Preview

Themes In The Outsiders And Nothing Gold Can Stay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
468 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Themes In The Outsiders And Nothing Gold Can Stay
We’ve recently been analyzing the themes of a novel and a poem in our language arts class. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost are two very interesting pieces of literature. The Outsiders is a novel that talks about the divided community of a city, the “Socs” and the “Greasers”, and describes their rivalry and the problems caused by it. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” is a poem that uses themes in nature to explain that good things don’t always last forever. Chapter three of the novel and the whole of the poem share that very theme- Good things don’t last, so cherish them while you can. The Outsiders shows us that great moments don’t hang around in chapter three. Hinton makes this theme clear when a situation that is peaceful and relaxing becomes dark. On page 47 it says, “Johnny and I stretched out on our backs and looked at the stars. I was freezing- it was a cold night and all I had on was a sweatshirt, but I could watch stars in sub-zero weather.” At this moment, everything is peaceful and it seems that all of Johnny and Ponyboy’s problems have melted away. Everything goes haywire, though, when Ponyboy goes home and his oldest brother, Darry, gets angry at him for staying out too late. Page 50 says, “Darry wheeled around and …show more content…
It begins with a bit of a hopeful and peaceful tone. The first lie states, “ Nature’s first green is gold”. This relates to a person’s childhood potentially being the best time of their life. The poem gets somber a little while later when talking about how quickly childhood can fade away. Lines five through eight of the poem say, “Then leaf subsides to leaf, So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day Nothing gold can stay.” The idea that many people take away from this is that as you grow older, life becomes more and more difficult, so your childhood should be cherished. This is surely a motto to live

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The main character of “The Outsiders” was Ponyboy Curtis, the younger brother of Darry and Sodapop Curtis. Ponyboy is very unique from all of the other characters, they are all unique. He isn’t the tuff like Dally, the pet like Johnny, the leader like Darry, the silly one like Sodapop, the wisecrack like two-bit, or even the confident and arrogant one like Steve. Ponyboy is quiet, smart, young, and kind. One of Ponyboys obstacles in the book was his brother Darry, the leader of the gang. “I could tell it was Darry though - partly because of the voice and partly because Darry’s always rough with me without meaning to be. ‘ “I didnt mean to!” Darry shouted… “Thats all i hear out of you! Cant you think of anything?” “Darry…” Sodapop began, but…

    • 385 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To me, the poem appears to be comparing our youthful years as being as valuable as gold. We are to enjoy our time when we are young for it is the "…hardest hue to hold…" on to. It is also saying that our childhood years are very short and feels like "…but only so an hour…" As we grow older, our garden of "…Eden sank to grief…" The beginning of our life will quickly end as "…dawn goes down to day…" So in the end "…nothing gold can stay…" which refers to the end of our innocence. (All quotes taken from…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The poem “ Nothing Gold Can Stay” relates to real life because the paris attack at the outdoor concert by ISIS(www.CNN News.com) that has a big impact on real life. Because all of the people that were lost in the attack were gold to someone . And sadly they got killed so they couldn’t stay on earth for that long so there for the theme nothing gold can stay comes into play. The theme is trying to describe to people that the best things in life may not always stay there or be there when you need them the most.…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.” In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Ponyboy is not the ordinary fourteen- year- old boy for he is a greaser, a poor person known to be a public disgrace from the East side of town. All of his life he has been living as a nothing compared to the Socs, the rich kids from the West-side. He doesn’t know if he should be proud of who he is until his entire world changes. When his friend murders one of the Socs, they flee until they find themselves saving school children from a fire. From delinquents to heroes, they have changed who they are and their future. After reading the book and watching the movie,…

    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This essay is about The Outsiders, it’s a novel made by S.E. Hintons. You will learn about the symbols that’s shown here in this novel. Why did sunset, mustangs and greasy hairs become the symbols of this book? Symbols are really important for readers to understand because it expands their mind and understanding about the novel, or book more.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gold In The Outsiders

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What does it mean to stay gold? What does it mean to be gold? Is it possible to stay gold? In the young adult book, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, staying gold is a main theme of the book. Everyone has gold in them, but everyone also loses some of their gold. It is possible to stay somewhat gold, but not completely gold.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the book The Outsiders, the two main characters Ponyboy and Johnny are faced with adversaries their whole life. They are constantly attacked by kids of a higher class to where they kill another kid in self defense. This lead them to realize they had gotten into real life trouble. After a few weeks on the run they decided to face the consequences as adults and return home.…

