Guest Blogger: Josue
I am a freshman at East Rockingham High School.
I am a freshman at East Rockingham High School.
It was during the 9th grade. We were planning on reading another book as a class. I thought: “I really hope this doesn’t take as long as the last one.” The book was titled The Outsiders. At first glance, I thought this book wasn’t the greatest out there. But, the activities we had to do before actually starting the book got me slightly interested. I wanted to read The Outsiders at that point. I was eager to get the class read started the next time I was back in English. The next few weeks, I wasn’t disappointed at all with the book. I actually read it outside of class, to get ahead. I enjoyed the book, despite the class read being dragged on forever. I would recommend others to read it too, because it relates to a certain amount of students all across the world; it’ll teach you a very valuable lesson about society, and if you’re a fan of young-adult fictions, you’ll enjoy this book.
When I was reading The Outsiders, I realized it related a bit to me, and others, about what people see in each other. The Greasers, the main gang of the book, hate and fight against the Socials, the rival and antagonist gang of the book. The Greasers slightly resent the Socs for everything they have, and the Socs just, well, get drunk and beat up Greasers. If the Socs do a crime, they have the power to get out of it, while the Greasers really don’t have any breaks. There’s a reason for them to fight, but what if there’s something more to both groups? The Greasers could just be innocent, happy-go-lucky people who don’t want any trouble unless they’re put in it, and the Socials, while they do have money and power, could just be softies who hate their high-standard lives. While this may sound cliche, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. I believe that is one of the lessons the book teaches you. It may teach even more, but then I’d have to spoil the book, and that’s kinda the opposite of what I’m trying to do. Heh.
A lot of workers, students, and just people in general get judged on how they look, sometimes even more on how they act. Someone gets called fat, when they’re really hurting inside, and that just added to the list of insults they’ve gotten today. Call someone stupid, mental, or autistic, and they could take that to heart, and not want to enjoy life like they should anymore. The Outsiders slightly highlights this kind of statement. The Socs are thought of as these “rich, snobby kids who can get away with anything, only because they have money and influence.” The Greasers are thought of as these “poor, troublemakers who can’t get out of the pool of problems they’ve put themselves into.” Possibly, some Socials could hate the conflict between the two gangs, and they may even hate just being labeled as a Social. A Greaser could be the nicest, most kindest person you’ve ever met, but they’re constantly being labeled as this “no good, rotten person who can’t get out of trouble.” All in all, the lesson here is to not put labels on society and it’s people.
There are many genres out there. Action, fantasy, drama, to name a few. The Outsiders appeals to an audience of 12-18, or, young adult. It could also be classified as a type of drama/suspense type genre, because of the main plot. On the back of the book, it mentions a character in the book, “Johnny, killing the leader of the Socs one night, with Ponyboy as a witness.” For instance, what would happen to Johnny and Ponyboy? How would they get out of this problem, with their reputation already as bad as it is? Will Johnny and Ponyboy resolve the issue at hand?
Overall, The Outsiders is a great book. While others may say otherwise, I will stick to my opinion. Read the book, and find out the questions stated above, and much more. If you’re in need of a new lesson, if you feel this book could relate to you, or if you’re a fan of young adult novels, then this book is for you.
When I was reading The Outsiders, I realized it related a bit to me, and others, about what people see in each other. The Greasers, the main gang of the book, hate and fight against the Socials, the rival and antagonist gang of the book. The Greasers slightly resent the Socs for everything they have, and the Socs just, well, get drunk and beat up Greasers. If the Socs do a crime, they have the power to get out of it, while the Greasers really don’t have any breaks. There’s a reason for them to fight, but what if there’s something more to both groups? The Greasers could just be innocent, happy-go-lucky people who don’t want any trouble unless they’re put in it, and the Socials, while they do have money and power, could just be softies who hate their high-standard lives. While this may sound cliche, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. I believe that is one of the lessons the book teaches you. It may teach even more, but then I’d have to spoil the book, and that’s kinda the opposite of what I’m trying to do. Heh.
A lot of workers, students, and just people in general get judged on how they look, sometimes even more on how they act. Someone gets called fat, when they’re really hurting inside, and that just added to the list of insults they’ve gotten today. Call someone stupid, mental, or autistic, and they could take that to heart, and not want to enjoy life like they should anymore. The Outsiders slightly highlights this kind of statement. The Socs are thought of as these “rich, snobby kids who can get away with anything, only because they have money and influence.” The Greasers are thought of as these “poor, troublemakers who can’t get out of the pool of problems they’ve put themselves into.” Possibly, some Socials could hate the conflict between the two gangs, and they may even hate just being labeled as a Social. A Greaser could be the nicest, most kindest person you’ve ever met, but they’re constantly being labeled as this “no good, rotten person who can’t get out of trouble.” All in all, the lesson here is to not put labels on society and it’s people.
There are many genres out there. Action, fantasy, drama, to name a few. The Outsiders appeals to an audience of 12-18, or, young adult. It could also be classified as a type of drama/suspense type genre, because of the main plot. On the back of the book, it mentions a character in the book, “Johnny, killing the leader of the Socs one night, with Ponyboy as a witness.” For instance, what would happen to Johnny and Ponyboy? How would they get out of this problem, with their reputation already as bad as it is? Will Johnny and Ponyboy resolve the issue at hand?
Overall, The Outsiders is a great book. While others may say otherwise, I will stick to my opinion. Read the book, and find out the questions stated above, and much more. If you’re in need of a new lesson, if you feel this book could relate to you, or if you’re a fan of young adult novels, then this book is for you.
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