In the Life of Dallas Winston
By: Alex Caraulia
(This is about Dallas Winston and how he is a Static character)
The Outsiders is a fascinating book about a century-old crisis and rivalry. The boy telling the story is fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis; a smart kid who gets his face in a whole lot of trouble. However our focus will be pointed on Dallas Winston. In the past he went to jail at the young age of ten. When he came out, it seemed that it had taken no effect on him at all. So you can tell that he isn’t a normal kid, no; he is ruthless as he doesn’t care about getting arrested. [As said on page twenty two, “You’d better leave us alone,” the redhead said in a biting voice, “or I’ll call the cops.” “Oh, my, my”-Dally looked bored-“you’ve got to see my record sometime baby.”] He is a static character, and I’m about to tell you why.
Dally plays a small part in a feud between the Greasers and the Socs. The Socs are the rich/popular kids that almost everyone looks up to. They have wealth and could buy their way out of prison any time and so they can get into trouble a lot. The Greasers are, presumably, the hooligans. They are the poor outcasts of society and live on the ‘wrong side of town’. Dally is a Greaser; but maybe you found that out already. But he may be the only person to break the rules exceedingly.
We all have someone who cares. It may be a brother, sister, aunt, or uncle; but Dally doesn’t have a relative in sight. But he does have a family. He considers his family all of his fellow Greaser friends. These are the only people he has that are close enough to family. No one knows of his families current whereabouts and I don’t think he doesn’t want to find out. Now at first you might think that Dally doesn’t care about them, but later on in the story, you will find out differently.
Now before ‘The Killing’ Dally was out with Ponyboy and Johnny to go watch a drive-in-movie. This is where he meets Cherry Valance, a Soc with a pretty head and a big bark. After the movie he heads over to a party at one of his friends house. Yet instead of partying his pants off, he doses off into a deep sleep in one of his friends extra bedrooms. Not soon after (maybe) his slumber is interrupted by his friend. Then he soon finds that Ponyboy and Johnny had killed Bob. Of course he is happy to hear this, so he decides to help the boys’ out. He gives them money (fifty dollars) and some supplies along with directions to an abandoned church. Maybe three weeks after, he comes to the church and gets the boys out. Then came the fire.
Then over grief of his best friend’s death, he robs a store. He strategically planned all of this last bad deed out. First he would rob the store, then he will pull out a gun; just pull it out nothing else. Then he would, by then, be surrounded by cops. So a cop would shoot him and he would die. All until then would he never hear what Johnny told Ponyboy to tell him about a sunset. [I want you to tell Dally to look at one. He'll probably think you're crazy, but ask for me. I don't think he's ever really seen a sunset.] Dally stayed the same throughout the book; even though it seems as though he changed by killing himself to be with Johnny, he has always felt the same. This is why Dallas Winston is a Static character.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
How Fast Can You Lose Your Innocence? (Talk Show)
AC: We all start off the same; from the moment we are born, we are innocent pieces of flesh and bone. Once we do something bad or reckless, our innocence is affected. It can be gone when you are 5 or 20. But once it’s gone, it’s gone. And there is one person who knows that best. Please welcome Dallas Winston.
DW: Hey.
AC: Dallas-
DW: You can call me Dally.
AC: Okay then, Dally. When was the first time you lost your innocence?
DW: 10 years of age! Count ‘em.
AC: Wow! And what did you do exactly and what was the consequence?
DW: Well I’ve done so many ‘bad deeds’ as you would call it, I forgot what I did. But I do remember that I went to jail for my crime.
AC: And, did you stay that way, or did jail change you and you never did anything bad ever again?
DW: Are you kidding me? I stayed just the way I am now; a ruthless guy who disobeys the law.
AC: Interesting; and you aren’t worried or scared about going back?
DW: Nope! Not at all.
AC: Well thank you Dally for coming today. Now most might think that innocence is only lost when one does something bad or judged as such. But there is one person who lost his innocence, not by law breaking, but by taking on the responsibility of raising his two younger brothers; Darrel Curtis.
DC: Hi.
AC: Hello Darrel- or is there something else you like to be called?
DC: Darry, thanks.
AC: Well Darry, how did you lose your innocence?
DC: Well when I was about 19-20 years old, my parents died in an automobile accident. It was hard on me and my brothers. I gave up everything to take care of them.
AC: And what was your life before this tragedy happened?
DC: I was a Soc. Popular, and a star football player.
AC: Wow! I bet it was hard to give that up.
DC: No, I have the responsibility of my brothers. That is much more important than being a Soc.
AC: Well thank you Darry. Now please welcome Ponyboy Curtis.
PC: Hi.
AC: Hello Ponyboy. Can I call you Pony?
PC: Sure.
AC: So Pony, it that really your name?
