Stephen Crane

1. Stephen Crane By: Jack & Taylor

2. About the Author • Stephen Crane was born November 1st, 1871 in Newark, New Jersey. • For many years he had been writing, but his first novel, which he published himself, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets: a Story of New York (1893) was unsuccessful. •  Crane attended the College of Liberal Arts at Syracuse University, but did not graduate. • He won international fame for his 1895 novel about the Civil War, “The Red Badge of Courage.”

3. About the Author Continued.. • At the age of twenty-eight, Stephen Crane died on June 5, 1900, and now rests in the family plot at the Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside Union County, New Jersey.

4. The Red Badge of Courage By: Jack Rees

5. About the Book • The original revised copy was published in 1895 by D. Appleton & Company.

6. Main Characters • Henry Fleming The main character of the book. Fights with the 304th regiment, flees his first battle due to fear and shock. His thoughts, and responses to war are the focus of the book; because of his changing minds and deeds, he matures as the book progresses. • Wilson Begins the book headstrong and proud, but through battle gains a sense of calmness. He takes close care of Henry when he returns to the regiment and fights bravely in battle the next day. • Jim Conklin One of Henry's friends. He always argues with Wilson before any battle begins. During the battle following his first panic attack, Henry finds Jim in a group of wounded soldiers with a belly wound. He is there when Jim breathes his last breathe. • The tattered soldier One of the wounded soldiers. He tries to chat with Henry about the battle and about Henry's wounds. His questions make Henry so upset and guilty that he runs away from him, leaving the tattered man alone and bewildered.

7. Setting • The setting of the story is in a single week of unnamed battles of the Civil War during 1865. • The forest - All of the fighting occurs in the forest where Henry learns about fear and valor. • The camp - This is the Union base where the army set up for the night.

8. Summary • Henry Fleming begins as a inexperienced young man, eager to experience the heat of battle. He soon faces the truth about war and his own self-being on the battlefield. As the first encounter approaches, Henry wonders if he will be courageous in the face of battle. In fact, Henry does panic and run off in the first encounter. This experience sets him on a journey of self-discovery, as he struggles with the guiltiness of desertion and re-examines his opinions about war, friendship, courage, and life.

9. Personal Critique • Personally, I thought this book was one of Stephen Cranes best pieces of literature. This novel was so descriptive that it was rather easy picturing yourself as young Henry Fleming. The book always kept me glued to the pages with action packed war scenes, funny talks at camp and the important life lessons that Henry developed over time.

10. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets By Taylor Johnson

11. Characters • Jimmie Johnson- Maggie and Tommie's little brother. He first appears in the beginning scene fighting a gang war with the Rum Alley Children. • Pete- a teenage boy who is Jimmies friend and Maggie’s lover • Father- A brutal, drunkard, man who is the father of Jimmie, Maggie, and Tommie • Maggie Johnson- The oldest child and only daughter in the family. She goes through many tough trails during her life in the story • Tommie Johnson- youngest child • Mary Johnson- The brutal abusive drunkard mother of Jimmie, Tommie, and Maggie

12. Setting • This book takes place in the late1800s in a ghetto neighborhood. • There were a lot of gangs at that time comprised mostly of young children and many gang wars broke out because of that

13. Summary • Maggie is a young girl living in the tenements of the Bowery, a slum area of New York City.  Her father and mother are both alcoholics, and she and her two brothers suffer a violent and abusive childhood.  The younger of the two boys, Tommie, dies, but Maggie and Jimmie survive.  Maggie grows into a beautiful girl, somehow untouched by the chaos and danger around her.  When Jimmie brings home his friend Pete, who shows her some attention, Maggie ends up falling in love with him.  She fails to see him as the ill-mannered braggart that he really is and succumbs to his charms.  She soon moves in with him, but Pete quickly tires of her.  Maggie tries to return home, but is denied and turned away.  Both her mother and her brother condemn her as a fallen woman and a disgrace, despite the immoral behavior of both of them.  Maggie who is then homeless and penniless, turns to prostitution to make a living.  As her life becomes more dismal, she commits suicide.  Her mother, upon learning of Maggie's death, wails hypocritically that she will forgive Maggie her sins.

14. Personal Critique • This book was much better than I originally thought it was going to be. The story of Maggie Johnson was a both seemingly realistic yet an interesting novella. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is a dramatic book filled with the family and life hardships, gang troubles, and turmoil love brings.

15. The End

16. Job Page • Jack : Slides about the Red Badge of Courage. • Taylor : Slides about Maggie; A Girl of the Streets. • Both contributed on “About the Author” slides.