Character Analysis of Ponyboy in The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Ponyboy was walking home from another movie. That’s when he saw the blue mustang following him. Not long after, the same mustang pulled up next to him and four guys got out. These four guys happened to be Socs, Ponyboy’s foes. Ponyboy Curtis is part of the Greasers, a rival to the Socs. Then those four guys were very pugnacious, and jumped Ponyboy. Ponyboy is from the book The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. I chose to write about Ponyboy because he is the youngest in the gang and also the youngest of his family; he’s 14. His one brother, Sodapop Curtis, is 16. And his other brother, Darry Curtis, is 20, and is always saying, “You never use your head,” like when they found him after the Socs jumped him. I like Ponyboy because he never gives up. Someone I think is similar to Ponyboy is me. I’m adventurous like him and I don’t give up easily.
Although Ponyboy doesn’t give up easily at the beginning of the book he is kind of modest. He is very book smart and likes to read. He does well in school too. “You always have your nose in a book” is one thing Darry tells him sometimes. One thing he’s not is street smart. He never carries a knife, even when he’s walking, alone. And when your part of the Greasers, it’s a good thing to carry a knife. These examples show that Ponyboy is a smart kid, but not always.
Ponyboy is not always smart because at the end of the book Ponyboy does worse in school and is acting like Johnny never died. Ponyboy keeps telling himself that Johnny never died and that he killed the Soc, not Johnny. He keeps telling himself this because he thinks that if he keeps repeating it, he will actually think it’s real. This change is important because in the court he says what he thinks, not the truth, and the grades he gets in school almost get him held back. Another reason this change is important is because he starts “living in a bubble.”
At the end of the book Ponyboy “lives in a bubble” Darry says. Ponyboy changed because of Johnny’s and Dally’s deaths. After they die he just “stops living.” Ponyboy’s change is for the worse of him. After all he goes through Darry still yells at him at the end. The rest of the gang got through the two deaths but Ponyboy was the only one that wasn’t.
Finally, I think that if the book continued that Ponyboy would write the theme and he would start doing better in school. I think that he would accept the fact that Johnny and Dally were dead and just keep living his life. I think this because he knew the whole time that Johnny was dead even though he told himself that he wasn’t. Also at the end of the book he thinks of Johnny and says that this time it doesn’t hurt. Then he just thinks and finally starts the theme.

The Walking Taco

Have you ever heard of a taco that can walk! Well I have. His name is walking taco. He liked to be different then all the other tacos. He would walk everywhere. The only place he wouldn't walk, was the cafeteria. If he ever set foot in the cafeteria he would be eaten by a student. But one day he lost something of his. He didn't know where it was, he looked everywhere. Then he knew, it was in the cafeteria. He knew to stay away but that thing that he lost, it was very important to him. But he knew that the cafeteria was dangerous so he tried to see if he could see it from outside the cafeteria, where he was safe. Then he saw it, right there, right in the middle of the cafeteria. When the kids left the cafeteria it was locked so the only way he could get in was when the kids were still there. So then finally he got the courage to step in the cafeteria. Then the second he touched the cafeteria floor he was picked up and thrown in the garbage because he "fell on the floor."

Does Patriotism Still Matter?

What does patriotism mean to you? To me it means fair and equal rights to everyone. It doesn’t matter if they are of a different race, religion, sexual orientation, or even if someone is homeless. Patriotism means respect for laws, officials, and especially the president. Right now, not all the country is patriotic.
People sometimes get thrown out of the army or air force or any military placement if they are gay. People all over the country also commit suicide because they are made fun of if they are gay. Major Margaret Witt, from Tacoma, Washington, was kicked out of the air force because someone told that she was gay. Countless teens have committed suicide because they are made fun of. Tyler Clementi, 18, for example, jumped off a bridge because he was made fun of. Many more have hanged themselves, for example, Billy Lucas of Indiana, who was only 15!
Not all religions are respected either. Some religions don’t have a place to worship or pray or anything. Could you imagine if you were someone who went to church every day? Then you move to another country. This country doesn’t have a church for you. What would you do? I would definitely want a church to be built.
Another part of patriotism is being loyal to your country. Soldiers are very patriotic. They put their lives on the line everyday to fight for peace. Some people are not loyal to their country though. Some people go to the enemy and give them information. These are people that don’t like the president or the country. They think the enemy will like them more, so they go to them. They give the enemy useful information about the country that that person came from. So for this reason patriots are very important and still matter because otherwise more and more people could go to the enemy.
So as you can see patriotism is very important. Without it, people don’t necessarily have equal rights. It doesn’t matter if you are a different race, religion, sexual orientation, or homeless. Everyone should get equal rights. Without patriots fighting for our country, people could invade and take over our country. Are you a patriot?

