Intro to ASP

A Separate Peace

by: John Knowles

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

• The narrator returns to his boarding school.

• It’s November, 1958

• The Devon Academy for boys

• Taking a walk down memory lane.

• Visits specific sites.

The narrator visits two "fearful" sites.

• The marble staircase in the Academy Building

• The tree that over hands the Devon River

And just like that... flashback!

It's the summer of 1942

Lower Middler/UpperMiddler

• The summer session puts the boys right in between

• There is a quest for both maturity and yet ignorance

Height?

Phineas suggests that they are both the same height...on the short size.

THE TREE

• Finny makes the first jump

• Encourages/pressures Gene to make the jump

Poll

The following passages is an example of what literary element? " What was I doing up here anyways? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?"  (Gene)

• allusion

• internal conflict

• oxymoron

• personification

Finny's feelings on authority

Authority, in general, was considered to be the necessary evil against which happiness was achieved by reaction, the backboard which returned all the insults he threw at it.

Chapter 2

To be in trouble or not to be.

Finny ...the smooth talker

The boys are caught skipping dinner. Finny explains why they missed dinner and why they were late for curfew.

Invitation to Headmaster's Tea

• The upperclassmen are invited

• Finny and Gene are going

Multiple Select

What does FInny wear to the Headmaster's Tea?

• Suit

• Pink shirt

• Tuxedo

The Pink Shirt is symbolic

• It's an emblem

• The bombings in Central Europe

• Celebration of the war efforts and troops of the US

• Wants to include Devon School in the war effort

Poll

How is Devon School tied into the war?

• training the boys for draft

• Finny wears the Devon School tie as a belt

• The emblem is tied together in Finny's presentation of the pink shirt and school tie belt

• Faculty and Staff of Devon are off in the war fighting.

Finny talks the talk...

Smooth-talking Finny gets away with wearing the pink shirt and school tie as a belt. He doesn't' get in any trouble, and Gene gets annoyed that he can get away with anything!

Back to the tree

• Finny wants to double jump with Gene

• Form a new club

• double jump

How to save a life

• During the climb for a double jump, Gene loses his balance

• Finny grabs Gene's rm and prevents him from falling!

• 
  

Poll

Does Gene thank FInny for grabbing his arm?

• Yes

• No

Later...

Internally Gene knows that Finny saves him from being killed!