essay about the outsiders book

The Outsiders

S. e. hinton, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Divided Communities

Ponyboy stands in the middle of two major conflicts: the conflict between the Socs and greasers, and the conflict between Ponyboy and Darry within the Curtis family. In the gang conflict, the novel shows how the two groups focus on their differences—they dress differently, socialize differently, and hang out with different girls—and how this focus on superficial differences leads to hate and violence. Yet the novel also shows how the two groups depend on their…

Empathy, the ability to see things through another person's perspective, is central to the resolution of both the gang and the family conflict in The Outsiders . The two gangs' preoccupation with the appearance and class status of their rivals underscores the superficiality of their mutual hostility, which thrives on stereotypes and prejudice. Certain characters can see past the stereotypes, however. When Cherry befriends Ponyboy at the drive-in and insists that "things are rough all…

Preserving Childhood Innocence

The Outsiders shows the importance of preserving the hope, open-mindedness, and appreciation of beauty that are characteristic of childhood. Ponyboy's daydreams about the country, his appreciation of sunrises and sunsets , and his rescue of the children from the burning church distinguish him from other characters in the novel. These traits show that Ponyboy, unlike the other boys, still has preserved some of his childhood innocence. They also allow him to see beyond the shallow…

Self-Sacrifice and Honor

Despite the greasers' reputation as heartless young criminals, they live by a specific and honorable code of friendship, and there are many instances in which gang and family members make selfless choices. These choices often reflect a desire to make life better for the next generation of youths. Darry forfeited a college scholarship for a full-time manual labor job in order to support his younger brothers. Dally , who seems not to care about anything…

Individual Identity

Both the Socs and the greasers sacrifice their individuality to the styles and sentiments of their groups. Greasers, for example, wear their hair long and oiled, and share a common hostility toward the Socs.

At the start of the novel, Ponyboy is a dedicated greaser even though he knows that certain aspects of his personality make him different from the rest of the gang. The gang provides him with too great of a sense of…

The Outsiders

By s. e. hinton, the outsiders essay questions.

Compare the characters of Bob and Dally.

On the surface, Bob and Dally couldn't be more different. However, the two boys are linked together by the phrase, "Next time you want a broad, pick up your own kind." Right before the Socs attack Ponyboy and Johnny, in the fight that results in Johnny killing Bob, Bob states the reasoning for the attack. He wants the Greasers to know their place in society, and to stay away from Soc girls. Later, in Chapter 6, Dally echoes Bob's words when he explains that Cherry is acting as a spy for the Greasers, adding: "Man, next time I want a broad I'll pick up my own kind." Ponyboy remembers Bob saying this not even a week before. Both boys are victims of the violence between the Socs and the Greasers, and die before the story is over. They both have violent tendencies, look for fights, and end up losing their lives because of it; more important, both draw ideological lines in the sand.

Discuss the relationship between Johnny and Dally.

Johnny feels hero-worship toward Dally, and thinks of him as the most gallant of all the gang. Dally wants to protect Johnny and keep him from turning out the way he himself has. As they drive back to the church in Chapter 5, he explains, "You get hardened in jail. I don't want that to happen to you. Like it happened to me..." After Johnny dies, Dally reacts with uncharacteristic emotion. Ponyboy realizes that "Johnny was the only thing Dally loved. And now Johnny was gone."

Discuss the relationship between Ponyboy and Darry, and how it changes over the course of the novel.

At the beginning of the novel, Ponyboy resents Darry for being too strict and always bothering him for not using his head. He recognizes the sacrifices that Darry has made to raise his two little brothers, but still thinks Darry just doesn't care for him at all.

But in Chapter 5, when Soda and Darry come to the hospital, Ponyboy has a revelation. He sees his oldest brother cry for the first time in years - he didn't even cry at their parents' funeral - and realizes that "Darry did care about me, maybe as much as he cared about Soda, and because he cared he was trying too hard to make something of me." He understands that Darry is terrified of losing another person he loves, and wonders "how I could ever have thought him hard and unfeeling."

In Chapter 10, when Ponyboy wakes up momentarily, he asks Soda if Darry is sorry he's sick. He also worries throughout the chapter that maybe he didn't ask for Darry while he was delirious, but Soda finally confirms that he did. This concern for Darry's feelings is a huge change from the way Ponyboy regarded his oldest brother in the beginning of the novel. Now he is worried that, because deep down he feels he can relate better to Soda, he might have left Darry out in his unconscious babbling.

How do Ponyboy's feelings toward Randy reflect the conflict between the Socs and the Greasers?

At first, Ponyboy sees Randy as a violent Soc to be avoided; he is Marcia's boyfriend, and is involved in jumping the Greasers. But in Chapter 7, they have a conversation in Randy's car, and Randy explains why he is leaving town instead of attending the rumble. He says, "You can't win, even if you whip us. You'll still be where you were before - at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks. So it doesn't do any good, the fighting and the killing. It doesn't prove a thing. We'll forget it if you win, or if you don't. Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs." Ponyboy begins to see Randy as someone who can appreciate sunsets, and feels a connection to him regardless of their different social statuses.

However, in Chapter 11 when Randy comes to visit Ponyboy at home, Ponyboy's denial about Johnny's death and the events leading up to it cause a rift between the two boys again. Ponyboy decides, "He was just like all the rest of the Socs. Cold-blooded and mean."

What do Johnny's last words mean?

Johnny's last words echo in Chapter 12 when Ponyboy breaks a bottle to defend himself against the Socs. Two-Bit says, "Ponyboy, listen, don't get tough. You're not like the rest of us and don't try to be..." Ponyboy is confused by what Two-Bit means, since he felt nothing when the Socs approached him. But he proves that he is still "gold" by bending down to pick up the pieces of broken glass from the ground without even thinking about it.

