Collin is to me, someone I can randomly call and have a two hour conversation with about the most heart-wrenching situation, or the funniest line Michael Scott said on the latest episode of The Office. We had a love-hate relationship in middle school - he would tease me and beat me at knock-out in his driveway - a "Bonnie and Clyde" partnership in high school - I would cover for him when he snuck out of his parent's house when grounded - and an almost undefinable relationship now.
Think of the person or people you identify as your best friend(s). What qualifies that person as such? What is a best friend and how are true friendships cultivated? What kinds of friends are Gene and Finny and how can you evaluate their friendship thus far in the first five chapters?
If you still aren't sure what friendship means, take this statement into consideration:
26 comments:
The grammar mistake is that he says, "someone's", and then says "them". "Someone" is singular and "them" is plural.
I have two people in my life that I consider my best friends. I do not see them on a regular basis, in fact, I haven't seen one of them in over a year. Chris is someone I can go to for advice, but he says I go to him for for reassurance. The way I met him was a bit awkward but once we started to talk, it was like we had known each other for years. On the other hand, I haven't seen him in more than a year. In his own words he told me how I always know what decision I'm going to make, that I have a confidence about myself but I'm not aware of it being there.
I grew up with Elisabeth but I did not consider my relationship with her a "friendship" until two years ago. She lives in West Orange but goes to a private school so we usually cannot find the time to meet up. We talk almost everyday though, whether it be through text or IM. She's the person I tell everything to. I tell her my family problems, my boy problems and everything else I can think of to whine about and she'll never judge me.
I think that a best friend is someone that won't judge you despite all the things that you've done. Elisabeth is my best friend because we can joke around for hours, listen and dance to kpop until we fall asleep, and, most importantly, because she knows my life story and does everything she can to help me write a better one. Chris is my best friend because he can tease me all he wants about my "intensely high amount of Asian-ness" and I can make fun of his girlfriend and neither of us will get mad. He helps me keep my mind steady.
I think that Finny thinks of Gene as his best friend genuinely. In Finny's mind, there are no secret conditions to their friendship - there's no malice. On the other hand, Gene secretly resents Finny. He poses as his best friend and inside he has a raging jealousy for the sincere person that Finny is. To be best friends, both people have to know that friendship is unconditional. Gene does not know the true meaning of friendship.
It’s difficult to identify a best friend, for those people you think are your allies sometimes turn out to be phonies, users, or just acquaintances. The longest lasting friendship I’ve had is with Kara, my best friend from my club swim team. We have known each other for over a decade and share similar qualities, experiences, and values. She and I both have dealt with unnerving situations in our lives and always have been there for each other. I never have to question her trust and I can always count on her support. We share our inside jokes, and laugh about countless items. In the pool, she helps me train harder and pushes me to swim faster. At meets, we cheer for each other during races and brush off bad swims together. Out of the pool, our families dine together at local restaurants, where we indulge our athlete-sized appetites.
I can appreciate the idealism of the following quote: “What’s the only type of ship that can’t sink? –Friendship.” The reality is, though, that many friendships do fail and fall apart. People suddenly realize that they can no longer trust each other when confidences are broken, rumors circulate, and bad vibes haunt those parties involved. As Ashley said, “a best friend is someone that won’t judge you despite all the things that you have done.”
Gene, the narrator, believes that he and Finny can be considered best of friends. As the plot develops, Gene is skeptical about whether Finny really is his best friend, or actually is out to sabotage him. Nevertheless, Finny still wants to be friends with Gene. Although Ashley says “Gene poses as his best friend,” I think Gene really wants to be Finny’s best pal. Gene realizes that Finny is a natural athlete and doesn’t need to practice. Later, there is a lack of communication between the two friends, and Gene makes some incorrect assumptions about Finny’s intentions. Finny did not realize that Gene needed extra study time; he thought academics came to Gene naturally, just as sports did for Finny. At this moment, Gene comprehends that Finny really is a true friend.
e.e.butler@comcast.net
Last year, I thought I had the best friend in the entire world. We were so similar but different enough that we were never bored with each other. But this year we had a huge falling out that ended in a big mess, almost a rivalry. It reminded me of a similar experience in grade school with another "best friend" and I, like Ms. Depalo, realized that they had been phases. I learned not to put all of my eggs in one basket and that I don't need a best friend but I should have many friends for different purposes. My friend Marie-Claire is great for when I just want to joke around and forget about whatever is worrying me. Another friend, Sam, who unfortunately moved to Florida, is great for when I need a shoulder to cry on. She is an amazing listener and always finds a way to make me feel better. I have known my friend Sammy since we were six months old and we've done so much together. As kids we made up stories and played crazy games. Now we go rock climbing together every week and I can rant about horrible teachers (Ms. Depalo, haha just kidding), my annoying sister, and gush about my boyfriend to her while we belay each other.
