Presentation
The sequence that I will consistently use with each chapter of The Outsiders is as follows: Guiding question with brief discussion (with review of preceding chapters); Reading for the gist and significant moments; Text-based discussion to determine that the aforementioned ideas are covered; Active interpretation of specific significant moments to enrich understanding or flesh out misinterpretations; Discussion of the action and its relevance to the text. In the section that follows, a scaffold of improv activities is used in relation to the significant moments in the text.
Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis of SE Hinton's The Outsiders with Improv Guide
From a characterization standpoint, The Outsiders is, at its core, about bonds—as in both loyalty and oppression. Though several conflicts drive the story forward, a careful reading reveals the true antagonist is society, and societal pressures influence each character in the story with a similar result—change. Some changes involve identity, while others are finite—death. In chapter one we are introduced, in first person, omniscient narration, to PonyBoy Curtis, an orphaned, book-smart, street-foolish greaser. Pony begins and ends the story with the same line, a trick that ties well to the Frost poem seen in chapter 5, "Nothing Gold Can Stay". The poem's main idea parallels the book's structure. Pony shares the main character role with Johnny, his family-neglected best friend. As Ponyboy is attacked, the ironically good-natured, mild-mannered Johnny stabs and kills Bob, a Soc, or 'privileged', yet lost young man, in order to save Pony. The pair flees to an abandoned church. When they leave to eat, a group of picnicking children enter the church, which catches on fire. Without hesitation, the boys run in to save the children, but Johnny is fatally injured. The story continues on, and the reader realizes the story ends and begins in the same place—with the cathartic power of reading and writing.
Lesson 1: Unit Introduction; Chapter 1 Reading; Silent Stills
Pre-Reading Discussion: What does it mean to be an outsider?
Answering this question requires a reader to be able to identify his or her own cultural preconceptions. Children are said to be "both constructed and constructive," which implies they are often not yet aware of the cultural influence that impact their thinking (18). When examining the concept of being an outsider, students should be questioned about their thinking, not told what to think. A concept mapthat allows students to visually identify ways in which they have individually been labeled will allow the student to take prior knowledge and later apply it to the book's many outsiders. (See Appendices: B) Students will be guided through interpreting the excerpt noted in the Interpretation Strategies section prior to beginning Chapter 1.
Significant Moments: 1) Pony is harassed by a group of Soc. He is frightened, but tries to fight back. He is pinned down and as they try to cut his 'greasy' hair, they cut him. He is saved by members of his own gang. 2) Pony talks to his brother, Soda, whom he adores, about dropping out of school—a fact that deeply upsets Pony.
Action: Silent Stills will be used on any student-identified emotion conveyed in the chapter.
Action Interpretation: How was your story emotion portrayal like or different from your own, original portrayal? Why? Can your real life affect what you see and feel in the text? How? Why?
Lesson 2: Chapter 2 Reading; Pantomime
Pre-Reading Discussion: What are the best character traits a human can have? The worst?
Significant Moments: 1) Cherry Valance, a pretty Soc with a kind heart and a realistic world view, is introduced as the core greaser gang sneaks into a movie. 2) Pony remembers, in vivid detail, the day when Johnny was severely beaten by the Soc.
Action: In pairs, students will begin to physically interpret the character's traits, such as individuality, courage, pride, respect, and their opposites; conformity, bravado, shame, arrogance, through Pantomime.
Lesson 3: Chapter 3 Reading; Mirroring
Pre-Reading Discussion: How do stereotypes divide people?
Significant Moments: 1) The metaphorical implication of this activity relates to the characters' labels. Though Soc is deemed better than greaser, many of the characters are emerging as mirror images of one another. In a literal way, some words are mirrored as well, such as in this exchange between Cherry, Two-Bit, and Ponyboy:
Cherry started walking down the street. "Maybe they won't see us. Act normal."
"Who's Acting?" Two-Bit grinned. "I'm a natural normal."
