Rating: Summary: Great Novel About Courage and Herosim Review: The Red Badge of Courage is interepted as many as being an anti-war novel: it is not.What it does do is present the horrors and psychological aspects of war war without glory, but not without heroics and courage.Henry Fleming is in many ways an every-soldier: he joins the army out of patriotism and to prove his manhood; when the time comes to fight he doubts himself and runs away out of fear. It is at this point Henry comes to the crossroads of his young life: instead of completely deserting his unit he returns to his regiment and the battlefield out of a sense of duty and also out of shame and anger at himself. Once he returns he peforms heroically on the battlefield. I feel Crane's purpose in this books is not to make some overblown anti-war treatise like All Quiet on the Western Front, but to portray what he believed( and may soldiers who read the book agreed with him) to be the emotions and feelings of a soldier in war and also the true motivation behind courage and heroism. Crane shows through Henry, that heroism and courage in war is not something that comes naturally to man(or any animal, as shown by the squirrel scene in the forest) or can simply be conjured up out of blind obedience or extreme partiotism. Crane in fact argues the opposite: courage in war(or in and courage in reponse to violence) is something unatural, something that must be accomplished by overcoming our own natural fear and flight instincts.Henry is able to perform herocially because of anger, his sense of duty, his feeling of brotherhood toward his regiment and out of something deep inside himself that even Crane ( and nobody) could not totally understand . This is a great book about heroism, courage , brotherhood, duty and the psychological aspects of war. It is not a books that glorifies war ,nor it is it an anti-war treatise. It simply tells a story about war in a world where war exists.
Rating: Summary: It's okay, not GREAT Review: I have heard many good reviews of the RED BADGE OF COURAGE. I have heard how wonderful it is and the dramatic scenes it holds. When I read the book, honestly, I was disappointed. I didn't understand most of it; it was confusing. I wasn't the only one who thought so, most of my peers did not understand it either. In some parts, it just went on, and on, and on, and on; there were parts when it got really boring. The part I did understand was okay. Mainly, the story is about a young soldier named Henry Fleming, the youth. He enlists into the army of the North side during the Civil War. He is glad to join, but then, he begins to doubt himself and he is afraid he will run instead of fighting in battle. Indeed, he runs away, but then discovers that he is a coward. Henry has a second chance to prove his bravery, in which he succeeds. If you understand the main point of the story, and you understand the symbolism such as the squirrel, and Jim Conklin dying, then it become pretty good. But if you read it and not pay attention to every single thing it describes, it gets boring. That was my problem, I wasn't paying attention to EVERY little thing that happened. In conclusion, I thought this book was okay (if you understand it), but it's not the BEST book I've read about war. A good war book is ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT.
Rating: Summary: An 'okay' book Review: The book is about a young ambitious soldier, Henry Flemming who craves for war. He goes into the American Civil War and is horrified by its harsh realities. All his dreams of becoming a hero is shattered and he is engrossed in a mental conflict whether he would stay in the battlefield and fight or run away. I for myself was disappointed to see the slow moving pace of the story and I even laid aside the book more than twice. 'The Red Badge of Courage' will not satisfy those who are looking for accounts of conflicts and battles. The book mostly deals with the thoughts of Henry Flemming. You'll be able to know the thoughts, which grips a soldier when he is in a war, the taste of victory and defeat, the hardship troops have to go through for their country. This is a book for patient readers.
Rating: Summary: In its time, this was a fine and ground-breaking work. Review: But it hasn't really aged well; what Crane attempts is to tell a war story that is the antithesis of the traditional, enthusiastic panegyric of heroic warriors. In 1895, this was novel and ground-breaking, and the writing style was not unlike many at that time period. But for the modern reader, there are many better examples of anti-war stories, that tell the story of the horrors of war, and the basic humanity of the participants, who are neither heroes nor cowards entirely, but always a little bit of both. And to the modern ear, the style of this book is overly flowery and elaborate, except when the author tries to capture the dialogue in the vernacular, and fails by badly overdoing it. Dialect is a tricky thing; if you render it verbatim, it sounds exaggerated. Just a touch of patois in dialogue goes a long way. Historically, this is an important novel, a major landmark in the history of American Literature, and a good source of insight into the thought process of the country at the time it was written. But it is not a book to read for its own sake, not for the modern reader.
Rating: Summary: Almost too much detail! Review: Stephen Crane has written an excellent work in The Red Badge of Courage. This book takes place in a period of two days, giving Crane plenty of room to expand on his themes and go into great detail. This book catches the reader's attention by presenting the Civil War in such great detail that the reader cannot help but picture the scenes in their own mind. The Red Badge of Courage tells the story of a youthful boy, Henry Flemming, who goes to war. After many rumors of battle cause Henry to doubt his courage when faced with battle, Henry's group finally goes into battle. Henry does not run away during the fighting, and gains confidence. However, the second battle that he sees causes him to flee. The rest of the story tells of How Henry comes to terms with his fear, and eventually returns to the battle line. The only complaint that any reader could have is that Crane uses almost too much detail. Because there is so much detail, the reader could loose track of the plot. The great detail is, however, what makes this such an outstanding book. Any reader that can get "into" a book will thoroughly enjoy The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.