How does Gone with the Wind represent an ideal for Johnny?

Johnny puts his last note to Ponyboy inside his copy of Gone with the Wind . The gallantry of the Southern gentlemen in the book, who rode to their certain deaths bravely, inspires Johnny and reminds him of Dally. This allows Ponyboy to see Dally in that light, too, and to consider that his death might have been gallant. Johnny dies as a result of rescuing children from the fire in the church, so in that way he lives up to the ideal in Gone with the Wind .

What is the difference between Ponyboy the narrator and Ponyboy the character?

It is always clear that Ponyboy is narrating The Outsiders from a point in the future, after the events of the story have taken place. However, this rift between narrator and character becomes definite in Chapter 11, when Ponyboy's pretending makes him an unreliable narrator for the first time in the story. When Randy comes to visit, Ponyboy says that he was the one who killed Bob, and that Johnny is not dead. He repeats it aloud to convince himself of it. But as narrator, he says, "Johnny didn't have anything to do with Bob's getting killed." The reader has depended upon Ponyboy's narration to dictate the events of the story, and now the frame of reference is thrown off, since we know he has moved into an alternate reality.

Discuss Ponyboy's "dreaming", particularly in regard to Johnny's death.

Ponyboy's reaction to Johnny's death has been foreshadowed by Ponyboy's tendency to create alternate realities for himself throughout the story, but the difference is that "this time my dreaming worked. I convinced myself that he wasn't dead." Throughout the story, Ponyboy creates these alternate realities in order to cope with situations he feels are unbearable. For instance, in Chapter 3 he dreams of a life in the country, with his parents still alive and Darry kind and caring again. What is important to note is that he concedes that his dreams are only dreams, and that he admits to use them as a mode of escape.

Describe how eyes are used as a characterization technique.

Ponyboy's view of other characters is often reflected by his interpretation of their eyes. For example, he says that "Darry's eyes are his own. He's got eyes that are like two pieces of pale blue-green ice. They've got a determined set to them, like the rest of him... he would be real handsome if his eyes weren't so cold." Darry's eyes reflect Ponyboy's view of his oldest brother as "hardly human." In contrast, Sodapop's eyes are "dark brown - lively, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can be gentle and sympathetic one moment and blazing with anger the next." Johnny is defined by his emotive eyes; the difference between his mother and him is clear to Ponyboy because of their eyes: "Johnnycake's eyes were fearful and sensitive; hers were cheap and hard."

In what way is The Outsiders a call to action?

The Outsiders ends with its own opening sentence, as Ponyboy begins to write his assignment for English class, and it becomes clear that the story the reader has just finished is the assignment itself. It is inspired by Johnny's letter to Ponyboy, in which he explains what he meant by his last words: "Stay gold." There is no reason for lives to be cut short because of senseless violence between the Greasers and the Socs. Ponyboy feels called to action by Johnny's note, and wants to save the lives of other hoods who might end up like Dally. In Chapter 12, this goal is underlined:

"There should be some help, someone should tell them before it was too late. Someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand then and wouldn't be so quick to judge a boy by the amount of hair oil he wore."

The Outsiders Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Outsiders is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

on what page does cherry has an emotional connection

Cherry no longer looked sick, only sad. "I'll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs. I'll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you've never even heard of. You want to know...

Chapter 7 through 9 questions

A) Soda and Sandy’s relationship is over because Sandy got pregnant and went to live with her grandmother in Florida.

"Look," Steve said, surprisingly angry, "does he have to draw you a picture? It was either that or get married, and her parents...

why do you think johhny wasn't scared, depsite the obvious danger?

Johnny is a sensitive boy. He cares for others, especially those that are helpless like the children. This is perhaps because he has felt so helpless in his own childhood. It is also probable their cigarettes started the fire.

Study Guide for The Outsiders

The Outsiders study guide contains a biography of author S. E. Hinton, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Outsiders
• The Outsiders Summary
• The Outsiders Video
• Character List

Essays for The Outsiders

The Outsiders essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Outsiders written by S. E. Hinton.

• Analysis of the American Reality, Possibility, and Dream found in "Nickel and Dimed" and "The Outsiders"
• Stay Gold, Ponyboy: Historical Models of Childhood in S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders
• The Socioeconomic Triggers of Juvenile Delinquency: Analysis of "The Outsiders"
• Greater Meanings in The Outsiders: A Theater, a Sunset, and a Novel

Lesson Plan for The Outsiders

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Outsiders
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Outsiders Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Outsiders

• Introduction
• Major characters
• Controversy
• Critical reception

Themes and Analysis

The outsiders, by s. e. hinton.

Throughout 'The Outsiders,' Hinton engages with very important themes, showcases some interesting symbols, and uses great examples of figurative language.

Article written by Juliet Ugo

Former Lecturer. Author of multiple books. Degree from University Of Nigeria, Nsukka.

There are many themes that can be found in the novel ‘ The Outsiders ‘. However, we are going to explore only empathy, divided communities, preserving childhood innocence, self-sacrifice and honour, and individual identity.

The Outsiders Themes

Divided communities.

Divided communities are a major theme of the novel as the story revolves around two major conflicts, which are- the conflict between the Socs and greasers and the conflict between Ponyboy and his brother Darry in the Curtis family.

In the conflict between the teenagers and their gangs, the novel shows how the two groups focus on their frivolous differences  – they dress differently, socialize differently, and hang out with different girls, and how all this leads to hate and violence. However, the story also shows how the two groups depend on their conflict for their continual existence. For example, the greasers live by a motto to “stick together” against the Socs. This means that without the conflict, the individual members of the two gangs might go their own way.

