Similarities and Differences

Authors Note: This is an essay comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences shown throughout the two books the two books, the Outsiders and War Comes to Willy Freeman.

Nick Roberts

11/15/11

            There are similarities and differences between the books, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton and, War Comes to Willy Freeman, by James and Christopher Collier. The books both talk about people being stereotyped. There are also many other differences. Some differences are that in the books they are fighting for different reasons. There are many similarities and differences between these two books.

            First off, there are many very obvious similarities between the two books. One of the most obvious similarities in between the two books is that there are people stereotyping the main characters. In the book, The Outsiders, people are stereotyping the greasers and the socs. They think that all greasers are mischievous and commit crimes, which some do, but not all. Also the people think that the socs are all nice and polite, when that isn’t the case. In the book, War Comes to Willy Freeman Willy is stereotyped because people thought that because she was black, she was no good and because she’s a girl she is weak and soft. Let me tell, you, they were completely wrong about that. Stereotyping was one of the biggest themes in these two books.

            Likewise, another very important similarity the two books is that both main characters have evil and kind side of them. In the Outsiders Ponyboy is a very nice, caring person if you get to know him, but if he needs to, he will defend himself and become a tough, hard-nosed person. In War Comes to Willy Freeman, Willy is a hard working person who will get what she needs to get done, done. When she doesn’t get something that she wants, the evil side of her comes out. She kicks and scratches until she gets it. There are many ways that the main characters show the good and bad sides of them.

            However, on the other side of things, there are many differences between the two books. One big difference that really stood out to me is what the people are fighting for. In the Outsiders, the greasers are fighting to prove themselves to the world and society. In War Comes to Willy Freeman, they are fighting to save their country and to be free from British control. Another big difference in the two books is the main characters family. Willy came from a family whose dad bossed around her mom and was very disrespectful to towards the family, but she still considered them her family. When they died, Willy lost everything. She lost her home, anyone who cared about her, and most of all herself. She began to let that affect her decision making and led her into making poor decisions at the time. In the Outsiders, Ponyboy was raised in a loving and caring household. He always had someone to go when in a situation. When they died, luckily, he had his fellow greasers to turn to for advice and help. Something that Willy never had.

            As you can see, the two main characters are two very different people in the two books, the Outsiders and War Comes to Willy Freeman. The main characters in these books are different, but the books themselves are similar in many, but also different in many ways. These similarities and differences are shown very much throughout the books. Stereotyping, family, and the main characters are just some of the many similarities and differences that are shown throughout the two books.

Suviving on Your Own

Authors Note: This is a short response about the story ,War Comes to Willy Freeman, talking about how the cause and effect relationships in the book are explained and described.


Nick Roberts

11/09/11

My book, War Comes to Willy Freeman, by James and Christopher Collier a young woman named Willy was living a peaceful life until the British marched right into her city. The people of her city fought back at Fort Griswold, but the British were to powerful and Willy was forced to see her own father die right in front of her eyes. On top of that, when she returned to her house she found out that the British have captured her mother to become a slave over in New York. After two long years Willy’s side, the Americans, finally won the war and Willy’s mother got released, but in very bad health. In a little over two weeks, she passes away and Willy and her Aunt Betsy bury her and Willy is forced to try to survive on her own.

The climax of my story is when Willy’s mom gets captured. This is the climax because Willy was forced to go to find her and trespass through heavily guarded British territory. The big thing that affected Willy was when the British invaded the town. That affected Willy because her dad forced Willy to help him in the battle. She didn’t want to, but at the time period you do whatever the man of the house says and you obey it. Another event that affected Willy was when her mom was captured. This was a major turning point in her life because she had no one else that cared for her so she had no choice, but to go after her. This affected Willy because she had no clue where she was and didn’t know where to look and it hurt her to think of what the British were doing to her.

