1. “A Mystery of Heroism” By Stephen Crane

2. Biographical Information p. 484 How many children were in Crane’s family? fourteen Growing up, what did Crane wish to be? a baseball star

3. Biographical Information p. 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.

4. Biographical Information p. 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

5. Biographical Information p. 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

6. Biographical Information p. 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

7. Biographical Information p. 484 What was the cause of Crane’s death? tuberculosis How old was Crane when he died? 28

8. 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.

9. 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: Colonel Lieutenant colonel Major Captain Lieutenant Sergeant Private

10. 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?

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