The other divided community in the story can be found in Ponyboy’s immediate family. The conflict between Darry and Ponyboy is aggravated by misunderstandings, just like that of Socs and Greasers. Just like the two gangs are unable to see past their superficial differences to their deeper similarities, Darry and Ponyboy’s limited views make them misunderstand each other’s actions. Ponyboy sees his brother’s desperate attempt to deliver him from the poverty and strife of their neighbourhood as antagonism, while Darry sees Ponyboy’s quest to escape his conflict-ridden existence as irresponsibility and lack of consideration.

The ability to see things through other people’s perspectives (empathy) is predominant in the resolution of both conflicts in ‘ The Outsiders ‘. The two gangs are engrossed with the appearance and class status of their rivals which underscores the superficiality of their mutual hostility. Cherry tried to draw empathy from Ponyboy at the drive-in when she insisted that “things are rough all over” and encouraged Ponyboy to see Socs as individuals. Randy added more strength to the argument when he told Ponyboy about Bob’s troubled life, making him have compassion for Socs as an individual. Sodapop helps Ponyboy recognize that Darry’s high expectations for him are a result of love.

Preserving Childhood Innocence

The book reveals the importance of preserving hope, open-mindedness, and appreciation of beauty that are typical of childhood. Ponyboy has traits that distinguish him from others in the gang, for instance, his love of sunrises and sunsets, his daydreams about the country, and his rescue of the children from the burning church. These traits show that Ponyboy, unlike the other boys, still has preserved some of his childhood innocence and allows him to see beyond the superficial hatred between the Socs and greasers.

Dally’s rough childhood made him tough and fearsome, and he seems not to care about anything though he has a soft spot for Johnny. Johnny represents the hope that Dally has lost, and Dally strives to protect Johnny from the forces that threaten to pull him into the cycle of violence that has enveloped Dally. Johnny’s dying words touch on this theme by referencing the Robert Frost poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”

The poem’s message that all beautiful things fade as time passes forces the two boys to realize that they can’t hide from the realities of growing up. ‘Stay gold’, Johnny’s dying words for Ponyboy and the greasers, is also a call for them to preserve the optimism, innocence, and hope of childhood no matter what they see in the world.

Self-sacrifice and Honour

Despite the greasers’ reputation as heartless young criminals, they live by a specific and honourable code of friendship, and there are many instances in which gang and family members make selfless choices. As an example, Darry relinquished a college scholarship so he can work a full-time manual labour job to support his younger brothers. Dally, who seems apathetic, shows great loyalty to and compassion for his friends and for strangers in need. He helps Johnny and Ponyboy run away to Windrixville after Bob’s stabbing and plays a major role in the rescue of kids from the church fire. 

Individual Identity

Ponyboy, the protagonist, is a committed member of the greasers though he knows that some of his personality traits make him different from others. The greasers provide him with too great of a sense of strength and safety, and he doesn’t want to consider life outside of it. But he thought deeply about this life and what he wants to do after Bob’s death.

Again, his conversations with Johnny, Cherry, and Randy make him reflect on the road his life is taking. He begins to question the reasons for the constant fights between Socs and greasers, and he thinks hard before joining his gang to participate in the rumble. His willingness to strike friendships with the Socs indicates the development of a distinct personal identity.

Bridging social classes

‘ The Outsiders ‘ tells the story of the tension between two rival gangs, the working-class greasers and the upper-class Socs. It finally showed that the two groups have more in common in spite of the inequalities between them. The focus of the novel is on social class issues, exemplified by confrontations between the lower-class greasers and the upper-class Socs.

Ponyboy didn’t have to do anything to provoke the Socs into ganging upon him. It’s not a personal or unusual attack as the Socs regularly beat up greasers, and the greasers retaliate. Ponyboy is astonished to find out that he shares similar ideas with Cherry. This shows readers that the Socs are not all the same, and also, there is a common bond across the social classes. The preexisting tensions between the gangs cause the Socs to want to punish Johnny and Ponyboy for associating with the Soc girls. Bob tries to force Ponyboy’s head underwater at the fountain, and Johnny stabs Bob.

Analysis of key moments in The Outsiders

• One of the key moments of ‘ The Outsiders ‘ is the church fire. An abandoned church catches fire when Johnny and Ponyboy are out. On their way back, they saw the fire and together with Dally, they saved the kids that were in the scorching church. They all sustained injuries there, which later led to Johnny’s death.
• Another key moment is when Dally dies. Dallas Winston died by robbing a convenience store after being all worked up about Johnny’s death and running from the police. Dally pulls out an unloaded gun and points it to the police, and the police shoot him, and he dies.
• Another one is when Bob dies. When Johnny Cade stabs Bob, they went to Dally Winston for advice on what to do to avoid being caught by the government or Socs. Dally gives Ponyboy and Johnny some dry clothes, a gun, and fifty dollars. Dally also told them about an abandoned church on the hill in Windrixville where they can go and hide. He also promised to check up on them later.
• The fight. The greasers and Socs take it out on each other and fight at a rumble, in a lot. There are two rules during a rumble: whoever leaves first loses and you cannot use any type of weapon or “prop”. A Soc throws Pony to the ground, and Darry immediately says, “Pony, you all right?” The Socs left the rumble first, so the greasers one.
• Johnny dies. Johnny Cade got some serious injuries after rescuing some kids from a church fire. He was rushed to the hospital, where his friends kept visiting him. After the rumble, Dally and Ponyboy go to the hospital to visit Johnny, as usual. Johnny was dying and said to Ponyboy as quoted , “Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold.” Johnny died right after he told Ponyboy to stay gold.
• Johnny Cade and Ponyboy Curtis, greasers, get jumped by five Socs at a park. Bob, a Soc, tries to drown Ponyboy in the fountain at the park. Johnny gets tackled by a Soc and flips out his switchblade, and stabs Bob with the blade.
• The Greasers go to the drive-in, meeting a cheerleader that is a Soc. Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally sit in plastic chairs at the drive-in. These two Socs girls, Cherry and Marcia, sit in front of the greasers and watch the movie. Dally disturbs the redhead cheerleader until she gets distracted from the movie and mad. Cherry turns around and yells at Dally to remove his feet from her chair.
• Ponyboy Curtis Gets jumped. This was the first main event in the novel. Ponyboy Curtis, a greaser, gets jumped by some Socs on his way back from a movie. But his friends and brothers come to save him by fighting the Socs. 

