A Separate Peace: Writing Assignment
Detailed pre-writing (worth 10 points) is due on ______.
A complete rough draft (worth 20 points) is due on ______.
A final draft (worth 50 points) is due on ______.
Final drafts will be graded for the following:
-5 points for a strong thesis statement contained in the introduction
-5 points for a well-written, creative introduction
-10 points for EACH body paragraph containing strong supporting details
-5 points for a re-statement of the thesis in the conclusion (in a new way)
-5 points for a well-written, creative conclusion
--50 points possible (total)--
Final drafts should be typed and double-spaced OR neatly hand-written in dark blue or black ink (on one side of paper only).
Choose ONE of the following three options on which to write a 5-paragraph essay.
Thematic Interpretation
Option #1. The novel A Separate Peace could be interpreted on several levels:
1. It could be viewed as a coming-of-age novel.
2. It could be seen as a novel about good and evil.
3. It could be seen as a psychological novel about the effects of envy and hate.
Write a 5-paragraph essay (including an introduction and conclusion) with each of the three body paragraphs focused on the above-listed interpretations. Use details from the book to support your response.
Option #2. The novel A Separate Peace contains statements that can be defended or refuted using supportive evidence from the story as well as from your own experience.
1. The more things remain the same, the more they change after all.
2. Wars are made by something ignorant in the human heart.
3. The closest friendships often involve intense rivalry.
4. Part of friendship consists of accepting a friend’s shortcomings.
5. Sarcasm is the protest of people who are weak.
6. When you really love something, it loves you back in whatever way it has to love.
Write a 5-paragraph essay (including an introduction and conclusion) with each of the three body paragraphs focused on three of the above-listed statements. Use details from the book and details from your own life / the lives of those you know to support your response.
Minor Characters
Option #3. This novel contains two major characters (Gene and Phineas/Finny) along with a number of minor characters. Minor characters always serve some sort of function in a novel, even if that function is simply two-dimensional. The minor characters in A Separate Peace include the following:
1. Elwin (Leper) Lepellier
2. Brinker Hadley
3. Cliff Quackenbush
Write a 5-paragraph essay (including an introduction and conclusion) with each of the three body paragraphs focused on one of the above-listed characters and his function in the novel. Use details from the book to support your response.