Gangs: The Greasers And The Outsiders
Gang Essay Gangs are groups of usually three or more people that have a common cause or characteristic and identify themselves as a member of their particular gang. A gang may have a certain way of dressing or putting their hair up so that they can be easily identified. Other things that gangs may use to identify themselves are jewelry- rings have a double purpose, they act like brass knuckles and look cool, tattoos with the gang's symbol or motto, and hand signs.
As mentioned before, gangs will almost always have a defined goal or purpose, usually to cause crime. Some gangs will participate in robberies, others might deal drugs. They may also just stay together for friendship or protection, or even social status. Gang members can profit from selling illegal goods, robbing people or …show more content…
establishments, or other unlawful acts.
There are quite a few kinds of gangs that exist. Each kind generally has a common goal, like one of the purposes listed above. The stereotypical gang is the street gang. They generally have a negative impact on society, making it their goal to wreak havoc and profit from it. They might rob stores, sell drugs, injure or kill people, maybe even counterfeit money. A few other kinds of gangs are motorcycle or biker gangs, drug cartels*, and Italian Mafia. Gangs can be found virtually anywhere, but they are usually near or in civilization and human settlements, especially in larger cities.
In general, the impact of gangs is negative, since they often disobey laws and ordinances in place for safety and order.
A gang affects communities through illegal dealings and other crime, though a gang often helps its members in positive ways.
The Outsiders is a novel by S. E. Hinton that describes the conflicts between two gangs, the greasers and the Socials or Socs. In it, the members of a greaser gang have to deal with personal and familial problems as well as trouble with the Socs. All of the members of the gang help each other. Johnny, a boy in the gang doesn't have a loving family, so the rest of the gang protects and cares for him; "[Johnny's] father was always beating him up, and his mother ignored him, except when she was hacked off at something, then you could hear her yelling at him clear down at our house ... He would have run away a million times if we hadn't been there. If it hadn't been for the gang, Johnny would never have known what love and affection are.(page 12)" This is a direct quote from the novel that shows how the gang helps Johnny cope with his abusive parents.
The gangs' affect on their peers is negative, because their violence towards each other creates stereotypes that hurt the greasers and Socs that aren't involved directly. Cherry, a Soc girl, is pretty decent, but being a Soc many greasers label her as snobbish, rich and arrogant. However, as Ponyboy (the protagonist and narrator) talks to her in pages 23-45, he realizes that the Socs and greasers are pretty similar except for their money and feelings. Cherry addresses the Social stereotype when she says, " 'I'll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs. I'll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you've never even heard of. You want to know something?' She looked me straight in the eye. 'Things are rough all over.' (pages 34-35)" This shows that there indeed are stereotypes about the Socs, and though this isn't mentioned specifically, the greasers are seen as no-good hoodlums and this gives them a lot of trouble.
The gangs affect the community in Tulsa, OK negatively because they both participate in crime such as underage drinking and robberies. Ordinary people might be robbed by either of the gangs, and people may be injured or killed by the violence. The people who care about them grieve and hold grudges against the offending gang, creating an ugly circle. An example of a grudge held by the Socs is shown here- "I was sitting on the hood of Steve's car, smoking and drinking a Pepsi while he and Two-Bit were inside talking to some girls, when a car drove up and three Socs got out ... 'You're the guy that killed Bob Sheldon,' one of them said. 'And he was a friend of ours. We don't like nobody killing our friends, especially greasers.' (pages 170-171) " Ponyboy scares them off, but had he not, the Socs probably would have hurt him badly to "avenge" Bob.
As one can see, gangs negatively affect people when they commit crimes, but the members look out for each other.
In the Outsiders, there are two gangs- the greasers and the Socials or Socs. The greasers don't usually have a whole lot of money, compared to the rich Socs. They both participate in crime, though Socs tend to be more vicious and attack for no reason other than for fun.
The main purposes of the gangs for their members differ based on the kind of gang. The Socs stick together for social status, maybe for strength in numbers. The different Social gangs are not particularly friendly with each other. The greasers are often looked down on by society, especially the Socs, so they have to stay together for safety and protection. They are usually just groups of friends rather than purely functional gangs.
The greasers and Socs are rivals, though for different reasons. The Socs look down on the greasers, seeing them as poor little hoodlums that ought to be gotten rid of. The greasers hate the Socs because they harass them for no reason, always trying to prove their superiority. There really is no purpose of this violence, because it only causes hate, distrust, even
death.
The benefits of being in any gang include safety in numbers and friendship. For example, if one member needed people to back them up in a fight, then unless it is for a ridiculous reason, the whole gang would help them. As for friendship, the gang (especially smaller greaser gangs) is mostly comprised of close friends that can substitute for family if a member has parents that aren't around much or don't care about their children.
