Dogmas

           During unit 2 in our Forbidden Books class, we focused on dogmas. We analyzed the dogmas of character in the books we read this past couple of weeks. “What is a dogma?” is what you may be wondering. A dogma is a principle that is laid down and is believed to be indisputably true. While conducting our external investigations, we visited the Muslim Community Center in the Irving Park neighborhood to discuss the beliefs of Islam in a sacred place. In this unit we read, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman and, as an independent reading book, The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. For our action project, we had to choose one character from our books and create a podcast style conversation talking about their beliefs, also considering the time and place in which the character is from. For The Outsiders, I picked the protagonist, Ponyboy, who is a greaser from the 1960s. In the podcast, I touch on his beliefs on topics like violence, loyalty, and classism, while also connecting it back to significant current events that were happening during the 1960s. Also, getting his perspective on what would be considered the dogmas of the United States like gender, race, and, again, class.

Script:

*(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction fades in*

Introduction

Interviewer: It is June 6, 1965, in a world we have seen our President John F Kennedy assassinated, a decade of fighting in Vietnam, people fighting for their civil rights, and as the economy here Tulsa starts to shift there has been a rise in gang activity.  Tulsa was once a booming tourist destination but has been impacted by the Socs and The Greasers trying to maintain their strongholds. We are here today to talk with a young man who has seen the damage that can be done by the violence and he is going to tell our listeners about how it has affected his life.  I am sitting here with Ponyboy Curtis who is 15 years old from Tulsa Oklahoma. Hey is Ponyboy your given name?

Ponyboy: Yes, actually it is!  My parents had quite the sense of humor. My brother’s name is Sodapop. A girl once told me that she thought my name was original and lovely. To be honest my name is not quite as lovely as she is.

Interviewer: Oh, do tell us more about this girl? What is she like? *I Want to Hold Your Hand*

Ponyboy: Well, there isn’t much to say. She has the most beautiful red hair but we come from two very different worlds, as they say. She is a Soc, her name is Cherry and she lives on the west side and I am from the east side. Her friends are the type that drive mustangs. My friends let’s just say mostly get around by foot. But we really are not too different. I want to tell all of the boys, I am a greaser. “It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing. There should be some help, someone should tell them before it was too late. Someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand then and wouldn’t be so quick to judge a boy by the amount of hair oil he wore”(179). There is no greater lesson than the death of a friend who is like a brother. If these judgements did not happen maybe Johnny would still be here.

Interviewer: So tell us about Johnny.

Ponyboy: As you know, Socs and greasers don’t get along much. It all started when Cherry’s boyfriend tried to drown me in the park.  *Group yollering* Johnny ran into save me. He did what he had to do. *switchblade* He killed Bob to defend me. He’s not a bad person. He has always been a good brother. Through thick and thin. I’ve always valued his loyalty. When he ran into the burning church to save those kids, he did it without thinking about himself. The parents saw him as Juvenile Delinquent turned superhero. This is why I lost my cool when Cherry refused to visit Johnny. I saw it as a solid allegiance to the Socs and realized that maybe she did not value us. I told her, “I wouldn’t want you to see him. You’re a traitor to your own kind and not loyal to us. Do you think your spying for us makes up for the fact that you’re sitting in a Corvette while my brother drops out of school to get a job? (129)”  

Interviewer:  As you mentioned at the beginning of the show, there is a lot of violence in this world. What do you mean by that? Do you care to expand on that thought?

Ponyboy:  I have regrets. After the rumble between the Soc and the greasers. We lost another great friend, Dally. We thought we were avenging the death of Johnny and they thought they were avenging the death of Bob but really we were causing more violence and pain for everyone around us. The Greasers came with the intention of a fair fight but they “Big deal. I busted the end of my bottle and held on to the neck and tossed away my cigarette. *Glass bottle breaks* “You get back into your car or you’ll get split.” They looked kind of surprised, and one of them backed up. (171)” Even though we all lost somebody we were still trying to pick fights with one another. At the time I was suffering, emotionally worn out and I thought I needed to portray more aggression to survive. Now, I think, in the end, Randy had the right idea all along, he did not show up for the rumble he had enough loss when Bob died, he could not bear that pain and the guilt of another.   *The Kids are Alright*

Interviewer: Well that is quite the story, Ponyboy Curtis


 Citations:
Who. "The Kids Are Alright." My Generation., Brunswick Records, 1965, track 7. Youtube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=afam2nIae4o 

Beatles. "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Meet The Beatles!., Capitol Records, 1963, track 1. Youtube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1HDt1tknTc

Stones, Rolling. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Out of Our Heads., Decca Records, 1965, track 7. Youtube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSSxnv1_J2g