I've also worked with Sir Chris Hoy on the Flying Fergus series and ghost-written Angry Birds under another name. I’m a winner of the Fantastic Book Award and the Surrey Book Award, and have been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Booktrust Best Book award and Queen of Teen among others, and twice nominated for the Carnegie Medal, for Everybody Hurts, and for Joe All Alone, which is now a BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated BBC TV series. I also lecture in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, and hold a doctorate in young adult literature. It's through imagery and word pictures that readers understand why Hinton had to use something as drastic as death to help these two groups find hope, peace and reconciliation.A former broadcast journalist and special adviser to the prime minister, since leaving politics I’ve written more than 80 books for children and adults, as well as speeches for politicians, and articles for newspapers and magazines like The Guardian, Red and The Amorist. The language evokes intense feelings and provides visual cues of how deep the divide between the Greasers and Socs runs. Figurative language encourages readers to sympathize and identify with the characters - teenagers who must face situations and emotions beyond their age. They are exaggerations that make the cultural and socioeconomic differences feel incredibly real. These three figurative examples in Hinton's masterpiece serve a common purpose. "No jazz before the rumble" means no trouble before the fight. Because the jazz age of the 1920s is closely linked to tension and violence between blacks and whites - two groups from very different backgrounds - the "no jazz" phrase provides a strong figurative parallel to the struggle Greasers and Socs face in Hinton's novel. The Greasers and Socs have agreed to fight that night, so Two-Bit says, "No jazz before the rumble." Two-Bit doesn't want to interact with the Socs before the big fight or get into a small scuffle at the restaurant. Hinton uses figurative language when she writes, "No jazz before the rumble." Ponyboy and his wisecracking friend Two-Bit run into some Socs at a popular teen hangout called the Tasty Freeze. Ponyboy and Cherry agree that feuding between the Greasers and Socs hurts both sides, and the long-running conflicts won't end well. They both see the same sunset regardless of what clothes they wear or how wealthy they are. They realize that even though they have different backgrounds and come from separate neighborhoods, the sunset connects them emotionally. Ponyboy - a Greaser - and Cherry - a Soc - have an intimate conversation as they watch the sunset. The words reveal a deeper understanding of social status and stereotypes. Hinton uses figurative language in this line to express more than Ponyboy's fascination with real sunsets. Ponyboy says, "We saw the same sunset," as he narrates the first part of Chapter 3. "Stay gold, Ponyboy" is Johnny's reassurance that everything is going to turn out OK for his friend. "Stay gold" also reveals Johnny's hopes that Ponyboy will remember the beauty and innocence of youth, even though the teen years are difficult and troubling. While they were hiding together, watching the sunset, Ponyboy read to Johnny a Robert Frost poem titled "Nothing Gold Stays." Johnny says "stay gold" to remind Ponyboy to live up to his potential as a writer and to get out of his lower class neighborhood that's on the bad side of town. "Stay gold" refers to keeping his hair blond. Ponyboy dyed his hair blond so he wouldn't be easily identified by police who were looking for him as an accomplice to murder. The figurative language in this one line has so many deeper meanings. One of the most famous lines from "The Outsiders" is "Stay gold, Ponyboy." These were Johnny's last words to Ponyboy before Johnny died in a hospital as a result of horrible burns from a fire.
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