I think best friend has all of the qualities that all of my friends have cumulatively, such as humor, listening skills, caring, shared interests, and understanding but I have come to realize that it is impossible for one person to have all of these traits. Marie-Claire is often unreliable with hanging out, Sam doesn't respond to texts sometimes and Sammy can be annoying at times but that doesn't mean they can't be great friends. Everyone should have many friends for many purposes, such as one friend to party with and another to watch cheesy Lifetime movies with.
Like Ashley said, I believe that Finny sincerely thinks of Gene as his best friend. He seems impersonal to many people but in a few instances such as the night on the beach, he has opened up to Gene in a way that shows that he is honest about his emotions. He considers Gene his equal and shows no signs of dominance over him or controlling. Gene on the other hand, is not honest with Finny. I believe that Gene does want Finny to be his best friend but his jealousy of his friend prevents him from letting it happen. He is extremely paranoid that Finny is always trying to one-up him. Finny has not done anything to purposely harm Gene, yet Gene's insecurities about himself and his envy of his best friend cause him to not trust Finny, yet Gene is the one who is not being honest with him. Honesty and trust are two of the most important aspects of any relationship and without them, there is always going to be a conflict.
Just like you, one of my best friends have a love-hate relationship for one another ever since preschool. I agree with Lizzy on how it is somewhat difficult to define who your best friends are because of all the drama, but I think it's just a feeling of trust you know you have with another person.
I'm not sure how I can describe best friends' qualification because three of them are so different in so many ways. One of my best friends and I just click when we hang out. We just trust each other with whatever we tell one another. Another of my best friends and I just have a love-hate relationship, but we've still managed to be best friends since preschool. Lastly, I can tell one of my other best friend's absolutely anything because I trust him so much. I guess you can say that trust and the amount of fun times you've had with that person is what cultivates a true friendship.
I find Gene and Finny's friendship a little like a secretive love-hate relationship with one another. I think this because both Gene and Finny both like certain qualities each person has. For example, Gene finds it extraordinary that Finny is naturally athletic, while Finny finds Gene's intelligence great. I just find that both of them do not really know the meaning of a true friendship as of right now.
To me, the term “best friend” is pretty strong. I must admit I have many friends who I can talk to at any point of time. I have people who I hug at school every day and gossip with, but I am not sure that I would ever call them “best friends”. A best friend is the person who truly knows who you are. A best friend knows how to handle you when you go through some sort of phase. A best friend is willing to share with you their last piece of a delicious, chocolate chip cookie. A best friend knows when to be silent; they know when you do not want to be alone and when you do want to be alone. A best friend is the person that you can randomly call at three o’clock in the morning and have a really good conversation. A best friend is the ultimate friend - the one who remains when fake friends blow away with cold winds. True friendships are cultivated when tough times arise. Those tough times test a person’s loyalty.
With all of this said, my best friend is a girl named Tiffany that I have known since I was three years old. The strange thing about our relationship is that we do not converse daily. I talk to her about every two weeks or even once every month and it seems as if we talked the day before. My best friend and I have gone through tough times, and because we are both obstinate people we refused to go separate ways.
In the novel entitled, “A Separate Peace”, the characters, Gene and Finny are friends. Finny sees Gene as his “best pal” in the book. It is really genuine when he tells Gene of this. However, I cannot say the same for Gene. Gene is very jealous of Finny’s athletic abilities and even jounces on the limb of a tree to make him lose balance and fall. Gene is tired of the fact that everybody likes Finny and that he gets away with anything. Because of Finny’s talents and popularity, Gene sees Finny as his enemy instead of a friend at a point in the first five chapters. After analyzing their relationship, I think the friendship between Finny and Gene is one-sided where Finny is showing much care. I agree with Ashley when she says, “In Finny's mind, there are no secret conditions to their friendship - there's no malice.” Finny honestly believes that Gene feels the same way about him. At the end of chapter three, right before Finny went to sleep at the beach he calls Gene his best pal. But Gene did not say the same. The book states, “….I nearly did. But something held me back. Perhaps I was stopped by the level of feeling, deeper than thought. Which contains the truth.”
