TRBOC Vocab and Discussion Questions And Answers

TRBOC Vocab and Discussion Questions And Answers To destroy or wipe out; to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence Annihilate Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion; intense devotion, eagerness, or enthusiasm Ardor To measure the depth of; to penetrate the truth of; comprehend; understand Fathom Exceptional valor, bravery, or ability, especially in combat or battle; superior ability, skill, or strength Prowess A loud, confused noise; A continued loud or tumultuous sound; noisy clamor Din Grave, sober as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood Solemnly Foreboding, threatening, evil or harm; indicating the nature of a future event Ominous Violent and noisy commotion or disturbance of a crowd or mob; uproar Tumult What is your first impression of Henry Fleming? My first impression of Henry is that he agonizes over every decision he makes. Henry is also very nervous, lacks confidence, and lacks experience. Henry is looking forward to fighting in battle even though he has no idea what war is really like. What challenging or stressful situations does Henry face? -Henry is mainly stressed because he's not sure whether he will run from the battle -Henry is worn down when marching orders were given- both from marching long distances and from waiting for any action on the battlefield. -Henry comes face to face with death for the first time while marching -Overall, Henry is disillusioned over what war is really like and doubts his ability to perform under circumstances of war. Why does Henry enlist? Henry enlisted because he was interested in becoming a hero, he felt fighting in a war would show his bravery and courage. Henry wanted to join the army for the "glory of it". What new thoughts does he struggle with before battle? Henry struggles with thoughts of fear and self-doubt. Even though soldiers may brag about their courage or seem confident, most will feel scared before battle. Henry was no different from most soldiers in this regard. Do other soldiers share these thoughts too? When Henry "interviews" fellow soldiers about whether or not they would run, the soldiers that were asked, said "of course not". In other words, other soldiers are ready to fight and defend their side, while Henry continuously struggles with the decision to stay and fight if trouble presented itself, or run and desert his regiment. How does Henry perform during the first attack? During the first sign of conflict in Chapter 4, Henry is not really engaged in the conflict. He plays the part of an "observer". At this point, Henry is still trying to figure out whether or not he will fight when the time comes. In Chapter 5, we see a different Henry. He actually fires a "wild shot" and as a result, feels like he is truly a soldier now, loading and shooting his weapon almost as if on "auto-pilot". Henry is quite pleased with himself after the events of Chapter 5 and loses his nervousness. Why does he run from the battle during the second attack? In Chapter 6, during the second battle, Henry has a totally different reaction than his reaction from Chapter 5. Henry chooses to run and desert his regiment. Henry feels intimidated by the fact that the enemy is coming back to charge at them. Henry doesn't understand why, if the enemy was already defeated, they want to come back. This makes Henry uneasy again. When we read the next chapter, Chapter 7, we realize that during the second attack, Henry runs. Alone in the woods, how does Henry justify his fight? -When Henry deserts his regiment during the second attack, he tells himself that those that stayed behind were stupid to do so. Henry also mentions that he feels like a criminal because of the guilt he has from leaving his fellow soldiers-the same soldiers he felt a brotherhood with the chapter before. Henry retreats into the deep woods in order to try to sort through the inner turmoil he's once again feeling. -Henry tells himself that deserting his fellow soldiers was justifiable because he's saving the Union another dead or wounded soldier. He does realize however, that his fellow soldiers will probably hate him for having left the regiment. When Henry enters the chapel of trees, does he find comfort? When Henry enters "the chapel" of trees he finds comfort at first. He is able to get away from the inner turmoil he constantly feels and he is able to get away from the possible wrath of his fellow soldiers of his leaving them. What causes Henry to feel agonized while in the "chapel" of trees, in the deep woods, is that he comes across the corpse of a Union soldier. This is Henry's second brush with death and with an actual corpse. What started out as a place of refuge, the woods becomes a place of terror. Crane usually calls Henry simply "the youth". What reason might he have for referring to the main character in this way? Henry is usually referred to as "the youth" because he is young, inexperienced, and basically a child going off to war. Henry's immaturity is clear when contemplating why he enlisted in the first place. Henry had an idealistic version of what being a soldier and going to war would be and that's most likely a result of his age. What details help give a realistic picture of combat experience of Civil War soldiers and soldiers in general? -encampment of soldiers(chapter 1) -colonel on horseback(chapter 2) -passing a corpse while marching(chapter 3) -union battle flag(chapter 4) -mob of blue soldiers through the woods(chapter 4) -enemy's charge(chapter 5) -bodies dropping in awkward poses(chapter 5), etc. Animal Images in TRBOC(numbers in parenthesis are page numbers)