A Separate Peace Quote Significance Chpt. 13

Quote
"I never talked about Phineas and neither did anyone else; he was, however present in every moment of every day since Dr. Stanpole had told me."(202)

Significance
This is the first time Gene really talks about Phineas. He explains that he doesn't really feel like Phineas is gone. Phineas's character and charisma was so strong, it last even after he's gone (hey that rhymed!!1) After this, he begins to talk about Phineas more in the entire chapter. I think was almost like an 'ice breaker' of his anguish. Also, what stuck out to me was he didn't call him 'Finny' like he normally would, he calls him Phineas.

Question
Was Phineas' death pointless or in vain, or was it a sacrifice so that Gene may change and continue his memory?

A Separate Piece Quote Significance Chpt 12

Before I begin, let us all take a moment of silence for the fallen Phineas. He was a good man, and he will be missed by everyone. Rest In Peace. "Good night sweet prince, let the flight of angels sing thee to thy rest."

Quote
"His face had been struggling to stay calm as he listened to me, but now he was crying but trying to control himself.

"It was just some kind of blind impulse you had in the tree there, you didn't know what you were doing. Was that it.?"

"Yes, yes that was it. Oh that was it, but how can you believe that?... I can't even make myself pretend that you could believe that."

"I do, I think I can believe that. I've gotten awfully mad sometimes and almost forgotten what I was doing. I think I believe you, I think I can believe that....It wasn't anything you really felt against me, it wasn't some kind of hate you've felt all along. It wasn't anything personal."

"...It was just something crazy inside me, something blind, that's all it was."

He was nodding his head, his jaw tightening and his eyes closed on tears. "I believe you. It's okay because I understand you and i believe you."(191)

Significance
This is another quote I selected because I think it really shows the special kind of friendship bond that only Gene and Phineas could have.This is what true friendship is all about. It's about getting angry, getting emotional,and then talking it out. Other people who don't have this kind of bond would just go "No, screw you. I hate you *insert personal insults and curses here*". But Phineas and Gene aren't like that. At times it seems like Gene did hate him, but he was just confused. He wasn't used to feeling the emotions of envy and jealous. And all that confusion led him to accidentally hurt his best friend.
I keep the quote on the lengthy side because I wanted to display the full quote in all its glory. Shortening it to the point of the 'gist' would mean to cut out all the raw emotion, thought and feeling of this passage. If I did that, the quote would no longer have as strong as an impact or significance.
True friendship is one of the strongest bonds on the planet, right next to true love. Phineas and Gene held both of these (the love is more of brotherly love, though). And nothing can ruin these bonds. So although, Phineas is in Heaven, Gene still remembers that feeling of reuniting with the old friendship they had:no secrets, just pure bliss. Gene will always remember that, and I'm sure Phineas still felt that 'warm, fuzzy' sensation as they put him into a sleep he would not wake up from. I don't care what anyone says, Gene and Phineas were perfect friends for each other. And neither was better than the other, because that kind of thinking is what started all the wrong in the first place.

Question
How will Phineas's death affect everyone? How will it affect Gene?Will people turn on one another and throw blame around?

A Separate Peace Quote Significance Chpt 11

Quote

"Yes, I remember seeing you standing on the bank. You were looking up and your hair was plastered down over your forehead so that you had that dumb look you always have when you've been in the water-what was it you said? 'Stop posing up there' or one of those best-pal cracks you're always making....And I think I did start to pose just to make you madder, and I said, what did I say?" (171)

Significance

This shows how good of a friend Finny is;he makes up an entire story to keep Gene safe. I know he made it up because that large of a difference, with that much detail cannot be simply mixed up for what really happened. Contrary to what others say, I believe Finny and Gene are meant to be best friends. This is because if they weren't meant to be friends, by now, they wouldn't be. 

Question

Why does Brinker feel the need to 'solve the mystery of Finny's fall'? Is this all to cut Gene down?

