The Outsiders

What does it mean to be an outsider?

"I was worried and angered by the social situation," Hinton writes. "I saw two groups at the extreme ends of the social scale behaving in an idiotic fashion -- one group was being condemned and one wasn't.... When a friend of mine was beaten up for no other reason than that some people didn't like the way he combed his hair, I took my anger out by writing about it."

Reason this book was written

•recognizing the positive and negative ways the characters deal with their problems.

During the reading of this book my two goals for you are:

•To relate to each character, and even though they are different they each have problems.

Problems faced by the characters in this book:

Peer Pressure

Gang Violence

Child

Abuse

Family Violence and

Discord

Teen Pregnancy

Do you think these are problems teens today face?

The '60s were different things to many types of people. For some it was

protesting the Vietnam War, while for others it was free love or muscle cars.

Now lets take a look back

The setting of this book is during the 1960’s

1960-The twist becomes the newest dance craze. A 45 single cost 97cents, plus 3 cents tax.

1961-Baseball is “America’s Pastime”, the whole world watches with excitement as Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris compete to break Babe Ruth’s home run record.

1962-Marilyn Monroe dies under a murky cloud of suspicion, although her death is officially ruled a suicide.

1

1963-President Kennedy is assassinated during a visit to Dallas, Texas.

1964-The US surgeon general declares that smoking, a habit enjoyed by 60% of the adult population is a major health hazard.

1968-Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated.

1967-With hundreds of American soldiers dying every week, the troops strength in Vietnam increases to 475,000.

1969- Charles Manson and other members of his cult murder actress Sharon Tate and six others in a horrible event that was referred to as “Helter Skelter”

Iconic Images for terms used in the book.

Chevy Corvair

Elvis Presley

Hank Williams

The Beatles

Ford Mustang Madras Shirt

How Can so many things in the world have changed, yet the problems our youth face have remained the same????

Key VocabularyGreaser-group of boys that love each other like family, poor, steal things, drink, smoke, fight, are very emotional yet tough on the outside.Soc-wealthy group that lives on the West side of town, fight unfairly because they are bored, have nice cars, good grades and are cool and aloof.Nonchalant-seeming to be coolly unconcerned or indifferent, not caring.Roguish-deceitful; unprincipled, playful

Incredulous-skeptical ;disbelieving.

Contemptuous-the feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior or worthless.

Apprehensive-anxious or fearful about the future.

Literary Devices•Theme-what the author is trying to convey by writing the bookExample: The purposelessness of any gang of teenagers and that a teenager can rise above his/her circumstances.

•Allusion-making reference to another piece of literature, person, or historical event.Example-Robert Frost’s poem stay gold

•Characterization-giving each character a unique personality and appearance.

•Conflict-can be internal or external struggle between forces.Example-family violence, the rumble

Journal Assignments1. What character do you most relate to and why?

2.Ponyboy likes to go to the movies to escape the reality of his own life. If you were to choose a movie that best gives you the opportunity to escape your own live, what movie would you select and why?

3. The lament that life is not fair is a major theme in the story. Pick one topic that Ponyboy feels is unfair. Write about the relationship it has with your own life.

4.Do you think the greasers are like gangs today? How are they different? What draws a person to a gang?

5. Define identity. Here are some things that influence identity:

• Money• Social status• Clothes• FriendsWHO ARE YOU???????

Let’s begin reading and see what character you most relate to and why.

In the process you may realize you are more like those you consider “Outsiders” than you think!