Prompt: Do you think this book will still be relevant to American teenagers in fifty years? Do you think that it is relevant to young people in other cultures? Explain. Response.
I believe that this book will be relevant to American teenagers in fifty years, but not as relevant as it is today. It is currently still relevant to people in other cultures today, such as in third-world countries.
Most of American teenagers have what we might call the basic necessities: A phone(this is debatable whether this is a basic necessity), a roof on their head, and clothes on their back. However there are still many teenagers that do not have things like that. We live in a nice, safe community. Our biggest worries are probably along the lines of getting a good grade on a test. But some teenagers have to worry about things like getting home safely, like Ponyboy in Chapter 1 of the Outsiders.
The average McDonald’s worker gets around 40,000 a year. It is impossible to live in Irvine for that much, as even renting a apartment will be more than 800~ a month. So many people who work in retail go live in more affordable places, like Tustin and Santa Ana. The problem is that these neighborhoods still aren’t very safe, and the schools aren’t as good as Irvine. For example, Venado Middle School and Irvine High School is rated a 9/10 on greatschools.org. But Santa Ana High School is only rated a 3/10! This is due to many factors.
However even in poorer areas, they still spend money on the same types of things that we do. Like a iPhone is $700~, but you will find many people having them. This trend of buying things that is expensive if you have a low income is increasing. How often do you see college students that have the latest iPhone but complain that college is a lot of money?
A lot. In 50 years, this gap between poor and middle and rich will become smaller. But there will still be bullying, and a gap between poor and rich. I think that in 50 years, teenagers will still have this problem, but it will be a lot smaller. As for young people in other cultures, this will be true for a long time.
In third-world countries such as India, the average salary is $3500 a year. But things are priced differently, like a snack would be 0.50-1~. It is still difficult to live off this, but it is easier. The problem is that the gap between rich and poor IS HUGE. The United States population is 320 million.
That might seem a lot, until you see that India’s population is 1.324 billion. India also is a fraction of the size of the United States. This makes jobs extremely difficult to find, with some sources saying that there is average 200-2000 people for each available job. Competition is high, but schools and colleges are expensive for the average person.
Many poor families in India have to make their sons dropout of school to support the family and get a job, just like how Sodapop and Steve had to to support Ponyboy and the families. Those who have to drop out will never be able to get a good, stable job. But they do it to support the family. The rich in India however, have the same things that many Socs have in The Outsiders.
As the cost of jobs is much lower in India, it isn’t uncommon to find people that have 5-10 servants, and a driver. If you walk down some streets in India you will find some people that are very poor and are Street vendors, and some group of friends who are walking together, with expensive clothes. Phone, watch. Etc. India is a very diverse group of people, and you can find different experiences. In 50 years(and now), this book will be relevant to other cultures and countries.
I think that in 40 years, American teenagers will be able to pick up a copy of The Outsiders, and be able to relate to some of the same problems that we face today. It will be less people that can relate to it however. In certain other cultures, they can pick up a copy of the outsiders and relate to it. Even in the future, they will be able to relate.
