S.E. Hinton makes a point of telling readers what type of music the characters listen to, probably because she recognized that music is a significant influence to teenagers. She reveals, through Ponyboy, that Greasers listen to Elvis Presley, the Socs listen to The Beatles, and the tougher Greasers listened to Hank Williams.
We are all attracted to music and musicians that we relate to; lyrics or sounds that speak to us and that we understand and connect to. If the Greasers or Socs were gangs of today, what kind of music would they listen to? Identify a song that you think either group would like and explain why you think they would like it. Consider to the music– the singers, musicians, and tempo of the song. Consider the artist’s appearance and style. Cite the lyrics, explaining how or why these words would connect to one of the gangs. What in the book makes you believe that these lyrics would be meaningful to them?
Remember that the point of this analysis is to answer the question of why this song would be on either a Greaser’s or a Soc’s playlist. What would he like about it?
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Thomas English 8 