    • 204 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Seafarer” begins with an old sailor telling his tale of traveling the treacherous seas. He reflects on his difficult experiences, and he has an epiphany. He comes to the realization that the glory of the old days has vanished. He then questions his culture's custom of pouring gold over the dead. He knows that everything that his people regard as treasure possesses no value like fools gold. Robert Frost also teaches us that nothing gold can last in this world. Throughout his poem, he uses similes, metaphors, and other literary devices to represent time tarnishing the things we hold precious. The speakers of both poems allude to the Garden of Eden's drainage of beauty by the gruesome design of time. This shows us that all beauty disappears. Furthermore, the poets show us that nothing is permanent. In the Anglo Saxon poem, “The Seafarer” the speaker explained that the magnificent kingdom no longer has a stable government. While Frost describes nature's first gold as green, nature also has an inescapable fate for that flower. When the seasons change the once beautiful flower will die. Both poems teach us to take pride in world's unique beauty.…

    • 276 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to C.S. Lewis, “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” This idea of tough times can be found in many texts. In Bob Dylan’s “Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” it discusses tribulations that are happening in different areas. Dylan refers to hardship as rain and “the deepest dark forest”. In the book, The Outsiders, the conflict between the Greasers and Socs create hardships that characters have to face. The theme of Bob Dylan’s “Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders is Facing hardship/obstacles can shape one’s identity, and this is expressed through the characters, their experiences, and lyrics.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Themes & Corresponding Works Whether reading a short story or a poem, there is always a story to be found within. The authors of these scripts are able to capture readers with the utilization of characterization, rhythm, or a fairytale setting throughout their narrative. It is imagination that sanctions the reader of these literary forms to be able to mentally visualize what the author would like the reader to visually perceive by use of symbolism or descriptive wording. In the poem “The Road Not Taken” (Frost, 1916) or short stories “A Worn Path” Welty, 1941 or “Used to Live Here Once” (Rhys, 1976) – There is a prevalent theme. No matter what solitary journey we find ourselves on, ‘we’ determine how the journey ends.…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Outsiders Gold

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Frost explains that nothing, especially that which is perfect and beautiful, can last forever. Frost says, "Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold, Her early leafs a flower, but only so an hour," meaning that "gold" is considered beautiful and perfect but is the hardest to keep. Gold will only last a short time. The above quote from the poem also means that the best things in life, represented by gold, can't last forever as represented by the second line of the poem. The poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost holds several meanings that relate beauty to life, staying young and beautiful, and that perfection is only temporary and easily lost. The poem also related to the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton as well.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost consists of eight lines only but contains a deep meaning and strong point. It is a good example of how an author or a writer can economize words or use very few words to pass a strong message or a detailed information. Frost uses Simple words and combines the use of various language stylistic devices like alliteration, rhyme and assonance to bring out the message of the poem in a well-structured and understandable manner. The poem brings together the author’s attraction for nature and his trend in making straight statements. In this poem, the narrator demonstrates nature in springtime whereby all things are green as gold. The flowers are usually seen to grow in a beautiful manner but they don’t exist or last forever since after a short time, the flowers usually die and also the leaves fall off. The poem shows that, although life is sometimes taken for granted, it is delicate and those moments that seem to be…

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Epic of Gilgamesh Theme

    • 1697 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Love, both erotic and platonic, motivates change in Gilgamesh. Enkidu changes from a wild man into a noble one because of Gilgamesh, and their friendship changes Gilgamesh from a bully and a tyrant into an exemplary king and hero. Because they are evenly matched, Enkidu puts a check on Gilgamesh’s restless, powerful energies, and Gilgamesh pulls Enkidu out of his self-centeredness. Gilgamesh’s connection to Enkidu makes it possible for Gilgamesh to identify with his people’s interests. The love the friends have for each other makes Gilgamesh a better man in the first half of the epic, and when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh’s grief and terror impel him onto a futile quest for immortality.…

    • 1697 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    As stated by José N. Harris, “Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.” This can be related to the Outsiders because in the story, Dally is seen as someone who does not love, and when Johnny died it showed that he cared deeply for Johnny. When this happened, he went through grief. Grief is when there is an ultimate combination of sorrow, strong emotion, and the resulting confusion that comes from losing someone that is very important to oneself. Not only is time lost mourning for the loss of that person, but mourning for yourself. Grief has five different stages. The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, these stages relate to Ponyboy and Dally in the…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the entire poem, the speaker continuously asks questions debating what makes life worth living. The speaker’s confused mental state is expressed through rhetorical questions. The narrator asks, “Oh cold reprieve, where’s natural relief?” Here, the narrator wonders where he may find an escape from life, from the grief he was told to pursue. The answer is actually from within him. This results in a poem with dialogue between the narrator’s conscience and heart; the heart being the Echo. The Echo’s answer of “Leaf” leads the narrator to reflect on the death of leaves; leaves bloom beautifully and change into various colors. Making “ecstasy” of the flower’s dying process. He wonders, “Yet what’s the end of our life’s long disease? If death is not, who is my enemy,” but then the Echo calls itself the foe. Though leaves age beautifully, people do not, for aging is a disease of life that cannot be escaped.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays