“A Mystery of Heroism”

By Stephen Crane

Biographical Informationp. 484

How many children were in Crane’s family?

fourteen

Growing up, what did Crane wish to be?

a baseball star

Biographical Informationp. 484

What was Crane’s first significant work of fiction?

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Why was this work considered shocking?

It involved brutality, alcoholism, prostitution, and suicide.

Biographical Informationp. 484

What is naturalism?Literary movement that dissected human

instincts and behavior and examined the social environment that conditioned people

What is impressionism?

Technique whereby the writer gives us not objective reality, but one character’s

impression of that reality

Biographical Informationp. 484

Which of Crane’s works established him as a celebrity?

The Red Badge of Courage

Born after the Civil War, Crane said he got his “sense of the rage of conflict” from where?

The football field

Biographical Informationp. 484

From what experience did “The Open Boat” originate?

Being shipwrecked off the coast of Florida

Published in 1899, what was the title of Crane’s second volume of poems?

War Is Kind

Biographical Informationp. 484

What was the cause of Crane’s death?

tuberculosis

How old was Crane when he died?

28

Pre-reading

How would you define heroism? What are some characteristics of a hero?

Before reading, review the definition of situational irony on p. 485.

Pre-reading

• In the military chain of command, rank helps the army function. The military chain of command (from highest to lowest) used in “A Mystery of Heroism” is:

ColonelLieutenant colonel

MajorCaptain

LieutenantSergeantPrivate

While Reading

Listen to the story, considering your definition of a hero. Think about whether Collins is a hero.

Look for instances of irony in the story.Notice the way Crane personifies war. What

imagery do you notice?Notice Crane’s use of dialect. What does it show

about the characters?

Post-Reading

Answer questions 1 – 7 on page 493 in complete sentences. Support your answers with evidence from the text.