A Separate Peace John Knowles

Setting  Exeter, New Hampshire  Population: Approx. 14,000  Located close to large ports  Economy: Ship Commerce

Phillips Exeter Academy  Phillips Exeter Academy is a real (non-fiction!) private school in New Hampshire.  It is residential and was founded in  John Knowles, the author, graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1944.

Author  John Knowles  Born in West Virginia  Attended Yale University  A Separate Peace was his first novel.  He loosely based The Devon School, which is fictional, on his experiences at Phillips Exeter Academy.

 Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan  Allied Powers: America, England, USSR  United States got involved after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in  Americans feared attacks and experienced rationing (began in 1942 to preserve resources; included gasoline, meat, sugar, butter, and shoes.)  Many young men in fought in this war. World War II

I Want You for the US Army. Enlist Now! The Famous “Uncle Sam” The United States instituted the draft during World War II, but patriotism was at an all-time high, so many young men chose to sign up for military service on their own rather than wait to be drafted.

Wartime Posters Advertising Freedom

Wartime Posters Advertising Conservation  ctivities/wartimeposters/gallery.html ctivities/wartimeposters/gallery.html

Themes in A Separate Peace  Man’s inhumanity to man.  Friendship.  Microcosm parallels macrocosm. (Local vs. Global)  Life’s contrast. (example: summer vs. winter)  Escape from reality.  Conformity vs. nonconformity.

A Separate Peace Anticipation Guide  For each of the following statements, choose a response from the scale below. Share your answers by discussing them with a partner o Disagree Disagree No Opinion Agree Agree Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly

Use the scale on the previous slide to rate the following statements, first on your own, and then in conversation with a partner. Be prepared to discuss as a class.  _____True friends never lie to one another.  _____Jealousy is common between good friends.  _____Almost everyone must fight some kind of battle.  _____It's best to confess your mistakes right away.  _____Nagging guilt can affect how a person lives his or her life.  _____There are some things a friend might do to me that I could never forgive.  _____True friendship is forever: you should always forgive a friend, no matter what he or she has done.  _____It is important to me to conform to school rules.  _____It is important to me to express my individuality.  _____Part of friendship consists of accepting a friend's shortcomings.