“A Mystery of heroism” by Stephen Crane
1. What “heroic” task does Collins want to perform? (1 point)
2. What do you think is Collins’s motivation for his daring act? (1 point)
3. Analyze Collins’s conversation with the officers. What does he want the officers to answer? What do the officers think of his request? (Infer) (2 points)
4. How many canteens does Fred take with him to the well? How many did he fill with water? How do you explain this discrepancy? (3 points)
5. What is Fred Collins’s definition of a hero? Does he fit this definition? Why or why not? Cite the textual evidence. (3 points)
6. What does Collins do when the wounded officer ask for water (first and second; be specific)? Why do you think that Collins acts this way? (3 points)
7. How much of the water in the bucket does Collins drink? (1 point)
8. What situational irony occurs at the end of the story? What is its significance? (1 points)
9. Find two examples of textual evidence in “A Mystery of Heroism” that show that Crane believes war is personified as a machine and that war dehumanizes people. What does this tell you about Crane’s interpretation of war? (3 points)
10. Explain the significance of the title. (2 points)