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A note on peace education
The importance of world peace
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Recommended: A note on peace education
I came across this book quite recently as an assigned reading in Gkisedtanamoogk’s Peace and Reconciliation. Which, incidentally turned out to be on of my favorite college courses. The basic premise of the book is that by making four basic agreements with ourselves we can create a more positive and loving world. The agreements are; to be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, never make assumptions, and always do your best. When I first began reading I thought this was a likely to be a highly oversimplified way to look at our worlds, but through group discussion and further reading I’ve found the philosophies put forward by this book to be hugely profound. By being impeccable with my words I spread less negativity about
Friendship is a necessity throughout life whether it is during elementary school or during adulthood. Some friendships may last a while and some may last for a year; it depends on the strength of the bond and trust between the two people. In the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles, the main characters, Gene and Finny, did not have a pure friendship because it was driven by envy and jealousy, they did not feel the same way towards each other and they did not accurately understand each other.
The literary analysis essay for A Separate Peace entitled Chapter 7: After the Fall notes that Gene’s brawl with Cliff Quackenbush occurs for two reasons: the first reason being that Gene was fighting to defend Finny, and the second reason being that Quackenbush is the antithesis of Finny. Cliff Quackenbush calls Gene a “maimed son-of-a-bitch”, since Gene holds a position on the team that is usually reserved for physically disabled students, and Gene reacts by hitting him in the face (Knowles, 79). At first, Gene remarks that he didn’t know why he reacted this way, then he says, “it was almost as though I were maimed. Then the realization that there was someone who was flashed over me”, referring to Finny (Knowles, 79). Quackenbush is “the adult world of punitive authority personified”, his voice mature, his convictions militaristic (Chapter, 76). Quackenbush reminds Gene of the adult world and all of the things that Finny and Devon protected him from, such as war.
A Separate Peace is a coming-of-age novel about two boys at boarding school and their friendship during World War II. There are three significant scenes of violence that occur in the novel; however, the core of the plot is based upon one. The first and most poignant is the incident where Gene, the narrator, jiggles the tree branch while he and Phineas, his best friend, are preparing to jump, causing Phineas to fall and break his leg. The next scene of violence is when Quackenbush calls Gene a lame and Gene pushes him into the water. Lastly, Gene pushes Leper out of his chair while visiting him after he is accused of causing Phineas’ injury. All of these occurrences contribute to the overall meaning of the work.
Throughout the novel, A Separate Peace, the author John Knowles conveys many messages of symbolism. The symbolism can be found in an array of ways, ranging from internal war, to the theme of human aggression, and a variety of religious principles. The main characters, Gene and Phineas, and their story could be paralleled to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The similarities can be seen in the way in which in both of the stories, everyone is living in perfect harmony and peace until something comes along to disrupt it. Also in how the main characters do something out of jealousy, greed, and selfishness; and in addition, how Finny's fall out of a tree relates to the “Fall of Mankind.”
“…It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart.”
In John Knowle’s, A Separate Peace, there is a transformation in all the key elements in the book, from the rivers to the tree to the seasons to the characters. The transformation is specifically seen in Leper, Gene, and Phineas. These three young men experience a change not just because of the transitions through adolescence. These changes also come about because of the war, the school, and an injury.
“The more sure I am that I 'm right, the more likely I will actually be mistaken. My need to be right makes it more likely that I will be wrong! Likewise, the more sure I am that I am mistreated, the more likely I am to miss ways that I am mistreating others myself. My need for justification obscures the truth." This sentence is one of many quotes from the book I really liked and agreed with. After reading The Anatomy of Peace, I realized that the Arbinger Institute was deeply insightful helping me to understand the reality and myself. I also realized that the moment I start to agree with this statement, I walked out of my box.
A friendship without mutual love and respect leads to selfishness and jealousy. In A Separate Peace, Gene remains envious of his best friend: Finny’s good looks, his ability to charm everyone that he meets, his ability to take charge, and his natural athleticism. As their friendship flourishes, Gene becomes desirous of Finny’s physical appearance and his build. Finny uses his ability to take charge and organizes the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session. Before each meeting, Finny and Gene jump from the tree that overlooks the river. Prior to one meeting, both climb the tree to begin the meeting; when they make it to the top of the tree, Gene takes the opportunity to wiggle the branch. As a result, Finny falls, which ends Finny’s athleticism and changes his life. Gene’s guilt leads him to lie multiple times to cover his spiteful endeavor. His guiltiness causes him to confess to Phineas. Finny never accepts Gene’s reason for an apology; Phineas only agrees to the fact after Leper explains in detail what happens on that dreadful day. In a rage, Finny falls down the marble stairs, which causes another break and ends his life. In the novel, A Separate Peace, John Knowles illustrates the contrast between a friendship of jealousy and one of love through foreshadowing, metaphors, and symbolism.
The novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, tells the story of the narrator, Gene Forrester, and the tribulations he and his friends partake in. None of these friends compare to one such as Elwin Lepellier, also known as Leper. At first glance Leper appears to be an insignificant character and is not expected to play an important role. Look at the meaning of the word “leper”; a leper is a person who is shunned or rejected by others for reasons that can be either social or even moral. This indicates a deeper meaning to his character that the reader only gets a taste of at the opening of the book. Leper, extraneous to the reader at the start, proves to be essential to major events along the storyline.
In A Separate Peace, John Knowles depicts two maturing boys, each on entirely different ends of the personality spectrum. Finny and Gene are roommates at the Devon School in New England, placed together by chance. Gene Forrester characterizes himself with intelligence and thoughtfulness while also possessing sparks of competitiveness. Phineas, better known as Finny, holds undeniable charm and strong athleticism. Their utterly different traits leave them in a position where their status as roommates is the only driving force in their friendship. Although they project different world views and demonstrate different forms of leadership if any, both of them have hidden insecurities, connecting them in ways beyond their apparent characteristics.
There are many interesting quotes and advice given in this book; five statements stood out that I felt are worthwhile.
The first agreement is to “be impeccable with your words” (M. Ruiz, J. Ruiz and Mills 27). The authors explain, “be impeccable with your words really means never use the power of the word against yourself” (M. Ruiz, J. Ruiz and Mills 38). I understand this to mean that all the negative things that I not only say to myself, but to others as well, only can harm me. I am the only person that can determine my happiness by understanding this concept.
For centuries, people all over the world have sought the idea of everlasting global peace. The basic framework of this idea was given by Immanuel Kant in his 1795 essay “On Perpetual Peace”. In his work, he wrote that peace is not natural to human beings and that is why, governments representing societies and power, through the use of politics have to secure the condition of peace. Immanuel Kant’s essay “On Perpetual Peace” has given the starting point from which “Democratic Peace Theory” originates. With the development of politics and international relations, various forms of “Democratic Peace Theory” have occurred, but there is still one core concept, being the idea that democracy is a cause for peace. According to “Democratic Peace Theory”, democracies are more peace oriented than war, due to the fact that they would lose more if waging war than maintaining economical relations with the specific democracy. Also many scholars use historical data as evidence of how, two democracies wouldn’t fight each other, but in the past there have been few democracies as well as few wars. This essay will mainly focus on the concepts of “Democratic Peace Theory”, how they are relevant to modern times and if in reality peace is maintained only due to the fact that states have democratic regimes.
Democratic Peace Theory The concept of the Democratic Peace Theory is based on the idea that whether states are likely to go to war or choose peace depends on the type of political system they have.
Lewicki, R. J., Saunders, D. M., & Barry, B. (2011). Essential of negotiation (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.