Unit Test: A Separate Peace Essay
Block 1
Due: during your class—May 26 or 27—No LATE papers will be accepted.
DIRECTIONS:
Write a multi-paragraph essay (minimum of 4 paragraphs). Your essay must be
typed in 12 point Times New Roman and in MLA format (1 inch margins, correct
indenting, left justified, MLA heading).
Remember to include a clear thesis at the end of your introduction that connects
your response to the prompt.
You need to include a minimum of 3 supporting quotations in addition to what I
have given you below. Underline or highlight each of these.
As you write, please improve your sentence flow by using your phrases to vary
your sentence structure:
 Participial
 Infinitive
 Prepositional
 Appositive
Underline 3 examples of the use of these to start sentences.
You are prohibited from using any resources other than the novel to write this
essay. This means—NO Sparknotes, NO Shmoop, NO Cliffnotes, etc. Evidence
of the use of outside sources will result in a 0 for this TEST essay. Remember that
I can easily Google a phrase and find where you located it.
PROMPT:
At the end of A Separate Peace, Gene says, “…my war ended before I even put on
a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there”
(Knowles 204). During the course of the novel, Knowles uses the style choices of
a framework story, first person point of view, and symbolism to communicate the
trauma that Gene faces at the Devon School and his later restoration.
In a five- paragraph essay, address Gene’s journey by analyzing how Steinbeck
uses
*the framework story technique (flashback & foreshadowing)
*first person point of view.
*symbolism
Your introduction should be your précis with a quotation as a hook, an introduction
to Gene and his situation (conflicts) and a lead up to your thesis. Remember that
the thesis belongs at the end of the first paragraph.
Analyze each style choice in a separate paragraph.
End with your conclusion: How do Knowles’s choices help to communicate the
theme of restoration and enhance the novel overall?