Honors English 11: Summer Assignment
Ms. Klink
-Part 1 of 2: Read A Separate Peace by John Knowles. As you read, answer the following questions. You may type or hand-write your responses. You do not need to write the question, just the answer. Respond to each question thoroughly and in COMPLETE SENTENCES. Parts 1 & 2 are both due Friday August 21, 2015 ** If you turn your project in on the first day of school Monday August 17, 2015 you will receive 10 extra credit points!**
*Anti-Plagiarism Policy* Make sure that your work is your own. You may not copy from someone else or another source. Work that has been plagiarized will not be accepted.
Part 1 of 2: Chapter Questions
-Chapter 1-3
1.) To where does the narrator return?
2.) Describe the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session
3.) What is “Blitzball”? Who created it?
-Chapter 4-6
4.) Describe your initial impression of Gene (the narrator), citing a specific piece of evidence from the text
5.) Describe your initial impression of Finny, citing a specific piece of evidence from the text
6.) What happens between Gene & Finny out on the branch?
-Ch. 7-9
7.) What happens in the ‘butt room’?
8.) How does Gene handle the events in question #7?
9.) Who is the first boy to enlist? Describe Devon’s reaction to his enlistment:
-Ch. 10-13
10.) Contrast Leper before & after his experience in the army
11.) Describe the events of the trial put on by Brinker for Gene
12.) What happens to Finny at the end of the novel? To Gene?
Total: _______ / 50 pts.
-Part 2 of 2: Essay Prompt
It’s easy to speak of the word friendship in only a positive light, to associate the word with nothing more than good times, good memories and good feelings. Yet such a view is perhaps too simplistic, for it ignores the subtle complexities of our daily life. In truth, our relationships are often complicated, challenging, destructive even. Within the context of the novel A Separate Peace, how does Gene understand his friendship with Finny? In a 5 paragraph essay, seek to define how Gene interprets the word friendship.
1st Paragraph: Introduction
-Introduce the 2 characters, Gene & Finny
-Establish the purpose of the paper (to define how Gene understands his friendship with Finny)
-Note: The goal of this paper is to define one word, friendship, as understood by Gene. This might seem simple, but it is in fact the hallmark of difficult and challenging literary analysis.
2nd Paragraph: Friendship in a positive light
-Discuss & explain a moment from the text where Gene speaks of Finny in a positive manner, or where he has fun with Finny and enjoys his company
-Cite a quote from the novel and explain it thoroughly
3rd Paragraph: Friendship in an angry light
-Discuss & explain a moment from the text where Gene interacts with Finny in an angry or hostile manner, or where he speaks of Finny in a negative manner
-Cite a quote from the novel and explain it thoroughly
4th Paragraph: Friendship in a jealous light
-Discuss & explain a moment from the text where Gene expresses his jealousy toward Finny, or where he seems jealous or envious of Finny’s abilities
-Cite a quote from the novel and explain it thoroughly
5th Paragraph: Definition of Friendship
-Combining aspects of positivity, negativity and jealousy, provide a specific definition for how Gene understands his friendship with Finny
-Explain why this definition matters, why it’s important, how it affects his behavior toward Finny
Citing Quotes (You need 3 quotes!):
-Introduce quote w/ own words
-Cite quote like this: “This is an example quote,” (Knowles, pg. #).
-Explain quote w/ own words
Part 2 of 2: Essay (Continued)
Length: 2-4 pages typed, double-spaced
Font: 12 pt. Times New Roman
Format: 1” margins, Include header (Name, Class, Period) in the upper-left corner.
Example Format:
Your Name
Honors English 11
Period #
Original Title
-How You Will Be Graded:
-Explanation/Analysis of friendship in a positive light _______ / 20 pts.
-Explanation/Analysis of friendship in an angry light _______ / 20 pts.
-Explanation/Analysis of friendship in a jealous light _______ / 20 pts.
-Grammar & Mechanics (as assessed by WV state writing rubric) _______ / 30 pts.
-Citation/Use of Quotes _______ / 10 pts.
Total: _______ /100 pts.
*Submit this rubric with your finished essay.