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.

1) Mean – Ignoble’ base. Low in quality or grade; inferior.

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 . . .”

2) omen – an event regarded as a portent of good or evil.

QUOTE: “He could not accept with assurance an omen that he was about to mingle in one of those
great affairs of the earth.”

3) Homeric – epic and large-scale.

QUOTE: “They might not be distinctly Homeric, but there seemed to be much glory in them.”

4) ardor – enthusiasm or passion.

QUOTE: “She had affected to look with some contempt upon the quality of his war ardor and
patriotism.”

5) ethical - morally good or correct.

QUOTE: “Moreover, on her side, was his belief that her ethical motive in the argument was
impregnable.”

6) impregnable – unable to be defeated or destroyed; unassailable.

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QUOTE:

Part 2: Military Terms

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

D. a military unit of ground troops consisting of at N. a soldier in the Union army

least two battalions, usually commanded by a
colonel

E. A noncommissioned rank in the armed forces O. a subdivision of a military regiment or

above private first class and below sergeant battalion, usually under the command of a captain

F. a detachment of one or more troops advanced P. a series of military operations undertaken to

to warn of an enemy’s approach achieve a large-scale objective during a war

G. a soldier assigned to attend a superior officer Q. a rough-and-tumble struggle

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

U. a set of guns, cannon, or other heavy artillery

1) ____G__ orderly 2) __R____ private 3) ___E___ corporal

4) ___P___ campaign 5) ___O___ company 6) ____M__ rebel

7) ____D__ regiment 8) ___S___ general 9) ___F___ picket

10) ___N___ Yank 11) ____J__ cavalry 12) ___T___ Johnnies

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13) ___H__ scrimmage 14) ___U___ battery 15) ___A___ skirmish

16) ____C__ ramrod 17) ___K___ cartridge 18) ____S__ brigadier

19) ____I___ charger 20) ___L___ bayonet 21) __B____ entrenchment

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.

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d. The Loud Soldier (Wilson) – Grows closer to Henry and they both gain reputation as regiments best
soldiers. Takes care of Henry's wound.

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

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Eager Distrust

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?

6) What question torments Henry in the first chapter?

7) What reassures Henry at the close of Chapter 1?

Class Discussion- Be prepared to discuss in class.

1) Read the following passage from the book:

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?

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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.

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