Separate Peace By John Knowels Essays - Phillips Exeter Academy

Separate Peace By John Knowels Dealing with enemies has been a problem ever since the beginning of time. In A Separate Peace by John Knowels, the value of dealing with your feelings and dealing with your enemies is shown by Gene Forester, a student in Devon during World War 2 dealing with few human enemies, but his emotions create a nemesis far greater than any human enemy. "I never killed anybody," Gene had commented later in his adulthood, "And I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at Devon; I killed my enemy there." Now about the enemies that Gene had put into his own life. Gene had a best friend, his name was Finny, they were roommates and did many activities together. Finny was never the source, but the core of most of Gene's feelings, both good and bad. First, one of the biggest problems that Gene had, that is jealousy. Gene was jealous of Finny's confidency, openness, modesty, superb athletic abilities, his natural leadership skills, his ability to deal with stress easily, his care free attitude, his people skills and, of course, his good looks. Early in the story Finny demonstrated his openness by when asked for his height, he said 5 foot, 8 inches, while Gene replies 5 foot, 9 inches. Finny pointed out that they were the same height and you shouldn't be ashamed to tell anybody your real height. Later that day, they skip dinner to go swimming in the river, by Finny's choice, and are asked where they were on return. Finny quickly replied that they were swimming in the river, something that is forbidden, right down to the last detail, and they got away with it. Gene said that the rules are very bent during the summer session, but it was actually Finny's people skills that had kept them out of trouble. Finny was very bold, as Gene many a time wished he was, on one occasion Finny wore a bright pink shirt "symbolizing the first U.S. bombing in Europe. Gene called him a "faerie" but really envied him. Later Finny wore the school tie as a belt and when questioned he claimed that it represented "Devon in the war." Gene was hopeingly awaiting a scolding for Finny, but again, he got in no trouble. Another day the two were walking and came across a plaque near the pool claiming that A. Hopkins Parker held the record for swimming across the pool the fastest, Finny took one look at and thought he could beat it, so without any practice at all he plunged into the pool, Gene timed him and he beat it, just like that. Gene wanted to get an official scorekeeper so Finny could get a plaque but Finny said "no, in my head I know that I did it, that's all that matters," thus demonstrating that Finny is very modest and secure. The next day Gene and Finny went to the beach, which wasn't allowed. This was done at Finny's request, Gene was going to study for a test, but he felt that he can't say no to Finny so hey went. At the beach Gene noticed a lot of people looking at them, he knew they were looking at Finny because of his well built body and his golden tan but Finny said that they were looking at Gene. Before they return, Finny calls Gene his "best pal" and Gene wanted to reply, but he wasn't sure about it himself and he also has a hard time expressing his true feelings. That was his first enemy, now the next, anger. Gene's anger isn't too bad alone but when jealousy and anger are lurking in the same domain, they prove to be a deadly combination. Gene was angry about such things as Finny's ability not to get in trouble, and Gene's unwillingness to say "no" to Finny, but the real war started when he got the idea that because Finny has low grades, he wanted to lower Gene's grades as well so he will better than Gene. Gene believed that Finny was trying to wreak his studies with games, an organization they had formed-the Secret Suicide Society, going to the beach and all this "you're my best friend stuff." Other than that, there is little anger between Finny and Gene. One day, Finny wanted Gene to come jump off a high limb

