... wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow" - ECCLESIASTES 1:18 David Malouf's "Fly Away Peter" is the story of one man's loss of innocence, as he confronts the brutality of human nature during the First World War. Through the central character's voyage of realization, the reader ... Connie to her "rooming house," the "stillness was broken by a vicious burst of sound," and "there was an explosion. Breaking glass a white shirted man with his hands over his face and blood between them" staggers onto the pavement. Connie greets Jim's first encounter with violen...

• Word Count: 1373
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... harvest the land. She was often admired by the local schoolgirls who thought, "she was something of a heroine. A part of the war effort, doing a man's work when she"d rather be in London, painting, going to parties and exhibitions" (Pg. 130). Similarly, the reader learned of another strong female character, ... casual observer may remark that, "it was easy to see that Hickam was used to vehicles coming from every direction" and that, "he directed his invisible traffic with efficient skill, sorting out the tangle as if he stood at a busy intersection where long convoys were passing" (Pg. ...

• Word Count: 2089
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School