Hansen, Jim, photographer. Image from LOOK - Job 66- titled Paul Newman. United States, 1966. date added to Look's library. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021685579/.
This photo of Paul Newman is a useful resource for understanding the 1960s as a setting for texts, examining and understanding allusions, and examining the impact of movies and pop culture on other media. The resource is particularly valuable to use in conjunction with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton due to the beginning and ending lines of the novel.
A photograph that shows actor Paul Newman on the set of his film Cool Hand Luke.
Paul Newman was a famous actor and activist in the 1960s. He played roles in many popular movies such as The Color of Money, Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- What do you see when you look at this photo?
- What do you think this person’s profession is?
- What mood is the subject in? How can you tell?
- How can understanding the historical setting of a text enhance understanding of that text?
- How do authors use allusions to enhance our understanding of setting and other literary elements?
Academic Standards for English Language Arts-Pennsylvania
CC.1.3.8.F: Analyze the influence of the words and phrases in a text including figurative and connotative meanings and how they shape meaning and tone
- Teachers can use this photo to teach students about allusions as a literary element and examine how allusions are used in literature.
CC.1.3.8.H: Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from traditional works, including describing how the material is rendered new.
- Teachers can use this to show students how older texts have an impact on newer work, and how different types of media can enhance the understanding of each.
- Teachers can use this photo among others as a launch activity for The Outsiders to help students understand the setting and popular culture of the time.
- Students can examine how literary elements such as allusions, foreshadowing, and figurative language impact understanding of a text. Lessons such as this one from PBS could be used.
- Teachers can have students use a resource such as Padlet to compile facts and images about the 1960s, using this as an example photo or starting point. This can be used to examine the 1960s as a historical time period or as a setting for a novel.
Parents who are sensitive about their student’s interaction with forms of media such as movies may be hesitant to have their students interact with a resource representing popular culture. Additionally, due to the impact of social and political events of the time period on media and popular culture, some may make connections between unrelated media, such as movies, and prominent historical events such as the Civil Rights movement.
- An alternate photo of Paul Newman from a later decade.
- This is a photo of James Dean who made many similar choices that some of the characters in The Outsiders This could be an alternative.
- Quizlet of literary allusions in The Outsiders.
- Britannica page about Paul Newman.