Percy Shelley's revision

The Winter Session at Devon is the worst and most unhappy time of the year. The Summer Session, characterized by its constant joy and relaxed manner, morphs into a Winter Session filled with fear. The passiveness of the summer session is not present during the winter session. During the winter session the boys fear the strictness of the teachers. The presence of Mr.Ludsbury was a clear example of Devon’s rigidness. For the first time in the book the reader observes a strict, old-fashioned teacher who students fear. An example of Mr.Ludsbury strictness was seen after Gene “slipped” into the river and was walking into the school wet. Mr.Ludsbury approaches Gene in a harsh tone, telling him how his behavior during the summer was unacceptable. Gene agrees with a “schoolboy look” fearing a punishment. This is a clear example of the fright students feel towards teachers at Devon. Secondly, during the winter session at Devon the reader could sense a feeling of hatred. Leper’s snails and the games of blitzball were replaced by gossip and fighting. The character of Brinker is a clear example of such malevolence. In the Butt Room he said, “He is your prisoner, gentlemen. Doing away with his roommate so he could have a whole room for himself. Rankest treachery. Practically fratricide” In the quotation Brinker uses the words treachery and fratricide to describe Gene’s actions. These words have an exceedingly negative connotation involving betrayal and assassination. Furthermore, Brinker also uses the word prisoner to describe Gene. To be a prisoner you must’ve committed a crime. Brinker uses these words to describe something that is not even true. At Devon Gene fears that people will believe such assumptions. Furthermore, Gene also fears that Brinker’s malevolence will make him tell everyone about Finny's fall from the tree. Devon school has an overall tone of fear.