There were many consequences to Willy’s actions. She was almost killed by the British, but escaped. She was starving and had to ask people to spare scraps of food for her. Another consequence was that she still had to work for the things she got from strangers because she was black. That didn’t change from where she came from. Last, the major consequence in all of this is that she didn’t find her mom, but she found out that she was back in the town she ran away from. So she had to risk going back to the town that she was from, which was, as explained in the book, a very hard task to do.

In conclusion, all the chances that Willy took usually paid off except the fact that Willy had to go back to her hometown. There are many other things that helped her along the way and she was very lucky to survive. She luckily found shelter and food, but not her mom, which was bumming her out. Willy proved that she can survive on her own in this book and proved many people wrong by surviving. Willy believed that she could survive and found her mom and she did. She has proved that if you put your mind to something, you can do anything.

All About Willy

Authors Note: This is a short piece written about the Point of View in the story, War Comes to Willy Freeman.

Nick Roberts

11/07/11

What would you do if your father had been killed in war and your mother captured by the enemy. In the book, War Comes to Willy Freeman, Willy is a young girl whose dad has been killed and mom has been captured by the British. She has decided to leave her relatives and go look for her mom in a city on the other side of the lake. Willy makes it to where supposedly the British are keeping the prisoners and is being housed by the world famous Mr. Fraunces in his tavern. Willy goes out every day in search for her mother, but there is no trace of her.

Sadly, Willy witnessed her father’s death, which affected Willy a great amount. When seeing her father’s death she was traumatized her for awhile. When Captain Ivers wanted to put her back into slavery, when she was free made her undoubtedly enraged. She did not accept the fact about going back to be a slave because she was freed when her father fought in the war. Another event that Willy thought was unfair was that women were bossed around and treated were just plain immoral and selfish. She thinks that they should get more respect for the things they do. To the husband in the house it seemed fair because they are the toughest and make the money to run the house. Also the man of the house is the person who would deal with the money and figure out what to do with it.

This book might have been different if written in the eyes of Captain Ivers. He thought that Willy was a way to make money so he wanted to sell her to the West Indies, even though he knew that she was free. Like most white people, Captain Ivers thought that all black people should be a slave. He believed that black people were dirt and there only purpose for them was to make white peoples’ lives easier. Also another way that this book would have changed if it was written in the eyes of Captain Ivers is the book would be mean and nasty, like Captain Ivers. Willy is an outgoing, loving person who respects everyone. Captain Ivers on the other hand is the exact opposite, so that would have changed the book tremendously.

As you can see, this story would be a lot different in the perspective of Captain Ivers. In War Comes to Willy Freeman, it only showed you how peoples’ decisions affected Willy Freeman, not the other people around her, like Captain Ivers. This story would have been so different in Captain Ivers perspective in so many different ways. Captain Ivers changed Willy’s life for the worse and his decisions leaves you thinking, “Why would he make that decision.” You will never know because the book is only written in Willy’s point of view.

Importance of Good Parents

Authors Note: This is a response to the theme, definition of family and describing what family means to Jonny and Ponyboy

There are many ways to define the definition of family. Most people think of family as their blood parents, but in the book, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, that is not necessarily the case. Ponyboy Curtis had two delightful parents that loved him a lot, but when they died in a tragic car accident, Ponyboy was never the same. Jonny has parents that fought day and night and beat him silly. How can you consider that your family? They don't. To them, their family is their friends and gang, the greasers.

Ponyboy Curtis was raised in a rough neighborhood, full of druggies and murderers. Fortunately, Ponyboy had what his fellow greasers did not. Ponyboy had parents who cared about him and would do anything for him. After they died, he looked at his two older for advice and to help put food on his table. Ponyboy would constantly fight with his older brothers and he wanted everything to be about him. He liked his family, but he had more of a relationship with his other greasers than with his brothers. So Ponyboy considered his gang to be more of his family than his two older brothers.

