ASP-Ch. 9

Quote: " What deceived me was my own happiness; for peace is indivisible, and the surrounding world confusion found no reflection inside me. So I ceased to have any real sense of it." (123)

Significance: In this quote we see that Gene finds peace and happiness training for the Olympics with Finny. All of his preparation and talks with Finny make some of the real things in his life that are happening disappear. They start to make no sense and become some what unreal in his eyes.

Question: Could this lead to the foreshadowing of Gene or Finny actually enlisting?

ASP- Ch. 8

Quote:
" Finny's face set in determination, with the older look I had just detected in him. "No," he said."
"I don't believe any student had ever said "No" flatly to Mr. Ludsbury before. It flustered him uncontrollably." (121)

Significance: Through these quotes we clearly see that this is one of the first times that Finny has been deliberately rude to someone. It shows how Finny's kindness is only shown towards people who do not challenge his abilities/actions. Finny seems to be able to have an open mind about the war and cannot understand the concept of an enemy in both situations.

Question: Why is it so hard for Finny to accept the fact that the war and sports are something that not everyone understands?

Quote for Chapter 7

Quote: " Everything that had happened throughout the day faded like that false snowfall of the winter. Phineas was back."

Significance: Gene missed Phineas very much when he left the Devon School before winter session. When Gene saw Phineas in his room waiting to see him, Gene was overwhelmed with excitement and joy to see his best friend that he had wanted to see very much . Seeing him put the light back in his life.

Question: Is Phineas coming back to stay at the Devon School for good now?

Quote for Chapter 6

Quote: "...and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas."

Significance: Since Gene and Phineas have been best friends for such a long time, Gene feels as though he has to live up to Phineas' expectations of him and play sports to fulfill what Phineas wanted of him.

Question: Could we call Gene obsessive towards Phineas?

Chapter 5

Quote: " My own voice sounded quiet and foreign. "I jounced the limb. I caused it." One more sentence. " I deliberately jounced the limb so you would fall off."" (70)

Significance: At the end of chapter 5, we find out something shocking about Finny's "accident". Gene shook the limb on purpose. After thinking that Gene was a quiet and caring person, we find out that he deliberately tried to seiosuly hurt Finny. His envy towards Finny is to strong that he probably thought the only way to be better than him was to defeat him in some way, which is by hurting him so he could not be the star athlete anymore.

Question: Was there seriously no other way to settle this. Did Gene really have to take it this far.?

ASP- Chapter 4

Quote: "If I was head of the class on Graduation Day and made a speech and won the Ne Plus Ultra Scholastic Achievement Citation, then we would both have come out on top, we would be even, that was all. We would be even...." (51)

Significance: In this quote, Gene really tells us that ever since he has been friends with Phineas, he has been better than him at many, if not all things. This is clear to Gene and he just wants the two of them to be equal so that he would feel just as important and popular as Phineas.

Question: Is there a main purpose for the other characters/friends such as Bobby,Chet and Elwin?

ASP quotes for Ch. 2 & 3

Chapter 2-

Quote: "It was hypnotism. I was beginning to see that Phineas could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying your best friend a little." (25)

This quote could pose a possible reason/foreshadowing as to why Gene and Phineas might have problems in their friendship. To much envy might lead to invading of space and privacy of the two best friends.

Is too much envy the real reason why Gene and Phineas have a problem in their friendship?


Chapter 3-

Quote: " Yes, he had practically saved my life. He had also practically lost it for me. I wouldn't have been on that damn limb except for him. I wouldn't have turned around, and so lost my balance, if he hadn't been there. I didn't need to feel any tremendous rush of gratitude toward Phineas." (33)

This quote shows a love-hate relationship that Gene feels towards Phineas. It's all because of him that he went to jump off the tree and almost hurt himself. On the other hand, it was because of Phineas that Gene got to take a chance in life and do something out of the norm.

Do we know how long Phineas and Gene have known each other/ have been friends?

ASP Ch.1 -quote significance and characterization

"So it was logical to hope that since the buildings and the Deans and the curriculum could achieve this, I could achieve, perhaps unknowingly already had achieved, this growth and harmony myself." (12)

This quote shows how the narrator had learned and had the experience already of walking through the school and getting the education that made him grow up to be someone that gained confidence and to be someone who was able to look back and see how much things have changed.

Question: Will the narrator (Gene) and Finny stay friends throughout the book?


Narrator:

• determined
• lonely
• sarcastic
• fearful
• mysterious

"I never backed away from anything in my life!" I cried, my indignation at this charge naturally stronger because it was so true.

Phineas:

• Athletic
• Loyal
• Daring
• Charming
• Courageous

"He began scrambling up the wooden pegs nailed to the side of the tree, his back muscles working like a panther's."