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language in The Outsiders

Throughout the book, you will notice that S. E. Hinton is a character writer instead of an idea writer. The author also uses a variety of literary devices in the novel. That’s why the opening of the book is a very detailed introduction to each character such that by the end of the book, the reader knows each character in more detail. Again, the characters’ names are particularly descriptive. For example, Ponyboy depicts an image of a youth becoming a cowboy; Sodapop shows a bubbly personality, while Dallas Winston creates the image of the combination of a Texas city and a famous cigarette brand. 

The importance of the setting in this book cannot be overemphasized as it is through their environment that the main characters are defined. Hinton used her town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the setting of this book, even though she never refers to the city by name. The figurative language used in ‘ The Outsiders ‘ is mostly metaphors and personification.

Analysis of the Symbols

Sunsets and sunrises.

In the book, sunrise and sunset depict the beauty and goodness in the world, especially after Johnny compares the gold in the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” to the gold of the sunrises and sunsets Ponyboy enjoys. Sunset also represents the humanity of all people, regardless of the gang to which they belong. When Cherry and Ponyboy were first discussing at the drive-in, they found out that they share similar interests in the enjoyment of the same sunset from their sides of town.

Greaser Hair

The symbol of the greasers, both to themselves and to others, is their long, slick hair gang. When Ponyboy and Johnny cut and dyed their hair when they ran away to hide after Bob’s death,  they were taking a symbolic step outside the gang conflict. This made Ponyboy feel less secure but also gained him a bit of room to develop his individuality.

The Blue Mustang

The blue Mustang is a symbol that shows two things: the wealth of the Socs and the danger posed to the greasers. Anytime Ponyboy or any other greaser spots the Mustang, he knows trouble is coming. Later in the novel, Ponyboy comes to understand and feel compassion for the Socs, and the Mustang loses some of its power to intimidate.

How does Two-Bit describe the Socs?

Two-Bit Matthews describes the upper-class gang known as Socs as those that tend to gang up on one or two people and also fight among themselves. This is unlike the lower-class gang, the Greasers who usually stick together, and when two members do get into an argument.

How are greasers and Socs different besides money?

Besides money, there are many differences between the socs and the greasers. The greasers have long, greasy hair, while the Socs generally have shorter hair. The greasers are poor and live on the bad side or east of town, unlike the socs who live on the good side or the west side of town.

Which character is Ponyboy’s oldest brother that takes care of him?

The character is a 20-year-old strong, athletic greaser called Darry. When Ponyboy’s parents die in a car accident, his oldest brother, Darrel Curtis, also known as “Darry,” quit school and passed on a scholarship to take care of his brothers. He works two jobs in order to meet the responsibility at home.

Is Two-Bit mean in The Outsiders ?

Keith “Two-Bit” Mathews is 18 and a half, still a Junior in high school, and also a supporting character in the book ‘ The Outsiders ‘. He is popularly called by his nickname is called Two-Bit because he never shuts his mouth and always has to add in his “two bits”. He is not mean but is rather a fun-loving person who loves to tell jokes.

What does Two-Bit’s switchblade symbolize?

Two-Bit Matthew’s switchblade is his possession of inestimable value. He treasures it so highly because of all that it represents to him. The switchblade represents the disregard for authority for which greasers traditionally pride themselves in many ways. Firstly, the blade is stolen; secondly, it gives a sense of individual power to the owner.

How old is Cherry Valance?

Cherry is a 16-year-old girl in ‘ The Outsiders ‘ by S. E. Hinton . She is described as very beautiful with red hair and green eyes.

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About Juliet Ugo

Juliet Ugo is an experienced content writer and a literature expert with a passion for the written word with over a decade of experience. She is particularly interested in analyzing books, and her insightful interpretations of various genres have made her a well-known authority in the field.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Outsiders — The Outsiders Compare And Contrast

The Outsiders Compare and Contrast

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Making Literary Analysis Engaging With Student-Created Companion Books

Literary analysis is rarely students’ favorite task, but having them write for their peers can make it more engaging.

The literary analysis essay is rarely a favorite among English language arts (ELA) teachers and their students. Creativity, student choice, relevance, and authentic audience seem more difficult to incorporate into this traditional, though ubiquitous, genre. 

This challenge is partly because students’ analytical essays rarely have an audience or purpose beyond the English classroom. I’ve tackled this challenge by incorporating technology and student collaboration, inviting students to create guidebooks or companion books for literature.

Many teachers have developed and adapted the companion book strategy to suit their goals and needs, but the following approach is what I’ve found most successful. The activity has made literary analysis a favorite among my students.

Companion Book Basics

Companion books accompany and elaborate on already-published texts (books, series, movies, video games, or TV shows). They target an audience who has already read—and enjoyed—the text but want to know more about it or wish it never ended. 