In order for me to regard someone as a "best friend" is a long on-going process. I don't consider people who I've met overnight and "hit it off" a BFF. Qualifies that a BFF of mine of all things must have is loyality. My version of loyality is something that which has aged meaning a friendship that has been drawn out and kept strong through hard times and good times. My few best friends are the people I can trust, call when I'm just bored and doesn't require a reason, and I feel comfortable around to be me. I believe that a true friend is something like Ms. Depalo said is not nesscarily constantly seen ones life, yet is aways around. So far in the story "A separate peace" I have concluded that Gene and Finny's friendship is one that is unstable, filled with trickery, and most of all is a "time bomb" waiting to explode. Both of these characters constantly feels that if they aren't always next to each other "literally" then a second later their friendship with dissolve. Gene and Finny don't express their feelings to one another and aren't true to each other even though they are supposely "best friends".
Lizzy is correct when she says its hard to tell who your "best friend" is because most people are quite phony. I have realized that growing up I have thrown around the term "best friends" quite loosely. Beginning in elementary school I had a group of my six best girl friends. We went to the movies together, took pictures, IMed all the time, passed notes, and had dumb little inside jokes. At the end of fifth grade my closest friend in the group moved away. I thought that we were going our separate ways and our friendship would merely be a thing of the past. Each of us had tried to keep in touch with her by having her visit and texting her a lot. To this day, I still manage to have the closest connection with her. We have never had a legitimate fight and there was never a sort of falling out, but distance has tried to tare us apart. There have been times where I have not seen her for up to two months, but once we get together it is just like we were together each day before that. It does not matter that we constantly BBM or IM throughout the day and when either of us are having friend or boy problems the other is always there to help, it is that close connection that the both of you know you have with no one else in this world. Since day one in Mrs. Preziosi's kindergarten class the two of us have clicked. She will always be "the peanut butter to my jelly".
True best friends are honest. To everyone a best friend has a different definition, but Em is my BEST friend because she says it how it is. I do not think there has ever been a time that she was fake to someone or she lied to me. Everything I tell her has some sort of feedback. A real friend does not always hand you the positive. It is a combination of the positive, the negative, and some criticism to make you a better person. He/She is the person that brings out the best in you even at your darkest hour.
In the novel, Gene and Finny fool around with one another quite often. It is obvious that Gene is jealous of Finny's capabilities which makes him only want to be more like him. This case of "best friendship" seems a tad bit awkward to me. I understand that Gene sticks by Finny because he enjoys his company and wants to pick up on Finny's tendencies, but a best friend should be proud of the other for how well they can accomplish something and not have a lesser feeling of himself in the other's presence
syd1194@aol.com
Just like Sabrina said, its hard to describe the qualifications of being my best friend. Its hard trying to think of someone as a best friend if you are too caught up in school or family issues or the people around you that have an effect in your life. I am not the type of guy who relies on a best friend to keep me walking forward. I am more like an independent type of guy and it really does not matter if I have a best friend or not. It won't affect my decisions in life. A friend is a friend and quite frankly, I do not believe anyone in the world can be my best friend. Maybe because its just me or I don't really stand out to anyone who would be willing to give me a chance and get to know me better. To be honest, I would not wish a better friend than Finny if he was a real life person. Finny is the type of guy who isn't afraid of taking risks in life, and all he is looking for is just to have fun. There isn't a lot to risk for in this town, so I wouldn't be able to experience it. But if Finny were actually my best friend, I would not doubt it on my life that he would make anything worth taking risk. That is why I kind of admire John Knowles. The way he describes his characters in this story is interesting and I cannot find myself to stop reading. Gene and Finny have a friendly rivalry that ultimately leads to guilt in Gene's perspective. He feels guilty of being the one who caused Finny to fall from the big tree. Finny just thinks of Gene as a hard working fellow and that he deserves some time with his best friend (Finny himself) and all he wants is for Gene to be happy. Gene is a bit of a pessimist to be exact, because he is always trying to find a way to make Finny become better than he is when actually it is not Finny's fault that he likes to do sports and he is good at it. By reading those first five chapters, their relationship will take a toll since Gene admitted to Finny that he was the one who caused his fall.
