1. Conn-Artist Project By Olivia Klingbeil

2. As a main theme for my project on The Outsiders, I chose gang life, gang violence and the effects of violence on people. I will be connecting two articles and The Outsiders to show this connection of theme. My task was to find two nonfiction news articles that have a same conflict or theme as The Outsiders and show the connection using evidence to back it up.

3. The author of source 2 says that he is from Chicago, and has witnessed many acts of violence and their negative effects on the community. On page 181 of The Outsiders, it says, “‘Johnny and Dallas were our buddies too, but you don’t stop living because you lost someone.’” In context, this tells the reader that Ponyboy had stopped living just to grieve. These two quotes show a connection that is shown by how both talk about people’s grief.

4. On page two of source two, it says that violence is “the social norm” in cities. Th is connects to The Outsiders on page 145, where it says, “‘Hey Two-Bit,” I said, deciding to complete my survey,”how come you fight?” He looked at me as if I was off my nut. “Shoot, everybody fights.” This quote shows that Chicago in the article and the circumstances in The Outsiders are similar because they both think of violence as something they should do, a trend. In order to fit in with this society, you have to be violent. This also connects to another place in source two where it talks about Gary Slutkin, a man who runs an anti-violence organization. He thinks of violence as an infectious disease. It is normal to society and just spreads. This connects with this quote because Two-Bit says that everybody fought and gave Ponyboy a funny look for questioning what was pretty much their way of life.

5. In source two on page two it says that people who commit acts of violence are rational thinkers, but violence is the action that they take when they get mad. This connects to The Outsiders on page 145, where it says, “Why do I fight? I thought, and couldn’t think of any real good reason.” This shows that violence is usually an impulse decision that is influenced by the stress of the situation and society. On page three of source two, it says, “people will accept a result they don’t like, as long as they feel that they’ve been treated with fairness and decency.” This shows that Ponyboy is in this gang and fights to protect it because this gang treats him fairly. This connects with another part of source two on the same page that says that most people who are in a situation where they have to confront conflicts would rather not use violence, but have to because of the stress of the situation.

6. On the previous slide, it shows a connection. This connection is that violence is usually an impulse decision that is pressured by the situation and society. These texts also show that if a person is being treated nicely by their group in society, they may cave in to peer pressure just so they can keep feeling like they are treated nicely and “fit in.”

7. On page two of source two, it says that in these cities, what people around you think is more important than what a cop or a court of law thinks of you. On page three of this source, it says that David Kennedy, a professor of criminal justice, is working to try to bring a sense of trust between the police and the communities so that it will decrease suspicion between the two groups. In The Outsiders, to describe Johnny, it says on page 42, “He stuck up for the gang and kept his mouth shut good around cops.” This shows that in both texts, there is distrust between the communities and police. The police aren’t an important part of these societies, except if you get in trouble.

8. The author of source two says on page three, “Kennedy, despite his sensitivities, occasionally refers to (them) as “thugs.” If we call people something long enough, they’ll come to embody it.” “‘Thanks, grease,” he said, trying to grin. Then he stopped. “I didn’t mean that. I meant, thanks, kid.’” This quote from page 125 of The Outsiders shows that to Randy, each person in this gang is a greaser, so he could call them all the same thing because they all make up this group, all have the same characteristics. Basically, the greasers have been called this long enough that they are proud of this identity and want to fit this stereotype as part of a violent gang.

9. On page one of source three, it says that 70% of children in low-income areas witness violence, such as domestic violence, assaults, arrests, drug deals, gang violence and shootings. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy says that the gang was formed mainly because all of the boys lived in the same neighborhood and were very close-knit. This would suggest that they were good friends, and because of their poverty and social class, they became a gang to protect themselves against the Socs. People thought of them as a gang because they got into fights with Socs and some of them got arrested or committed crimes as amusement. Also, this book says that most of the gang either didn’t have parents or their parents didn’t care what they did. Source three suggests on page 9 that children in lower-income areas are less supervised after school, so they have more opportunities to form gangs and get into trouble. It says that children who are involved in an after school program are involved less in violence and drugs. On page 19 of The Outsiders, it says, “He had been arrested, he got drunk, he rode in rodeos, lied, cheated, stole, rolled drunks, jumped small kids- -he did everything.” “

11. These quotes on the previous page are all connected by showing that gangs are more easily formed in places of poverty and there is more violence in these impoverished places because there is less supervision and less activities for these kids.