Companion books aim to provide readers a deeper understanding of concepts in the original work. They give information and teach readers about ideas, concepts, or references they may have missed. Fans of many famous series ( Star Wars , Harry Potter , Marvel comics, etc.) have long made companion books, like the subgenre of “ fanfic ” that supplements these popular texts.

How to make it work

While students will likely balk at the task of writing an essay on the theme of The Outsiders , an assignment to collaborate with classmates and contribute a few chapters for a companion book to The Outsiders can almost sound fun, especially if students get to choose the focus of their own chapters (e.g., “Symbolism and Staying Gold” and “Foreshadowing Death”). I have my students draft a few potential tables of contents for their collaborative companion books and then divvy up the chapters based on who wants to write what. This way, I can still give them individual grades based only on their contributed chapters. 

It’s all the more enjoyable and meaningful if they are able to publish their work. I find Canva for Education is ideal, but I’ve also used Book Creator and other means of publication both digitally and in print. Our librarian supports our book-signing events in the school library, complete with barcoding and shelving students’ companion books—making them real, published authors who are searchable in our library database. I get to enjoy watching current students find and read the companion books of previous students on the library shelves.

Where to start

My favorite way to make this project a success is to have my students do this writing without even knowing it; by the time I present them with the task to write an entire companion book, the bulk of their writing is already done. 

I have them capture some written thoughts as they read a text (be it a whole-class novel, literature circle book, or independent choice book), but I never collect or grade this writing. I call it their “Deep Thoughts Notebook,” and I typically use Notice & Note signposts or other prompts that can work with any text to elicit deep thinking about reading—not just surface-level summaries. 

It’s downright fun when I task students with writing an entire book (cue tween outrage) and then tell them the good news that they’ve pretty much already written it. Each entry in their notebooks could easily become an interesting chapter in a companion book, and they’ve already quoted, cited, and elaborated on their unique thoughts about the text.

Infinite possibilities

Companion books are versatile and easily adaptable. The simplest way to incorporate collaborative companion books into the ELA classroom is with a whole-class novel. (My students have written companion books titled Inside The Outsiders , To Kill a Mockingbird: A Companion , and Everyone’s Monster: A Guide to A Monster Calls ).  

However, I do very few whole-class novel studies and have still used companion books to suit many ELA endeavors in lieu of the formal, traditional literary analysis essay. Companion books work with literature circles, short stories, author studies, and more. This year, I even had two seventh-grade ultra-fans of the Wings of Fire books write their own companion guide to this series, which they read independently throughout the year; they’d never been more motivated or productive readers and writers. 

What’s more, companion books don’t need to be collaborative. Individual students can work throughout the year on their book as a long-term project. 

Final tip for success

Be sure to clarify that the purpose of a companion book is not to simply summarize the original text. The content of companion books should look much more like a formal literary analysis than a book report. To engender the depth and quality of writing comparable to that of a literary analysis essay, provide examples of companion books, and have students determine how they are similar to and different from other forms of writing. 

Students should be able to readily observe that companion books do very little summarizing and instead function much like analysis—they cite and elaborate on direct quotes from the text that are highly relevant to the particular focus of the chapter, and they are bookended by a formal introduction and conclusion, to name just several features. 

I like to help students embrace the specific purpose and audience of companion books by explaining what I call the “ Easter egg effect.” I tell them: “Your readers don’t need you to tell them the basics of the text—they already know the main characters and setting and plot. But what did you notice, and think they probably missed? A true analysis reveals something through detailed examination. What’s your hot take? What Easter eggs will your writing reveal?” 

This framing focuses both their reading of the text and their writing about it.

The Significance of the Fifth Amendment in American Law

This essay is about the importance of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It outlines the amendment’s key provisions, including protection against self-incrimination, the right to due process, the prohibition of double jeopardy, requirements for grand juries in serious criminal cases, and the takings clause related to property rights. The essay explains how these protections ensure fairness and justice within the legal system, safeguard individual liberties, and prevent abuses of power by the state. It also discusses the historical context and enduring relevance of the Fifth Amendment in modern American law.

How it works

The Fifth Amendment within the United States Constitution occupies a sui generis and indispensable niche in American jurisprudence, furnishing pivotal safeguards that uphold the sanctity of the legal framework and fortify individual liberties. Ratified in 1791 as an integral component of the Bill of Rights, the Fifth Amendment encompasses several cardinal stipulations: the entitlement to due process, immunity from self-incrimination, proscription of dual jeopardy, requisites for grand juries in grave criminal cases, and the takings clause related to property rights. These elements synergize to engender equity and rectitude, erecting a bulwark against potential encroachments by the state.

One of the most well-known aspects of the Fifth Amendment is the protection against self-incrimination. This clause allows individuals to refuse to answer questions or provide information that could entangle them in criminal activity. The renowned phrase “pleading the Fifth” derives from this provision. The ethos underpinning this safeguard is unambiguous: no individual should be coerced into bearing witness against themselves. This precaution is imperative in forestalling coerced admissions and ensuring that any avowals of culpability are voluntary. The prerogative to maintain silence aids in preserving the equilibrium of power between the individual and the state, forestalling governmental overreach during interrogations and legal proceedings.

Equally momentous is the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment, which warrants that no person shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” This precept mandates that the government must adhere to equitable procedures and legal norms before meting out punitive measures or divesting an individual of their property. The due process clause constitutes a cornerstone of American legal doctrine, ensuring that everyone receives equitable treatment under the law. It upholds the tenet that the government cannot act capriciously and must honor the legal entitlements of individuals. This clause is pivotal in safeguarding citizens from unwarranted incarceration, securing equitable trials, and preserving the overarching integrity of the judiciary.

