The Outsiders by Sierra Mathew

Ponyboy

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:05:25 UTC

-Fourteen

-Gray-green eyes

-Long red-brown (auburn?) hair

-Small/ doesn't look tough

-Likes movies and books

-Loner (youngest boy in the gang)
-Friends with Johnny
-Orphan
-Smart/gets good grades
-Doesn't think things through
-Doesn't like Darry, Steve, or Dallas
-Sodapop & Darry younger brother

-Quiet

(note: the person in the movie doesn't have reddish hair so I found another picture. The boy in the picture's eyes are debatably green)

Sodapop

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:06:06 UTC

-Sixteen, nearly seventeen
-Cheerful/happy-go-lucky
-Doesn't read
-Understanding
-Childish/teasing/energetic
-Orphan
-Handsome (long dark gold hair, dark brown eyes)
-Ponyboy & Darry's brother
-Steve's best friend
-doesn't drink
-Works at a gas station
-Stands up for Ponyboy against Darry
-Has a girlfriend named Sandy and wants to marry her
-Dropped out of school

Darrel (Darry)

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:06:15 UTC

-Twenty
-Hard worker/doesn't smile
-Blunt
-Orphan
-Private/values privacy
-Rough with people
-6'2'', muscular
-Dark brown hair & green/blue eyes/looks like their father
-Smart
-Ponyboy & Sodapop's older brother
-'Roofs houses'

Two-Bit Mathews

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:06:25 UTC

-has a car -Funny -Likes fights & school
-Grey eyes -Oldest in the gang other than Darry (18 and a half)
-Six feet tall -Real name is Keith
-'Rusty'-coloured hair -Goes through girlfriends quickly
-Famous for shoplifting

Dallas Winston

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:06:44 UTC

-Has an 'elfish' face (high cheekbones, pointed chin)
-White blond hair
-Ice blue eyes
-Hates everything
-Tough and mean/bitter
-Smart
-Does a lot of illegal things (jumping little kids, drinking, stealing)
-Has an on/off girlfriend named Sylvia

Johnny Cade

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:07:01 UTC

-Got jumped by Socs when he was sixteen
-Small
-Youngest other than Ponyboy (friends with Ponyboy)
-Doesn't speak up for himself
-Black eyes and long black hair greased back
-Abusive parents
-Looks younger than he is (fourteen)
-Idolizes Dally
-The most law-abiding of the gang

Steve Randle

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:08:18 UTC

-Resourceful (used a pop bottle as a weapon)
-Smart
-Good with cars
-Works at a gas station
-Best friends with Sodapop
-Girlfriend named Evie
-Seventeen

Sandy

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:39:25 UTC

-Blond
-Blue eyes
-Sodapop's girlfriend
-Kind

Chapter One

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-24 15:42:13 UTC

Chapter Two

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-25 17:37:13 UTC

Loyalty Reflection

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-25 17:55:10 UTC

1. Humans needed to be loyal in the past for survival. Is it something that is now less important in the 2000’s? Why or why not?

I believe that. socially, loyalty isn't as important now as it was in the 2000's. The difference is that these days, loyalty isn't necessary for survival. In the story, Ponyboy's gang needs to stick together because otherwise, they would get hurt or die. Ponyboy mentions that Johnny would have run away if it hadn't been for the gang. The Socs try to jump greasers who walk alone. In Ponyboy's story, loyalty is important become loyalty is necessary. In our world, loyalty isn't necessary. It's completely possible (if lonely) to be loyal to no one. In fact, some people become rich or powerful by using other people and betraying them. In the present, it's not necessary to be loyal to your family because your family isn't necessarily the only people keeping you alive. Considering technological advancements and the differences in society today, a person could theoretically provide for themself and themself alone. Employees don't have to be completely loyal to their company because there is an abundance of job opportunities. Although loyalty as a personal virtue is still valued, loyalty is not important socially as it is no longer necessary to be loyal to survive.

Loyalty Reflection

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-25 18:51:08 UTC

2. Is loyalty more important to you than “popularity” or “fitting in”? Why or why not?

To me, loyalty is more important than fitting in. For a large part of my life, I have been in a comfortable and safe situation where I can speak my mind without repercussions. 'Fitting in' has never been an issue for me, and popularity hasn't been, either. I'm fine with the couple of friends that I already have. A simple answer to the question would be that I don't care about popularity or fitting in and therefore loyalty, as something I do care about, automatically holds more value for me.
However, things aren't that simple. If we're talking about loyalty to others vs. betraying someone to put yourself in a better position (as I assume we are, as the question mentions popularity/fitting), then loyalty is more important. Loyalty is directly related to trust, and I believe that a person should be able to trust their friends and that their friends should trust them. If a friend of mine were in trouble, I would stick with them because I'd like my friends to do the same for me if I were in trouble. A friend is a person that stands with you when you need help, which requires loyalty. Having friends that I can count on and trust is infinitely more important to me than having many acquaintances who don't actually care about me and my problems.

