Name__________________________
Mrs. Jones/Mrs. Delmage
1
Inspiration for Writing
“The ‘idea’ for a story, more often than not, is something
discovered by the reader while the writer continues to try to
explain to herself where it came from! I am impelled toward
writing by love stories, by the demands of my own
imagination. I have been especially interested in writing
about children as they encounter the daily surprises of life,
frequent periods of loneliness, the inexplicability of events
and the feelings they evoke.”
-S.E. Hinton
Paul Newman
Actor
The Beatles
Rock
Elvis Presley
King of Rock ‘n Roll
Hank Williams, Sr.
Country Western
2
By the time she was 17 years old, Susan Eloise
Hinton was a published author. While still in high school in her hometown-Tulsa, Oklahoma--Hinton put in words what she saw and felt growing up and
called it The Outsiders, a now classic story of two sets of high school rivals, the
Greasers and the Socs (for society kids). Because her hero was a Greaser and
outsider, and her tale was one of gritty realism, Hinton launched a revolution
in young adult literature.
Since her narrator was a boy, Hinton's publishers suggested that she
publish under the name of S. E. Hinton; they feared their readers wouldn't
respect a "macho" story written by a woman. Hinton says today, "I don't mind
having two identities; in fact, I like keeping the writer part separate in some
ways. And since my alter ego is clearly a 15-year-old boy, having an authorial
self that doesn't suggest a gender is just fine with me."
Today, more than twenty-five years after its first publication, The
Outsiders ranks as a classic, still widely read and one of the most important
and taboo-breaking books in the field. Finally, someone was writing about the
real concerns and emotions of a teenager. The Outsiders marked the beginning
of a new kind of realism in books written for the young adult market, and
Hinton's next four books followed suit.
"About SE Hinton." About SE Hinton. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2015. < http://aboutsehinton.com/>
3
The Outsiders – Base Statements
Directions: AGREE or DISAGREE with the following statements. Then, write a
sentence or two stating WHY you feel this way.
1. You can tell a lot about a person by the friends he/she has. ____________________________
2. Most people pick friends who have similar interests and backgrounds. ___________________
3. It’s easy to make friends with many different types of people. __________________________
4. Loyalty is the most important characteristic in friendships._____________________________
5. People all want the same thing: love, acceptance, and respect.__________________________
6. You can recognize how intelligent a person is by the way he/she looks.___________________
7. It’s easy to form opinions about people without getting to know them.____________________
8. Book smarts is the only kind of smart that will take a person far in life.___________________
4
Image
Name
Physical Features
Personality Traits Most Memorable For
Ponyboy Curtis
(p. 1-3)
Darry Curtis
(p. 2-6)
Sodapop Curtis
(p. 2-18)
Two-Bit
Matthews
(p. 3, 9-10)
5
Image
Name
Physical Features
Personality Traits Most Memorable For
Dally Winston
(p. 10)
Johnny “Cake”
Cade
(p. 11-12)
Steve Randle
(p. 9)
Cherry
Valance
(p. 21-25)
6
Relationships in The Outsiders
Relationship
What is the
relationship?
How are they alike?
Different?
Influences/Basis for
the relationship?
Is it a good or bad
relationship? Why?
PONY
&
JOHNNY
CHERRY
&
PONY
SODA
&
PONY
7
Relationships in The Outsiders
Relationship
What is the
relationship?
How are they alike?
Different?
Influences/Basis for
the relationship?
Is it a good or bad
relationship? Why?
DALLY
&
JOHNNY
DARRY
&
PONY
SOCS
&
GREASERS
8
The Outsiders Vocabulary Chapters 1-4
The definitions are provided for you. Knowing them is your responsibility.
