Make a Revision Poster
Make a Revision Poster
Due Wednesday 13 November
Value: 20 (easy if it is well done) points.
Topic/Theme
1. John Knowles
2. Gene
3. Phineas
4. Elwin Leper Lepellier:
5. Brinkley Hadley
Cliff Quakenbush
7. Chet Douglass
Mr. Ludsbury
9. Dr. Stanpole
10. Games and Sports
11. Truth and Falsehoods
12. Coming of Age novels
13. Map of the School
14. References to WW2
I will photocopy your poster, and so keep it neat, clear and informative!
Some suggestions to get you started:
Gene:
1. To
what degree do you believe Gene is an “unreliable narrator”?
First-person narrators are characters
within the story telling the events of the plot from their perspective.
Sometimes, these characters deviate from the truth or have mental conditions
that limit their abilities to tell the story accurately. We call these
characters unreliable narrators.
An unreliable narrator is a character whose telling of the
story is not completely accurate or credible due to problems with the
character's mental state or maturity. Some literary critics argue that there
is no such thing as a reliable first-person narrator since every character is
affected by his or her past experiences in the telling of a story, but most
first-person narrators attempt to give the most accurate version of the
events. An unreliable narrator, however, holds a distorted view of the
events, which leads to an inaccurate telling of the story. This can give
readers or viewers a chance to offer their own interpretations.
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2. What
do you think of Gene’s idea that he was “used to finding something deadly in
things that attracted me” and “if it wasn’t there, as for example with Phineas,
I put it there myself”?
3.
Complete the quote, “My _________ from the first: to become part of _________.”
4. Look
at the closing pages of the novel. To what degree do you agree that Gene
“killed his enemy” at Devon?
Phineas:
1. Although
very heroic, Phineas fulfils the role of victim at several moments in the text.
Can you name them? For example, when do we see Phineas cry?
2. Why
do you think Knowles gave him two names, Phineas and Finny?
3. Complete
this quote: “Phineas was the ________ of this careless ________”.
4. Consider the literary meaning of “fatal or
tragic flaw”:
Tragic flaw is a literary device that can be defined as a trait in a character leading to his
downfall, and the character is often the hero of the literary piece. This trait could be the lack of
self-knowledge, lack of judgment, and often it is hubris (pride).
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What do you think is Finny’s “tragic flaw”?
Elwin Leper
Lepellier:
1. Comment
on his name.
2. Find
a quote from the description of the “movie on skiing” and explain why this film
was so important to Leper.
3. Complete
the quote: I’m ____________. You’ve never realized it, but I’m ___________ too.
You be the ______.
4. Consider
these two character types. Where would you place Leper?
The Doomed Innocent: The
classic Innocent is a child or naive person who symbolizes lack of
understanding. In their innocence they may stray into the line of fire or
otherwise suffer unexpectedly.
Bystanders
are effectively innocents and may be shot, blown up or otherwise massacred by
the needs of the plotline to create realism and sympathy.
Their
being harmless, we easily like the innocent, although we may despair at their
naivety. When they are harmed, we rail at the unfairness of it all (and the
reflection how unfair the real world is).
The Madman: The Madman, like the innocent, does not understand
what is really happening and so is likely to be in the wrong place at the
wrong time. They may also just exist in a tragic place, locked inside their
own psychic prison.
We
feel less sympathy for the mad person as this is tempered by the threat that
they pose to us. They
also remind us of our own secret insanities.
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References
to WW2:
1. When
do we see parachutists in the novel? What is the image given of them?
2. When
does Finny discuss the bombing of Europe with a Devon Master?
3. Complete
the quote, “We seemed to be nothing but _________ playing among _________ men.”
4. Why
do you think Knowles set his novel during the war? How does the presence of the
war in the background change our interpretation of the characters’ actions?
Games and
Sports:
1. Using
a quote, explain the name “Blitzball.”
2. Complete
the quote: Devon was both _________ and very __________.
3. What
are the consequences of Finny’s broken leg?
4. Why
do you think Knowles emphasized role of games and sports in his characters’
lives?
Truth and
Falsehood:
1. What
are the two “truths” that are most questioned in the novel?
2. What
is the “hard truth” that Gene realizes?
3. What
is the “ugly truth” that is revealed during the trial/court scene? Why is this
truth so very important to the novel?
4. Do
you think Gene, as the older narrator, has understood the “truth” of his
childhood during the process of narrating the novel?
Coming of
Age novel:
1. What
is the important age for someone to be in the novel? Include a quote that
validates your answer.
2. Can
you contrast different moments in the text that show someone is gaining in
maturity?
3. Can
you choose one specific moment that proves the secondary characters (the other
boys at school) have gained in maturity?
4. To
what degree to you think this is a coming of age novel?
The map of
the school:
1. Visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devon_School
2. Why
do you think it is important that the fictional school is a “total
institution”, that is that the boys do not need to leave the school grounds
during daily life? Equally, consider how, in many stories where the main
characters are children/teenagers, the parents are absent. Why? How does their
absence “liberate” the characters to lead more exciting lives?
3.
Rereading the novel, can you find the difference
between the two rivers: the Devon River and the
Naguamsett Rivers? Why does this difference exist? Why have 2 rivers?
John
Knowles:
1. What
happened to Knowles when he fell from a tree?
2. What
nationality is Knowles? When was he born/When did he die?
3. Complete
the student quote: This novel is considered as an __________________.
4. To
what degree to you agree with the above quote?
Secondary
Characters:
Be ready to be tested on other characters
(https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/separate/characters/):
Brinkly
Hadley:
1. How
does Brinkly dress?
2. Describe
Brinkley’s father? Why is his presence important at the end of the novel?
3. Complete
the quote: “he said in the ____________ way he had lately developed.”
4. What
role does Brinkley play? How does he effect the other characters and the action
of the story?
Cliff Quackenbush - The manager of the crew team.
Quackenbush briefly assumes a position of power over Gene when Gene volunteers
to be assistant crew manager. The boys at Devon have never liked Quackenbush;
thus, he frequently takes out his frustrations on anyone whom he considers his
inferior.
Chet Douglass -
Gene’s main rival for the position of class valedictorian. Chet is an excellent
tennis and trumpet player and possesses a sincere love of learning.
Mr. Ludsbury -
The master in charge of Gene’s dormitory. A stern disciplinarian, Mr. Ludsbury
thrives on the unquestioning obedience of schoolboys and works hard to restore
order after the anarchic summer session.
Dr. Stanpole -
Devon’s resident doctor. Dr. Stanpole operates on Finny after both of Finny’s
accidents. He is a caring man who laments the troubles that afflict the youth
of Gene’s generation.
Mr. Patch-Withers -
The substitute headmaster of Devon during the summer session. Mr. Patch-Withers
runs the school with a lenient hand.
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