Role and Importance of Children in the Middle Ages

Role and Importance of Children in the Middle Ages Of all the misconceptions about the Middle Ages, some of the most difficult to overcome involve life for medieval children and their place in society. It is a popular notion that there was no recognition of childhood in medieval society and children were treated like miniature adults as soon as they could walk and talk. However, scholarship on the topic by medievalists provides a different account of children in the Middle Ages. Of course, it is not correct to assume that medieval attitudes were identical or even similar to modern ones. But, it can be argued that childhood was recognized as a phase of life, and one that had value, at that time. Concept of Childhood One of the most frequently mentioned arguments for the non-existence of childhood in the Middle Ages is that representative of children in medieval artwork depicts them in adult clothing. If they wore grown-up clothes, the theory goes, they must have been expected to behave like grown-ups. However, while there certainly isnt a great deal of medieval artwork that depicted children other than the Christ Child, the examples that survive do not universally display them in adult garb. Additionally, medieval laws existed to protect the rights of orphans. For example, in medieval London, laws were careful to place an orphaned child with someone who could not benefit from his or her death. Also, medieval medicine approached the treatment of children separately from adults. In general, children were recognized as vulnerable, and in need of special protection. Concept of Adolescence   The idea that adolescence was not recognized as a category of development separate from both childhood and adulthood is a more subtle distinction. The primary evidence concerning this outlook is the lack of any term for the modern-day word adolescence. If they didnt have a word for it, they didnt comprehend it as a stage in life. This argument also leaves something to be desired, especially as medieval people did not use the terms feudalism or courtly love though those practices definitely existed at the time. Inheritance laws set the age of majority at 21, expecting a certain level of maturity before entrusting a young individual with financial responsibility.   Importance of Children There is a general perception that, in the Middle Ages, children were not valued by their families or by society as a whole. Perhaps no time in history has sentimentalized infants,  toddlers, and waifs as has modern culture, but it doesnt necessarily follow that children were undervalued in earlier times. In part, a lack of representation in medieval popular culture is responsible for this perception. Contemporary chronicles and biographies that include childhood details are few and far between. Literature of the times rarely touched on the heros tender years, and medieval artwork offering visual clues about children other than the Christ Child is almost nonexistent. This lack of representation in and of itself has led some observers to conclude that children were of limited interest, and therefore of limited importance, to medieval society at large. On the other hand, it is important to remember that medieval society was primarily an agrarian one. And the family unit made the agrarian economy work. From an economic standpoint, nothing was more valuable to a peasant family than sons to help with the plowing and daughters to help with the household. To have children were, essentially, one of the primary reason to marry.   Among the nobility, children would perpetuate the family name and increase the familys holdings through advancement in service to their liege lords and through advantageous marriages. Some of these unions were planned while the bride and groom-to-be were still in the cradle. In the face of these  facts,  it is difficult to argue that people of the Middle Ages were any less aware that children were their future then people are aware today that children are the future of the modern world.   Question of Affection Few aspects of life in the  Middle Ages  can be more difficult to determine than the nature and depth of the emotional attachments made among family members. It is perhaps natural for us to assume that in a society that placed a high value on its younger members, most parents loved their children. Biology alone would suggest a bond between a child and the mother who nursed him or her. And yet, it has been theorized that affection was largely lacking in the medieval household. Some of the reasons that have been put forward to support this notion include rampant infanticide, high infant mortality, the use of child labor and extreme discipline.   Further Reading If you are interested in the topic of childhood in medieval times,  Growing Up in Medieval London: The Experience of Childhood in History  by Barbara A. Hanawalt,  Medieval Children  by Nicholas Orme, Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages by Joseph Gies and Frances Gies and The Ties that Bound by Barbara Hanawalt may be good reads for you.

Declaration of Independence- Thomas Jefferson Annotated Bibliography - 1

Declaration of Independence- Thomas Jefferson - Annotated Bibliography Example Constitution (preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments), as well an updated introduction and explanatory notes by J.W. Peltason, author of Understanding the Constitution and Government by the People.† Historians debate the similarities and differences between â€Å"The Declaration of Independence† and â€Å"The Constitution of the United States of America† and the role of Jefferson in the composition of both. Therefore it is necessary to consult this document to compare and contrast â€Å"The Declaration of Independence† and â€Å"The Constitution of the United States of America†. The is the official U.S. Government version of â€Å"The Declaration of Independence†. Its provenance, authority and reliability are implicit in the source. It is the legally authoritative version of the ratified document. It is also the core document for this research assignment. Therefore, a reputable copy of it is absolutely essential. To understand Jeffersons role in the composition of the â€Å"The Declaration of Independence† it is essential to begin with an authoritative copy of the document. This document is also easily and widely accessible. Oxford University Press is a very reputable academic publishing house affiliated with the esteemed Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The author, R. B. Berstein is an authority on the American Revolutionary era and has published many academic books and peer reviewed journal articles in the area. This book is particularly useful because it covers the founding fathers. Therefore, it assesses Jeffersons role in the period and in the composition of â€Å"The Declaration of Independence†. It also then compares and contrasts his views and role with those of Washington, Adams, Franklin and others. It provides context for Jeffersons views by placing them in the intellectual milieu of the era. It also provides assistance in determining which phrases and paragraphs of â€Å"The Declaration of Independence† were Jeffersons work and which