Hell's Angel vs. Ring Leader

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Hell's Angel vs. Ring Leader Hell's Angel by Ralph "Sonny" Barger is the story of how Sonny rebels to find a group to which he belongs. Ring Leader by Natalie Kusz is about Natalie, an unusual girl, growing up and trying to find a place where she belongs. While both authors rebel in order to find a sense of belonging, Barger acts out against authority, while Kusz changes her appearance and makes it known that she is from out of town. The theme of these essays is rebellion. People rebel for many different reasons, whether it is to find a sense of belonging, to show people that they are different, or to feel like they are a part of something bigger. There are different motivations, methods, and goals to rebellion. Barger and Kusz have different motivations and methods, but they have the same ultimate goal in rebelling. In Hell's Angel, Sonny grows up in a broken home. His mom left, and his dad is a drunk. When he was a kid, Barger went to bars with his father. Barger writes, "The whole neighborhood knew Shirley and I lived with a drunk"(pg. 85). Neighbors looked out for Sonny and his sister, and a pilot named Erland would take them places once a week. Sonny went to multiple schools, being expelled and suspended several times. He didn't take well to authority, mainly because of the fact that his dad always treated him as more of a friend than a son(pg. 86). Barger's father eventually got remarried and had another daughter. Sonny couldn't stand Sylvia, his step-mother, or her parents. Sylvia's parents tried to control Sonny and his father. Sonny got a bike and would go to San Francisco during the summers and on weekends with his friends. He never asked his dad. Sonny was diagnosed with a blood disorder and had to receive shots twice a week, which started his hatred of needles. When his stepmother left with Barger's stepsister and all of their things, his father

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