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 01:39:28 UTC

(the greasers smoke from young ages)

Social Cliques I Encounter

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:20:34 UTC

Drama Club

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:21:18 UTC

(the play this year was a parody of old detective films)

Drama Club

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:23:25 UTC

(a script)

Musical Theatre

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:24:46 UTC

(I'm in a theatre group called the Mississippi MUDDs)

Drama

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:30:10 UTC

Musical Theatre

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:30:50 UTC

(my theatre put on 'The Lion King' earlier this year)

Note On Social Cliques

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:34:20 UTC

In my experience, social cliques don't necessarily exist anymore. The definition of a clique is 'a small group of people, with shared interests or other features in common, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them'. While groups of people with shared interests do exist, and they do enjoy to spend together, the bit about not allowing others to join them is decidedly untrue. All the social groups I've encountered have been polite and friendly to others at worst and welcoming at best. With the new influences of progressive education and social media, people are taught, for the most part, to be kind and accepting to others, which largely abolishes the idea of having a specific 'clique' to belong to.
The words 'social clique' also brings to mind 'popular kids', 'nerdy kids', 'jocks', etc. If this assignment means for me to find examples of those, then I can't do that. Those types of 'cliques' simply don't exist anymore. Stereotyping is no longer common as we have access to media where people are allowed to have multi-faceted personalities. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and other ways of defining people by a sole characteristic is being exposed as unfair and wrong, and we're encouraged to 'be ourselves' instead of adhering to the rules of specific societal groups. The most popular girl in the class can also be the smartest and the best at sports. The boy who plays competitive soccer might also enjoy drawing or playing chess. Maybe in the past, people allowed themselves to be defined by one interest or aspect of their personality, but that's not the way it is today. From what I've seen, people have many interests that they readily and openly discuss and engage in. Defining them by a a single interest is not only annoying and offensive, it's also disrespectful to them as a person.

Art

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:57:35 UTC

Art Club

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 16:57:53 UTC

(We are currently working on painting in the style of Norval Morrisseau)

Art Club

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 17:00:25 UTC

(most artsy kids I meet like doodling)

Hockey

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 17:01:37 UTC

Hockey Team

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 17:03:06 UTC

(Hockey is a very popular sport and lots of people in Ottawa are on hockey teams)

Hockey Fans

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-28 17:05:07 UTC

(Even if someone doesn't play hockey, they probably like watching it)

Chapter Four

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-29 17:29:29 UTC

'The Outsiders' Irony

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-29 17:32:57 UTC

1. Ponyboy says that he loves the countryside and he wishes he could live there. The country is commonly the subject of his daydreams, and he seems to believe that if he lived there, all his problems would disappear. This is an example of situational irony because, in chapter four, Johnny and Ponyboy have to flee to the countryside so they won't be caught by the police after Johnny kills Bob.
2. A second example of irony is when Two-Bit gives Ponyboy a broken bottle to use against the Socs. He promptly drops it and insists to Cherry that he'd never use it. This is another example of irony. Later when Johnny and Ponyboy are jumped by Socs, Ponyboy wishes he had that bottle so he could use it to fight off the Socs.
3. Johnny is stated to be the smallest, shyest, most harmless kid in the gang. Ironically, he's also the only one (so far) to have been described as killing another person in cold blood.
4. Ponyboy liked church, but stopped going. This is an example of situational irony because Ponyboy only returns to church when he's broken one of the Ten Commandments.
5. Ponyboy says that Johnny is the gang's pet and that the gang only tolerates him. This is verbal (narrative?) irony because the way Johnny and Dally act towards Ponyboy makes it fairly clear that Ponyboy could also be the gang's pet, he just doesn't know it. For example, Dally worries about him when he sees that Ponyboy is all wet, even though Ponyboy has just stated that Dally doesn't care about anyone.