Just as Ponyboy was raised in a charming family, the same can’t be said for Jonny Cade. Jonny was born in a household with parents that fought a lot and beat him up. He was a sensitive kid and did not like them fighting and thought that it was tearing him apart. He would spend most of his days sleeping at friends houses and rarely ever went “home”. His parents didn’t care about him and what really made me feel that way was when Jonny was in the hospital with a broken back, he refused to let his parents see him because he absolutely hated them. Jonny had no one to turn to for advice, accept his gang, the greasers. He had no parents that cared about him and the only people who wanted him were his gang. His family was considered the greasers.

I think about Jonny’s situation and I feel so lucky to have parents that actually care and love me. It saddens me to think about parents who bring kids into the world that don’t care what happens to that person. I believe that the definition of family to me are fortunately my blood parents and I don’t feel closer to anyone else. I’m also glad that I can live in a house where I can see my parents and I feel safe. This book gave me a new aspect of how a person who has corrupted parents feel and I have shown me how lucky I am to have parents that really care about me.

As you can see Jonny and Ponyboy were raised in completely different types of families, but they turned out being the best of friends. To them their family is the greasers and nobody else. That is not the type of family that I would like to have, but those are the only people Ponyboy and Jonny have to go to. That’s another reason that I’m very thankful for the loving, affectionate parents that I have now. After all of this said, I believe that the true definition of family to me is my parents, but that can change depending on who you are and who your parents are. But even with that said if I was in Jonny or Ponyboy’s shoes, my family would be the people who care for me the most, the greasers.

Defying the Odds

Authors Note: This is a response to the theme stereotyping that explains how the Greasers and Soc’s are stereotyped in the book, The Outsiders.

Nick Roberts

11/17/11

I have been reading the Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. There are many themes that can be used to describe the book. There is stereotyping, definition of family, and loss of innocence. Out of all those themes, the one that I think stands out the most is the theme of stereotyping. Stereotyping is when people see you do things; they never think that you can change. That’s what is happening to the Greasers. People in the city believe that the Greasers are low-life thugs who care nothing about others or themselves. They won’t give the Greasers a second chance.

The Greasers, a gang that have been stereotyped for many years, are trying to change. There are many Greasers that fit perfectly into the stereotype Greaser, but some of the Greasers want to change. One of the people who want to change is a kid named Ponyboy. Ponyboy a kid, who lost his parents in a car accident, lives with his two older brothers. He is a caring, loving kid who at the same time looks tough and mean when he needs to. He doesn’t pick a fight and only hurts anyone in self-defense. He is defying the stereotype Greaser and is succeeding in doing it. Ponyboy is showing the Greasers that they don’t need to be the hard, tough group who make unwise decisions and get jailed. He is showing his gang that everyone can change.

Just as the Greasers have been stereotyped, the Soc’s have been too. They are supposed to be the polite, good-hearted people who do well in school and are very rich. Really the Soc’s are people who are snobby, brats that make fun of the people who are struggling to provide for their family. Even though the Soc’s are a gang, they should have the decency to respect the struggling people. I mean making fun of the Greasers for things they can’t control is just down-right selfish and mean.

I can relate to the theme of being stereotyped or judged. Many people think that because I’m blonde, that makes e dumb when I don’t think that I am. Another way that I have been stereotyped is because I am skinny and weigh very little that I am not strong. Personally I like being stereotyped because it gives you a chance to prove yourself to them and prove them wrong in front of many people. Most every time that I have been stereotyped I have proved the other person wrong. In basketball, weightlifting, and many other places, I have been stereotyped and have proven people that I can do what they think I can’t. So I think that being stereotyped is a very good thing.

These last few paragraphs can really help you to defy the odds and become a person that can do many things. I have defied the odds and so can you. You can be a Greaser and be stereotyped and judged many times. Maybe you keep doing the same thing and people begin to judge you. It’s okay because you can try to change like the Greasers did and become a great role model. In conclusion being stereotyped is not a bad thing, just see it as a challenge and you can defy the odds and do anything you set your mind to.

The Death of Bob

Authors Note: This is a writing piece that discusses the killing of Bob from the Soc's point of view.

