The Red Badge of Courage: Chapters 9-13

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Write down as many differences as possible between newspaper articles and novels in your notebook or journal.

Then, consider if there are any similarities.

• What did you come up with in your responses?
• Why do you think a journalist might want to be a novelist?
• Why would a novelist want to be a journalist?

Stephen Crane was both a novelist and journalist. He wrote for The New York Tribune and New York World newspapers in the 1890s while writing fiction and poetry.

As you read this biography to learn more about Stephen Crane,  answer the following questions in the notebook or journal you are keeping for this series.

• Of what literary movement is Stephan Crane considered the founder?
• How did Crane's family influence Stephen's writing career?
• What was Crane's philosophy of life?
• Since Crane had bever been to war before writing The Red Badge of Courage, to what did he compare war to develop his images?
• On what war did Crane report in 1898?
• Of what did Crane die in 1900 at the age of 28?
• What literary genre do many critics consider to be Crane's most successful form?

After answering, check your work against the answers below.

As a journalist, Crane was precise with his use of language. He incorporated his large vocabulary into his fiction to create precise imagery as well.

Use Merriam-Webster to define the following terms used in Chapters Nine through Thirteen. After each definition, write a sentence in your journal using the word correctly in context based on its meaning.

Once you've defined the vocabulary and written your sentences, read Chapters Nine through Thirteen in The Red Badge of Courage either online or a hard copy if you have access to one.

As you read, take notes on Henry's experiences and emotions as he goes through the different stages of the battle and the aftermath.

When you've finished reading and taking notes, move to the Got It? section to explore the material of these chapters more closely.