Draw parallels between both works. Think about the situations, conflicts, behaviors and relationships when making your connections. There is a method to my madness and the thematic unit of Loyalty and Betrayal combines both The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and A Separate Peace under the same literary roof for a reason. Explore how they relate to one another and on what levels.
"Nothing so fortifies a friendship as a belief on the part of one friend that he is superior to the other."
24 comments:
While A Separate Peace focuses on the theme of equality, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar focuses on betrayal. In A Separate Peace, Gene and Finny are best friends who have different personalities and different outlooks on each other. Finny sees Gene as his best friend unconditionally. He trusts him but knows that he is untrustworthy. Gene is secretly resentful towards Finny and tries to hide it. A lot of his actions are done with Finny in mind, but it is not clear whether it is out of guilt (Finny broke his leg because Gene purposely caused the limb to shake when they were up in the tree) or if it is because he genuinely cares about Finny. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, many of the Tribunes secretly resent Caesar, as Gene does to Finny. They talk ill of their "Lord" Caesar and plot against him. Cassius, Brutus and Flavius, amoung other characters in the play have expressed their negative feelings towards Caesar.
Caesar is like Finny. They are both looked up to by the people around them. They both seen as mighty beings and they are envied. Gene is like the Tribunes in Rome who do not want Caesar in power. He keeps his ideas of rebelling to himself and keeps a smile on his face when he's around his ruler, Finny.
There is more loyalty in A Separate Peace than in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, but I think that both works will end with the same theme: Betrayal.
Unlike Ashley, I'm not so sure Brutus has what it takes to betray Caesar in the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. So instead I would consider Caesar to be having a relationship with the city of Rome. Caesar only cares for the city of Rome. The city gives him the power and that's all he wants. That makes Brutus expendable. In the book A Separate Peace, Finny cares so much about Gene. He can't replace Gene, Gene is his own person who Finny specifically likes.
Caesar will be granting the common people more power under his reign. He is a man who breaks rules all the time which the people will follow in example. We see some of the Romans will love him for what he can do or promises to do while others hate him for the same reason. Therefore the people of the Roman Empire are Gene while Caesar is Finny.
Some people could argue that since more is at stake in Julius Caesar, it would clearly be betrayal. In A Separate Peace, Gene is only a boy who is turning his back on his friend. That is only a high school boy it will not go on affecting anyone outside of the school. However, Betraying Caesar will affect the entire Empire. When people hear of close country men fighting each other when they should be working together how will the people react? The people will turn on each other and send society into instability. Each of the politicians have to take that into account of his actions while Gene is free of the burden known as influence.
Email: nicocoup@msn.com
Ashley makes a very good point when she states the comparison between Finny with Caesar and Gene with the Tribunes. I never really thought of their similarities in that perspective. In Devon, Finny broke the school record of swimming at his school, which everyone could have potentially been admired and flourish Finny with respect. Even before The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caesar is showered with respect when he returns to Rome from Egypt when he overthrew Pompey and chased him until he reached the City of Alexandria. Gene seems to be almost like jealous of Finny when he notices the many impressive qualities that Finny has that he does not. The Tribunes probably feel the same way that Julius Caesar is getting all the attention he wished for but is getting too hot-headed and becoming full of himself. Gene purposefully causes Finny's fall from the tree without really thinking about what he did. Brutus, with the influence of Cassius, could potentially be the person to break Caesar's fame and royalty into the Roman Empire.
I don’t think that Caesar from Julius Caesar, and Finny from A Separate Peace are parallel characters. Caesar is a selfish person who only cares about ruling others, and thinks that he is above others. On the other hand Finny is not like this, although from Gene’s point of view it might seem that way, Finny is just a loyal friend and a good person. Finny tries to make him and Gene equal, despite what Gene may believe. I think Gene’s character is more similar to Brutus’s character. They both like their friends, just cannot stand to see them above them. Gene does not dislike Finny, he just thinks that he and Finny are not at the same level, therefore causing jealously. Like Gene, Brutus also like Caesar as a friend personally, but cannot stand to see him become the ruler of Rome, he doesn’t think that Caesar is any better than he is, again showing jealously out of what they think is not equality.