A Separate Piece Quote Significance Chpt 10

Quote
"That was when things began to change. One day I couldn't make out what was happening to the corporal's face.It kept changing into faces I knew from somewhere else, and then I began to think he looked like me,...I didn't want to be the only one to see a thing like that,I yelled louder and louder to make sure everyone within reach of my voice would hear-...I remember thinking that he [the man who slept next to him in the barracks] must have been at the hospital helping with an amputation [he thought he saw him come in with a sawed off leg] when he heard my yell."(150)

Significance
I chose this quote becuase it shows the first real noticable affect of the war on anyone. Leper went from being a quiet, strange, yet stable young boy. Now, he received a Class Eight discharge, making him question his own sanity. This also shows how the pressure of the war- the regiment, the training-can affect a sensitive person. This is a real break in the separate peace that eveyone at Devon is so lucky to have. And the worse part(it seems) is Leper signed up, he wasn't forced. He expected it to be fun, but he was oh so wrong.

Question
Could the third to last line of the chapter("I didn't care because it had nothing to do with me.") be a foreshadow to Gene becoming involved in the war?

A Separate Peace Significance Chpt 9

Quote
"Winter's occupation seems to have conquered, overrun and destroyed everything, so that now there is no longer any resistance movement left in nature;...and now winter itself, an old, corrupt, tired conqueror, loosens its grip on the desolation, recedes a little, grows careless in its watch;sick of victory and enfeebled by the absence of challenge, its begins itself to withdraw from the ruined countryside."

Significance
I chose this because it is very obviously a metaphor for the war. The reason, I believe, it was written for winter because after the winter(or during), the boys could be drafted for the war. This time was dark and bleak for them. The war was on everyone's mind at this time, it wasn't surprising that Gene (or anyone besides Finny for that matter) was thinking about the war; how dingy his future was, how this could be the last time he could look at the winter with an air of relaxation and laziness around him.

Question
Could the "Separate Peace" not be all the boys', but Finny's?

A Separate Peace Significance Chpt 8

Quote
"Then, for no reason at all, I felt magnificent. It was as though my body until that instant had simply been lazy, as though the aches and exhaustion were all imagined, created from nothing in order to keep me from truly exerting myself." (120)

Significance
This is a call back to how Finny explained to Gene why he needs him. He said because without him, Gene would back out of things. At this point in the book, this holds true. Finny pushed him to run, and now he has a feeling of accomplishment. Maybe, Gene will change in other ways because of how Finny monitors him.

Question
It seems like Gene almost believes Finny. Is Finny's persausive nature getting Gene to beleive this conspiracy theory?

A Separate Piece Significance Chpt 7

Quote
"But I was used to finding something deadly lurking in anything I wanted, anything I loved. And if it wasn't there, as for example with Phineas, then I put it there myself." (101)

Significance
This is an important quote because it makes it seem that Gene almost acknowledges his over-cation, which restricts his life. Or perhaps if it is not his realization, it is a glimpse into his physique. Maybe this is the reason he takes no risks, because he sees a certain danger in everything. Or if there is not, he ends up creating one.

Question
Will Phineas' return home have an affect on Gene's contemplation about joining the army?

A Separate Piece Quote Significance Chpt 2

Quote
"We reminded them what peace was like, of lives which were not bound up with destruction." (24)

Significance
One reason I chose this quote is because it illudes to the title. It talks of "A Separate Peace" that only the younger students could have. Only they could have that last summer before they were apt to be sent across oceans, to fight for their and their country's freedom. They did not have to worry, they just basked in the summer's glow, but with a certain savoring. I believe Mr. George's analogy was something like "You know those days when you look up in the sky and see a perfect patch of blue sky, then you look to the south and ominous clouds? When that happens, you're gonna play in the sunshine as long as you can because you know the rest of the day is going to be crappy. That's what life is like for these kids. The teachers are gonna let them play in the sunshine before the clouds are overhead."