12. On page one of source three, it says that witnessing violence may cause children to have stress and stress related symptoms. On page three of source three, it says that children who witness violence can show problematic behaviors, such as aggression, withdrawal, hyperactivity, trouble sleeping and antisocial behavior. On page two of source three, it says that exposure to violence can cause many different reactions, such as acting out, boasting, showing signs of depression or just thinking of it as something that happens everyday. On page 55 of The Outsiders, it says, “‘I can’t take much more.” Johnny spoke my own feelings. “I’ll kill myself or something.’” On page 67 of The Outsiders, it says, “He didn’t bat an eye when Johnny told him what had happened, only grinned and said, “Good for you” when Jonny told how he had knifed the Soc.” On page 64 of The Outsiders, it says, “‘Johnny,” I managed to say, fighting dizziness, “I think I’m gonna be sick.” “Go ahead,” he said in a calm, steady voice. “I won’t look at you.’”

13. The previous slide shows the connection that as the article said, witnessing or being part of a violent act can cause many different reactions. The person may have stress (suicide quote), they may be proud of it (Dally’s quote), or they might be shocked at first until it sinks in and seems part of life.(Ponyboy). These texts are connected by how they show that different people have different reactions to violence.

14. On page two of source two, it says that boys usually witness more violence than girls because parents let boys have more freedoms earlier than girls. The gangs in The Outsiders were mostly made up of boys. Girls weren’t involved in gangs very much and were usually opposed to the violence, such as when Cherry agreed to go home with Bob and Randy as long as no fight was started. Also, on page 46, it says, “Of course greasy girls would have acted tougher, but there was a basic sameness.” This shows that Ponyboy doesn’t think that gangs really include girls because boys are normally the ones getting into fights. The connection between these two texts would be that in both, girls are thought of as being less violent and seeing less violence

16. Source three suggests on page 10 that expressing emotions would decrease violence because violence is an action taken to express emotions, usually anger. On page 46 of The Outsiders, it says, “That’s why we’re seperated,” I said. “ It’s not money, it’s feeling--you don’t feel anything and we feel too violently. This shows a connection between these texts because both show that violence is the choice that is made when someone is angry, it’s a way to express feelings (although not the best way).

17. On page two of source three, it says, “Even if a child didn’t cause an act of violence, they may feel responsible because of his/her egocentric thinking.” Egocentric means thinking only of oneself, without regard for the feelings or desires of others; self- centered “I was bewildered. “I killed him. I had a switchblade and I was scared they were going to beat me up.” This is a quote from The Outsiders on page 173. This is Ponyboy talking with Randy. Even though Ponyboy didn’t kill Bob, he still feels responsible, and wouldn’t accept that it was really Johnny who killed Bob. This is a perfect connection between the two texts because both quotes say that a child may blame himself for violence, even if it was obviously not their fault.

18. On page two of source three, it says that if a child sees violence more often or at an earlier age, they may stop thinking of it as right or wrong, but just as something that happens all the time. In the beginning of the book, Ponyboy is talking about the gang members. He mentions that Dally likes to fight and he has a huge record at the police station, and he mentioned Two-Bit, who was famous for shoplifting and he liked to fight. These two texts show that violence becomes a normal thing in someone’s life when they see it a lot or earlier in life. Ponyboy is used to his gang members being violent because they have been that way for a long time, it’s their personality.

19. On page three of source three, it says that children who witnessed violence were more likely to carry a weapon. On page 42 of The Outsiders, it says “And Johnny, who was the most law-abiding of us, now carried in his back pocket a six inch switchblade. He’d use it, too, if he ever got jumped again.” These two texts are connected because they both show that if a person has experienced violence, they are likely to carry a weapon for self- defense.

20. THE END