I agree with Ashley when she says that both works will end up in betrayal. I think the characters will do whatever means necessary to get what they think is equality, and are willing to loose their friends over it.
raech629@verizon.net
It is very true that great minds think alike. In the novel A Separate Peace and the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the reader sees similarities in terms of the lesson learned and the characters used to teach that particular lesson. The issues that are clearly depicted in both works are about friendship, loyalty, and most importantly: trust. In both pieces of literature and life, there is a need of knowing who the real friend is. There is a need to share emotional feelings with a special person - to be able to sleep at night because there was no threat in sharing emotions.
There are many examples that can be used to support the fact that A Separate Peace and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. One important similarity that is seen is with the characters: Caesar and Finny. Why; because as Ashley says, both characters are “very important people”. Finny is Devon School’s most athletic and charming student; while Caesar is Rome’s most notorious man. Both characters trust people easily. In the novel A Separate Peace, Finny does not believe that his best friend, Gene, will ever do anything to hurt his well-being. In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caesar does not believe that Brutus will plot against him.
Another similarity between both works is that the characters Finny and Caesar do not know who trust. While reading these pieces of literature, one realizes that both characters only have “superficial” friends. If Finny was not the most athletic student at Devon School, he would be a nobody – just another “worthless” human being. Likewise if Julius Caesar did not win a triumph or had strong political connections, then he would be another sycophant plebeian.
eo95@ymail.com
Both literature pieces are parallel to each other, sharing similar conflicts, and characters. I agree with Ashley when both works of literature have the same theme of betrayal. Gene betrays Finny by jouncing the limb, and Cassius is betraying Caesar for wanting to take him down. I feel that Finny and Cassius are very similar because they are both selfish. Finny in the novel a Separate Piece, seems to do everything, and all he cares about is to look good. Such as the game blitz ball ; a game that Finny creates that is based on his skills. Finny is also more concerned about himself, and does not seem to care whether Gene does bad in school. Cassius is very selfish in the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by being concerned in himself , and not wanting Caesar to become ruler. He wants to make sure that Caesar does not have to much power, and wants to do everything he can do , do bring him down. Brutus and Gene are very similar as well because they both face conflicts with themselves. Brutus is trying to figure out what side to take. Dealing with the conflict on whether or not he should be against Caesar. While Gene is trying to figure out who he is, and facing the conflict of jealousy towards Finny. I also agree with Ashley with the idea that Gene keeps his ideas of rebelling to himself, causing him to face more problems. Overall both literature pieces share some similarities.
biancasanabria13@hotmail.com
Agreeing with Chris and Ashley, I think that Caesar and Finny are paralell characters. Caesar makes people feel inferior to him because of his position in power. Finny is not like Caesar in the way. Finny has some power over Gene but not in the same way as Caesar. However, they are a like because both of them have people who are jealous or do not like their position. Caesar has many people after his seat of power. Finny has Gene who is jealous of him. Gene feels inferior to Finny in many ways and has to think of ways to makes himself feel better.
Gene is connected to Cassius. Gene betrayed Finny by causing him to fall off the tree. Cassius is doing the same to Caesar. Cassius is trying to turn people against Caesar so that they can overthrow him. However, Gene feels dedicated to Finny which Cassius has not shown. Brutus is also connected with these characters because Brutus is one of the people that Cassius has recruited to remove Caesar from power.