Question
In the end, when Gene almost falls of the branch, could that be a foreshadow to something bad happening? Will it be to him of Finny, or will it affect both?

A Separate Piece Quote Significance Chpt 6

Quote
" "Listen, pal, if I can't play sports, you're going to play them for me," and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas."(85)

Significance
I think this really plays into Finny's character. It also reall speaks about the friendship between the two. For Finny to say this shows he knows what Gene is thinking and he wants him to play sports anyway. He also uses his persausive nature and the 'do it for me' angle. Hopefully, this helps Gene get along, and maybe he will play a sport. Gene's reaction to this gives me high hopes for what is to come. He finally feels at ease with something, he no longer sees the bond between Finny and himself as a competition. However, I don't necessariy see this as a healthy thing, hopefully, it is just a stage and he will grow out of it before it goes too far.

Question
It seems to me that Gene is becoming more and more spontaneoous as we go on; becoming like Phineas in a way. Will we see more of a change in Gene in the future?When Phineas returns will this shift of character stop?

A Separate Peace Significance Chpt 5

Quote
"I was Phineas, Phineas to the life. I even had his humorous expression in my face, his sharp, optimistic awareness. I had no idea why this gave me such intense relief, but it seemed, standing there in Finny's triumphant shirt, that I would never stumble through the confusions of my own character again."(62)

Significance
Here we catch Gene doing something very odd. I think Gene does this for one of two reasons. One is he wanted Finny to be there, so by putting on Finny's clothes, Gene recreates Finny's presence. Another is Gene is so confused by what's going on in his life, he wants to be someone else. So he puts on Finny's clothes and tries to be him. Which ever the reason, this action seems to calm Gene, that is until he sleeps, then wakes up either without Finny or as himself.

Question
On page 67, Gene and friends are making their way to Finny's house. In their travels, Gene describes the street that Finny's house is on. The way he describe the street remined me of how he described Gilman Street. What supports my idea is Finny's address is not revealed. What refutes it(which I just remembered) is that Finny lives in Boston. But still my question:Could it be the same street?

A Separate Piece Quote Significance Chpt 4

Quote
"I found it. I found a single sustaining thought. The thought was, You and Phineas are even already. You are even in enmity. You are both driving coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone."(53)
"Now I knew that there never was and never could have been any rivalry between us. I was not of the same quality as he."

Significance
Thinking is a dangerous game, and like any other sport you have to be aware of and accept the possiblities. In football, you have to risk getting your knee taken out by the 250 pound defensemen as you try to run in the touchdown. In baseball, you run the risk of being smashed in the face by that leather sphere wizzing past your head at 70 miles per hour. In thinking, you risk realize, true or not, something you never wanted to think about. You go out of your comfort to zone to see what is real, and what is not. Sometimes you do not like what you find, and that is the risk you take, but to me, it seems like more than any injury a sport can give you. In football, your knee will heal over time. In baseball, the swelling will cease and the bruises will fade. But with thinking, when you realise something, it is with you forever. No matter whether you ever want to remember it or not. I think that is the hardest lesson Gene learns in this chapter. But his mistake is he gives into paranoia, and makes assumptions about Finny's motivations, about his true goals. His emotions change his actions, and he becomes angry at Finny. Finny did nothing, and want to try to apologise for whatever it is that Gene is blaming him for, but Gene childishly refuses such and makes a rash decision. Gene is over thinking things way too much about everything and cannot just take things as pure or natural. This really will come back to haunt him later, I know this.

Question
Why does Gene feel this way? Or why does he over think things? Was he just born that way or did something happen?