Chapter 1





acquired: (v) obtained
unfathomable: (adj) unthinkable
rumble: (n) a large fist fight, usually between groups or gangs
gingerly: (adv) gently
sagely: (adv) wisely
Chapter 2





wince: (v) to cringe or flinch
incredulous: (adj) doubtful
nonchalantly: (adv) casually
vague: (adj) unclear
rebellious: (adj) disobedient
Chapter 3





gallantly: (adv) bravely, heroically
ornery: (adj) angry, disgruntled
aloofness: (adj) detachment
elite: (adj) superior in wealth and/or power
dumbfounded: (adj) shocked
Chapter 4
 unceasing: (adj) unending
 bootlegging: (v) illegally reproducing, transporting, and/or
selling goods
 defiance: (n) disobedience
 contempt: (n) hatred toward
 premonition: (n) intuition, forewarning feeling
9
The Outsiders-Chapter One Questions
1. How are the Socs and Greasers alike? How are they different?
2. What happens to Ponyboy on the way home from the movies? Why does this
happen?
3. How do the Greasers react when they find Ponyboy?
4. According to Sodapop, why does Darry get upset with Ponyboy?
5. How are Ponyboy and his brothers different from other hoods or greasers?
6. Literary Devices: Simile-- “Soda attracted girls like honey draws flies.”
What is being compared? What is the effect of this comparison?
7. Point of View—From whose point of view is this story being told? Who is our
narrator?
10
The Outsiders-Chapter Two Questions
1. How do Ponyboy and the Greasers spend their time?
2. Why does Dally break laws?
3. How do Cherry and Marcia differ in the way they handle the situation with
Dally at the drive-in?
4. Why it is surprising that Cherry is attracted to Dally?
5. What are the rules of a “fair” gang fight?
11
Chapter Two questions continued
6. What does Cherry mean when she says that things are rough all over? Does
Ponyboy agree with her? Explain.
7. Why do you think Ponyboy and the other Greasers resent the Socs?
Flashback: A Flashback is a device that an author uses to interrupt a story
in order to relate an event that has happened at an earlier time.
8. What past event does the author relate?
9. Why does the author use a flashback in this chapter?
10. Why is the information in the flashback important?
12
The Outsiders-Chapter Three Questions
1. According to Cherry, how are the Greasers and the Socs different? What makes
Ponyboy feel that they are not completely different?
2. How has life been unfair to the Greasers?
3. Why is Ponyboy’s comparison of Johnny to a puppy a good analogy?
4. Why does Two-Bit tear up Marcia’s phone number and how does this tie in with
Cherry and Ponyboy’s relationship at school?
5. When things go bad, we all have a choice to face them or to run away and face
them another day. When Ponyboy feels like running away, what does he think
of and how does he visualize it?
13
Chapter Three questions continued
6. What does Ponyboy mean when he says as he awakes in the field, “the stars
have moved”?
7. How does Darry react when Ponyboy finally comes home? Why does he act this
way?
8. What does Ponyboy decide to do to change his life? Why does he change his
mind?
9. Why do you think Ponyboy is happy to realize that both he and Cherry see the
same sunsets?
10. Cliffhanger: A cliffhanger is a device borrowed from silent serialized films in
which an episode ended at a moment of heightened tension or suspense. In a
book, it is usually placed at the end of a chapter to encourage the reader to
continue to the next part. What is the cliffhanger at the end of Chapter Three?
14
The Outsiders-Chapter Four Questions
1. Why do the Socs come looking for Ponyboy and Johnny?
2. What is the Soc’s definition of a Greaser? What is a Greaser’s definition of a
Soc?
3. Why does Johnny behave in an uncharacteristically violent way?
4. Why do Ponyboy and Johnny turn to Dally for help? What does he do for
them? Does this seem believable for Dally’s personality? Why or why not?
5. Why does Ponyboy feel that he and Johnny may be in hiding for the rest of
their lives?
15
Chapter Four questions continued
6. Do you think Ponyboy and Johnny have to run away? What other choices
could they make?
7. When Johnny and Ponyboy reach Windrixville, they try to look like farm
boys. Why is that so difficult? If they dressed differently, would people change
their opinions of the boys? Explain.
