run. Henry dashes from the battle hoping to get as far away as possible. After this, so many events happen that it is confusing. For example, Henry overhears a conversation, then he comes across a dead man and starts to feel many emotions. These pictures are going to show and explain the meaning of these emotions and explain why all of these events led to Henry trying to return to his regiment.