A Separate Piece Quote Significance Chpt 3

Quote
"I should have told him then that he was my best friend also rounded off what he had said. I started to;I nearly did. But something held me back. Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling, deeper than thought, which contains the truth."(48)

Significance
This quote shows a trait in Gene that might occur subconsciously. It seems he is almost afraid to be happy, and by that he must be himself. He wants to tell Finny how good of a friend he is, but something in his mind will not let him. Is his mind worried of being happy for fear of it being all for naught? Or is it that his mind won't let him be happy because he envies Finny too much? It seems that each chapter delves deeper into Gene's mind;perhaps, soon we will know why he won't speak his mind or be true to his emotions.

Question
Will this lack of showing or acting apon emotions come back to haunt Gene?

P.S.
Seriously, this plot reminds me of "Fight Club". Especially when the make their own club (see the connection now? and how they're weren't supposed to talk about it? I think David Fincher's gonna sue somebody.)And the thing when Finny makes up Blitzball, it was totally like the movie "Baseketball"! Anyone, anyone? I CANNOT be alone on this...

A Seperate Peace Characterization/Chpt 1

Quote
"Oh yes I did. I'm good for you in that way. You have a tendency to back away from things otherwise."(18)

Significance
This is significant because this is a foreshadowing that not many of us may remember(now that I am re-writing this). Within this small quote and everyday statement lies why Finny is such a good mach for Gene, and what is one(sadly) of Gene's problems. Finny is very spontaneous and somewhat forceful. This causes Gene to try new things, be spontaneous, or carry through with ideas, all of which he desperately needs to do.

Narrator (Gene)
Careful, Self-conscious, Detail-orientated, Good memory, Competitive.

"more elegant and more lifeless...when specters seemed to go up and down them with me."(11-12)

Phineas (Finny)
Courageous, Spontaneous, Natural, Persuasive, Lovable <3.(Slightly idiosyncratic)

"that voice of his, the equivalent sound of a hypnotist's eyes,...He opened his green eyes wider and gave us his maniac look, and only the smirk on his wide mouth with its droll, slightly protruding upper lip reassured us that he wasn't completely goofy." (14)


Question
Seriously, what is the main character's name? Is this going to be some Fight Club thing? Like we don't know his name until the end so *expletive deleted for all those who haven't seen it*?

Anitgone Paper-Corrupting Power

Rachael Kerr
English 10 Honors
October 29, 2008
Antigone Paper
Corrupting Power
Edward Abbey once said “Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.” The character Creon best shows this consistent theme through the plays of Sophocles. His morals and mind are clouded by this poison we call power, it is the most basic of all human desires, to rule over all others, to be the proverbial ‘top dog’, the problem is, how much power is too much, and how do we keep this poison from clouding our minds, and impairing our judgment? Creon lets power corrupt him, in turn changing his morals, piety, intelligence, disposition, and attitude towards women.

Before Creon had power, he was a virtuous man that respected the god’s judgment and choice, the people of his city, his King, and women. In fact, Creon did not even want power; it showed when he said “Who would choose uneasy dreams to don a crown/ when all the kingly sway/can be enjoyed without? /I could not covet kingship for itself/when I can be a king by other means” (33). He saw his life as balanced; he had enough power to be satisfied, with none of the worries that came with being king. He was perfectly content, and well-respected. He listened to the gods, and respected them: “So ran the words, but in these strait/ it’s best to ask the god again what should be done” (77). But, when he got one brief taste of power, he wanted more, and that is just what he got.

Here is a quote that was compiled to show the main parts of the somewhat lengthy speech made by Creon: “Bargain away! All the silver Sardis,/ all the gold of India/ is not enough to buy this man a grave;/...even such a threat of such a taint/ will not win this body burial./...The most reverend fall from grace when lies are sold/Wrapped up in honeyed words-and all for gold”(237). He speaks of how men will do anything, even go against their own law, for a reward, but how he will not. As said in the previous quote, Creon states that no amount will 'buy this man a grave.' Which simply means, nothing anyone does, not even a threat, will make him go against his will and bury Polyneices. Although he was truthful to his word, it was harsh and over-bearing, which in the end was his tragic flaw.