8. What do you think Darry and Sodapop will do when they discover Ponyboy is
missing? What might be happening in the Curtis household?
9. Irony: Irony is the opposite of what is expected. It is a twist of fate. There are
two examples of irony in this chapter pointed out by Ponyboy as he thinks about
being in Windrixville and the terrible situation he and Johnny are in. What are
they?
Johnny:
Ponyboy:
16
The Outsiders Vocabulary Chapters 5-8
The definitions are provided for you. Knowing them is your responsibility.
Chapter 5
 sullenly: (adv) gloomily; in a dull way
 indignant: (adj) strongly displease; angered; annoyed
Chapter 6
 conviction: (n) strong belief
Chapter 7
 mimicking: (v) imitating; making fun of someone by copying
them
 juvenile: (adj) young; immature
 divert: (v) turn aside; distract
Chapter 8
 abruptly: (adv) quickly; suddenly; in a hurry
 aimlessly: (v) without clear direction or intention
17
The Outsiders-Chapter Five Questions
1. How does Ponyboy feel when he awakes in the church?
2. In what ways does Johnny care for Ponyboy?
3. Why do the boys change their hairstyle? Why is this hard for them to do?
What does it symbolize?
4. How do the boys pass the time in the church?
5. Gone with the Wind is a romantic story about the South during the Civil War.
Why do you think Johnny enjoys reading it?
18
Chapter Five questions continued
6. How does Johnny feel about Dally? Why does he feel this way?
7. Name several pieces of information that Dally brings to the boys.
8. What do we learn from Soda?
19
Idioms
This novel includes many idioms-common expressions that do not mean exactly what they
literally say. Literal means “word for word.” Figurative means “not literal,” or characterized
by figures of speech or symbolic expressions. Write the literal meaning of each phrase in
Column 1 and the figurative meaning in Column 2.
Phrase/Page
Literal Meaning
Figurative Meaning
1.”never crack a book” p.2
2. “you’ve always got your nose in
book” p. 13
3. When you’re thirteen in our
neighborhood you know the score.”
p. 40
4. “He thinks I’m a pain in the neck.”
p. 42
5. “…the chips are always down when
it’s our turn…” p. 43
6. “Johnny let me look in the old
cracked mirror…I did a double take…”
p. 72
7. “We killed time by playing poker.”
p. 75
8. “I was dying for a Pepsi.” p. 78
9. “You look like you’ve been through
the mill.” p. 80
10. “We both got a little green around
the gills…” p. 83
Are there any idioms you have used or have heard that are not used above that
might relate to this story? What are they? What do they mean? Provide examples
below.
20
Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost
Close Reading:
1) Read "Nothing Gold Can Stay" silently.
2) Re-read "Nothing Gold Can Stay," and annotate the text as you read.
-Have a "conversation" with the text.
-Capture your thinking in the margins.
-Underline portions of the text that confuse you.
-Circle any words you don't know and look them up in the thesaurus.
3) Use the lines to the right of the poem to "translate" what the poem says to you.
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Sum up the message of “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” by writing a theme statement:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Respond to the following questions in a sentence or two.
1) Prior to the poem being mentioned, some characters have been described as being “gold” in some
fashion. Which characters are these, and at this point in the story what is their status?
2) How might the message of this poem foreshadow future events in the story?
21
Review Sheet for Chapters 1-5
1. Use your character graphic organizer to study what we know about the
following characters:
-Darry Curtis
-Sodapop Curtis
-Dallas Winston
-Ponyboy Curtis
-Two-Bit Matthews
*Be familiar with these characters also:
-Steve Randle
-Marcia
-Johnny Cade
-Cherry Valance
-Bob Sheldon
2. List the main differences between the Greasers and the Socs? Include
personality differences too.