The Fifth Amendment also furnishes protection against dual jeopardy, a provision that precludes subjecting an individual to multiple trials for the same transgression. Once an individual has been absolved or convicted, they are immunized from further prosecution for the same offense. This shield is indispensable in averting harassment and ensuring conclusiveness in the legal process. Absent this safeguard, individuals could be subjected to interminable prosecutions, which would not only be inequitable but also impose a severe strain on the judicial apparatus. The proscription against dual jeopardy fosters equity by ensuring that once a legal matter is adjudicated, it cannot be arbitrarily reopened, furnishing individuals with peace of mind and legal certitude.

Property prerogatives constitute another consequential focal point of the Fifth Amendment, chiefly through the takings clause. This clause stipulates that private property cannot be expropriated for public use sans equitable compensation. Essentially, if the government necessitates acquiring private lands for communal projects, such as constructing thoroughfares or educational institutions, it must remunerate the property proprietors fairly. This provision strikes a balance between communal exigencies and individual rights, ensuring that property proprietors are not unfairly divested of their assets. The takings clause is vital in maintaining a fair process for eminent domain matters, shielding individuals from potential governmental overreach.

The imperative for grand juries in severe criminal cases is also a pivotal facet of the Fifth Amendment. Before an individual can be arraigned for a grave crime, a grand jury must scrutinize the evidence and adjudge whether there exists adequate cause to proceed with prosecution. This procedure serves as a preliminary check on the government’s authority to prefer charges and prosecute, warranting that there is a substantive basis for the allegations. Grand juries aid in averting baseless or politically motivated prosecutions, shielding individuals against unjust legal proceedings and upholding the precept of accountability within the judicial framework.

The Fifth Amendment’s repercussions transcend its specific clauses; it has profoundly molded American legal conventions and jurisprudence. Precedent-setting Supreme Court rulings have elucidated and broadened its purview, configuring the construal and implementation of its safeguards. For instance, in Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the Supreme Court decreed that individuals must be apprised of their entitlements, including the prerogative to maintain silence and the entitlement to legal representation, prior to police interrogations. This verdict underscored the significance of the Fifth Amendment’s immunity from self-incrimination, evolving into a fundamental facet of American criminal procedural law and warranting that individuals are cognizant of their entitlements during legal encounters.

Public faith in the legal apparatus is buttressed by the Fifth Amendment’s safeguards. By vouchsafing equitable treatment and due process, it bolsters trust in the judiciary. These safeguards function as a check on governmental authority, preventing potential excesses and ensuring that justice is dispensed impartially. The amendment’s stipulations are not mere legal technicalities; they are foundational principles that mirror the American commitment to justice and the rule of law.

Reflecting on the historical milieu of the Fifth Amendment, it is evident that its architects were profoundly concerned with preserving individual rights and precluding governmental transgressions. The amendment’s incorporation into the Bill of Rights underscores the significance attributed to these safeguards by the nation’s framers. They apprehended the potential for governmental encroachments and endeavored to forge a framework that would safeguard citizens’ liberties while facilitating an efficacious and equitable legal apparatus.

In contemporary times, the Fifth Amendment endures as pertinent and indispensable. Its safeguards are invoked across a spectrum of legal contexts, from high-profile criminal cases to routine legal proceedings. The principles it enshrines remain foundational to the American legal framework, embodying a persistent commitment to individual rights and justice.

In summation, the Fifth Amendment constitutes a vital segment of American constitutional jurisprudence, furnishing indispensable safeguards that uphold equity, justice, and individual liberties. Its provisions against self-incrimination, dual jeopardy, arbitrary deprivation of life, liberty, or property, and its requisites for grand juries and equitable compensation in property cases are pivotal in preserving the integrity of the legal framework. These protections help ensure that the government operates within the strictures of the law, respecting individuals’ rights, and averting potential abuses of authority. The Fifth Amendment’s legacy stands as a testament to the enduring importance of these principles in the American legal panorama, accentuating the nation’s commitment to justice and the rule of law.

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Is print dead? Not at this indie bookstore publishing L.A.’s untold stories

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On a Saturday evening in late April, the door of the Libros Lincoln Heights is propped open. Inside, 18 local poets pack the narrow single-room bookstore, waiting for a chance to read a poem or two at this month’s open mic in front of an enthusiastic audience.

Donato Martinez, an English professor at Santa Ana College, is the third poet to take the podium. He reads from a stack of loose papers, his hands moving in time with the stanzas he spits like rap bars.

“All street vendors are allowed. / taco stands that never get shut down / Free zone any time / Patrolled by our own. That means Elotes. Churros. Bacon wrapped hot dogs / Fruit cocktails anytime,” Martinez recites from his new poem, titled “If I Was God I Would Visit the Hood.”

The audience snaps and hums, layering their own harmony over the soft whir of the ceiling fan and the cars rushing down North Broadway.

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Martinez’s poetry collection “Touch the Sky” can be found on the surrounding shelves, along with collections from three other of the night’s readers. Their presence speaks to the driving ethos behind the Libros: 80% to 90% of the merchandise on the bookstore’s mismatched shelves are written by residents of Lincoln Heights and nearby neighborhoods.

“I don’t just have one little shelf for local authors. The whole place is local authors,” Jesse Marez, the owner of the Libros, said. “It blends in with the neighborhood.”

Marez, an electrical engineer by trade and lifelong book lover, opened the Libros last November, in an effort to consolidate the bookshelves he’d been curating at cafes across the Eastside since late 2021. He estimates that it is the first bookstore in Lincoln Heights in upwards of 70 years.

A sticker for the Libros on the doorway of the shop.

Beverages at the open mic poetry reading.

Growing up in Lincoln Heights and neighboring El Sereno, where his family settled after immigrating from Mexico in 1969, Marez experienced this paucity firsthand. Now he’s determined to be at least one place where local authors can share their stories and readers can find a book across a variety of languages and genres.

