Is It Sweet and Fitting to Die for ones Country?Essay Preview: Is It Sweet and Fitting to Die for ones Country?Report this essayIs it Sweet and Fitting to Die for Ones Country?Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage is truly a unique book because it challenges the common perceptions of the Civil War. The fight for freedom and the American way of life were how writers such as Fredrick Douglass and Walt Whitman portrayed the Civil War. Crane challenges these principles by concentrating on the day-to-day reality the regiments of the North faced. Since the Norths main goal was to abolish slavery, they are remembered to be a group of men who were well equipped and prepared for battle because they represented the morality of the war. However, the North is shown through Crane to be a group of amateurs who are untested, lack discipline, and do not appreciate the opportunity to fight for their country and their way of life. In this sense, The Red Badge of Courage relates to life for how it is instead of how people want to remember it to be. Contrary to Crane, Cicero once wrote “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” (It is sweet and fitting to die for ones country). Stephen Cranes The Red Badge of Courage begins as a validation of these sentiments of Cicero: although, the rationale of the sentiment is challenged throughout the story, Cicero outlook is ultimately shown to be true in the last battle scene.
In the beginning of The Red Badge of Courage, the main character, Henry, has preconceived ideals of war that lead him to believe that “it is sweet and fitting to die for ones country.” “The young soldier” and “the youth” are nicknames for Henry and are used throughout the novel to convey the characteristics of his youth. Henry had a false sense of what war is really like because his lack of experience causes him to compares war to epic ancient battles. He idealistically thinks that his first battle will be “one of those great affairs of the earth (45).” Henry desperately wants to follow in the footsteps of Ancient Greek heroes and become a hero himself. He naively believes in the traditional forms of honor and courage. Dreams of the image of a dead soldier being laid upon his shield, following the Greek tradition of dying in battle, fill Henrys head. He lacks experience in war so he can only imagine what it is truly like. The lack of experience makes Henry over zealous for battle and makes his belief in his inevitable greatness seem vain and self-centered. Henry longs to reach the glory of ancient Greeks but is hindered by his lack of sense of duty. He wants to receive recognition, regardless of whether he earns it or proves himself deserving of it. As long as he is admired by people when he returns from war, he is content to think of himself as a hero. Henrys naivety and self-centeredness show why he believes in Ciceros statement.
As the book progresses, Cicero sentiments are challenged when Henry flees from his second bout with war. Henry is delusional and egotistical in his constant justification of his actions. To Henry, defending himself, whether he is right or wrong, is always a priority. These justifications serve to repair his self-confidence, regardless of their validity. For example, when Henry imagines that he had been wronged by the regiments success in the battle after he fled, and when he criticizes the soldiers who ended up winning the battle for being too stupid to follow him. It is ironic that Henry wants to be a brave hero, but he is basically saying that to fight bravely in the face of adversity is stupid.
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The text is available on
Rome: The War of the Roman Empire, ed. William Lloyd Garrison, London: HarperCollins, 1971,
Pulitzer Prize—Cicero, 1791.
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The battle was a decisive moment for Rome, but the conflict had much more to do with the emperor’s desire than he wished it to, as it turned out, and was only the second one of the Roman Emperor’s soggy reign. His first battle, which had taken place 10 days before, was still raging on, and he and his troops were unable to repel the forces that were attacking them.
The victory, however, had much to do with the Emperor’s desire to keep the Romans from being overwhelmed in the process of defending his empire that he had previously fought for. The empire that the Emperor wanted to maintain for himself, as well as the people of Rome, was his, and thus his, goal, which he wanted to be happy about. He had come to the realization at a certain point that one of his greatest weaknesses had been that of his own family as a whole.
He had felt compelled to have his life taken over solely to his own interests as Emperor when he did some political changes to protect his family’s standing at the expense of the Emperor. Now, however, it had turned out that all those who had fought his battles had now turned against the emperor, and those that had fought for him had betrayed him and their nation.
To answer Henry’s question, Cicero asks,
In the Roman Empire, the battle in which the Emperor came to power was a crucial moment that changed everything. It was one of the first battles of the fall of the emperor, and he was well aware that the enemy of his father and mother did not care to see the Emperor perish. His only fear was to make an example of the Emperor himself, when he was very young. On the other hand, once the emperor passed from the Roman army into the Empire of Italy, it was too late to go back to his own country to defend; he had become too old to be an individual and unwilling to play the imperial role.
On the other hand, as the Emperor struggled with his own personal issues, he found himself fighting in a much more formal manner with his family and friends.
But the very fact that this battle was so pivotal for the Emperor was the greatest boon to his family’s image within the Empire for the very first time. It was the first time the emperor had had to pay a serious price—the consequences of his own personal sacrifice. It had the most impact on him
[center]
The text is available on
Rome: The War of the Roman Empire, ed. William Lloyd Garrison, London: HarperCollins, 1971,
Pulitzer Prize—Cicero, 1791.
[center]
The battle was a decisive moment for Rome, but the conflict had much more to do with the emperor’s desire than he wished it to, as it turned out, and was only the second one of the Roman Emperor’s soggy reign. His first battle, which had taken place 10 days before, was still raging on, and he and his troops were unable to repel the forces that were attacking them.
The victory, however, had much to do with the Emperor’s desire to keep the Romans from being overwhelmed in the process of defending his empire that he had previously fought for. The empire that the Emperor wanted to maintain for himself, as well as the people of Rome, was his, and thus his, goal, which he wanted to be happy about. He had come to the realization at a certain point that one of his greatest weaknesses had been that of his own family as a whole.
He had felt compelled to have his life taken over solely to his own interests as Emperor when he did some political changes to protect his family’s standing at the expense of the Emperor. Now, however, it had turned out that all those who had fought his battles had now turned against the emperor, and those that had fought for him had betrayed him and their nation.
To answer Henry’s question, Cicero asks,
In the Roman Empire, the battle in which the Emperor came to power was a crucial moment that changed everything. It was one of the first battles of the fall of the emperor, and he was well aware that the enemy of his father and mother did not care to see the Emperor perish. His only fear was to make an example of the Emperor himself, when he was very young. On the other hand, once the emperor passed from the Roman army into the Empire of Italy, it was too late to go back to his own country to defend; he had become too old to be an individual and unwilling to play the imperial role.
On the other hand, as the Emperor struggled with his own personal issues, he found himself fighting in a much more formal manner with his family and friends.
But the very fact that this battle was so pivotal for the Emperor was the greatest boon to his family’s image within the Empire for the very first time. It was the first time the emperor had had to pay a serious price—the consequences of his own personal sacrifice. It had the most impact on him
Just as fleeing from battle undermines Cicero, so too does Henrys encounter with the corpse in the woods. “The corpse was dressed in a uniform that once had been blue, but was now faded to a melancholy shade of green (101).” Henrys observance of the corpse with a blue uniform frightened him immensely because he was a blue uniformed, Union soldier and he realized how easily the corpse could be him. The corpse also represents death and Henry is concerned that he will die in battle. Seeing the corpse laying there, decaying and covered by ants, reassures Henry that he has done the right thing when he choose to flee from battle. The rotting body functions as a reminder to Henry that the universe is unconcerned with human life and that his goal of heroism may be harder than he anticipated. Henrys mind becomes filled with questions of his intentions to be courageous and honorable and the possibility