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, contain elements of similarity. While the outward appearance of rapport between primary characters may appear amiable, underneath this paradise lurks feelings of discord and enmity. In A Separate Peace, Gene seems to be a genuine friend towards Finny; he follows his lead, rarely argues with him, and treats him well. However, internally, he struggles with conflicting emotions of a different persona: one that harbors rancor and jealousy. The tribunes, as well as Cassius and Brutus in Caesar, profess loyalty and acknowledge Caesar as lord and master when in his presence, but as soon as Caesar’s back is turned, they readily express their skepticism for Caesar. Brutus may be most analogous to Gene, for Brutus is Caesar’s ally, just as Gene is Finny’s best friend. Gene depends on Finny as a safety, to always have someone there, while Brutus loves Caesar as a friend and refuses to disgruntle him face to face. Brutus and Gene are intelligent but reserved, are looking out for other interests, and are perplexed in their feelings toward their respective “hero.”
Outwardly, these characters profess their loyalty to their “master,” but succumb to betrayal which is the overriding theme in these works. Perhaps the most famous example of betrayal is when Judas turns Jesus over to the Roman soldiers. With a loving gesture, Judas betrays his master and friend with whom he dines regularly. Ultimately, Judas cannot handle the guilt and his anguish leads Judas to suicide.
Indeed, the line between love and hate is very fine which creates tension. The Balzac quote suggests that a “friendship is fortified” when one party believes that he is superior to the other. In my own life, I am friends with many swimmers of varying abilities with whom I compete. While we compete fiercely in the water, we still go to parties and movies together. As long as each one respects the other’s abilities and strengths, and each feels confident and content as an individual, there is no problem. However, when either respect, confidence, or contentment falters, then resentment may take root and grow.
Caesar and Finny definitely are “heroes” with an element of humility. While both individuals are talented (in warfare and athletics, respectively) they don’t need to always make public spectacles of their assets. For instance, Caesar declines the crown on three occasions, while Finny refuses to reenact his swimming prowess to verify his broken record. Conquering the challenge is what matters, even with only quiet affirmation.
I agree with Efe when she states: “the characters Finny and Caesar do not know who to trust. While reading these pieces of literature, one realizes that both characters only have ‘superficial’ friends.” Because of any hero’s great power, the nobody’s often grow jealous, fearful, and rebellious over time. I feel that as we continue reading, loyalties will be broken, and betrayal will become the overriding theme, as stated before.
e.e.butler@comcast.net
I would have to agree with Ashley on how A Separate Peace focuses on equality while The Tragedy of Julius Caesar focuses on betrayal. From the way events are occurring in A Separate Peace, I feel it will all eventually come together and represent betrayal as its theme. Because Gene jounced the limb, Finny is now maimed and cannot participate in sports. Gene did that on purpose which is betrayal. This is similar on how Cassius is trying to take down Julius Caesar by saying to others that he is just as equal to us and is a "weak girl."
Although Gene is envied for his studying habits from Finny, I also agree on the comparison on how Julius Caesar is parallel to Finny. Even though Finny is not in such a grand position like Caesar, friends from his school do look up to him for his athletic achievements. Caesar and Finny are similar because they both are one of the main characters. I also agree with how Lizzy said how Caesar declines the crown and Finny refuses to swim again. The only thing as "role models" is conquering the challenge that was given to them.
As Ashley stated the A Separate Peace focuses on equality while the tragedy of Julius Caesar focuses on the demise of a great man. A Seperate Peace shows how two boys create a relationship that can withstand anything that comes its way. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar shows how bonds that are as tight as Gene and Finny's can lead to the demise of the great Caesar. He was betrayed in cold blooded murder that led him to his own distruction. Luckly for Gene and Finny they were not going to kill each other over a few differences. Cassius, Brutus and the other men were scared that Caesar would ruin them and they took action to make sure it stopped. That would not occur between a friendship like the one between Gene and Finny so the two stories are related by the friendship that can either lead to a demise or to an uprising.
The two works, A Separate Peace, a novel, and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, are similar in some ways. Gene is similar to Brutus in that he is somewhat loyal to Finny, like Brutus is to Caesar, but they both betray their friend. Both Gene and Brutus both kind of envy their friend for what he has accomplished. Unlike The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, there isn't a character like Cassius who is manuipulating the situation and the other character to betray a friend.
