A Separate Peace
ISP Essay Rough Draft
Chris Van Moorsel ENG3U December 18, 2012 Are you thankful for every day you have on earth? Well, you should be. In the First World War, one thousand six hundred and forty nine Canadian soldiers under the age of eighteen risked their lives, and three hundred and sixty five of these soldiers died for our freedom. In the novel, “A SEPARATE PEACE”, by John Knowles, The main character Gene undergoes various situations that are influenced by the war, including the incident of Gene jostling the branch causing Phineas to fall from the tree, the participation of contributing to the war, and the emotional impact on the loss of Genes best friend Phineas. As the war in Europe increases its impact on Devon, the author uses the characters to show that young boys are the most vulnerable. The war causes boys to grow out of their childlike selves and become men. The war turns boys into men because only a man can kill another other human, the war causes boys to work, which is a mans job, emotional stress from war causes boys to turn into men, and the war propaganda encourages boys to contribute to the war. As the war begins, boys are forced to enlist, sending them to war, and a boy does not kill, a man kills. Generally, at the start of a war, militaries will often send their weakest soldiers in their army to the front, which are often boys with the least experience. This forces boys to grow into men, out of their childish-selves as they are forced to kill other human beings. In the novel, “A SEPARATE PEACE”, by John Knowles, the author uses the main character to show the audience that the violence overseas has influenced violence within the young adolescence. “Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform, I was on active duty all my time at school, I killed my enemy there.” (Knowles, pg. 196). This shows that a boy turns into a man when they inflict pain on another human, because the
Chris Van Moorsel ENG3U December 18, 2012 Are you thankful for every day you have on earth? Well, you should be. In the First World War, one thousand six hundred and forty nine Canadian soldiers under the age of eighteen risked their lives, and three hundred and sixty five of these soldiers died for our freedom. In the novel, “A SEPARATE PEACE”, by John Knowles, The main character Gene undergoes various situations that are influenced by the war, including the incident of Gene jostling the branch causing Phineas to fall from the tree, the participation of contributing to the war, and the emotional impact on the loss of Genes best friend Phineas. As the war in Europe increases its impact on Devon, the author uses the characters to show that young boys are the most vulnerable. The war causes boys to grow out of their childlike selves and become men. The war turns boys into men because only a man can kill another other human, the war causes boys to work, which is a mans job, emotional stress from war causes boys to turn into men, and the war propaganda encourages boys to contribute to the war. As the war begins, boys are forced to enlist, sending them to war, and a boy does not kill, a man kills. Generally, at the start of a war, militaries will often send their weakest soldiers in their army to the front, which are often boys with the least experience. This forces boys to grow into men, out of their childish-selves as they are forced to kill other human beings. In the novel, “A SEPARATE PEACE”, by John Knowles, the author uses the main character to show the audience that the violence overseas has influenced violence within the young adolescence. “Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform, I was on active duty all my time at school, I killed my enemy there.” (Knowles, pg. 196). This shows that a boy turns into a man when they inflict pain on another human, because the