Decaying Corpse Of A Soldier Henry example essay topic

The red badge of courage is a Civil War novel written about a young solider, henry flemming, who joins the 304th regiment because he is drawn to the glory of military conflict. he wants a to gain a good reputation, hoping that an impressive performance on the battlefield will make him a hero in the eyes of all the men in his regiment. in his first battle, after securing his position and the enemy began its attack, Henry realizes that he could not run even if he wanted to. when the enemies charge again, terror overtakes him and he leaps up and flees from the line, telling himself he did the right thing by preserving his own life. after this, He wanders through a forest in which he encounters the decaying corpse of a soldier. henry is Shaken and he quickly hurries away. After time, he meets with some wounded men and is inspired by their courage. one of the men repeatedly asks where henry is wounded, which makes Henry deeply uncomfortable. he hurries away to a different part of the column. He meets another soldier who he eventually recognizes the man as jim conklin, a dedicated man in his regiment, who was badly wounded. Henry promises to take care of Jim, but Jim runs from the line into a small grove of bushes where Henry watch's him die. Henry continues to wander until he finds himself close enough to the battlefield to be able to watch some of the fighting. Eventually, another soldier leads Henry to his regiment's camp, where Henry is reunited with his companions.

The very next day, the regiment proceeds back to the battlefield. Henry fights like a lion. Thinking of Jim Conklin, he vents his rage against the enemy soldiers. after the flag of the regiment fell, henry takes the flag and carries it proudly before his regiment. The group is sent into more fighting, and Henry continues to carry the flag. The regiment charges a group of enemy soldiers, and capture four prisoners. As he and the others march back to their position, Henry reflects on his experiences in the war.

Though he revels in his recent success in battle, he feels deeply ashamed of his behavior the previous day. But after a moment, he puts his guilt behind him and realizes that he has come through "the red sickness" of battle. He is now able to look forward to peace, feeling a quiet, steady manhood within himself. i liked reading this book because i liked the way the author showed how henry changed throughout the entire novel. he was constantly changing, from running away from battle, to carrying the flag proudly for his regiment. it really showed that henry was a changed man who was truly a man who fought for his courage.