Wow, “Did you know that a Greaser just killed one of our main Soc’s, Bob.”
“I know he got stabbed and the Greaser fled from the scene.” “We have to get back at that Greaser, but how.” “I don’t know, but we will get him back. Even worse than what he did to Bob.”

Jonny Cade, the life-long Greaser who can’t stand up for himself, killed one of the idols of the Soc. Jonny came from behind Bob when he was drowning Ponyboy, stabbed Bob in the back, and watched as the other Soc fled from the scene. The Soc’s think that it was a crime and the police will to. How will they escape, what will they do, and how will we get back at them? Those are the questions that the Soc’s are bewildered by.

The police won’t believe that it was self-defense because they believe that the Soc are the goody-goody group and the Greasers are the corrupt group that has no good in them. The Soc’s can’t believe that Bob is dead. The Soc’s along with the police believe that it was a murder and that the Greasers responsible, should get the electric chair. They have a point because most Greasers have a criminal record and always are responsible for the crime. How will the Greaser make the police believe that it was self defense not a crime?

The police have no idea what happened, but the Greasers are just figuring out the repercussions that Ponyboy and Jonny are going to have to do to evade the police and the other problems. The Greasers, especially Darry and Sodapop, his brothers, are fearing for Jonny’s and Ponyboy’s lives. I believe that Dally portrayed courage and dedication to hide his friends from the police. This shows the experience that Dally has with evading the police and will user every trick in the book to save them. All of the Soc’s are probably looking for them to teach them a lesson that involves torture and maybe possibly resulting in death.

There are many different stories that the different groups could tell the police, but the police will probably believe the Soc more because they are the “perfect” group. In the end I think that the police will figure out what really happened. I hope that the police make it to Ponyboy and Jonny before the Soc’s do. With all of this said I believe that the police will find Ponyboy and Jonny and the will explain what really happened.

Truth Always Prevails

Authors Note: This is a creative piece stating the repercussions of why lying is a bad thing to do and why you should never do it.

10/21/11

Nick Roberts

Approximately 500 hit and runs occur yearly. Hit and runs in my mind are like lying. People are trying to run away and hide the truth instead of confessing to the police people usually lie to the police. They will have to learn that lying will hurt you more than telling the truth. You should never lie because once the person finds out you will be in more trouble than if you told the truth in the first place. Lying is like drugs, a very bad thing to do that only hurts you.

Lying affects you in many ways. One way it affects you is that when the person you lied to finds out you lied to them; it is hard for them to trust you again. If you’re constantly are lying to people, you will probably lose friends or hurt your relationship with them. Also you get in a lot more trouble if you lie than if you tell the truth. I think that I learned that the hard way because some of my friends think that I’m lying when I’m really not.

Just as lying affects your relationship with people, it also hurts your reputation.
If you are constantly lying to everyone, you will soon have a reputation for lying. Everyone will know that you will lie so they will never believe you ever. You can hurt your friends in many ways by lying to them. Sometimes you think that they will take it as a joke, when it really hurts them and you get in a lot of trouble

Like hurting your reputation, it also will hurt you. If you lie you will have a bad feeling on the inside. You will think something like, “What if he finds out? What if he knows I’m lying?” Also you will feel a lot of guilt. How would you feel if you were getting lied to? I don’t like to get lied to and neither do other people.

So now you see that lying is a really bad thing to do and why you should never attempt it in your life. Lying not only hurts you, but it really hurts others so much that they can’t trust you anymore. There are very few pros to lying. If they believe you, you get out of it for a little bit. When they find out that you lied to them, you would have wished you never did it. So with all the pros and cons of lying stated, the best thing to do, if you like to have good relationship with friends is to stay away from lying. There are still many other statements that can be made about lying, but I would still believe that lying is one of the worst things you can do and will only hurt you in the long run.

Pride in the US

Authors Note: This is writing piece shows why I am a proud citizen of the United States and why I believe that others should feel the same way.

