EXEMPLAR for QUESTIONER: THE OUTSIDERS
Close-Ended Questions
(Have a definite answer)
Open-Ended Questions
(Open to debate, discussion, or
dispute)
About the book itself…
About the book itself…
Who is Paul Newman (p. 1 middle)
What is a madras shirt? (p. 5 top)
Where does this take place?
What does “You’re bleedin’ like a stuck pig”
mean? (p. 7 middle)
What does the word “unfathomable” mean? (p.
10 middle)
Who wrote Great Expectations (p. 15 middle)
Is it a good thing to have parents that name you
Ponyboy and Sodapop? How do these names
affect the characters? How might they affect you
and the way you carry yourself in the world?
Are Ponyboy’s opinions of the gang he
introduces probably fair and trustworthy or
probably biased in some way? Why?
Can you be in a gang and love reading and
movies, too? Why or why not?
Are the long introductions of characters in Ch. 1
a good way to start a novel, or is it too much and
a bit boring? What might be a better way?
About historical context brought up by events in
the book….
About historical context brought up by events in
the book…
What period of time in history is this? The
Beatles and Elvis were around for a long time.
Were the times Ponyboy lived in violent
everywhere, or just in his section of the country
(called “the Southwest” in the chapter)?
What movies did Paul Newman make? What
types of characters did he play?
Exemplar for Character and Conflict Tracker: The Outsiders
In Chapter One of The Outsiders, we meet the protagonist, Ponyboy Curtis. The
conflict is alluded to right away when Pony mentions how he’s not being so smart walking
home from the movie alone.
This decision proves to be a foolish one. It also introduces the external conflict of
Greasers vs. Socs when a Corvair full of Socs begins to trail Pony. They jump out of the car
and attack Pony, drawing knives and threatening to cut his hair. They also cut his the skin
on his throat. When he screams, they cover his mouth and Pony panics, biting the Soc’s
hand and drawing blood.
This graphic scene accomplishes multiple goals. It hooks the reader right away. It
introduces the themes of self vs. gang identity and Pony’s struggle with them. It also
introduces many key characters such as Pony’s brothers and friend, who come running to
the rescue.
More specifically, after the Socs flee, Hinton develops the conflict between Pony and
his oldest brother, Darry, who upbraids Pony for endangering himself by walking alone.
When Pony starts to say he didn’t think it would be a problem, Darry interrupts, “You never
think!” The middle brother, Soda, is more sympathetic. He comforts Pony and asks if he is
all right. Here Hinton appears to be laying the groundwork for the family dynamics in the
Curtis family. She accomplishes by contrasting the two brothers on the same page. This
makes a more powerful impression.
One by one, paragraph by paragraph, Hinton introduces each of the Greasers: Pony,
Darry, Soda, Johnny Cade, Dallas Winston, Two-Bit, Steve, etc.
I think the jumping in this chapter signals similar (and bigger) conflicts to come. I
also think the snapshots of the characters are meant as an insight into their personalities.
Although Hinton mostly “tells” in the descriptions here, she will probably use her skills as a
writer to “show” as the novel moves forward.
EXEMPLAR FOR THEMATIC JOURNALIST
First chapters are the most difficult for thematic considerations, but you can
often predict ideas the author will dwell upon based on early plot developments and
characterization. With The Outsiders, Hinton shows signs of writing about a familiar theme
in YA literature: identity. This is a coming-of-age tale and right away, in Chapter One,
Ponyboy Curtis admits he’s different.
In the second paragraph he tells the reader he is a bit of a loner because he likes film
and literature. “I’m not like them,” Pony says of his brothers Darry and Sodapop. “… nobody
in our gang digs movies and books the way I do. For a while there, I thought I was the only
person in the world that did. So I loned it” (2). The fact that Pony goes it alone and is in a
gang tells us that he prefers keeping his intellectual interests to himself. Clearly his
personal identity and his “gang” identity are at odds – or at least kept separate to an extent.
As characters are introduced, Pony shares his opinions. He dislikes Dally, for
instance, who is rude and has a long police record. Dally is the extreme among the Greasers
– the most hardened character of all – but Pony takes a dim view of him as a person. This
shows that Pony and Dally are contrasts from either side of the Greasers spectrum. I
predict it will be a tough balancing act for Pony -- being accepted by his fellow gang
members while being true to himself. I’m not sure what he will do when the gang calls for
violence. It doesn’t seem to be part of his identity. Hinton makes it clear that he’s a
sensitive, thoughtful kid.
EXEMPLAR FOR PROGRESSIVE PLOT MAPPER
For this task, I would draw a sign in lights with “Paul Newman Movie” written on it.
Sneaker footprints would wander toward the Curtis house drawn on the other side of the
paper. The footprints would be interrupted by a Corvair (SOC written on its side) and a
knife to symbolize the jumping scene.
Between the jumping and the Curtis house, I would draw symbols for each character
introduced, perhaps a halo for Soda because Pony worships this older brother, eyes with
angry eyebrow slants over them for Darry due to his impatience and anger with Pony, and
an innocent puppy for Johnny. I would write Steve and “Best Buddy” next to Soda, a jester
next to Two-Bit’s name (he’s the joker of the gang), a fist for Dally -- “tougher, colder,
meaner” (10). At the end of this chapter, we learn about Soda’s girlfriend, Sandy, so I’d
draw a heart with her name on the other side of him.
EXEMPLAR FOR CREATIVE RESPONDER
Choice: Found Poem for Ch. 1. Focus: Character and Ponyboy
Wishing I Had Some Company
Walking home, thinking about the movie,
Wishing I had some company,
“Greaser!”
My hair is longer
I am a Greaser.
But…
I’m not like them.
Nobody in our gang digs movies,
Nobody in our gang digs books,
But…
I am a Greaser,
The term used to class all us boys
On the East Side.
“Need a haircut, greaser?”
“How’d you like that haircut
To begin just below the chin?”
They had me down in a second
Arms, legs pinned down,
Sitting on my chest, knees on my elbows,
The Socs…
Smell of English Leather shaving lotion
Smell of stale tobacco.
One on my chest slugging me,
A blade held against my throat.
It occurred to me that they could kill me,
Kill me!
I went wild –
A Greaser… hair longer,
Just wishing I had some company,
While walking home
and thinking about the movie…