I have one best friend. I have known him since I was two years old and he is more like a brother to me. We are close and are familys know each other very well. When we go to his house, its like another home. I help with chores, cook my own meals, and eat everything in the refrigerator.
I think a true best friend is a brother or sister from another mother. You have to have a lot of things in common but still be different.
Gene and Finny definetly are not best friends. Gene is jealous of Finny's athletic ability. Gene is not sure if their friendship is real. Because of this uncertainty, they can't be best friends.
I have a similar relationship with my best friend whom I have known since i was two months old. He moved away to Pennsylvania when we were four and up until that point we spent nearly every waking moment together. To this day we still go on vacations together ,and just like you whenever we find time to hang out it's like we haven't missed a minute of each-others lives. To me there are people in my life i can spend time with, and talk but i wouldn't call them best friends. A best friend is someone who you have your ups and downs with but at the end of the day your so close to one another you consider each-other family. On a daily basis I've got one best friend I see and talk to every single day. She knows me inside out and I trust her with certain things I won't trust anyone else with. To be considered a best friend you have to have trust for that person, and the type of relationship where you know that person will always have your back no matter what the circumstances are. Friendships can be started from two people pretty much hating one another and then and then before you know it you get along better than you ever fathomed.
In Gene and Finny's case they have a love-hate relationship with one another which most best friends posses. They have so much in common that they constantly bicker and always attempt to one up each-other. From a guys perspective Gene and Finny are most defiantly best friends from just reading the first five chapters you can see they have been through a lot with one another making it pretty obvious at the immensity of their friendship.
I think that as Lizzy said, it is often hard to define a “best friend,” especially in high school. There is so much drama, gossip, and everything else that friends come and go, but the real people who don’t care about any of that are considered my best friends. Like most people, I’ve had a lot of people that I thought were best friends, but turned out to not to be any such thing. As Ms. Depalo said, that her best friend that she can go months without talking to, then acting like they never left, is so true to me. I had this one friend in elementary school, who was really close to me, we were best friends, then all of the sudden around the middle of 6th grade we just lost touch, since she didn’t got to my school anymore. Then in the beginning of 9th grade, she calls me, and it was like we were never apart, and we are still best friends, even though we don’t see each other that often. I think I best friend is someone who you can trust and is always by your side no matter what.
Gene and Finny are like most best friends, even though Gene has doubts of his friendship with Finny, Finny is still loyal and feels he can trust Gene. We can see that Gene gets jealous, of Finny, but he still sticks by him. Most friends get jealous of one another every once in a while, or have some sort of problem, but still stay friends.
raech629@verizon.net
We all have people we call "best friends," and that's just what it is - something to call someone; an entitlement. "Best friend" is nothing more than an unearned title that we tend to place on others to prevent ourselves from feeling alone.
I, myself, have come across many amazing people in my life so far, and it would pain me to think that they are only a phase. However, I am aware that that is what many of them will prove to be. I believe that it is important to note that as teenage kids we are still growing and changing and we may not be who we will be 10 years from now. And so we are bound to grow apart from many old friends, and perhaps grow closer to new ones.
I have but a few friends who I know will be forever deserving of the title "best friend" simply because I am related to them by blood. My brothers, cousins and I are very close and I know that in the years to come we will always be able to reconnect in some way because our family relations bind us forever.
I feel that Gene and Finny's relationship is not a solid, everlasting one like mine with my brothers and cousins. Like Ashley, I believe Finny is sincere; Gene's not. However, I believe that were Gene's feelings of friendship to be sincere as well, they might be able to obtain that everlasting friendship because of the solid memories they would always share.
I agree with Rachel and Lizzy that to have just one best friend in your life is a bit difficult because there is bound to be some kind of drama. In elementary school, sunce we had a new class every year and did not get a chance to see people from other classes on a daily basis, I got a new best friend every year.
