A Separate Peace by John Knowles

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A Separate Peaceby John Knowles
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Background on the Author

• Born 1926
• Fairmont,West Virginia
• Age fifteen attended Phillips Exeter Academy in
  New Hampshire
• Served briefly in armed forces during WWII
• Graduated Yale in 1949
• Earned William Faulkner Award in 1959

JOHN KNOWLES
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Background on the Novel

• Setting Devon School during summer of 1942
• Main Characters Gene Forrester Phineas

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Background on WWII

• Dec. 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor
• U.S. declared war on Evil Axis (Germany, Italy,
  and Japan)
• By the time U.S. got involved Germany had already
  conquered most of Europe
• Germans used battle strategy called blitzkrieg
• U.S., Great Britain and Soviet Union were called
  the Allies

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Background on WWII Cont.

• Materials for war were in short supply
• On the home front everyone pitched in
• Government Bonds
• Scrap Metal Drives
• Rationing
• Rosie the Riveter
• Victory Gardens
• Window Banners
• Special Privilege for Soldiers

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Summary of the Plot

• In this novel, the 16 year old boys seem unable
  to
• ignore the war. Their elite prep school
  insulates
• the boys from what is going on to some extent,
• however, the realization that in less than a year
  
• they will reach the age of military service is
  always
• in the back of their minds. Along with the
  feelings
• of patriotism came the knowledge that they might
• possibly be killed.

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Themes

• Friendship
• Conformity vs. Rebellion
• Truth vs. Falsehood
• Growth and Maturity
• The Stress of War
• Confession
• Good vs. Evil

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Symbols

• The Tree
• The Pink Shirt
• The Two Rivers
• Blitzball

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Literary Techniques

• Flashback
• Foreshadowing
• Symbolism
• Allusion

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A Quote

• Plus cest la meme chose, plus ca change
• The more things remain the same, the more they
  change after all-Nothing endures, not a tree, not
  love, not even death by violence.