A World Confused
In the past few years social networks have began to burgeon. Social networks are started to connect friends, share photos, and communicate. Sure, the creators of some of these websites are quite rich, but they were just ordinary people before hand. They came up with a brilliant plan to connect people all over the world without long distance bills or carpal tunnel. So if these websites are so great, why would people question their advancement of society by saying that they’re replacing face to face conversations? One hundred and fifty million people log onto Facebook every day. The world loves social networking; it connects them. If you meet someone at summer camp, you could talk to them over social networking. People talk to the friends that they haven’t seen in years using Facebook and Myspace. Social networks are really acting like a phone but even better. People argue that social networks are replacing face to face conversations, but it’s really just nascent technology. To prove my point I ask this question: Aren’t telephones replacing face to face conversations more than social networks? People are hypocritical when it comes to social networks. They argue but then they go home and talk about it on the phone… replacing a face to face conversation! When people use social networks, they usually end up having more friends; because they talk to people who they aren’t really the best of friends with online. Social networking makes it easier for people to make more friends. If people are so wrong about this subject, I wonder what other subjects people have over analyzed. My argument is quite pragmatic, social networking is a step forward for society, not a downfall.
Loyal to the Gang
Ponyboy Curtis is a fourteen year old boy. He has gray-green eyes -that he doesn’t like because he hates a lot of guys that have green eyes- and light brown almost red hair. He’s in a gang called the Greasers whose arch enemy are the gregarious Socs, short for socials. He’s a boy who has seen more than fourteen year olds should see like his laconic friend who is sixteen, Johnny: “Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the sights you want to see.” They see crimes that aren’t very peccadillo, like robberies on a regular basis, and even witnessed a murder. Ponyboy usually tells it like it is, calling Sodapop as handsome as a movie star or Dally a blasted fool. Though he’s usually telling it how it is, he has a soft spot, a warmth in his heart that shows his true colors when it comes up in the story. He shows this warmth to Cherry a lot, finding her easy to talk to. Cherry is someone who Ponyboy can really talk to; she’s not like the gang who would laugh and call him sappy. Even though Cherry’s a Soc, Ponyboy still relates to her. They discuss how “Things are rough all over” and the troubles between their gangs. Ponyboy and Cherry both love sunsets, and they established that at the movie; then it came back up after Johnny murdered Bob. Things were awkward between Ponyboy and Cherry after that; they even argued a little. Until Ponyboy asked, “Can you see the sunset real good from the West Side?” She blinked, startled, then smiled, “Real good.” “You can see it good from the East Side, too.” They understand each other to the point of forgetting the gangs, and coming together as friends. In this novel, Ponyboy is the main character. He’s all about staying loyal to the gang but playing fair at the same time. He doesn’t have much against the Socs, in fact there’s no definite reason the gangs are so aggressive towards each other; it has just always been that way. He’s a friend to Cherry and had a heartfelt discussion with Randy. After Ponyboy and Cherry talked he thought, “Things are rough all over, but it’s better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too.” He knows that even though they’re rivals, the Socs are people too. He knows they have problems and troubles of their own, just like everyone else.