Eli’s Lie

They were driving in the car to the Whitehill Preparatory school for boys. Eli was in the front seat next to Ben Barkly, the chuffer. Dr. and Mrs. Remenzel were in the back. Eli is the child of Dr. and Mrs. Remenzel; he is from the short story “The Lie” by Kurt Vonnegut. The lesson in this story is your name doesn’t entitle you to anything; you have to earn it yourself.
The characters in this story are Dr. and Mrs. Remenzel; they earned everything they got. Dr. Remenzel is a “massive, dignified man, a physician.” He is a very rich man and at the beginning of the story he is looking at plans for a 30 room extension, to Whitehill, that he is going to pay for. Mrs. Remenzel is “a simple-minded country girl at heart.” She is interested in a lot of things. She doesn’t get mad at Eli when they find out that he knew he didn’t make it in. Eli is a 13 year old boy who is supposed to be going to Whitehill but he fails the entry tests. If he handles all hard situations like he does this one, then he runs away to avoid them.
Eli is part of the mode too. I think the mode of “The Lie” is irony. The first part of the ironic mode of literature is normal everyday life, which would be the Remenzel’s driving to the school. Then the next part is mild conflict, this could be when they are in the car and Mrs. Remenzel is annoying Dr Remenzel with all her questions and comments. The next part is the conflict is fully realized by the main character, this would be when Eli runs because he thinks he’s going to get in trouble. The last part of irony is the story ends in loss; this would be when Dr. Remenzel doesn’t think they will be going to the school anymore.
Furthermore, Dr. Remenzel asking the board for something special for Eli is a symbol. It symbolizes irony because in the beginning of the story Dr. Remenzel is telling his wife and Eli that just because his last name is Remenzel he doesn’t get anything special. Mrs. Remenzel is a symbol too. She symbolizes sympathy. When Eli runs out of the inn and she finds him she’s not mad but sympathetic. Another symbol is Eli. He symbolizes fear because he doesn’t tell his parents he failed and he runs outside before they find out.
Finally, your name means nothing unless you earn it. Eli got a letter in the mail and ripped it up before his parents saw it and never told them he failed. There are two lessons in this story. One is lesson is don’t lie. The other lesson is if you’ve failed at something don’t try to hide it.

The Princess and the Moon

“The princess is sick!”
“Oh, no, is she really?”
“Yes, and she wants the moon!”
“The moon?”
“Yes, “she said,” It will make her better.”
“Then the moon is what she will get!”
This was the conversation that happened earlier this morning when the king found out that his daughter, Lenore, was sick. Lenore is a character in the story “Many Moons” by James Thurber. But when his daughter asks for the moon, is it too much? Fathers always want everything they can get for their daughters.
Speaking of the father, he’s one of the characters, but not the most important. One of the main characters is Princess Lenore, the king’s daughter. The three wise men that all seem to think it’s impossible to get the moon. The most important character though is the court jester, the one who normally makes a fool of himself. He’s the one the king calls, after the three wise men. Though the wise men say it is impossible can the jester still get the moon?
Even though the court jester is normally the fool James Thurber portrays him as the wisest in this romantic story. Its romance because it’s a fairytale and all fairytales are romance. It’s a fairy tale because it stars with”Once upon a time” which indicates fairytales. It also follows the romantic mode. The first point is a mild conflict, which would be Princess Lenore falling ill. The second point is that the mild conflict continues, which would be the king not being able to get the moon for Lenore. The third point is the new beginning, which would be Lenore getting better because the king got her the moon.
There are many symbols in “Many Moons”. One of them is the moon; it symbolizes health for Princess Lenore. On the other hand, the three wise men symbolize that if it seems too hard to do then it can’t be done. However the jester is the exact opposite, he knows that anything is possible, even if it seems it’s not.
So is it impossible to get the moon? The court jester helped the king get the moon for his daughter. Well, the jester knows it’s not impossible. Could you find a creative way to get something that seemed impossible to get?