Now that I look back at friendships from elementary school, they weren't as important as the ones I've made after eighth grade. After a fight with my best friend in seventh grade, I met some new people who I fit in with perfectly. In eighth grade, though there was some drama, we still remain friends to this day. One of my best friends, Dasia is a great person. She is always there when I need something, whether it be advice or something to brighten up my day. She's the greatest listener and I can definitely trust her with my life. We constantly crack jokes on each other but at the end of the day, we both know that we were just kidding around. Unfortunately, my other best friend, Lorena, moved back to Uruguay, where she is originally from. While she was still in America, we had the best times ever. We have a massive amount of inside jokes and nicknames for people who we both disliked. We both have a lot in common as well. We have a strong passion for Spanish music, food, and the fact that we are both lazy, especially. My other best friend who I have known the longest is Jo-Anna. We've known each other since sixth grade, when we had a kind of love-hate relationship. Back then, we hated each other one day and were best friends the next. Unfortunately, she went to Liberty and I went to Roosevelt, so we had to do our best to keep in touch. Now that we go to the same school again, we're the best of friends. We are so used to each other that she calls me 'Kris' and I call her 'Jo,' and now she's going through a difficult time so I've been there just listening to her and everything she's been going through. I know that being there for her and letting her vent is what she needs now and if I ever needed that, she would do the same for me.
I think that a best friend is someone who you have developed a relationship, who you can trust, have fun with, someone who has your back, who you're comfortable with, and someone who you would give your last piece of chocolate chip cookie, like Efe said. I don't think that there can be just one person in your life that you can classify as your best friend. It is pretty rare to find someone who isn't fake and has all these characteristics. True friendships don't have to be developed over a long period of time necessarily. In my case, my best friendships now were created over a few years, but for some people, best friends are made in a few months, so it really depends on the type of person you and your friend are.
In the book, A Separate Peace, Gene and Finny have a different kind of friendship. Finny is a genuine friend towards Gene but that doesn't go the way. Gene envys Finny because he "attracted everyone he met" and he was in some aspects better than Gene. This isn't how best friends should be, which means that they even if Gene says that Finny is his best friend, deep down it can't be true.
kristie.varghese@gmail.com
Best Friends are a quite a tricky topic to discuss. Best Friends are people who you can trust with everything you have. Whether that means talking major and minor problems or thinking about deeper life meanings. So in this aspect I would agree with Ms. Depalo on the sharing of information. However it's not just communicating with that person and feeling comfortable with your friend.
To be best friends, two have to be able to look into the darkest corners of his or her companion and see the worst of that person. Then I believe if the two can accept each other the two are on there way. People really search for acceptance. This search is what can lead to the formation of cliques in school, bad romantic relationships, and other forms of false friends. The failure to find a means to an end of the quest usually results in negative mental states of mind and/or suicide.
I agree with Abijah that Gene and Finny are not best friends. Gene is a selfish jerk who looks after his own interests. He lets his own ambitions get in the way of his friendship with Finny. Finny is a natural born leader and has practical skills Gene finds so much more desirable than his own intelligence. So that is what is hold back the two from becoming best friends. I am often uncertain of my best friends and why they act certain ways, but that does not hold back my strong relationship with each person. This is why I disagree with Abijah placing the problem solely on uncertainty
In my life I've had many who I can call best friend. It seems that every other year I come across someone who I call a best friend. This year and for most of last, my best friend has been my friend Orlando. He has been there for me whenever I was in doubt and has always given me advice about situations that have challenged me. I trust him very much, more than most people that I know. One thing that I take very seriously is my music and he is one of the people that I trust to guide me musically, especially since he is the bass player for my band.
My opinion on what qualifies a person as a best friend is similar to what others have said. A person who would qualify as a best friend is someone who listens to your problems and understands you without judging you. This person would also have to be completely trustworthy with everything you told them and you should be able to do the same thing the other way around.
Gene and finnys relationship, in my opinion, isn't that of best friends. I would say that Finny believes that they are best friends, but Gene is very cynical. I think that they might eventually become best friends, but right now they are only good friends because of Gene's attitude towards Finny.