Finny is similar to Caesar. A majority of people in each work like and admire both Finny and Caesar. They are both strong-minded characters, trust their friends although they are not sure they should like Efe said, but are still somewhat loyal to them. I also agree with Lizzy that both Caesar and Finny are "heroes." They both are courageous and respected leaders in their settings and also have a humble characteristic about them. Caesar denied the crown three times and Finny broke the swimming record but did not want an official record for his accomplishment. Though they did not show their humility for the same reasons, they can be deemed as parallel characters.
I agree with Ashley that both works begin with loyalty and friendship and end with betrayal. These plots are very similar to real life. Sometimes we encounter fake people who work their way into our lives as our friends. These friendships seem to begin with loyalty, friendship, and kindness but always end in some type of betrayal.
kristie.varghese@gmail.com
Agreeing with Ashley, A Separate Peace is all about equality as The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is focused on betrayal. At first glance i could not see how these two works were compatible in any sort of way. But as Sabrina said "From the way events are occurring in A Separate Peace, I feel it will all eventually come together and represent betrayal as its theme." As the story goes on being the reader, I can see the theme is slowly but surely beginning to transform into betrayal. The relationship between Gene and Finny stays having its ups and downs, but you can tell sooner or later something rough and terrible is going to happen between the two best friends. This is similar in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar where you can tell Cassius's plan will at some point in the story cause havoc.
Cassius and Gene are very similar in the way which each of them were very close with their counterparts "Caesar, and Finny", but each of them either purposely caused hurt or were planning to cause hurt. Gene purposely jounced the limb which caused Finny to be maimed and never play a sport again which he loved. As Cassius is planning on taking Caesars life away. Also both characters seem to be quite jealous of each character that they have or are attempting to hurt.
The novel A Separate Peace, and play Julius Caesar are alike in the sense that they do both encounter betrayal. I agree with Ashley because of course in Julius Caesar, the betrayal is much more focused as for A Separate Peace, Gene only betrays Finny when he pushes him out of the tree. Every other incidence in A Separate Peace is focused on equality. Thus far in each piece I see little connection between the to selections of literature. This blog makes me think that betrayal will tie into the novel as equally as it is represented in the play in the end. As of now Finny is maimed and wants Gene to pick up where he no longer can and Cassius is trying to convince those closest to him that Caesar is weak.
Finny reminds me of a less intense Julius Caesar because he likes to take charge, but is slowly being weakened by Cassius. As for Gene he reminds me of a less intimidating Cassius. Gene intentionally pushed Finny, but he did not mean to maim him. Cassius is intentionally trying to take down Caesar.
syd1194@aol.com
Both stories have common traits to one another. They both deal with betrayal, even if it is not on a similar level. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar the betrayal is out in the open, with Cassius plotting with others to kill Caesar. In A Separate Peace, Gene hurts Finny by shaking the branch, but it all seemed like an accident even though Gene did it on purpose. Even though Gene and Cassius seem to be playing the same role in their respective stories, Finny and Caesar ( the opposite characters in the stories) seem to be quite different. Caesar is an overly ambitious person who takes actions that some might consider to be cruel. Finny is a carefree person who loves to play sports and be surrounded by friends. Another similarity in both stories is that both Gene and Cassius are pretending to be friends to Finny and Caesar. Gene is doubtful in his friendship with Finny and at one point saw him as an enemy. Cassius is only pretending to be Caesar´s friend to get close to him and not be suspected of wanting to plot against him.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a tale that is depicted as a betrayal, and the novel A Separate Peace is one that hints t equality. Therefore I would have to agree with Ashley. However, I partly disagree because I believe that betrayal and equality is not use limited to one novel, yet are traits shared between the two. In Julius Caesar, Caesar's close friend Brutus struggles to remain loyal to his friendship because he disagrees with how Caesar will "run" Rome. He fights for equality for the citizens, and for a "better" Rome. However, if Brutus acts out he will be betrayaling Caesar. Also aside from Brutus Caesar has many close assiociates who are sercetly plotting against him. In Caesar's world there is a thin line between friendship and betrayal. Similar to Caeasar is Finny, a character from the novel A Separate Peace, both have close friends who are sercetly not as "close" as they believe them to be. Finny's "close" friend is Gene who is very fond of Finny. Gene purposely hurt Finny, and constantly undermines their friendship until it resembles something border lining on enemies. Both novel contain a key element of not knowing who ones friends are and who ones enemies are.