Greasers
Socs
3. Be familiar with the plot, or the sequence of events in the book. This means if
you are behind on the reading, you should catch up! The questions from the
packet should be helpful to you while you are reviewing the plot
4. Pay attention to the name of the poem that Ponyboy recited to Johnny and
know the author. Also, know that S.E. Hinton is the author of The Outsiders.
5. Finally, review the vocabulary for Chapters 1-5.
Remember to study! I know you’re going to do great. Good luck!
22
Allusion in The Outsiders
For each of the following, go to the correct page and locate the passage where the underlined term appears. Copy
only the lines that are important to your understanding of the context of the allusion. Compare what is being said
in the passage to the images. Then write 2-3 sentences describing the significance of the allusion. What do these
terms tell us about our characters? The first one has been done for you.
Paul Newman: A great 20th Century Movie Star (p. 1)
1.
Passage: “I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was wishing I looked
like Paul Newman – he looks tough and I don’t” (Hinton 1).
Significance: Paul Newman was a popular Hollywood icon. We can assume that Ponyboy is walking
out of a Paul Newman movie. Ponyboy is wishing he could be as handsome as Paul Newman and by
making this statement it gets Ponyboy started on describing himself.
2.
Great Expectations: An 1861 Charles Dickens’ novel about an orphan named Pip. (p. 15)
Passage:
Significance:
23
3.
Elvis Presley “The King of Rock & Roll” (p. 37)
Passage:
Significance:
4.
The Beatles: They were a very popular British rock band & the first
to have a successful crossover tour into the United States. (p. 37)
Passage:
Significance:
24
5.
Hank Williams: A 20th century country music icon, singer/songwriter
known for his honky-tonk style. (p. 58 & 60)
Passage:
Significance:
6. Gone With the Wind: A 1937 Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the American Civil War. It is told
from the perspective of the South and emphasizes the grace and beauty of plantation life.
(p. 75)
Passage:
Significance:
25
The Outsiders-Chapter Six Questions
1. Why does Cherry decide to help the Greasers?
2. What does Johnny decide to do? Why does he reach this decision?
3. Why do Ponyboy and Johnny go into the burning church?
4. The church fire scene is dramatic and tense, but the author lightens the
tension with occasional touches of humor. Give at least two examples. Do these
incidents lighten the dramatic effect of the scene? Explain.
5. What happens to Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally because of the fire?
26
Chapter Six questions continued
6. How are Cherry Valance and Jerry Wood alike?
7. When does Ponyboy realize that Darry really loves him?
8. How does Ponyboy feel about his life now that he understands Darry?
27
The Outsiders-Chapter Seven Questions
1. Why are the television reporters interested in what has happened to Johnny?
2. What is Johnny’s physical condition after the fire? How does Ponyboy think
this will affect Johnny’s life?
3. What information does Ponyboy learn from the newspaper?
4. Why does Randy want to talk to Ponyboy?
5. Do you agree with what Randy says in his speech about parents? Explain.
28
Chapter Seven questions continued
6. Why doesn’t Randy want to fight in the upcoming rumble?
7. What important discovery about individuals do Randy and Ponyboy make
when they meet at the Tasty Freeze?
8. Define hero. Are Johnny, Dallas, and Ponyboy heroes? Explain. Who else
might be considered a hero in this book? Explain your answer.
9. Does the division between Greaser and Soc ever break down? Why?
10. Ponyboy says, “Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That
way you could tell the other guy was human too.” Explain what he means.
29
The Outsiders-Chapter Eight Questions
1. Why does the doctor allow the boys to see Johnny?
2. How does Johnny feel about his life? Is he happy with the way it has been lived
up to now?
3. What does Ponyboy mean when he considers, “Sixteen years on the streets and
you see a lot; but all the wrong sights, not the sights you want to see”?
4. Why does Johnny refuse to see his mother?
5. What is Dally doing to do with Two-Bit’s knife?
30
Chapter Eight questions continued
6. Two-Bit says, “…the only thing that keeps Darry from being a Soc is us.”
Explain this statement.