Rating: Summary: The simplest challenging book I have ever read Review: The Red Badge of Courage is a tricky little anti-war book. Crane's language is very simple - appropriate for eighth-graders, mixed with far more challenging dialect. The story is at once obvious and chaotic - a metaphor for the war it depicts. The settings are depicted in the same manner, with a mix of fine detail and battle-obscured backdrops. The story's protagonist, Henry Fleming, is a mixed bag as well. His mental evolution through his first battles is the main thrust of the book, and is every bit as challenging and chaotic as the situations as he finds himself in. This is a book you really have to dig into in order to find the gems - a superficial reading will not suffice. The language is plain, while the story difficult to follow but not particularly novel. The worth of the book is contained in its metaphor, which appears at several levels, but has to be actively searched for. If this style of reading is for you, this is an excellent book. If you read for information or straightforward entertainment, there are plenty of better things to do with your time.
Rating: Summary: Red Badge...A book that will make you tear Review: The Red Badge of Courage by stephen Crane is one of the most spectacular books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Throughout my life I have een completely anti-war. I didn't want war, I didn't want to read about it,...nothing. Over the summer I took the time to read Red Badge which was suggested to me by a few friends. I was blown away. Never have I received such a compelling impact from a book as from that novel. (I even cried with the characters.) The imagery that Crane creates is absolutely moving. You are not only put in the middle of the Civil Wat, but you become a part of the Union Army, fighting fot the unity of your country. A belief that you would die for. You will feel the anticipation of a soldier right before a battle, as well as the terriffying moral dilema of whether or not you should run away once being fired upon. Crane's characters, although having no direct names, pull you into their lives through their strong diolouge. He who reads this novel will learn so much about themselves, and human nature through just two pages of the wounded man's speech to Henry Fleming, the main character. Who knew that the simple imagery of a wound as a "Red Badge of Courage," would be able to move so many people? the Red Badge of Courge is simply a masterpiece. A book that will forever be capable of sharing the horror's of war to generations far into the future. I strongly recommend that you open your curiosity, heart, and mind, and read the Red Badge of Courage.
Rating: Summary: The Red Badge of Courage- Excelent book! Review: The Red Badge of Courage Excellent book! The Red badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, is an excellent book to read and experience. The book deals with the fears, sorrows, the cowardice and courage of the soldiers as they fought one of the bloodiest wars-Chancellorsville. Although the author has not lived during the war, his writing portrays how the soldier felt in incredible accuracy. His book is written in great detail and lets the reader know how the soldiers felt. His book is also very emotional and exciting during the mourning and the fighting scenes of the story. Of course his book isn¡¯t perfect, however this book is really close to being a perfect book. Stephen Crane has very few weak points in his writing. In his book, the quotes of the soldiers were kind of hard to understand because of the heavy slang that they all use when they have a conversation. Such as ¡°We¡¯ve on¡¯y got t¡¯ git across that lot!¡±. The reader needs to know a little about the southeastern slang before he or she reads it. Therefore, the conversation that the soldiers had often during the book tends to be very confusing and quite boring to the reader. This book is a great book to read because of the variety of schemes the book is written in such as violence, emotional, and exciting. I would recommend this book to any boys or girls older than 13 because of the violence and slang that he uses in the book. It is a great book for anyone that likes history with a little violence put into it. I would also recommend this book to anyone that is interested of war or anyone that wants to read a good fictional book based on the battle of Chancellorsville.
Rating: Summary: Red Badge of Courage CRITIC Review: The Red Badge of Courage Excellent book! The Red badge of Courage is an excellent book to read and experience. The book deals with the fears, sorrows, the cowardness and courage of the soldiers as they fought in one of the bloodiest wars-Chancellorsville. Although the author has not lived during the war, his writing portrays how the soldier felt in incredible accuracy. His book is written in great detail and lets the reader know how the soldiers felt. His writing is also very emotional at times when someone is lost during the battle.... Stephen Crane has very few weak points in his writing. In his writing, the quotes of the soldiers were kind of hard to understand. The reader needs to know a little about the southeastern accent before he or she reads it.When the soldiers have a conversation it can be quite dull. I would recommend this book to anyone older than 12 because of the violence and slang that he uses in the book. It is a great book for anyone that likes history with a little violence.I would also recommend this book to anyone that is interested in war or just wants to read a good fictional book based on the battle of Chancellorsville. BY seung kang
Rating: Summary: Interesting book Review: I found it to be complicated at times and hard. It shows a young soliders struggle with courage and in the end he actually gains the courage to go into battle. At first I didnt understand the title, when I did I thought it to fit the story perfectly, he wants to be injured so that he may be proud of his "red badge of courage" and feel brave. Well, overall it was a good book.
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