PC: Yeah; it even says so on my birth certificate. Same with my brother, Sodapop.
AC: Well Pony; how did you lose your innocence?
PC: When my best friend Johnny did something bad.
AC: And what was that?
PC: Can’t tell.
AC: Well, how did it make you feel when this happened to you?
PC: Lousy. I felt like nothing really. I didn’t know what to do or how to think for that matter.
AC: That must have been hard for you, running away from your family.
PC: Well we came back after the fire.
AC: Fire?
PC: Yeah there was a fire down in the country side. Me and Johnny saved about 15 kids from it.
AC: Wow! You must have been very brave to do something like that.
PC: I guess so.
AC: Well thank you Ponyboy. Now welcome our last guest for this evening, Johnny Cade.
JC: Hey.
AC: Johnny, you look like a good kid who ‘wouldn’t hurt a fly’. How did you lose your innocence?
JC: Well when me and Pony were at the park, we were jumped by some drunk Socs. Pony was getting drown by them in the fountain. I remembered my blade in my pocket, so to protect Ponyboy from gettin’ killed, I stabbed this one kid; Bob Sheldon was his name.
AC: Wow, it must have been difficult for you to do such a thing. What happened to the rest of Bob’s gang?
JC: They ran silly, and then pulled charges for man-slaughter. Yet they did say it was of self defense.
AC: And what did your parents think of this?
JC: Ah they don’t care ‘bout me. Mom ignores me and Dad beats and yells at me.
AC: Oh, I’m sorry Johnny. Well I hope all is well now; seeing that you are, you know……dead.
JC: Yeah, I’m okay.
DW: Hey.
AC: Dallas-
DW: You can call me Dally.
AC: Okay then, Dally. When was the first time you lost your innocence?
DW: 10 years of age! Count ‘em.
AC: Wow! And what did you do exactly and what was the consequence?
DW: Well I’ve done so many ‘bad deeds’ as you would call it, I forgot what I did. But I do remember that I went to jail for my crime.
AC: And, did you stay that way, or did jail change you and you never did anything bad ever again?
DW: Are you kidding me? I stayed just the way I am now; a ruthless guy who disobeys the law.
AC: Interesting; and you aren’t worried or scared about going back?
DW: Nope! Not at all.
AC: Well thank you Dally for coming today. Now most might think that innocence is only lost when one does something bad or judged as such. But there is one person who lost his innocence, not by law breaking, but by taking on the responsibility of raising his two younger brothers; Darrel Curtis.
DC: Hi.
AC: Hello Darrel- or is there something else you like to be called?
DC: Darry, thanks.
AC: Well Darry, how did you lose your innocence?
DC: Well when I was about 19-20 years old, my parents died in an automobile accident. It was hard on me and my brothers. I gave up everything to take care of them.
AC: And what was your life before this tragedy happened?
DC: I was a Soc. Popular, and a star football player.
AC: Wow! I bet it was hard to give that up.
DC: No, I have the responsibility of my brothers. That is much more important than being a Soc.
AC: Well thank you Darry. Now please welcome Ponyboy Curtis.
PC: Hi.
AC: Hello Ponyboy. Can I call you Pony?
PC: Sure.
AC: So Pony, it that really your name?
PC: Yeah; it even says so on my birth certificate. Same with my brother, Sodapop.
AC: Well Pony; how did you lose your innocence?
PC: When my best friend Johnny did something bad.
AC: And what was that?
PC: Can’t tell.
AC: Well, how did it make you feel when this happened to you?
PC: Lousy. I felt like nothing really. I didn’t know what to do or how to think for that matter.
AC: That must have been hard for you, running away from your family.
PC: Well we came back after the fire.
AC: Fire?
PC: Yeah there was a fire down in the country side. Me and Johnny saved about 15 kids from it.
AC: Wow! You must have been very brave to do something like that.
PC: I guess so.
AC: Well thank you Ponyboy. Now welcome our last guest for this evening, Johnny Cade.
JC: Hey.
AC: Johnny, you look like a good kid who ‘wouldn’t hurt a fly’. How did you lose your innocence?
JC: Well when me and Pony were at the park, we were jumped by some drunk Socs. Pony was getting drown by them in the fountain. I remembered my blade in my pocket, so to protect Ponyboy from gettin’ killed, I stabbed this one kid; Bob Sheldon was his name.
AC: Wow, it must have been difficult for you to do such a thing. What happened to the rest of Bob’s gang?
JC: They ran silly, and then pulled charges for man-slaughter. Yet they did say it was of self defense.
AC: And what did your parents think of this?
JC: Ah they don’t care ‘bout me. Mom ignores me and Dad beats and yells at me.
AC: Oh, I’m sorry Johnny. Well I hope all is well now; seeing that you are, you know……dead.