“We didn’t grow up going to a bookstore or having books, so for me I think it’s valuable for a child,” Marez paused, ducking his head to wipe away tears. “I think it’s important for them to know they can have a book of their own, and it not to be a used book because we’re all used to hand-me-downs. I think in a neighborhood like this, people need to know that they can get a new book, especially at an early age.”

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In the months since opening, the Libros has become a neighborhood hub, spotlighting books and authors that can’t always be found on the shelves of other bookstores. Collections of self-published poetry and family histories of Lincoln Heights sit alongside multi-award-winning books by Viet Thanh Nguyen and Kelly Lytle Hernández (also L.A. residents). On a table in the center of the room are copies of “Violet’s First Big Goodbye,” a picture book written by the bookstore’s youngest author, 8-year-old Luna Yanez-Cuestas.

Yanez-Cuestas, who lives in Burbank, wrote and self-published the book with her mother, Adriana Cuestas, to share the grief she felt after saying goodbye to her old neighborhood.

“It’s about saying goodbye to what you really love,” Yanez-Cuestas said.

Customers come to the store for this wide selection of books, many of which have been signed by their authors. Marez said most of the books sell quickly because they are local.

Readers aren’t the only ones who frequent the store. Authors regularly stop by with books tucked under their arms, shyly asking whether Marez will sell their memoir or poetry collection. His answer is always an enthusiastic yes, even as shelf space becomes increasingly limited.

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Marez has a knack for finding local writers, too. He met Lluvia Arras, L.A.-based author of “A Kids Book About Blended Families,” when their sons were playing soccer together. A few months later, he connected with Joseph Robledo at an exhibit on the Olympic Auditorium at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

Robledo is the author of “Blood on the Canvas,” a book commemorating his father, local boxing legend Canto ‘TNT’ Robledo. The son of Mexican immigrants, the elder Robledo became an amateur boxer at 15, turned pro at 16 and won the Pacific Coast Bantamweight Championship at 19. He was on his way to the world championship when a series of injuries left him permanently blind.

“Blood on the Canvas,” guides readers through backyard gyms in South Pasadena to the World Boxing Hall of Fame to tell the story of his father’s transformation from would-be champion to inspirational trainer who touched the lives of hundreds.

Attendees place their poems on plants outside the Libros bookshop.

Meeting authors like Robledo and Arras has drawn Marez into L.A.’s literary world and taught him tricks of a trade that is often opaque to outsiders.

Behind each book on the store’s shelves is a journey scattered with roadblocks. It’s challenging to break into the mainstream publishing world and, according to a new survey , the industry remains overwhelmingly white.

“I was obsessed with self-publishing because I thought based on how I hear things go for authors in our society, it just didn’t seem fair to give such a big part of your work to another person,” said Cuestas.

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For these reasons, authors like Cuestas turn to independent or self-publishing to get their books out into the world. The latter, which has recently become increasingly popular, gives authors creative control and the potential to earn a greater share of the profits, said Brenda Vaca, an author based in Whittier who created her own publishing house to publish her poetry collection titled “Riot of Roses.”

But that creative control comes at the cost of donning all the hats: writer, publisher, distributor and marketer. Stewart J. Zully, who self-published a memoir about the 40 years he spent vending in Yankee Stadium, says he’s spent a large part of his writing career hustling alone and hoping for a break.

“The creativity and the work [to get] it done is one side of the brain and then the business side is completely different,” Zully said.

At the Libros, Marez is trying to lift a few of these hats off the authors’ heads by launching his own publishing company, Legacy Publications.

“What we’re trying to do is help these authors with the distribution and the printing and the publishing,” he said. “Because they’re more worried about how to make a dollar or how to do the distribution, where they should be worried about their second book.”

Like the bookstore, Legacy Publications is deeply rooted in Marez’s pride for the Eastside neighborhoods he grew up in.

“I want to feature people that have actually made our community,” Marez said. “We want to talk about people who have left a legacy in our neighborhoods.’”

In launching this new branch of the business, Marez aims to highlight local voices, help authors make a profit and ensure the books themselves are made with high-quality materials. He prioritizes working with local printers such as Litho Press and Paperleaf Press and plans to release at least three books by the new year.

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In his dual roles, Marez is filling Lincoln Heights with books that take readers to distant countries and eras, opening up new worlds. Alongside them, are stories that bring readers home with untold histories of the neighborhoods that have raised them and their families. The authors themselves find solace in knowing that, at least at the Libros, their books will be read and shared.

“Our books, they don’t appear at Barnes & Noble,” Martinez said, referencing how stories by authors of color have largely been kept out of mainstream publishing, and thus bookstores, for generations. “I wish they did and I think our stories belong there. If they’re not at Barnes & Noble, we need these independent bookstores to house our books. We support Libros and then Libros provides a safe space for the writers and poets. I think that right there is a relationship.”

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Claire O’Callahan is the features and wellness intern for the Los Angeles Times this spring. She is a senior at Occidental College, where she is majoring in critical theory and social justice. Before joining The Times, O’Callahan freelanced for the Eastsider and the Berkshire Eagle, covering independent bookstores, street art, food sovereignty and more. She also wrote and edited the campus news beat for her college newspaper, the Occidental.

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Military History

Let’s Not Do Another Civil War if We Can Help It, OK?

Three new books show us why the United States should do everything it can to nip the possibility in the bud.

A portion of the border wall between the United States and Mexico in 2021. Credit... Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times

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By Thomas E. Ricks

Thomas E. Ricks, the Book Review’s military history columnist, is the author of nine books. Most of them are about military affairs, but the next, scheduled to be published in June, is a mystery set on the Maine coast titled “Everyone Knows but You.”