'The Giver' Irony

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-29 17:52:04 UTC

1. An example of situational irony in 'The Giver' is that Jonas' father, a Nurturer, whose job is literally to take care of and protect small children, is the one to kill the twin at the end, which ultimately makes Jonas, another child, decide to put himself in danger. It's also ironic that Jonas says in the beginning that it greatly troubles the Nurturers when newchildren are released, while the Nurturers are the ones releasing them.
2. An example of verbal irony is that Jonas' parents and the adults in the community consistently tell Jonas that he may not lie, which is a lie in itself as it's implied that adults are allowed to lie.
3. It is an example of verbal irony when Jonas says that older children tease the younger children by asking them if they need to be taught how to ride bicycles. This is ironic because the older children have already taught the younger children how to ride and know full well that they know how to ride

Chapter Five

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-30 18:00:31 UTC

Wanted Poster For Johnny Cade

sierra_mathew — 2019-04-30 18:00:45 UTC

Chapter Six

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-10 03:42:59 UTC

Newspaper Article Deconstruction

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-10 03:44:03 UTC

Headline: `We should ban cellphones from classrooms. The research backs that up.`

Byline: The byline of this article reads, `Paul W. Bennett, Ed.D., is the director of the Schoolhouse Institute in Halifax, the founding chair of researchED Canada and a regular commentator on K-12 education`.

The Lead: The lead comes in the second paragraph, after the introduction of the article: `A cellphone ban during instructional time will decisively address one of the most stubborn issues confronting teachers in today’s classrooms. Dismissing it only serves to ignore the evidence-based research: that students’ fascination and, at times, their obsession with mobile devices is adversely affecting their performance, cognitive capacities, concentration and well-being.`

Important Facts

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-10 04:05:10 UTC

Who: The article talks about schoolchildren predominantly in middle/high school and researchers such as Tom Bennett.
What: Cellphones should be banned in classes.
When: Cellphones should be banned during school hours; schools started to adopt this policy in 2007.
Where: Cellphones should be banned in schools and classrooms.
Why: Cellphones should be banned because they distract kids, promote cyberbullying, and stop students from learning and trying hard during school.
How: Governments and schools boards in Ontario and other places like France are passing laws/making rules about having cellphones in class. For example, the French Education Minister banned cellphones from schools.

Additional Details

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-10 04:06:09 UTC

-cellphones have been proven to affect student behaviour
-cellphones are connected to cyberbullying
-France, the UK, and some parts of America have already placed bans on cellphones in schools
-A British study says removing cellphones could improve student performances by 6.41%
-University of Chicago found that cellphones affected brain functions
-Teachers have already made up cellphone policies to deal with cellphones in class

Quotes

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-10 04:06:58 UTC

"Implementing a school-level ban [is] tricky to accomplish, [but] that’s not a good reason for turning a blind eye to the problem."
"Tom Bennett...identified cellphones as the source of constant “low-level disruption.” Mr. Bennett, the founder of the global researchED movement of teachers demanding evidence-based teaching practice, recently likened the devices to 'kryptonite in the classroom'."
"Researchers Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy found that banning mobile phones produced an improvement in student performance of 6.41 per cent...with that number rising to 14.23 per cent when looking just at the most disadvantaged and underachieving pupils. [This] add[s] up to the equivalent of recouping an extra week of school each academic year."
"Uncontrolled and regular use of mobile devices was linked with “brain drain"...“the mere presence of these devices” was enough to have an impact."
"A provincial policy will provide a clear framework and allow for teachers to plan for the gradual reintroduction of devices for explicit instructional purposes."

Chapter 7

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-12 18:29:50 UTC

Predictions:

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-12 18:30:13 UTC

1. Johnny will die at the end of the story.
Explanation: Johnny is already critically injured and paralyzed for life. This obviously has an effect on his and Ponyboy's mental state. Johnny's also the only one to have killed another person 'on-screen', and since the climax is coming and this is a very dark type of book, it would make sense for him to die. Ponyboy's already said that Johnny was 'a good man in a rumble', so he might try to show up to help and get killed that way, or he could just die in the hospital.
2. Soda will get his horse, Mickey Mouse, back.
Explanation: This is more of a hunch and I don't have any real evidence, but Ponyboy mentions once or twice how much Soda loved his horse. This is mostly used for background knowledge on the Curtis family and on Soda's character. Still, Ponyboy also says he wishes Soda could have his horse back, and the mentions of Mickey Mouse might be a sort of foreshadowing to either a happy ending or a 'Pyrrhic victory' sort of ending where they lose a lot but get Mickey Mouse back at the end.
3. The greasers will win the rumble at the end.
Explanation: The rumble is being set up as the 'climax' of the story. Even though the author repeatedly establishes that the greasers and Socs aren't fundamentally different, the greasers are the 'good guys' in the story and the Socs are the 'bad guys'. Since Ponyboy, the main character, is a greaser, and I doubt he'll die at the end, it makes more sense for the greasers to win. The greasers winning would also fix the in-universe problem of the greasers being seen as 'lesser' than the Socs and would begin to fix that power imbalance.
4. The Curtis family will have some trouble with social services and the like, but will end up staying together.
Explanation: When Ponyboy reads the newspaper article, he finds out some people want to separate him, Soda, and Darry. I think that the author wouldn't have put that bit in unless they were planning on turning it into a subplot, because otherwise it doesn't make sense or increase the tension. However, even if they are put under scrutiny, I think the Curtis family will end up staying together because Ponyboy is the main character and keeping his family together gives him something to work towards. Separating them after he tries so hard to act good enough that they aren't separated gives the reader no satisfaction.
5. The subject of Ponyboy's nightmares will be revealed during the rumble.
Explanation: Ponyboy's nightmares have just been introduced and since there's not many chapters left, I believe that they'll be addressed in some way during the rumble. Revealing their subject during a fight could distract Ponyboy or someone else during a crucial moment. It could also raise the stakes of the fight if Ponyboy's nightmares have anything to do with the Socs.

Chapter Nine

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-12 18:52:12 UTC

Chapter Eight

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-12 18:52:20 UTC

Vocabulary: Ten New Words

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-12 19:27:50 UTC

1. Hoodlum
Definition: A violent person or criminal
2. Ornery
Definition: Cranky, bad tempered, stubborn
3. Groggy
Definition: Weak, unsteady, dazed
4. Figgerin'
Definition: Trying to com to a conclusion
5. Roofing
Definition: Constructing roofs
6. Grimace
Definition: An expression expressing pain or disgust
7. Reformatory
Definition: Reform school, a place where young delinquents go
8. No-count
Definition: Worthless
9. Conformity
Definition: Compliance with standards or rules
10. Roughneck
Definition: Rough or uncouth person

Chapter Summary

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-12 19:49:37 UTC

Ponyboy is late to dinner and the greasers hang out at the Curtis' place before the rumble. They end up doing gymnastics and messing around while Ponyboy asks them all why they fight in rumbles. When seven o'clock comes around, the greasers meet Tim Shepard's gang and a Brumly gang. When the Socs show up, Darry and an old friend of his named Paul are the first two to go up against each other. Dally comes just in time to fight. When the rumble starts, he and Ponyboy team up. Ponyboy gets hit and kicked a lot and ends up feeling sick and dazed. The Socs lose the rumble; they drive away. Tim Shepard breaks his nose, Steve gets his ribs cracked, Two-Bit gets cuts on his face and hand, Darry just gets a black eye and a few cuts. After the rumble, Dally announces that Johnny wasn't doing well and drags Ponyboy with him to see Johnny. He tricks police officers and threatens a nurse to get to Johnny's room. Johnny dies after saying his final words to Dally and Ponyboy.

Chapter Ten

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-12 20:10:24 UTC

Tragic Events

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-12 20:10:33 UTC

There are a lot of tragic events in chapter nine and ten of 'The Outsiders". Johnny dies after receiving news of the rumble, Dally runs off and robs stores and gets shot and dies. Ponyboy gets a concussion and gets sick for days. I think these events are included for several reasons: to create realism in the story universe, and to stay true to the characters. The least tragic of these events is Ponyboy becoming sick. This event stays accurate to the experiences of a person with a concussion/a person who has gone through trauma. Ponyboy becoming sick is a logical outcome and makes sense in the story. Ponyboy's sickness also shows us that Ponyboy and Darry are fixing their relationship (Ponyboy asks for Darry while he's sick/Darry sits with Ponyboy and cares for him while he's unconscious).
Johnny dying is necessary for the novel because it's his retribution. Johnny ran into a burning building to help and because it made him feel alive. It honestly doesn't make sense for Johnny to survive after killing someone, going on the run, running into a burning building, and getting crushed by debris. Johnny dies because he's being gallant, which stays true to his character, as I don't believe either Johnny or Ponyboy could have walked by the church while it burned, especially after thinking they started the fire. His death is how the author creates that sense of realism in the story.
Dally's death is also necessary. Ponyboy states several times that Dally doesn't care about anyone- but Ponyboy is proven wrong when Dally goes out of his way to help him and Johnny and make sure they're safe. While Johnny's death was necessary for the plot, Dally's death was necessary because it showed the readers that Dally could and did care for someone. It's the crux of his character development.
The deaths of Johnny and Dally, (and later Ponyboy's sickness) is necessary for the story because it establishes that the actions of the characters have real consequences. Johnny and Dally also have good reason for doing what they did, and even if this killed them, it make sthe story more realistic. This is a book about gang fights and social bias; if there wasn't violence and, yes, death, it wouldn't make any sense because that wouldn't be logical. Their deaths and these tragic events make the story more real in the readers' eyes.