Nick Roberts

10/25/11

Why should you be proud of your country? In my opinion, I think that if you are an average citizen in the United States, it is necessary to throw away all the bad things that are going on in the US and focus on the positive things that are happening. I believe that is a very good life lesson. Always find the good in things and focus on them and you will become a great role-model. There are some very corrupted things going on in the US, but there are also some admirable things going on. So in result to the being proud of my country, I conclude that I am very pleased with the decision making in the US and that has helped us grow into the well-respected country we are.

Advantages of Xbox 360

Authors Note: This is a persuasive argument telling about the advantages of Xbox 360 over Play Station 3.

Nick Roberts

10/12/11


Which do you think is better, Xbox 360 or PS3? Well Microsoft has sold over 3.1 million more Xbox 360’s than Sony’s Play Station 3. Xbox 360 will give you a better experience with the game and with your friends then Play Station 3 will. Xbox 360 is easier to navigate and are growing faster than Play Station 3. Those are just some of the reasons to buy an Xbox 360.

You will have much more enjoyment with an Xbox 360 than you will with Play Station 3. You can talk in real time with your friends via a microphone or Xbox Kinect. Another reason is that you can play online with your friends with a unique name, with better graphics. Also the Xbox’s controller is easier to use with one movement higher than the other, which makes for a comfortable grip on the controller. Unlike Play Station 3’s controller where the movement sticks are on the same level. Last, Xbox 360 has a bigger hard drive options that can help you store your data on.

The Xbox 360’s dashboard is easier to use than the Play Station 3’s dashboard. Xbox 360’s dashboard makes it easier to navigate around. Xbox also makes it a lot easier to connect with friends because all you need to do is press one button and you can see all of your friends. Play Station 3’s dashboard is a lot more complex and makes it take a while to find everything. Also downloads on Xbox 360 takes anywhere from a couple minutes to roughly two hours depending on what you’re downloading. Play Station 3’s download take anywhere from a couple minutes all the way to a week!! That’s a long time to wait for just a download.

Last, Xbox 360’s kinect is better than Play Station Move. Play Station Move copied Wii. Wii uses a remote that looks the same as Play Station Move’s remote which means that Play Station Move copied Wii’s idea. Xbox 360’s kinect is Xbox’s idea not anyone else’s idea. Also Xbox kinect uses more body motion than the Play Station Move. Last, Xbox kinect senses movement, so you don’t need to worry about holding onto something, like a remote.

In conclusion, Xbox has a lot more advantages than Play Station 3. There are way more things to do on Xbox 360, such as faster downloads, wider variety of games, and better connections with your friends and with the game you are playing. Also you will have a better video game experience, such as better graphics, an easier to use controller, and more hard drive options to choose from. That is why I believe Xbox 360 is better than Play Station 3.

Casey at the Bat

Authors Note: This is a response to a poem that our class read called “Casey at the Bat” that states the mistakes Casey made and his consequences.



Dear Casey,

I watched your last game and saw how you were down by two points and you blew the opportunity and struck out for the final out. I think you should be more humble and not think you’re the best player on the team even though you might be. Some places you went wrong are when you stood and waved to the crowd because you thought that you would get the hit when you didn’t. Also if you swung at the first two pitches you could of hit the ball and won the game for Mudville, but instead you were to cocky and struck out and lost the game. The biggest fault or flaw was when you didn’t swing at the first two pitches because you were too cocky

There are probably a lot of teams that are going to want you to play for them. Being a good baseball player is half the battle. The other parts are being less cocky, more humble and know that you aren’t the best player ever. If you work on these things, you will not just be a really good baseball player, but you will also be wanted by very many colleges and possibly the MLB. Until you work on those things, you won’t be as good as you can be.

I talked to your General Manger, Joe McDaniel. He said that he is very disappointed in your performance, not because you struck out, but because you were to full of yourself and were way too cocky. He also stated if this happens again, you will be permanently kicked off of the team. This is no way that we want our team to be represented by. Oh, one last thing, don’t let this happen again!

Sincerely,
Nick Roberts