• May 19, 2024

As we approach this November’s presidential election, “blood bath” is quickly becoming one of Donald Trump’s favorite new terms . If he does not take the White House, there will be a “blood bath” in the auto industry. President Biden’s immigration policies are causing a “blood bath” at the U.S. border with Mexico. In some corners, this imagery is understood as a threat: What will Trump supporters do if their favored candidate does not win? He has repeatedly suggested that violent unrest could follow his defeat. Would it be a reprise of the American Civil War?

If any contemporary historian can give us a clue, it might be Alan Taylor. In AMERICAN CIVIL WARS: A Continental History, 1850-1873 (Norton, 534 pp., $39.99), Taylor, a University of Virginia historian who has won the Pulitzer Prize twice, takes a broad look at the lead-up to and aftermath of the older conflict, including the way it transformed life in Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.

Does this wide scope work? Yes and no. I don’t think this book makes us look at the Civil War in a new way, but Taylor is persuasive in his assertion that the American conflict shaped the entire continent. “The United States emerged from the war with a stronger federal government and greater military potential,” he concludes. “Intimidated by that enhanced power, Russians sold Alaska, the Spanish bolted from Santo Domingo and the French withdrew their forces from Mexico.”

“American Civil Wars” also dwells on how the signs of a coming Union victory encouraged the creation of the nation of Canada from a diverse collection of British-held provinces on the northern border of the United States. (Now that the United States is a global power, any civil conflict in America would ripple around the world. Think of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, when lingering divisions over the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal made the U.S. government look weak and distracted; now imagine that on steroids.)

Taylor is a formidable historian and masterly writer. He briskly disposes of some persistent myths about the Civil War. If the fighting really was about states’ rights, he asks, why did the Confederate constitution ban its states from ever abolishing slavery? On the subject of Confederate fears of race mixing, he states flatly that “after centuries of sexually exploiting enslaved women, Southern whites projected their behavior onto Blacks.”

As for anyone who believes that the current turbulence on the U.S.-Mexican border is an anomaly, they will be edified by Taylor’s account of how Texans attacked Mexico for offering freedom to runaway slaves. During the early 1850s, he notes, about 4,000 enslaved people made it across the Texas border to freedom. In response, some 111 Texas Rangers rode across the Rio Grande to “attack, loot and burn the fugitive haven at Piedras Negras.”

After the Civil War, the U.S. Army general Philip Sheridan helped Mexican revolutionaries access 30,000 modern rifles, stockpiling them within easy reach along the Rio Grande in Texas. American weapons manufacturers were eager to sell off their excess inventory, which, Taylor writes, had been “refined in the recent blood bath.”

The historian and retired U.S. Army officer Thomas Ty Smith picks up the story of trouble on the border in THE GARZA WAR IN SOUTH TEXAS: A Military History, 1890-1893 (University of Oklahoma Press, 172 pp., $29.95). Despite all the talk today of an “invasion” coming up from Mexico, his short study is a useful reminder that havoc often has flowed southward across the border. In the early 1890s, the Mexican government was again deeply frustrated with the failure of the American government to stop cross-border incursions by Mexican revolutionaries who enjoyed sanctuary in some parts of Texas.

“The Garza War in South Texas” makes clear that, if there were another violent fracture on this continent today, we’d be lucky to have only two sides to the conflict. Civilian leaders near the border were often at odds with U.S. Army personnel, who in turn, notes Smith, thought many U.S. marshals were overly sympathetic to the revolutionaries. Officials in two Texas border counties brought charges against an Army officer, accusing him of conducting warrantless searches and arresting innocent people in the hunt for rebels. Meanwhile, one of the local scouts employed by the Army was arrested as an insurrectionist.

All civil conflict is complex, but few civil wars were so agonizingly byzantine as the Russian civil war that erupted as World War I ended and the Bolsheviks rose to power. In A NASTY LITTLE WAR: The Western Intervention Into the Russian Civil War (Basic Books, 366 pp., $32), Anna Reid, a former Ukraine correspondent for The Economist and The Daily Telegraph, focuses on the efforts led by France, the United States and, most of all, the British to support anti-Bolshevik forces in that fight.

Despite the book’s title, it was not a small campaign. Some 180,000 soldiers from 16 Allied nations were sent to try to prevent a Red victory. The Americans were fresh-faced newcomers; the British troops, by contrast, were those unfit for duty on the Western Front, “mostly wounded, gassed or otherwise unhealthy,” writes Reid.

No one was happy to be there. Not only did the largely czarist White Army suffer multiple troop rebellions, one of the White units that was led by British officers rose up and killed their Western European commanders. French sailors aboard two ships off the Crimean Peninsula mutinied, pulled down the tricolor, ran up the Red flag and then went ashore to join a pro-Bolshevik demonstration. There was even a renegade German army operating in Estonia, which declined to cooperate with the Allied commanders to whom they had just surrendered in the previous war.

All this insubordination went on despite the extreme acts of violence some used to try to keep order. One of the White generals in Crimea was Yakov Slashchyov, “a psychopathic cocaine addict who rode about with a caged crow attached to his saddle.” On a single morning, he seems to have left the bodies of 200 soldiers “shot in the back of the head” on a train platform. By evening, more corpses had been strung up from the station’s lampposts.

What, if anything, does all this tell us about Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine? “Outsiders,” Reid notes, “often get Russia spectacularly wrong.” But there is another, less apparent lesson to be learned: “Putin will fail for the same reason that the Whites did: because he underestimates the desire for freedom of the non-Russian nations.” A good lesson, too, for anyone today who thinks they can impose their vision of America on others through violence and intimidation.

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