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Maddie Fricker November 10, 2009 Reading 6  In a well written paragraph tell the differences between the greasers and the socs. Use the book with page numbers and paragraph numbers.

Main Differences Between Socs and Greasers
There are many differences between the two gangs in the book, //The Outsiders//, by S.E. Hinton. The main difference is wealth. The Socs are upper class and live on the West-side of town. (p.2; para. 3) On the other hand, the Greasers are middle class and live on the East-side of town. (p3; para. 1) Another difference is the crimes the groups commit. The Socs commit very grim crimes, such as jumping Greasers, wrecking houses, and throwing beer blasts just for fun. (p.3; para. 1) The Greasers do not commit very serious crimes, unlike the Socs. They steal things and occasionally have a gang fight. (p.3; para. 1) The group I think is worse is the Socs. Of course, because this book is written in the perspective of a Greaser, it may lead me to believe this. (p1; para. 1) On this topic, I may change my mind, but one thing is for sure. There are many differences between the Greasers and the Socs. I think you will find not so many as you may think. ~ Mrs. Best Hello Maddie, It is Katie Starsky. I am commenting on your paragraph. Maddie, you have wonderful transition words, and you stated the main difference very well. I agree with you very much, the main differance is wealth. They Socs and Greasers are also alike in some ways too, like that they both commit crimes, and that they both are gangs. I also liked that you were very discreptive, you gave me details and examples of what they do. What group do you think is the worse? I don't know what group would be the worse because they both are bad. I really enjoyed your paragraph, and you are a great writer! You're friend, Katie Starsky Maddie Fricker November 12, 2009 Reading 6

In Johnny's Shoes
If I were in Johnny's shoes at the end of Chapter 4, I, too, would be frightened. Killing someone, even for self-defense, will always scar a person for life with a guilty conscience, if they have a heart. It is almost a coincidence that you would ask this question, because Mr. Shramka recently taught us a similar lesson in religion. He told us that killing someone is not considered sinful if it is in self-defense. So, if I were Johnny, I probably would keep this in mind. Even though what he did was all in self-defense, he, and same with me if I were to be faced with the same situation, will still feel bad. After all, some shoes may take awhile to grow into, just like "Johnny's shoes" now.

 ~ I don't think you really answered the question. I wanted to know what you would DO. ~ Mrs. Best

B. Explain what Ponyboy finds out about Randy and the other Socs at the end of Chapter 7.  Maddie Fricker Reading Hour 6 November 17, 2009

At the end of Chapter 7, Ponyboy finds out that not all Socs are as cruel and insensitive as he made them out to be. In fact, they were not much different on the inside than the Greasers were. They also had some of the same struggles and pleasures that the Greasers had. They both had good friends. Like Ponyboy pointed out, Randy and Bob's relationship was much like Soda and Steve's. Some people in both gangs also had issues with their parents, which formed them to be who they were. Johnny's parents did not care for him and abused him, which made him a very shy person. Bob's parents spoiled him and gave into his desires when he just wanted a few ground rules, which made him a very unhappy person. As Ponyboy realizes at the end of Chapter 7, it does not matter if you are a Soc or a Greaser. Underneath the exterior, Socs are just people, much like him.  I completely agree! ~ Mrs. Best I agree. I think that the they are seperated because they way the dress and how much money they have. I also think that they both want a part of each others life. Like the Greasers think that it would be great to have money and cool car but the socs want to be punished like Darry does with Ponyboy an Sodapop. - Molly Maddie Fricker Reading Hour 6 November 19, 2009

 A. When we get to know people better, we usually like them more. If that's true, what could we do if we really don't like someone?

**Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover**
Usually, when we know someone better, we like them more. It then does not matter to us what their reputation is, or who their friends are. Ponyboy finds this out when he talks to Randy at the end of Chapter 7. It is unfortunate, though, that we could not apply this more to our lives. If we really don't like someone, we should get to know more about them then what meets the eye. It is in every way like the saying "don't judge a book by its cover". If we judge people we do not like by their "covers", we are no better than the terrorists over in Iraq, judging all Americans as people that are too much associated with other countries' business.

What a wonderful response. ~Mrs. Best

Hey Maddie! I agree with the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover." If you were to see a Greaser and a Soc, you would probably pick to be friends with the Soc because they have nicer things. The Soc could turn out to be really mean while the Greaser was very funny and kind but just didn't have a lot of money. Another way to think about it is that when we are younger, we usually don't care what our friends look like or how much money they have, we are friends with them because they have good traits. As we grow older, it seems to matter more about our friends reputations. If you don't like someone, you could most certainly try to get to know them better. ~Michaela