The Red Badge of Courage Lesson Plan

Was the sense of betrayal the soldiers were feeling sensible or irrational?

Discussions should observe the moments in the text where the soldiers experience a sense of betrayal or feeling that they are not as significant as they once thought. They should observe where it is coming from (whether based on powerful and confusing emotions or on real evidence). Students may discuss the overwhelming experience of warfare, especially in the face of romantic expectations about war. They may discuss the things soldiers overhear the officers talking about (calling the soldiers “mule drivers” for example). They may also point to the impression that the enemy was impossible to overcome....