Creon no longer listens to anyone but himself, this is shown when he said “You mean that men of my years have to learn to think by taking notes from men of his?”(223). He feels that he should not have to learn from those younger than him. Later, he even lashes out at his own son because he spoke an opinion different than his. In all these pages, mostly through conversations between himself and Antigone, we see how Creon is becoming the very thing he fought to stop: an ignorant, overbearing, hard-headed ruler, which listens to no one but himself. He used to be a virtuous man, he consulted the gods, thought before he acted and spoke; however, because of the poisonous power he has, he has become the man that he chased out, Oedipus.
The character that Creon follows is Oedipus. Oedipus thought he was always right, struck out at friends and family, and would jump to the wrong conclusion, often getting himself into large problems: “were you not hand-in-glove with him,/ he never would have thought of pinning Laius’s death on me” (32). Here, Oedipus goes against the prophet Tiresias’s word and blames Creon, claiming that he and the prophet made up a story so that Creon could become king. Oedipus, intoxicated with blind rage, fights with Creon, telling him to leave. But when the prophecy is right, Oedipus crawls back to Creon, pleading for help and begging for forgiveness. At the time, Creon was virtueous and understanding, so he forgave Oedipus and helped him out of the city. But the power Oedipus left for him would change him into its previous owner.
Creon’s power gave illusions of a perfect life, when the power disappeared, the illusion fell into pieces as reality rushed around him. Although he stayed truthful to his word, by not burying Polyneices, and killing the person that gave him his death rights, in the end those acts were his downfall. His ignorance and blindness caused him to disregard the feelings and opinions of the others than him. In doing this, he killed Antigone, which in return, caused Haemon to kill himself. Haemon’s suicide caused Creon’s wife to kill herself. In one day, Creon lost everyone he cared about, and it was all because he did not care to think twice about his actions. In the end, like Oedipus, he realizes his wrongs and blames himself, but it is too late: “Then lead me please away,/ A rash weak foolish man,/ A man of sorrows,/ Who killed you, son, so blindly/ And you my wife-so blind. Where can I look? Where hope for help,/ When everything I touch is lost/ And death has leapt upon my life?” ( 252) This is related to what Oedipus says when he must be led out of the city. He states his knowledge of his wrongdoings, and asks where he can turn and if he deserves a second chance or the acceptance of another city. While touching and Kodak, this is a Greek Tragedy, not a Hollywood film; and this play does not end happily.

Power, the poison that intoxicates the good and turns them into the things that they detest; ignorant, hard-headed people that listen to no one but themselves. The best of people that induce this toxin change for the worse; they become oblivious to anyone but themselves. This is exactly what happened to Creon; he was a virtuous man, he respected everyone, and thought at least twice about all his actions, but the power that was left to him by Oedipus was too much of a strain, and he cracked, changing into what he fought against. In the end, Creon loses everything, his power, his wife, his niece, and his son. It takes all that to make him realize what he has done, who he has hurt, and how much of a fool he has been. But he was too late, he could not fix anything, and that’s what power does; it breaks things, laws, wills and men’s souls, offering no way to fix them.

Denis Diderot once said “In any country where talent and virtue produce no advancement, money will be the national god. Its inhabitants will either have to possess money or make others believe that they do…. Those who have money will display it in every imaginable way. If their ostentation does not exceed their fortune, all will be well. But if their ostentation does exceed their fortune they will ruin themselves. In such a country, the greatest fortunes will vanish in the twinkling of an eye. Those who don't have money will ruin themselves with vain efforts to conceal their poverty. That is one kind of affluence: the outward sign of wealth for a small number, the mask of poverty for the majority, and a source of corruption for all.” A more perfect summary of Creon’s problem would come from only Sophocles himself. Denis tells how money, which can also be seen as power, ruins those who have it and those who want it. In the beginning, it would seem that Creon would have nothing to do with either of those, but when he received Oedipus’s power, he became someone different. Creon lets power corrupt him, in turn changing his morals, piety, intelligence, disposition, and attitude towards women. In the end, power led to destruction of everything for Creon; he had nothing left, and he sees everything as his fault. But he did not do it all on his own, the intoxicating power blinded him with false morals and changed him for the worse.




