1. MINI LESSONS FOR THE OUTSIDERS

2. MINI LESSON # 1: POINT OF VIEW
Point of View is the vantage point from which an author presents a story. Point of view is shaped by the author's choice of narrator, the person who tells the story. A story may be told from the first-person point of view or the third-person point of view. The use of the third-person pronouns she, he, they, him, and her signals that a story is told from the third-person point of view. The use of the pronoun I indicates the first-person point of view.
First-person Point of View
Stories told in the first-person point of view use I, me, our, we, or my. The narrator is a character in the story, usually but not always the main character. A story told from one person's point of view limits that character's knowledge to his or her own observations and ideas. Not all narrators are reliable, so they may be biased in their view of characters or events. You must judge whether someone is a reliable narrator based on other details from the story.
Third-person Point of View
Told by a narrator who is not a part of the story's action, the third­person point of view uses pronouns such as he, she, and they. If the third-person narrator appears to know what everyone in the story is thinking and feeling, the point of view is called omniscient. Most stories, however, limit the narrator's knowledge to what the protagonist thinks and feels. Such a point of view is called limited.

3. The first-person narrator can be right or wrong about the events of the story or the motives of the other characters; he can tell the truth, or lie; he can understand the story, or he may not; his hopes, dreams, fears, prejudices — in short, his emotional and psychological qualities — all are taken into account by the reader in interpreting what is being told by the narrator. This complexity makes first person an extremely vivid and lifelike means of narration.

4. ASSIGNMENT
Ponyboy is the narrator of The Outsiders. What internal conflicts does he face? What external conflicts? What does he consider to be unique about himself? At this point in the novel, do you think he is comfortable with the person that he is? Support your answer with references to the text.
Is Ponyboy a reliable narrator? Consider his maturity and his view of his situation in life. What bias does he bring to our understanding of the story? Do you agree with his perception of the situations he finds himself in.