I can clearly say i have 3 best friends. They are Bianca, Christina, and Amy. I consider them my best friends simply for the fact that I can trust them with anything I tell them. Each one of them are unique in their own way which brings me closer to each of them. Bianca is a very funny, outgoing girl that is always making me laugh. She was there with my when I met my current boyfriend. If it was not for her inviting me to go to her family party with her I would not have met him. She has seen me at my lowest lows and my highest highs. She has been there for me since elementary school and we continue to be best friends. Christina has also been there with me when I needed her the most. She is what I like to call my "dancing partner". She never judged me on the mistakes I have done. If anything she was by my side making the same mistakes with me, but at the end of the day we both learned from eachother. Whenever she tells me that I did something wrong I always look back and ask myself "why did i do that?". Finally, Amy has been there for me since I moved to my current house for 6 years. She always helped me with relationship problems when I needed help. Amy is always making me laugh, and I can count on her when I need someone to brighten up my day. I agree with Ashley when she says that you do not need to see eachother every day inorder to be best friends, but in this case I do see them all daily. But recently they all have went their seperate ways because they all have boyfriends. So I do not want to bother them in anyway. Even though I may go months without seeing them outside of school, I know they are still there for me if i ever needed a person to turn to.
I agree with Sabrina when she says that the amount of fun and trust is what friendships are made of. This is because someone you have fun moments with will bring you joy and anxiousness to spend time with them. The more time spent together is the more memorable moments you have for the rest of your lives. Each will hold many memories to carry on into the future. Also if there is no trust between eachother there will not be a friendship. Trust is just as important in a friendship as it is in a relationship.
I agree with Emma and Ashley when they say that Finny is sincere and Gene is not. This cause them to not have a solid and everlasting friendship like me and my best friends. In my eyes I belive Finny is real and Gene is fake. The importance of their frienship seems to not be as important to Gene as it is to Finny.
ecanancy@hotmail.com
Mnay people refer to numerous people they know as their best friends. But today, this term is taken very lightly and is used quite commonly, just as almost every other word. It takes some time to build a relationship with good friends, let alone best friends. I agree with Lizzy when she says its hard to tell who your best friends are because they many people are phony. So many people change the way they act so they would be accepted amongst the people that they like. But at the end of the day, those people could not even be considered to be your real friends because they do not know the real person, and they fact that you have to change to accomodate them means that they probably will not like you for who you are. I agree with Abijah when he says that a best friend has to be like another brother to you. In " A Separate Piece" it is quite evident that Gene has doubts about the friendship with Finny. But Finney on the other hand acts truthfully towards Gene. Gene and Finney cannot be considered best friends because of the lack of trust on either side. Finny tries to show his level of commitment to Gene, but they cannot be considered best friends because there should not be any barriers between them.
The topic of a best friendship...is complicated. I used to have what I thought was a best friend in third grade, but when fourth grade came around, we grew apart and now we rarely ever talk. I had another best friend in fourth grade and I used to go to his house almost everyday and we were like brothers, but even that friendship faded. We are still good friends now but nothing like what we once were. Right now, I have a group of best friends who I hang out with and everything but when we head off to college, I doubt we will stay as good friends as we are now. However, I do have two friends that I can consider the closest friends I have. I can talk to them about anything and go to them for advice whenever I need it. Like Abijah said, I consider one of them my brother and feel as welcome at his house as I do at mine. Perhaps true friendships are the ones where you can your trust in a person and know that they won't go and stab you in the back.
In the case of Gene and Finny, I think that Finny is a true friend to Gene and would never betray him, for Finny is an amazing, pure guy. Gene however, is envious and corrupt. He pretends that he and Finny are the best of friends, but hides his deep, true emotions. He despises Finny for being good at almost everything, and then despises him for being such a good person, because he lacks those qualities. Gene is too messed up on the inside to know what true friendship is.
I have one best friend in the world that is special to me in every way. I believe that everyone should have a best friend because life is very hard without one. I cannot imagine what I would do without him. He is literally the best person that I know that is not in my family, although our friendship is so strong that, he is like the brother that I never had. When I need help, he is always there and when I want to hang out, he is always there. His name is Jordan Medwin and he might be the funniest kid alive. I swear to you, if you can sit in a room with him for 5 minutes without laughing then there is something wrong with you. He always knows the right thing to say and always has a way of making the bad feel a lot better. Our friendship was cultivated through having many things in common and both being class clowns. It is like fate brought us together because we went to preschool together and then suddenly he moved to my block in first grade. We have been brothers ever since then and will continue through life inseparable.