A Seperate Peace by John Knowles and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare are at their roots, the same story. They both portray the age-old subject of betrayal. In A Seperate Peace, Finny seems to hold all the power. He can manipulate the other boys to do basically whatever he wants, whether it be playing a game that he invented, or even jumping out of a tree. He is presented as perfect and almost a god. Gene is secretly jealous of this power and grace that Finny has, so he plots and bottles up his anger inside himself. Finny also knows that Gene isn't trustworthy, and yet he continues to be his friend. In the end however, Gene betrays the close friendship he and Finny share and shatters Finny's leg. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Caesar is clearly the most powerful man in all of Rome. He can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, while hardly lifting a finger. Cassius, who on the outside appears either as indifferent to Caesar's power or even Caesar's supporter, is secretly plotting to do away with him. Caesar, like Finny, seems to know that Cassius is not to be trusted, but keeps him alive anyway. In the end, it seems obvious to me that Caesar dies, judging by the title of the play, and most likely due to Cassius's plan. Shakespeare and Knowles may have lived in very different times and parts of the world, but both of their stories deal with the same issue: betrayal.
For one, I agree with Lizzy when she says that Finny is like Caesar and Gene is like the tribunes. Caesar was instintly respected by many people when he arrived to Rome. This is because he was very respected for running out Pompey. While Finny was well respected by all teachers because he was a good student and also because he broke a school record, gaining Finny alot of respect. Both Caesar and Finny seem to be very power hungry. All they seemed to care about was becoming known and incharge of things. For example, Finny was liked and respected only for the record he broke and his teachers respected him alot for the simple reason he was always sucking up to the teachers. Gene and other students also realized this and began to dislike this characteristic about him.
Not only did Finny and Caesar seem to portray eachother, but so did Gene and the tribunes. Gene was basically under Finny's control. The same was for the tribunes. They were also under the rule of Caesar. Gene does anything Finny says which is also the same as the tribunes doing anything for Caesar. Also as Lizzy states that both Finny and Caesar are "heroes". They make it seem like they do not want the spotlight, but everyone beleives they do. For example, Caesar rejects the acceptance of a crown three times and Finny refuses to reanact his swimming acheivements inorder to prove he indeed did beat the record. Over all both literary works resemble eachother.
ecanancy@hotmail.com
In a Seperate Peace we have the two characters Finny and Gene who appear to be best friend, but from being able to know what's going on in Gene's mind we can tell differently. Gene takes his friendship with Finny to be a competition to see who comes out on top. We cannot see in Finny's head, but on the outside he seems to be the total opposite of Gene. Someone who wants everyone to suceed and be recognized. In Julius Caesar, Brutus has a big decision to make. Should he continue to remain a loyal friend to Caesar, and let Rome suffer as a result or forget his friendship, and try to bring Caesar out of power. No matter which way he goes he will be betraying someone either Caesar or all of Rome. Betrayal in this unit thus far seems to be what is keeping these stories going and interesting.