Chapter Eleven

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-13 17:32:24 UTC

Chapter Twelve

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-13 17:32:41 UTC

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-13 17:37:24 UTC

Imagery (Questions 1 & 2)

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-13 17:38:39 UTC

The imagery in this poem is used to compare nature and spring to growing up and losing your childhood innocence. It compares the beginnings of spring, when colours seem brightest and flowers are everywhere, to children and how they see beauty and potential in things that most adults would dismiss. The poem laments the loss of the innocence in childhood with the last four lines. 'Leaf subsides to leaf/so Eden sank to grief' refers to how what seemed to be paradise ('Eden') can grow old. Things that enchanted you can seem less impressive and wonderful when you grow up or get used to it. Johnny analyzes some of the imagery in his letter to Ponyboy: he says that the last two lines refer to how none of that childhood innocence really stays. 'Dawn', which represents something new and beautiful, will eventually fade to 'day', something boring or ordinary that doesn't seem all that special. 'Nothing gold can stay' refers to how 'nature's first green' won't stay gold (that kids will grow up and lose their childhood innocence). Robert Frost uses nature imagery (dawn, flowers, Eden) to make it clear that the poem is about something that is alive and beautiful.

Chloé's Feedback

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-13 17:55:01 UTC

The creation of the padlet was amazing, and I enjoyed reading it (even though it's long, and I'm lazy.) I couldn't spot grammatical errors either because there were none, or I just can't tell the difference between good grammar and bad grammar. In conclusion, I hate it because it makes my padlet look awful. :p

P.S. That's meant to be a compliment.

-Chloé Guillemette-

Nothing Gold Can Stay (Question 3 & 4)

sierra_mathew — 2019-05-13 23:22:50 UTC

This poem can relate to 'The Outsiders" and the characters because the poem is about growing up. The theme of the poem is that people's childhood innocence is hard to hold onto, and that this sort of 'golden' innocence can't stay because it doesn't hold up in face of trouble. Nature's early leaf is a flower, but only for a short while, as that sort of fragile beauty is hold to maintain. This idea relates to 'The Outsiders" and the greasers because the greasers grow up too fast and don't see how they can find good in little things. The best examples of this would be Dally and Darry. Darry doesn't seem to see much of the brighter parts of life; he's too busy trying to be a good adult and caretaker to Soda and Ponyboy. Dally doesn't see the good parts of life at all. He does bad things just for fun and doesn't see goodness and beauty in things as simple and ordinary as sunsets. Dally and Darry, their 'dawn' has already faded to 'day': anything that might have excited them or made them happy is just normal life now, and they don't think there's a point in trying to find good that isn't there. Johnny and Ponyboy are also good examples of the theme the poem tries to portray, but in different way. Johnny is the same as Dally and Darry. He doesn't have the greatest life, and he can't really see how ordinary things (sunsets) can be beautiful until Ponyboy shows him. Johnny is best described by the line, 'leaf subsides to leaf/so Eden sank to grief': he's still a kid, like Ponyboy, but he's been through too much to see Eden/paradise in his daily life.
Ponyboy is different from the others because of his ability to find good things in their ordinary lives. He's a perfect main character for this book because he's the youngest in his gang, is just as much of a 'bad kid' as the rest of them, and most importantly, he hasn't lost the innocence that lets him look at sunsets like they're something magical. Greasers all grow up fast; they drink, smoke, and commit crimes. Even with this generally rough/bad life, Ponyboy is honest about the life he has. He knows that he's poor and his friends get beaten up and hurt, but he also thinks that sunsets are beautiful and that Cherry Valance is a kindred spirit and describes Johnny Cade as gallant even after Johnny kills someone. This what Johnny means when he tells Ponyboy to 'stay gold'. The poem relates to Ponyboy and the gang because, though they all grew up too fast, Ponyboy can still find the 'gold', the 'flower', the 'dawn' of something good. He may grow up quickly but he's still a kid who can see good things through trouble.