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Character Analysis: The Red Badge Of Courage

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"They gazed about them with looks of uplifted pride, feeling new trust in the grim, always confident weapons in their hands. And they were men" (85). Throughout people's lives, different experiences impact and change their bodies and minds. One of the most dramatic changes can happen to a person when in combat. War causes people to do and see horrific things, and death becomes commonplace. To get through this, a person must adapt. No person can come out of war the same as he went in. This holds true for Henry Fleming, the main character in Stephen Crane's novel, The Red Badge of Courage, as well as for the other men who fight alongside him. Henry went to war with hopes of being a hero, but his time in battle changes him. Although Henry learns to take risks and fight bravely, he cannot be described as a hero, for he grows past these thoughts of glorified war. His evolution during the novel contradicts the traditional views of courage in society. …show more content…

Courage can be synonymous with strength, for one needs strength to push through times of courage. Any person can nonchalantly picture courage: a soldier, bravely taking a risk to protect his country; a man, leaving home and never looking back; a wounded warrior, giving his all until his very last breath. Henry even states that he had "dreamed of battles all his life", yet he claims to know that war appears glorified (3). This shows the traditional view of courage and illustrates that even cynicism towards an erroneous idea does not discourage a belief in that idea. A hero still appears as someone who gives up his own life valiantly to save others. However, courage does not necessarily mean fearlessness, and this applies directly to

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Henry decided to go back to the war and fight alongside his friends. Finally Henry in The Red Badge Courage is a good example of a person showing physical courage in a stressful situation like war. In both the “Life of Frederick Douglass” and The Red Badge of Courage there is also a common theme of Mental courage.

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Courage can be shown in many forms, sizes, and shapes. This quality is defined as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty”(dictionary). Courage is such an admired virtue to have and most would promote the quality. In the discussion of ethics, courage is considered a moral value. The history of courage in philosophy

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The book “Red Badge of Courage” written by Steven Crane was about young men in the army who went to war. One of the main characters was named Henry. Henry was a young man who had never been to war and had ideas of what he thought the war would be like. Henry had ideas such as “large pictures of extravagant color, lurid with breathless deeds” (Crane). Henry thought his mother would be supportive and encouraging when he decided to join the Army.

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Courage means a person is brave enough to do what he or she believes with confidence. Courage can be expressed in different ways. It could be a little child who stands up to his parents, or person trying to fulfill his or her fear. For instance, Courage could be doing a bungee jump or even going to Mount Everest during winter. In the novel, there are many examples which show that the characters display courage.

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Henry throughout the story has proved to be a hero by inspiring confidence in his comrades, doing the most dangerous job in the civil war, and leading his comrades to victory. When people read The Red Badge of Courage they either think Henry is a hero or a coward. In the book Henry picked up the flag from a wounded comrade, which proved his couragousness. Henry lead his teammates into battle showing them peace was on the other side. Henry also guided his regiment to take the other flag bearer, and taking several prisoners of war.

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“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor” said Aristotle. Courage is an act of bravery one does that is frightening yet they still persevere. Courage is found in many different situations in the modern world like in members of our military, law enforcement, and many others ordinary people performing courageous acts to help better our society. Everyone wants to have courage since whether in music, Hollywood movies, fairytales, or books we are told courage is one of the most important attributes that can turn an ordinary person into a hero.

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Courage has gone through many changes. It has been altered throughout races, cultures, religions, sex, and time. However, the core values of courage has always remained parallel. It is difficult to explain in words the meaning of courage, like describing a color, but everyone knows what courage is, how it feels, and how to perform it. In Harper Lee’s

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Nelson Mandela bests clarified that courage “is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” (Brainy Quotes). Humans have the attribute of courage within them; what defines someone is if they allow the characteristic to shine or to hide within them. Courage is a very powerful and impactful word that allows people to complete the daily tasks contained within their typical lives and allows them to complete the hard times when they obtain fear. There are numerous ways to define courage to get a better grasp on the understanding of what this powerful and impacting term truly represents.

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. The idea that war is an energizing, sentimental undertaking loaded with magnificence and gallantry has existed for a considerable length of time and proceeds to some degree today. One hundred years back, notwithstanding, Stephen Crane set out to crush these legends through his novel The Red Badge of Courage, which follows the encounters of a youthful trooper in the American Civil War. Crane demonstrates the genuine idea of war by differentiating Henry Fleming's sentimental desires with the truth that he experiences. "Soon, the enemy is upon Henry’s regiment, which, at the last minute, mounts a respectable defense.

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The definition of courage is the ability to do something that frightens others. At a young age, he had to watch his parents get killed right in front of him. He then continued to try and avenge his deceased mom and dad by purging his home city of Gotham of men and women with malice. Courage is also portrayed by this quote from Nelson Mandela: “I learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

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When you become a man is different in every culture. In the Jewish culture you become a man when you are 13. In Mexico it is when you become 15. No matter the culture when you become a man is when that culture feel that you are able to take care of yourself. This is the question throughout the book The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.

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Henry Fleming of Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage is a perfect example of a regular youth thrown into a situation they could have never imagined. Like most young people, Henry has a very romanticized view of what heroes, courage and war are really like. He believed that he would come out of the

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A Story of Courage, Bravery,and Isolation Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge Of Courage. In The Red Badge of Courage Crane takes us into the life of a young man named Henry Fleming, who wants to enlist in the Army and fight in the war against the South. By using irony, similes, and symbols, Crane "paints" a vivid picture of what life was like for the fragile Henry Fleming. He opens our eyes to the vast reasons of separation for Fleming, and why he lived his life so independently.

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The Courageous Life Courage is an emotion that dug its roots into immortality; an emotion not lightly looked upon, an emotion that carries glorified connotation. Courage has become a symbol of a hero, or heros; courage signifies the powerful the strong, and even the weak. Courage is an emotion achievable by all, yet the meaning of courage seems to suggest a the need to put one 's life in danger, to do something profoundly life endangering. Courage to many is on a relatable scale to the actions of the Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae; where facing certain death the three hundred men fought valiantly to the end, protecting their country.

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Courage derives from the latin word ‘Cor’ which means heart, or to have heart. To have courage is to have power. It is the power to have the eyes of an insidious beast looking you in the eyes, and having the power to stare back. Doing the right thing because it is right and not the wrong thing because the wrong thing may have a better outcome is an example of bravery. When we overcome our fears, or simply just face them, even though we are scared, is when we experience fearlessness.

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