"Wish it was the other way around," I muttered." (19)
2) Also metaphorical is the mirror image of Pony, who thinks a Soc life is perfect, and Cherry, who befriends Pony, but then tells Pony not to talk to her if he sees her in school. She also states that she could fall in love with Dally, a character presented to this point as a vulgar greaser.
Action: As two characters who have been identified as opposites, yet show similar dispositions, such as Pony and Cherry, the students will take turns Mirroring each other's movements as they relate to the character's identified character trait.
Lesson 4: Chapter 4 Reading; Frozen Actor
Pre-Reading Discussion: Can anyone ever really win a fight? What is the real price of violence? (This question should be revisited after reading chapter 9, where Pony poses the question.)
Significant Moments: Johnny kills Bob to save Johnny. Dally emerges as helpful, caring.
Action: Due to the violence in the chapter, using Frozen Actor will allow the students to have control over the scene, but will grant the teacher control of the classroom. A possible scenario could be "Shape (chosen character) as you feel that he felt after the stabbing."
Lesson 5: Chapter 5 Reading; Tableau
Pre-Reading Discussion: Read and predict the poem-to-story relationship relevance of "Nothing Gold Can Stay". (20) Compare and contrast Isaac Canady's image to the poem. (See Appendices: A)
Significant Moments: Johnny and Pony are hiding out in the abandoned church. They discuss life, books, and Frost's poem.
In the excerpt at the top of the Overview section, Hinton's main characters are referring to Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay", which is strategically used within her text. How do I know her intention? I came to a logical decision about what the poem means and then applied that meaning to both the placement of the poem in the complete text of Hinton's book.
I first interpreted the poem's first line, "Nature's first green is gold" to mean that the first sign of springtime growth is precious, like gold. I expect that most of my students will arrive at this interpretation as well. After reading the poem again, I decided there might be a different meaning to the poem—a metaphorical one. Several interpretations refer to the poet's tree as a willow, which has golden buds and flowers before producing leaves. Others say that the plant is forsythia, which produces brilliant yellow flowers. I reject the notion that the poem is merely about nature and return to my original interpretation, though I agree that the particular plant is significant. My claim can be substantiated by referring to the sixth line, in which an allusion to the biblical Garden of Eden is made, thus adding the notion of demise or deterioration in a fallen state. The second and fourth lines imply a quick or fleeting life span. Also, the short poem comes full circle, beginning with the start of life and ending with 'nothing'. Note that Hinton's text follows a similar structure in her book—beginning where exactly where the story ends.
Students will be asked to think about why Hinton might have used the poem here.
The poem is used in chapter five to illuminate the events in previous chapters, as an allusion to an upcoming event in the book's text and the death of Johnny, but it also supports the book's theme of fleeting beauty and change. It also supports Hinton's storytelling style, to begin and end the same way.
Action: Student-chosen, book-based tableau in small-groups that uses Frost's poem, in some way, to connect to the story line.
Action Interpretation: How has the text motivated your tableau? How is interpreting a text related to performance?
Lesson 6: Chapter 6 Reading; Vignette
Pre-Reading Discussion: What makes you a hero? Are only dangerous acts heroic?
Significant Moments: Pony and Johnny rescue children from the burning church.
As most novels progress, characters undergo some form of change, or the author chooses to mask and then reveal elements of the character's disposition. To help students analyze a story's characters, a standard set of questions can be used: How would you characterize (name of character)? What evidence provides support for this judgment? Give an example of what the character says and does. Give an example of what is said to or about the character.
This chapter continues to turn Dally's character. Just before the fire, Johnny asks Dally, who has come to the hiding place to make sure that Pony and Johnny are doing well, if his parents have asked about him. Dally shows great emotion, both angry and protective, when he replies to Johnny.