JC: Yeah, I’m okay.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Beyond the Willows End
Authors note: This story is about a girl who disobeys her mother’s orders and goes to a forbidden shack. She soon finds the consequences and unknown secrets about the shack.
My mother would always warn me of the dangers of the forest. “Don’t go beyond the Willows End!” she would say every time I went out. As a child, as me, I would anyways. I found no fear in the forest that lies just past the boarder. The woods are the gateway to this forbidden place.
The wind blew against the old shack of a house. And the dust on old floor boards danced with the wind. Though my anticipation shrunk, I courageously went inside. The old place was in a wood; nearby to my home. I’ve come three times before, but never went in. It was rainy and cold, the wind getting more ferocious at the second. I was too far from home, and too close to the shack. My only choice was to go in. I walked up to the door. Old and worn the handle is about to fall off too. I pushed the door open; though it seemed that there were holes in the ceiling from outside, there was none. The inside was completely dry; however the air was damp and stuffy. Better than wet and cold right?
“Hello?” I called. If anyone lived here, I didn’t want to be accused of trespassing. There was no answer but still, I felt as though I was being watched. Achoo! I sneezed. The dust got into my nose and it tickled. I sneezed again, and again. Okay I don’t think it is the dust anymore. Being out in the rain for so long must have given me a cold. Oh well, I think I can manage. I took a look around the room I was in. It was a dull brown, with a mysterious era feeling to it. I was starting to think that I should have followed what my mother had said, “Don’t go beyond the Willows End!”
The floor boards were creaky and moved around a lot. Everything looked as old as Gandhi. And he is dead, by like 200 years. I walked around the dirty old thing to explore. This was the only room obviously. It was a shack for Christ’s sake. I took a step forward and I fell. What in the world did I trip on??!?!!??! It was a latch. Looks like it was stuck in the floorboards. I moved some sheets to get a better look at it. The latch was a dusty gold that looked easy to break. Not only that, there was a lock on it. Next to it all was a piece of paper, looked more like parchment really. The paper had writing on it. It said,
‘Dear Reader,
If you are reading this note that means that you have found my enchanted shack. This place has a secret. One that is the key to making a new beginning, a new life. To start everything over, to gain a second chance. The dangers of this can be deadly however. You may choose to go inside but there is no guarantee that you will like it. Everyone’s world is different, so when two go in, they won’t be together.
Be careful.
~ A.O.B.’
A.O.B.? What or who is that? Maybe it stands for a name. Anyway there is no way I could get in, because I don’t have a key. Yet as if on cue, a small shine came onto my eye. I looked over to where it came from. It was in the corner of the room. I walked over and saw the answer to get into this, ‘secret world’ that AOB spoke of. The key was a dull gold just like the latch. Excitement rushed through my veins as I scrambled over to the once hidden door to unlock it. When I inserted the key a fowl wind busted the doors open. I got up to shut it. I locked the door behind me so that the chance of it opening again was lower than hell.
My hand was now rested on the key. I was less anxious now. I, along with the rest of my family, was very superstitious. I thought it possible that the door blowing open was a sign. Is it possible that it was not meant to be open? What happens when I do open it? Okay I am officially unsure about this. And I am not one to adventure. I am more of a suffer-in-silence; spend Friday nights alone either on the computer or reading in my room.
However, I can’t let superstition take me over! Here I go. I turned the key and the lock popped open, making a spooky sound that you would here in a horror movie. I removed the lock from its holder, and then set it on the cold floor. Slowly and cautiously I opened the door. But all I saw was a pitch black hole, which reminded me of the darkness of hell.
Not knowing what would happen, I leaned forward to see in better. I could make out what the edges looked like. They were purple and blue that looked like they were, were……. Ugh! What’s the word? Come on! I won the ‘Best Author’ award 6 years in a row and I can’t think of the word. Luminescent! Yes that is the word. Or if you are an illiterate, glowing. It looked like it was glowing. Where they crystals? Or unknown gems? I saw one that was close enough that it seemed like I could touch it. I reached down. The tips of my fingers traced the precious jewels. They were smooth and the tips were sharp; so luminescent, so exquisite, and growing even more so. I felt something overcome my being, as if a demonic spirit has possessed the very heart and mind that I treasure so. No, this won’t happen! I fought this feeling that made me want to indulge myself in the deepest darkness. I adjusted my hand that was my only support, and I slipped.
I plummeted down into the dark abyss. I screamed and screamed. Even though I knew no one could hear me. I thought that it went on forever; until I felt a sharp pain in my back and head. Bliss then overcame me, only seconds later. I then saw the great light that I have been told many times about. I came to realize, and I said aloud,
“I am dead.”
Epilogue
Her body was never found because once she fell in, the door back shut closed and was locked by the very man who made the gateway.
“Great another body to rot.” Was all he said, he then decided that was enough and burned the shack down. But what he did not know was that the gate way was still there; waiting to gobble up its next victim.