PS-For some reason, that quote stays underlined.

Reading pgs.233-252

Quote~*
1.)Creon
"Bargain away!All the silver Sardis, all the gold of India is not enough to buy this man a grave;...even such a threat of such a taint will not win this body burial....The most reverend fall from grace when lies are sold
Wrapped up in honeyed words-and all for gold." (237)

2.)Messenger
"...we could see her hanging with a noose of linen round her neck, a leaning on her, hugging his cold lover lost to Hades, Haemon,bridegroom, broken, cursed the father who had robbed him, pouring out his tears of sorrow." (246)

Description of Significance~*
1.)The quote I chose again relates to 'the corrupting nature of power.' I complied the main parts of the somewhat lengthy speech made by Creon. He speaks of how men will do anything, even go against their own law, for a reward, but how HE will not. He states that no amount (but he failed to mention tea in China) will 'buy this man a grave.' Which simply means, nothing anyone does, not even a threat, will make him go against his will and bury Polyneices. And to my surprise, I found that he spoke the truth (well, until the end but that doesn't count). However, he was truthful to his word, it was harsh and over-bearing, which in the end was his tragic flaw.

2.)This second quote relates to not necessarily a theme, but definitely something we had mentioned in class using the PowerPoint. Antigone hung herself, sounds familiar, does it not? (well it should) Jocasta, Antigone's incestuous mother, killed herself in the same way. This is obviously a throw-back to Jocasta. Sophocles really seemed that he wanted to make this a noticeable recall because she actually hung herself with the same kind of item: a linen rope. Sophocles could have just made it she bit her tongue off and bled to death(gruesome I know), or even just hung herself with something else, but she used LINEN, like Jocasta in the bedroom(sounds like a game of Clue, huh?) It is not just a coincidence(I can't spell XP), Sophocles definitely wanted to make a direct connection.

Questions~*
I have a question about the whole Greek "afterlife" bit. So is there only one place with two sections (smoking or non-smoking?) or is there two places like Heaven and Hell? I'm confused. (.......skolt?)

Reading p.213-226

Quote(s)
CREON
"You mean that men of my years have to learn to think by taking notes from men of his?"(p223)
"Do I rule this state, or someone else?" (p223)
"The state is his who rules it. Is that plain?" (p224)

Description of Significance
I chose multiple quotes because I felt the ones I chose were a bit on the shor-'not lengthy' side. These lines were all pretty much one after the other so they all ARE related. The theme these relate to is 'the corrupting nature of power'. All these lines show that Creon no longer listens to anyone but himself. Later, he even lashes out at his own son because he spoke an option different than his. In all these pages, mostly through conversations between himself and Antigone, we see how Creon is becoming the very thing he fought to stop:an ingnorant, overbearing, hard-headed ruler that listens to no one but himself. He used to be a viturous man, he consulted the gods, thought before he acted and spoke. However, because of the poisonous power he has, he has become the man that he chased out. Perhaps, what goes around, comes around?

Questions
On page 213, Creon says "Surely!If you make the hero honored with the black guard." What does black guard mean? (Scotttttttttt???? lawl)

P.S.- Before Haeman had that speech to Creon, I totally thought he was going to be like one of those 'Daddy's boys' you see in movies that always call their father 'Daddy', get everything handed to them, and own a cooperation they know nothing about. Is it just me or did some one else feel that?

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Srysly!! Anyone who reads this, TELL ME HOW TO FIND MY LINK!!!! I NEED TO SEND IT TO MR.GEORGE! HELPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!11