The Outsiders Should Be Banned Research Paper

Jadaka Ross

MYP English 2

Mrs.Hofler

17 November 2015

Why Are You Banned?

Why are so many good books being banned? So many authors have taken their time to write these inspirational stories, and they have been banned. The authoritative figures over what books are banned or not are missing the big picture that the content that seems bad, is really what makes the story. For example, The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, is a classic that teaches many good life lessons and should be read by all teens. S.E.Hinton proved the story to be true by incorporating scenes that have close life relations, universal themes, and language.

Some people feel The Outsiders should be banned because of language and the theme of adolescents on their own (Sarah Reads 2). The story also has a lot of violence scenes that some feel are too extreme for young readers. Some of the book’s content is inappropriate for minors, and servers as a way teens should act out towards their parents (Sarah Reads 3). The story has many references to sex, drugs, fighting, start of gangs, being disrespectful, and using foul language. As a cause of the author, S.E. Hinton allowing these things to be

present in her book, the book should be banned because of the content present in the story.

The story has many life analysis that young adults can relate to their everyday life. for example, teens that are starting high school are in the stage of trying to find themselves. Trying to find where they fit-in with the population of their school. they are dealing with the pressure of being a “freshman”, and with all the new and hard work that is to come (Dale Peck 1). Take PonyBoy from The Outsiders for example. PonyBoy is a 14-year old boy that is in his first year of high school and is trying to find his way. He has only the support of his brothers, and gang. PonyBoy has to face the new coming of school alone because all of his siblings dropped out in the 10th grade or sooner (The Outsiders 9-11). Not only this but he is facing the rivaling gang that is against him. PonyBoy is a Greaser, and the rivaling gang is the Socs. The Socs are said to come from the more “pristine” side of the town. They are the ones with the fancy cars, and nice houses. Many can say that they are bullies. This is what some teens of today face. They face being bullied in the school, and having the upper classmen curse them out. They worry about what will happen next.What is so important about the story is the author not only gives you these problems that will, or could be encountered she gives you ways to solve them. For example when PonyBoy, and his friend Johnny decide to run away after killing a gang member that was a Socs, they learned that when ever you do something bad turn yourself in. Always be the bigger person in the situation and turn the other cheek before things escalate to something extreme.

Throughout the novel the author incorporated many universal themes.

Themes including family, brotherhood, respect for others, and also self-respect. The author used these themes to help the reader can relate to others things they have read or seen, or experienced (Angieville 2-3). The author used the family as a way to show the close connections they had for each other. In the story each brother had to stick up for their brother no matter what the situation was, or how the bad the condition of the situation was (The Outsiders 220) . Each brother had to support and up lift each other, because family was all that they had. There are many people across the nation that value family. They value the importance of family, and that in the end family is the people that will be there after the

end.

Another universal theme is brotherhood. In the novel everyone stayed inside the brotherhood. No matter what the case was, that person was always excepted because they were part of the brotherhood. In the story the Greasers valued brotherhood the most. The Greasers felt that with throughout brotherhood everything would fall apart, because no one would have each other’s back (Baldassaro R. 1). They feared that they would have fallen apart at the wrong time when they needed each other most. Brotherhood was the very thing that held them together. The brotherhood that the Greasers built was a symbol of “home” (The Outsiders 187). A symbol of that no matter where they ended up at the end of the story they were still brothers. Many people have their own “brotherhood”. They each have people that they love and will always support. Also they have a place called home when all else have forsaken them.

Another universal theme was respect, and going along with that self-respect. The novel taught that people, in general, should have respect for all. People should respect a person’s reasons for doing something. Respect the way they talk, walk. Respect their nationality, and their background. The novel taught that bullying can only lead to violence, and in an extreme case the death of someone. Self-respect is also present in the story. The author teaches that not only should we have respect for everyone else, and their belongings or beliefs, but we should also have respect for ourselves. We should have enough respect for ourselves that we put aside petty things, and mature to the best of our abilities. We grow to the next level. Of course that includes making several mistakes, and some mistakes will be life changing in a positive and negative. way. The important part is that we must learn from those mistakes. This is exactly what happened in The Outsiders. After Johnny died, the two gangs realized that both played apart in both sides losing a brother. They realized that if they had just put aside the petty stuff, then neither side would have lost a dear friend. S.E.Hinton did a great job with incorporating these themes into the story. She made each theme relatable to a person’s everyday life.

The story in the past has been challenged because of the language that has been present in the novel and the inappropriate references the author makes. The author makes references to tobacco use, violence being the answer to all, and the disregard for authority. Another reason why the book was challenged was for “the realistic portrayal of gang violence among youth in the 60’s”(Katie O’Sullivan 1). The author uses lots of improper language that catches the eye of some spectators. S.E.Hinton made the language of the story realistic to the 1960’s by adding cursing make the reader feel like they were there. The language consisting of slang words, and curse words showed the reader how the characters spoke, and gave an insight on how they talked. The authors style grabbed the reader's attention. and made the focus on the big picture.

The novel The Outsiders the was a great book that everyone should read. The book does contain some informal language, and some references that inappropriate to some, but the message behind the book is breath-taking. The author used several universal themes to tell the story in the way, so that different people could relate the story to their life. The author's style, and usage for improper language drawed the reader into the story, and allowed the reader to feel as if they were going on the journey with the characters. So, “Why are you banned?”, there are any reasons why this book is challenged, but it tie to read and analyzes the story focus on the in parts that capture your attention.