A Separate Peace

1. A Separate Peace Essay Notes

2. Thesis • Although the festivities of the winter carnival suggest the Devon boys have been successful in creating “a separate peace,” Knowles’ use of war imagery in describing the setting, the prizes, as well as the boys’ own behavior suggests that this peace is illusory.

3. Areas of support • The setting – battleship gray, snowy, damp, gloomy, buried in the snow • The prizes – lock of hair from a whore, money, pictures of BG, ice box, barbells, dictionary with dirty words, Iliad, rope, draft card • The boys’ behavior – standing guard, desire for organization, messy, crowded, sloppy, orders,

4. Introduction • Write this AFTER the body paragraphs. In an “although” essay, you are arguing against an assumption that needs to be presented in your intro. • Describe the plot in a way that suggests that Finny and company really might create a separate peace, and then refute this in your thesis and the body of your paper.

5. Conclusion • Suggest implications of your argument, perhaps discuss the meaning of the end of chapter 9 (Leper’s telegram)

6. Intro Structure • Introduction A. attack sentence B. summary C. thesis

7. Body Paragraph II., III., IV. Body paragraphs A. topic sentence, subthesis B. support 1 1. setup/claim 2. quote 3. analysis C. support 2 D. support 3 E. conclusion sentence

8. Conclusion V. Conclusion A. restate thesis in different words B. sum up best arguments C. suggest the implication of your argument as a whole