Transcript Red Badge of Courage

Color Symbolism
In the Red Badge of Courage,
Crane uses the colors red
and black. Red is used to
represent the red wound, the
red battle field, and the red
rage of war. Black represents
death and the darkness of
the unknown and the future
of the men.
Naturalism:
Realism:
Naturalism is a philosophical way of thinking that has
nature as the center of everything. The only truths in the
world are truths of nature. This can be seen in The Red
Badge of Courage when Henry is questioning his feelings of
escape and running compared to the squirrels. The soldiers
are controlled by natural forces they cannot control.
Realism is belief that every new discovery brings the human race closer to
understanding the true reality. This can be seen in the novel when the text talks
about the nature of war. The reality of war, the nature of war, can never be
completely grasped but humans can have little understandings about war, or the
true reality of war.
Romanticism:
Romanticism was a movement centered around that emotional self-awareness
was the true path to understanding the human condition. This can be seen in
the novel through Henry’s grasp of his feelings towards war and the
bloodiness of battle. Henry embraces his emotions and feelings.
Impressionism:
Impressionism was a way of depicting a scene or image by
describing it based on what would make the proper
impression on someone, rather than describing it literally.
Impressionism can be seen through the description of the
corpses on the battle field and of the soldiers. Crane
describes it in unique ways that make the appropriate
impression on the reader.
“The Open Boat”
The short story was written by
Crane, based on his experience of
surviving a shipwreck off the coast
of Florida on his journey to Cuba.
The short story was a well known
work of literary Naturalism and
was notable for its symbolism,
imagery, irony, and exploration of
themes including survival and
solidarity.
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was made by
Lincoln on November 19, 1863. The
speech lasting just over two minutes redefined the Civil War as not one just
about fighting for the Union, but a war
with a purpose of bringing true equality
to all citizens and remaining true to the
Declaration of Independence. The
speech resembles The Red Badge of
Courage by the way it address the battle
field and the soldiers in the war.
Impressionistic Art
Impressionistic art relates to the
style of The Red Badge of
Courage in the sense that both
used images to convey or leave a
desired impression on the
audience. The style of both,
paints images of scenes that may
not be literal but that
successfully represent the mood
or tone.
Lord of the Flies
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies
shares similar images and themes
with The Red Badge of Courage.
Both novels have a vivid
description of a corpse. The way
they describe the body and death,
dehumanizes the thing they are
looking upon. Throughout both
books themes that consist of
survival and natural animal
instinct are present.
Widow of the South
Widow of the South written by
Robert Hicks, is a civil war novel
about a woman who’s home is
taken over and becomes a major
hospital for the near by battle
field. The novel, in likeness to
The Red Badge of Courage,
address death on a wide scale
and details vivid images of the
terror and horrors of the Civil
War Battlefield.
Civil War Posters
All of the posters of the Civil
War served the purpose of
recruiting soldiers for both the
Union and the Confederacy. The
posters advertised rewards and
pay for service. The posters
claimed it was one’s
responsibility to either protect
unity or stop Northern
interference.
Civil War Battle Map
The map above is of the Battle
of Gettysburg. The lines denote
the movement of troops and
paths of attack.
Lincoln’s
Emancipation
Proclamation
Lincoln’s Emancipation
Proclamation made slavery
illegal in rebellion states. By
doing this, the Union gained
soldiers to serve in their army,
as well as taking away a major
source of income for the
South.
Activists for
Humanity
Lincoln, Martin Luther King
Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi all
campaigned for the rights of
humanity. They all advocated
for the equal treatment of all
peoples, and races, through
peaceful means.
Stephen Crane’s Point of View
Crane uses the point of view
of Henry to effectively
convey the thoughts,
emotions, and images of
war. By telling the novel
through this point of view
the reader can grasp the
inner conflict that occurs
within a soldier during war.