Gene and Finny are best friends and they are classmates. They help each other out and care for each other. However, like all best friends, they have their moments and rough spots. Gene secretly is a little jealous of Finny which is why they have a love-hate relationship.
Grlzluvemplaya1@aim.com
sorry ms.depalo i meant to right out the number 5 **five
It does not take a lot for me to acknowledge someone as my best friend. I have just met someone six months ago and because of the relationship we have, I call him my best friend. I say this because we can talk for five days straight and never get bored of each other. We can also stop speaking to each other for a month or two and pick up right where we last left off. There is no awkwardness between us and i can trust him with everything. i feel that a best friend is someone you can confide in no matter what. Gene and Finny believe that they are best friends but in reality they are not. I agree with Ashley when she says that Finny genuinely thinks Gene is his best friend. Finny really wants to be Gene's best friend yet Gene has his doubts about this friendship.
jazzyjass@yerizon.net
A best friend is someone who is always there for you and willing to help you whenever help is needed. My best friends are reliable, trustworthy, and most importantly respectful. Sure best friends will change over time just like everything else in this world. That's what is good about friendships, they can always be renewed and new ones can always be made. I think the vital part necessary to a great friendship is trust. Without a doubt there has to be trust in a friendship, otherwise there will be unecessary arguements and the friendship will eventually perish. If you cannot trust someone to be your friend then clearly there is no compatibility. Trust is what makes any relationship whether it is a marriage, friendship, or relationship, trust is the foundation of all relations. Without trust there is no such thing as a friend or best friend.
The relationship between Finny and Gene is not uncommon to me but something I have never had to read about. Like many people above me this is a love/hate relationship between these two. Neither show a very strong bond of trust between each other which is crucial to any friendship. Many others also mentioned jealousy. Jealousy can ruin a friendship in an instant. Once jealousy begins to form between two people a form of hate comes with it. Their actions suggest they are friends and enjoy being together but the jealously factor I think will play a greater role furthur on in the story.
A bestfriend is someone that is always there for in times of need, someone who doesnt judge you at all for being you. I have many bestfriends, but one who stand out the most is a kid ive known for my whole life. The funny thing is that sometimes i forget that this kid is just my friend, it feels like he is more of a brother. I go to his house and his family is my family, its like im leaving my house to go to my second house! I feel a bestfriend is a one in a million person, someone who you need to keep for the rest of your life because they are the siblings you always wanted but never got. I agree with Abijah when he says you cant be uncertain about a best friend you know they are one. Finny and Gene genuinely dont have the characteristics of what it takes to be bestfriends.
While most of the responses of the students in this class claim that it is hard to identify a best friend, I find it rather easy. A best friend is someone who is there for you, even though this is said a lot, it is quite true. If you find yourself alone, and discomforted by something and you do not have anybody to talk to which is almost impossible, because there is always someone to talk to, then he or she is your best friend; whether it is someone at school to one of your parents. Sometimes I even talk to my parents about what is going on in my life. One of my best friends who I can relate to a lot in the book, “A Separate Peace,” is Dan. I have no idea why, but when I read this book I can truly relate him as Gene. Surprisingly enough, I see myself as Finny, this comes naturally, not saying that I look like finny or act like him, but the mutual friendship between Finny and Gene is like Dan and me. Also I am not saying that Dan would push me out of a tree, but I do envy him sometimes.
I do not think that there is ever a perfect best friend because there would always be something that he or she is better than you at, and you envy them somehow. There are always going to be fights between each other. Just like how Angelo said that he was best friends with Jordan, the many times that I hung out with Jordan some of the times were with Jordan and once and a while they would get into huge fights. They would be yelling at each other at the top of their lungs, but a week later they would be best friends again. This is what a best friend relationship needs, the ability to fight and get over it. A best friend relationship should be distinguished without even being told. First time I met Angelo and Jordan, I knew that right away they were best friends, “they were like two peas in a pod,” Forrest Gump.
Gene and Finny are best friends, but their friendship is more on a competition level. They use their envy and jealousy for each other to keep them close as friends. They both try to be better than each other; more Gene towards Finny, but it still makes them best friends. Even though jealousy caused finny to fall from a tree, I think they would still be best friends throughout the story.
joepedo@ymail.com
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