VII Form/Mr. Hogan
Instructions: You are going to write a 1-2 page essay on one of the following prompts or themes in A Separate Peace. There are no formal guidelines for how you should structure this essay, but you are encouraged to organize your essay thoughtfully. You should use examples from the text to support your analysis of the theme or prompt. This assignment is designed to see where you are as a writer, so please give it your best effort.
Essay Topics:
1.
What is the book trying to say to us about the nature of evil both in the hearts of men and women and in war? Why are humans capable of both good and evil?
2.
Choose a single character and discuss their development throughout the novel. How does that character change? Is it a good change or a bad change? What does that change represent? (Finny, Gene, Leper, Brinker etc.) You can also choose several different characters.
3.
Conflict is a major theme in A Separate Peace. Explain the conflict between Gene and
Finny and the conflict between man and war. How is the war used as a metaphor for the different types of conflict in this story?
4.
Friendship is a major theme in A Separate Peace. Explore the friendship between Gene and Finny; do you think their friendship is real or do you think it is born out of jealousy and competition?
Please format your essay as follows:
 -typed, double-spaced, TNR 12 pt.
 -Name, date, teacher, class in the upper left hand corner
 -Original and creative title centered on the page
Your essay is due on Saturday, September 14