A Magic Story with Mary Poppins

The kids were running in both directions. The nanny ran after one, then the other. Then a vase fell and broke. Soon after that she stormed out of the house yelling,”I QUIT.” The only nanny up for the job for the Banks’ children is, Mary Popping, the star in the movie “Mary Poppins” by P.L. Travers.
So which mode of literature is Mary Poppins you ask? Well its romance of course! It’s romance because romance is the only mode of literature that deals with fantasy. You may think that romance has to deal with love, but actually romance just needs fantasy. Mary Poppins knows just when to use magic.
Speaking of Mary Poppins, she’s the main character, obviously. She’s the perfect nanny for any child in need of one because she is nice but knows when to be strict. The children before Mary Poppins were misbehaving little children who would run away while out on walks. But the Mary comes and after a few days they’re much better behaved. Most of her items come from her carpet bag which is a major part of the story.
Her carpet bag is one of the main symbols of magic. Right away when Mary Poppins comes to the house she starts sprucing up the nursery the first thing she pulls out is a hat rack much taller than the bag, and the children are amazed! Another symbol of magic is her umbrella. She floats down from a cloud in the beginning and in the end the umbrella comes to life and she floats away with it.
So as you can see Mary Poppins is the right nanny for the Banks’ children. I know if she was hired as my nanny I would be overjoyed! Mary Poppins can make magic happen so who wouldn’t want her as their nanny.
Mary Poppins proved to be the best nanny for Jane and Michael and helped their parents learn to parent. The parents learned to balance work and play. She also helped turn the children into nice young adults.

Panchito’s Uncertainty in Life in “The Circuit”

Panchito came home from another day of work. He opened the door to his shack. What he saw was all the stuff boxed up and ready to move. Panchito, from the story “The Circuit” by Francisco Jiménez, is part of a migrant family. A migrant family is a family that has to move to find work. Several weeks in the life of Panchito’s migrant family teach us that what is normal for us is far from that for this young boy. Yet, Panchito faces the uncertainty of each move bravely, following the comedic mode of literature.
Every six months or so Panchito has to move. That means he has to leave his school, his friends, and his community. Panchito does not like it when they move. Every time he has to leave something. In the most recent move he leaves his friend, the teacher.
The reason Panchito has to move is because he is poor and needs to find work. Panchito has to work sun up till sun down. He, his brother, and his father only make around 15 dollars a day all three of them combined. Panchito is only in 6th grade and he’s working as long as possible. Would you want to work up to fourteen hours?
After Panchito’s most recent move he works in the grape fields. When that season is over he goes to school. On the first day his teacher asks him to read from an English book, and he’s Spanish. Then his teacher helps him learn English. The teacher becomes Panchito’s best friend and is going to teach him the trumpet but before he can Panchito has to move again.
Panchito moved to a farm at the beginning of the story, a normal event for him, and then is forced to move again at the conclusion, again normal for him, thus, completing the plot line of the comedic mode. After reading about Panchito’s family, the story teaches us a normal life for Panchito is nothing like normal life for you and me. How would you feel if you just found something you liked and then had to leave it? Even today there are many people without long term homes. What would you do if you were in a migrant family? So as you can see Panchito’s life isn’t horrible but it is not the best either.