Gangs may seem all bad because of the crimes they commit, but they aren't all bad because of the ways they help their members realize that they aren't worthless.
As mentioned before, gangs will almost always have a defined goal or purpose, usually to cause crime. Some gangs will participate in robberies, others might deal drugs. They may also just stay together for friendship or protection, or even social status. Gang members can profit from selling illegal goods, robbing people or …show more content…
establishments, or other unlawful acts.
There are quite a few kinds of gangs that exist. Each kind generally has a common goal, like one of the purposes listed above. The stereotypical gang is the street gang. They generally have a negative impact on society, making it their goal to wreak havoc and profit from it. They might rob stores, sell drugs, injure or kill people, maybe even counterfeit money. A few other kinds of gangs are motorcycle or biker gangs, drug cartels*, and Italian Mafia. Gangs can be found virtually anywhere, but they are usually near or in civilization and human settlements, especially in larger cities.
In general, the impact of gangs is negative, since they often disobey laws and ordinances in place for safety and order.
A gang affects communities through illegal dealings and other crime, though a gang often helps its members in positive ways.
The Outsiders is a novel by S. E. Hinton that describes the conflicts between two gangs, the greasers and the Socials or Socs. In it, the members of a greaser gang have to deal with personal and familial problems as well as trouble with the Socs. All of the members of the gang help each other. Johnny, a boy in the gang doesn't have a loving family, so the rest of the gang protects and cares for him; "[Johnny's] father was always beating him up, and his mother ignored him, except when she was hacked off at something, then you could hear her yelling at him clear down at our house ... He would have run away a million times if we hadn't been there. If it hadn't been for the gang, Johnny would never have known what love and affection are.(page 12)" This is a direct quote from the novel that shows how the gang helps Johnny cope with his abusive parents.
The gangs' affect on their peers is negative, because their violence towards each other creates stereotypes that hurt the greasers and Socs that aren't involved directly. Cherry, a Soc girl, is pretty decent, but being a Soc many greasers label her as snobbish, rich and arrogant. However, as Ponyboy (the protagonist and narrator) talks to her in pages 23-45, he realizes that the Socs and greasers are pretty similar except for their money and feelings. Cherry addresses the Social stereotype when she says, " 'I'll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs. I'll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you've never even heard of. You want to know something?' She looked me straight in the eye. 'Things are rough all over.' (pages 34-35)" This shows that there indeed are stereotypes about the Socs, and though this isn't mentioned specifically, the greasers are seen as no-good hoodlums and this gives them a lot of trouble.
The gangs affect the community in Tulsa, OK negatively because they both participate in crime such as underage drinking and robberies. Ordinary people might be robbed by either of the gangs, and people may be injured or killed by the violence. The people who care about them grieve and hold grudges against the offending gang, creating an ugly circle. An example of a grudge held by the Socs is shown here- "I was sitting on the hood of Steve's car, smoking and drinking a Pepsi while he and Two-Bit were inside talking to some girls, when a car drove up and three Socs got out ... 'You're the guy that killed Bob Sheldon,' one of them said. 'And he was a friend of ours. We don't like nobody killing our friends, especially greasers.' (pages 170-171) " Ponyboy scares them off, but had he not, the Socs probably would have hurt him badly to "avenge" Bob.
As one can see, gangs negatively affect people when they commit crimes, but the members look out for each other.
In the Outsiders, there are two gangs- the greasers and the Socials or Socs. The greasers don't usually have a whole lot of money, compared to the rich Socs. They both participate in crime, though Socs tend to be more vicious and attack for no reason other than for fun.
The main purposes of the gangs for their members differ based on the kind of gang. The Socs stick together for social status, maybe for strength in numbers. The different Social gangs are not particularly friendly with each other. The greasers are often looked down on by society, especially the Socs, so they have to stay together for safety and protection. They are usually just groups of friends rather than purely functional gangs.
The greasers and Socs are rivals, though for different reasons. The Socs look down on the greasers, seeing them as poor little hoodlums that ought to be gotten rid of. The greasers hate the Socs because they harass them for no reason, always trying to prove their superiority. There really is no purpose of this violence, because it only causes hate, distrust, even
death.
The benefits of being in any gang include safety in numbers and friendship. For example, if one member needed people to back them up in a fight, then unless it is for a ridiculous reason, the whole gang would help them. As for friendship, the gang (especially smaller greaser gangs) is mostly comprised of close friends that can substitute for family if a member has parents that aren't around much or don't care about their children.
Gangs may seem all bad because of the crimes they commit, but they aren't all bad because of the ways they help their members realize that they aren't worthless.