I believe that both Shakespear's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and John Knowles' A Separate Peace can be compared in terms of their direct link to loyalty, as well as betrayal. In Shakespear's play, many men scurry to be loyal to their all-powerful leader, some out of fear, others out of true love. There are numerous others, such as Cassius, who refuse to be loyal to him due to fear of how it would affect his own social rank. However, John Knowle's exhibits similar conflicts among his characters, as Finny might be similar to Caesar in that he is extremely powerful among his peers; they will listen to anything he says and do almost anything he asks. Gene becomes jealous of this power, just as Cassius does, and acts impulsively to try and overpower Finny. This is what I believe will happen as we read on in Shakespear's play.
Like Sai, I believe that these two works depict more of betrayal than loyalty because all who were originally loyal were overshadowed by those who plot to overcome those who yield the most power.
The most obvious connection that I made between these two sets of characters is that there is a love/hate relationship between them. Even though Caesar and Brutus show that they are friends, Brutus is secretly plotting his downfall. In a Separate Peace, Finny and Gene also show that they can fight at times but can also demonstrate trust, respect, and friendship. I think that both of these relationships, based on the information presented already, will result in a tragedy. Although the characters are in difficult situations regarding what “side” to pick the bond need to have a legitimate friendship just does not exist. A real friendship would not be as complicated as the bond that these sets of characters share.
In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and A Separate Piece, both works have a similar theme of loyalty and betrayal. I agree with Ashley when she says that Finny trusts Gene but knows that Gene is untrustworthy. Even though Gene is jealous of Finny and may not be the best friend, Finny still shows loyalty towards Gene by trusting him. The same type of situation is happening in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Cassius is trying to show Caesar how trustworthy he can be yet betrays him by talking to Brutus. Cassius is playing both sides of the story which shows that his loyalty lies with no one. Gene is much like Cassius when it comes to their actions. They both are not to be trusted because of the fact that they are dishonest.
jazzyjass@verizon.net
Sorry Ms.DePalo but I have not been in school and I have not had a chance to read Julius Ceasar for obvious reasons. Can I please stay after school with you to discuss my missing work so I can get it in to you as soon as possible. Thank you
Both A Separate Peace, and The Tragedies of Julius Caesar both focus on friendship. But, A Separate Peace, more so focuses on equality, while The Tragedies of Julius Caesar more so focuses on betrayal, and using one for the soul purpose of taking advantage of them only to benefit oneself. In A Separate Peace, it is quite evident that Gene resents Finny. Everything Gene wants to be good at, Finny is good at it and is better than Gene. Finny shows how much he trusts Gene, and how good of a friend he is towards Gene. He does not have any spiteful feelings towards Gene, but one can see that, that cannot be said about Gene. Also in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, all of the high ranked officials despise Caesar, but cannot do anything about it because of the positions that they are in compared to Caesar. They all act one way to his face and then completely change when his back is turned. I agree with Olivia when she says both stories are about knowing who your friends and enemies are. In both stories people need to watch who they trust because it could ultimately cause their demise.
Every true friendship has its flaws, and every good story with a friendship involved, has some of the same situations, conflicts, and behaviors. A Separate Piece by John Knowles, involves a very peculiar, yet so common, relationship between two teenagers, Finny and Gene. Even though they both envy each other, they seem to get along with each other pretty well before and even after the accident. Shakespeare, tells a similar tale, with Julius Caesar, where he is envy for power and his friends. Therefore, when Julius Caesar kills Pompeii that could relate to the accident in the story A Separate Piece. I disagree with Ashley’s statement a bit; I believe that Finny does not see that Gene is untrustworthy. Finny sees Gene as an innocent, good, friend, while the audience knows that Gene is a selfish, envious, person. I think Finny is a bit oblivious.
In the case of Caesar, he can also be seen as Finny, a leader. While Gene is like the tribunes, as Ashley, puts it, who think they are the leader and do not want to become a follower and they would do what every they can to not make this happen, even if it’s to push him/ or her out of a tree.
The main comparison for both stories starts off with loyalty, thought of betrayal, and the act of betrayal. Now it is all of a question of forgiveness.
joepedo@ymail.com
Post a Comment