Johnny's character also takes a turn. He decides to turn himself in, mostly for Pony's sake—moving him from a passive character, one who only reacts when pushed to do so, to an active character in charge of his own fate. When the trio returns to Jay Mountain, Johnny does not hesitate to run toward and into the fire to save the children inside, solidifying this newly-developed trait. Dally saves Pony and Johnny. A new character, Jerry, appears confused when Johnny tries to tell him what low-lifes the greasers are. Jerry states that he believes that the boys are "sent from heaven." (21)
Action: In Vignette form, teams will act out any portion of the chapter within one minute, placing emphasis on the characters' changes to this point in the novel. A 'then' and 'now' Tableau and/or Mirroring will also be used to help 'show' the characters changes over time. (See Lesson 2)
Lesson 7: Chapter 7 Reading; The Way It Is
Pre-Reading Discussion: What kinds of things make people change?
Significant Moments: Pony and Bob's best friend, Randy, reveals their humanity through understanding.
Action: Using The Way It Is, two characters of student choice talk while a small group performs silent actions that reflect a change or shift in what is going on in the speaking actors' parts. For example, while students act as Pony and Randy having a conversation, a small group of students might quietly revolve around the characters, interacting with the small group only, while demonstrating some aspect of the past turmoil that involved the characters.
Lesson 8: Chapter 8 Reading; Soliloquy
Pre-Reading Discussion: What role does tone of voice play in your life? Is dishonesty ever acceptable? When? Why?
Significant Moments: The gang visits Johnny in the hospital. Pony detects a tone in the doctor's voice that indicates that Johnny is dying. Pony feigns cheerfulness for Johnny's sake.
Action: Using the Soliloquy format, each student will perform a 100-150 word self-talk using their choice of book character, placing emphasis on vocal inflection to help capture the 'tone' created by Hinton.
Action Interpretation: The audience will be asked to give re-directorial advice to enhance a retake of the performance, paying special attention to tone of voice.
Lesson 9: Chapter 9 Reading; The Road Not Taken
Pre-Reading Discussion: What things have you done that you wish you had not? Why?
Significant Moments: 1) The greasers fight the Soc; Dally for Johnny's sake, though Johnny thinks it foolish. 2) Johnny dies, sending the characters into a stage of grief—each in his own way.
Action: Using The Road Not Taken a single actor will get into a self-selected character, but must react to the opposite action as the character's personality and habits dictate. This will allow students to create an alternative to the choices made by the characters in the book. Students will then read Robert Frost's, "The Road Not Taken" and, in small teams, debate as Pony, a gifted student, and Johnny, as to what the poem might mean.
Lesson 10: Chapter 10 Reading; Written Scene
Pre-Reading Discussion: Predict the outcome of the story citing evidence from the text for your answer.
Significant Moments: Dally chooses to entice the police to shoot him.
Action: Using Written Scene, groups of actors will act out any scene that includes Dally prior to this scene. Books may be used.
Lesson 11: Chapter 11-12 Reading; Montage
Pre-Reading Discussion: What role can you play in keeping violence out of your life?
Significant Moments: In chapter 11, Pony is ill and reflects on the tragic events and on humanity. In chapter 12, he begins to heal through writing. The last line of the book is the same as the first, bringing the story full circle.
Action: Using Montage, the entire class will create a chapter-by-chapter 'flash action', or 12, one minute chapter action summaries of the entire book. This will be practiced and filmed over multiple days.
Wrap-ups
Using Interview students will take turns being S.E. Hinton by answering questions about her style, intention, and the historical setting in which Hinton lived when creating The Outsiders. Questions will be used such as, "S.E., was it your intention to use 12 chapters to represent the span of a year? Why? What parts of your book demonstrate this idea? Did you model the structure of your book after Frost's poem? Why? How do they relate?"
Cast Party is the culminating event in which the whole group interacts as self-chosen characters in a party-like setting. This continues the use of improvisation while allowing students to feel proud of their growth as literary interpreters and actors.
Comments: