ARMS A.R.M.S. Revision Strategy
Add (Where did you get the definition for jealousy? What about Soda's horse?)
Remove (Is there anything that just doesn't belong? Find at one sentence that is totally random.)
Move (Is there something weird about the order of these paragraphs?)
Substitute (In this case make the essay more formal.)
SMILES
Sentences
Marks (punctuation)
Indent (Create paragraphs.)
Letters (capital letters)
Edit (Use an editing program, and check your own spelling.)
Spelling (Carefully check for your commonly misspelled words.)
Formality
Eliminate contractions.
Use third person, not first or second.
- Complete sentences
- Full words
- No abbreviations
- No contractions
- Avoid use of first person (I, me, my)
- No slang or informal expressions
- No chatty words – “well,” “okay,” “a lot,” etc.
- Avoid using personal experiences
- Avoid addressing the reader directly (you, your)
- Few, if any, emotional punctuation or capitalization (exclamation marks, whole words capitalized)
Outsiders Essay -- B5
Even though some people argue that being poor only makes it easier to be a good person because you understand other people. Dallas proves them wrong in the outsiders. He states, "You get hardened in jail. I don't want that to happen to you." (Hinton, 90) Dally had a hard childhood, and that didn't help him be good. He just got sour and mean. He doesn't care how other people might be struggling, or depressed, all he cares about is HIMSELF. Dallas knocks Ponyboy to the ground to put out the fire on his jacket. Having all those hard challenges only made Dallas rougher and tougher all the way until his terrible end.
First of all, jealousy is an natural human emotion, whether we like it or not. We all have been jealous of someone at least once in our lives, even if we don't admit it to ourselves or others. But the less you have, the more you'll want. And someone always will have exactly what you want. Even ponyboy, the main character in the book The Outsiders he states, "It wasn't fair for the socs to have everything"(Hinton, 47). It is hard to be good when these thoughts are constantly running through your head. Ponyboy would love to have a big house with a Mustang parked in the driveway, while he slips on his nice madra shirt and fancy shoes before he goes out to drive around town, showing off his nice life. But he doesn't have that. But the socs do. And since they do, it is hard for not only Ponyboy, but also the other greasers to be nice to them.
Max and Sue, the two most popular and rich kids in school, are bragging about their new iPhone 7. It isn't fair because they have an iPhone 7 and you can't afford lunch. How do you feel towards them? Jealousy, probably. But what exactly is jealousy? Jealousy is an attitude of hostility towards a rival or life due to an object, state, or life situation they possess. Jealousy is one of the many reasons it is harder too be a good person when you are poor, on top of limits to desires, needs, and wants.
So to sum it up, being poor does not make it easier to be good. Even though people believe this, that is wrong. Being poor is hard. It doesn't make you more understanding or helpful. It just hardens you and makes you a bad person. Dallas is tough and brave, but even Dallas thought it was too hard to be good.
Additionally, there is the whole money issue. In this world, everything costs money. Food, clothing, water, shelter. All of his has a price tag on it. People that have money are ok. But people that don't, it's hard to get what you need, let alone what you want. When Ponyboy talks to Cherry, a rich soc, he tells her about Sodas horse, Mickey Mouse. "He never let on to mom and dad how her felt, though, because we never had enough money and we usually had a hard time making ends meet" (Hinton 40). Then he goes on to talk about how crushed Soda was when they sold his horse. Imagine how hard that is? Soda loved that horse, and cuz he couldn't afford it, Mickey was taken from him in an instant. That cause Soda to get a little sadder, a little badder, and a little meaner.
-- Darci J.