7. Why is Ponyboy upset with Cherry?
8. Cherry sees similar qualities in Dally and Bob. What are those qualities?
9. Do you think there could be any way to stop the fight between the Greasers and
the Socs? Why or why not?
31
The Outsiders Vocabulary Chapters 9-12
The definitions are provided for you. Knowing them is your responsibility.
Chapter 9
 Reputation: (n) what is generally believed or said about a person’s
character
 menace: (adj) a person whose actions are considered dangerous
 contracted: (adj) drawn together to make smaller
Chapter 10
 stupor: (n) being mentally or physically ‘checked out’
 bewildered: (adj) completely confused
 clad: (adj) dressed or covered
Chapters 11-12
 liable: (adj) likely
 circumstances: (n) existing conditions that affect the outcome
 veered: (v) turn suddenly
32
The Outsiders-Chapter Nine Questions
1. What preparations does Ponyboy make before the fight? Why does he do this?
2. Why is Darry concerned about Ponyboy’s involvement in the fight?
3. Why does Dally want Ponyboy to be tough and hard like him rather than be
like Johnny? Do you think Dally believes his own advice?
4. What does Johnny mean when he tells Ponyboy to “stay gold”?
33
Chapter Nine questions continued
5. Darry, Soda, Steve, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy all fight for different reasons.
What are the reasons for each of them? Are any of them valid reasons?
6. Why do you think Darry wants to fight Paul Holden?
7. Why is the fight so important to all the greasers and hoods? Why is it so
important to just the greasers?
8. The Greasers say that they “win” the rumble. Is this true in all senses of the
word? Explain your answer.
34
The Outsiders-Chapter Ten Questions
1. Why does Ponyboy keep repeating that Johnny isn’t dead?
2. What happens to Dally? Do you think he plans what happens to him?
3. How is Dally different from the other JD’s (juvenile delinquents) in Ponyboy’s
opinion?
4. Why does Ponyboy believe that other Greasers will end up like Dally?
5. Why is Dally so upset over Johnny’s death?
6. Why does Ponyboy end up in the hospital?
35
Chapter Ten questions continued
7. What does Ponyboy think about when he regains consciousness?
8. How have Ponyboy’s ideas about life changed since the beginning of the book
and the start of the rumble?
The Outsiders-Chapter Eleven Questions
1. What does Ponyboy realize when he looks at Bob’s picture? What does he realize
about people in general?
2. Why does Randy visit Ponyboy?
3. Why is Ponyboy worried about the judge’s decision at the hearing?
4. Why does Ponyboy keep saying that he killed Bob?
36
The Outsiders-Chapter Twelve Questions
1. Why does the judge’s question surprise Ponyboy?
2. What is the judge’s decision? What does this reveal about his character?
3. In the days following the hearing, Ponyboy and Darry continue to have
disagreements. Explain why Sodapop bolts from the room during the fight
between Ponyboy and Darry.
4. What does Ponyboy learn about himself from Soda’s outburst?
5. What effect does Johnny’s message have on Ponyboy?
6. Has Ponyboy changed and what is revealed when he picks up the glass pieces?
37
The Outsiders Slang
According to Mr. Webster (the dictionary that is), slang is language peculiar to a
particular group…an informal, non-standard vocabulary. The Outsiders seems very
real because author S.E. Hinton was able to use slang words to give the gang
members a true-to-life quality.
Some of the slang from The Outsiders is listed below. Many of the words cannot be
found in the dictionary, so you will have to get the meaning from the context of the
book.
Your Task:

Find each word in the book using the page numbers listed below and give
the book’s definition, based on the context clues.
Tuff (37)
Rank (37)
Woofing (53)
Gross (58)
Crocked (59)
Hoods (64)
Spooks (65)
38
Fuzz (80)
Heater (83)
Beefed (89)
Chicken (127)
Cooler (135)

Now, think of slang being used today. Name three slang terms that are
being used currently and provide a definition for each.
1.
2.
3.
39