Questions for The Ambrose Bierce story Chickamauga
1. The author talks about the senseless brutality of war. Discuss the details in the story that illustrate this and give multiple examples.
2. Why do you think the author chose a small child as the main character?
3.What literary devices are used in the story? Give examples.
4. What makes this piece of writing fall under the genre of Realism and/or Naturalism? Show multiple examples.
Red Badge of Courage questions:
Chapter 1.
- Why does Henry want to enlist in the military?
- How does Henry’s mother feel about Henry enlisting in the military? How do you know?
Chapter 2.
- How does Henry feel? How do you know?
- Describe the mood of the second chapter.
Chapter 3
- It occurs to Henry that “he had never wished to come to war. He had not enlisted of his own free will…..and now they were taking him out to be slaughtered.” How are these thoughts different or similar from his thoughts in chapter 1. Use quotes from the novel to support your response.
2. What forces Henry to fight instead of run?
3. Who are the “tall soldier” and “loud soldier?” What do they believe about running vs. fighting? How do you know?
Chapter 4
- How do the retreating men look? How do you know? Why do you think they look that way?
omniscient - knowing or seeming to know everything
2. Crane gives the narrator limited omniscience, what do you think this means? Why did he do this?
Chapters 4-7
Vocabulary - Define the following
facetious imprecations querulous
prodigal vindictive battery
appalling careening sagacious
Answer the following questions using complete sentences
1. How does Henry react during his first battle? What is the outcome of the battle?
2. How does Henry react when the enemy mounts a second attack? How does he react
when he learns that the enemy’s attack has failed?
3. Why does Henry respond as he does to the enemy’s second attack? How does he
attempt to rationalize his behavior?
4. How does the youth’s encounter with the dead man contradict his conclusion that
nature has “a deep aversion to tragedy”?
5. Would most people respond to the second attack in the way Henry does? Explain.
Red Badge of Courage Vocabulary list
facetious, imprecations, querulous
prodigal, vindictive, battery,
appalling, careening, sagacious,
obliged
despondent
obscurity
ominous
sullen
blithe
dauntless
indignantly
dexterous
annihilate
ardor
fathom
prowess
solemnly
tumult
impregnable
lucid
crescendo
aggregation
habitual, habitually
monotonous
ponderous
placid
facetious
exasperation
contort, contortion
coax
congregate, congregation
acute
feign
incessant
vindictive
scrutinize, scrutiny
smitten
revelation
meager
zeal
stolid
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Lessons taught and topics covered include:
- Literary essay
- types of conflict
- myths, legends and fables
- theme
- text to self/text to text/text to world connections
- sustained reading and vocabulary building
- daily quote and journal response
- figurative language
- free verse poetry
- formal screenplay writing (movie scripts)
- plus more
Authors read:
- Gary Soto
- Sandra Cisneros
- George Orwell
- Aesop
- plus more