My mother would always warn me of the dangers of the forest. “Don’t go beyond the Willows End!” she would say every time I went out. As a child, as me, I would anyways. I found no fear in the forest that lies just past the boarder. The woods are the gateway to this forbidden place.
The wind blew against the old shack of a house. And the dust on old floor boards danced with the wind. Though my anticipation shrunk, I courageously went inside. The old place was in a wood; nearby to my home. I’ve come three times before, but never went in. It was rainy and cold, the wind getting more ferocious at the second. I was too far from home, and too close to the shack. My only choice was to go in. I walked up to the door. Old and worn the handle is about to fall off too. I pushed the door open; though it seemed that there were holes in the ceiling from outside, there was none. The inside was completely dry; however the air was damp and stuffy. Better than wet and cold right?
“Hello?” I called. If anyone lived here, I didn’t want to be accused of trespassing. There was no answer but still, I felt as though I was being watched. Achoo! I sneezed. The dust got into my nose and it tickled. I sneezed again, and again. Okay I don’t think it is the dust anymore. Being out in the rain for so long must have given me a cold. Oh well, I think I can manage. I took a look around the room I was in. It was a dull brown, with a mysterious era feeling to it. I was starting to think that I should have followed what my mother had said, “Don’t go beyond the Willows End!”
The floor boards were creaky and moved around a lot. Everything looked as old as Gandhi. And he is dead, by like 200 years. I walked around the dirty old thing to explore. This was the only room obviously. It was a shack for Christ’s sake. I took a step forward and I fell. What in the world did I trip on??!?!!??! It was a latch. Looks like it was stuck in the floorboards. I moved some sheets to get a better look at it. The latch was a dusty gold that looked easy to break. Not only that, there was a lock on it. Next to it all was a piece of paper, looked more like parchment really. The paper had writing on it. It said,
‘Dear Reader,
If you are reading this note that means that you have found my enchanted shack. This place has a secret. One that is the key to making a new beginning, a new life. To start everything over, to gain a second chance. The dangers of this can be deadly however. You may choose to go inside but there is no guarantee that you will like it. Everyone’s world is different, so when two go in, they won’t be together.
Be careful.
~ A.O.B.’
A.O.B.? What or who is that? Maybe it stands for a name. Anyway there is no way I could get in, because I don’t have a key. Yet as if on cue, a small shine came onto my eye. I looked over to where it came from. It was in the corner of the room. I walked over and saw the answer to get into this, ‘secret world’ that AOB spoke of. The key was a dull gold just like the latch. Excitement rushed through my veins as I scrambled over to the once hidden door to unlock it. When I inserted the key a fowl wind busted the doors open. I got up to shut it. I locked the door behind me so that the chance of it opening again was lower than hell.
My hand was now rested on the key. I was less anxious now. I, along with the rest of my family, was very superstitious. I thought it possible that the door blowing open was a sign. Is it possible that it was not meant to be open? What happens when I do open it? Okay I am officially unsure about this. And I am not one to adventure. I am more of a suffer-in-silence; spend Friday nights alone either on the computer or reading in my room.
However, I can’t let superstition take me over! Here I go. I turned the key and the lock popped open, making a spooky sound that you would here in a horror movie. I removed the lock from its holder, and then set it on the cold floor. Slowly and cautiously I opened the door. But all I saw was a pitch black hole, which reminded me of the darkness of hell.
Not knowing what would happen, I leaned forward to see in better. I could make out what the edges looked like. They were purple and blue that looked like they were, were……. Ugh! What’s the word? Come on! I won the ‘Best Author’ award 6 years in a row and I can’t think of the word. Luminescent! Yes that is the word. Or if you are an illiterate, glowing. It looked like it was glowing. Where they crystals? Or unknown gems? I saw one that was close enough that it seemed like I could touch it. I reached down. The tips of my fingers traced the precious jewels. They were smooth and the tips were sharp; so luminescent, so exquisite, and growing even more so. I felt something overcome my being, as if a demonic spirit has possessed the very heart and mind that I treasure so. No, this won’t happen! I fought this feeling that made me want to indulge myself in the deepest darkness. I adjusted my hand that was my only support, and I slipped.
I plummeted down into the dark abyss. I screamed and screamed. Even though I knew no one could hear me. I thought that it went on forever; until I felt a sharp pain in my back and head. Bliss then overcame me, only seconds later. I then saw the great light that I have been told many times about. I came to realize, and I said aloud,
“I am dead.”
Epilogue
Her body was never found because once she fell in, the door back shut closed and was locked by the very man who made the gateway.
“Great another body to rot.” Was all he said, he then decided that was enough and burned the shack down. But what he did not know was that the gate way was still there; waiting to gobble up its next victim.
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