His best friend is sinking further and further into drug addiction. The contender, by robert lipsyte, is the story of a young man named. This book wasnt amazing but it was pretty good that is why i rated it a four out of five. He stood up, taller than any of them and almost as heavily muscled as major. His future looks quite bleak because of his own failures and because of the temptations and dangers around him. This is a sports fiction novel that tells a story of alfred brooks. James does not show up, and alfred goes looking for him, eventually finding him in the company of three neighborhood hoodlums, major, sonny, and hollis.
During the book, alfred brooks, a seventeenyearold adolescent and the protagonist of the novel, develops from an indecisive youth into a confident young man. The novel begins as alfred, the protagonist, waits for his best friend james, with whom he has planned to go to the movies. The contender by robert lipsyte, chapters 7 vocabulary. Before you can be a champion, you have to be a contender. The black teenager is alfred and these three characters are donatelli, major and aunt pearl. The major theme of the novel is the difficulty of growing up and finding an identity. Alfred peeked at their faces, black and sweating in the semicircle around him. Alfred brooks alfred, the protagonist, is the most dynamic character in the book. Aunt pear, concerned for alfred, lightly complained about his. During the book, alfred brooks, a seventeenyearold adolescent and the protagonist of the novel, develops from an indecisive youth into. Alfreds father deserted the family when alfred was ten years old. Alfred took a step backward, nearly knocking over an old wooden chair.
Alfreds bestfriend got addicted to drugs and started to hang around with punks, therefore alfred is the book the the contender by robert lipstye was a decent book. Turn alfred upside down and make the dues fall out his pockets. Fights in madison square garden and stops fighting. His future looks quite bleak because of his own failures and because of.
Alfred felt responsible for james and tried to help his friend numerous times throughout the novel. Which is owned by the epsteins, a wealthy jewish family. He has dropped out of school and is barely getting by working in a grocery store. Alfred brooks cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. Lipsyte does a good job describing the characters and showing their emotional and physical feelings. Of course, donatelli is speaking about life as well as boxing. There he learns its the effort, not the win, that makes the boxerthat before you can be a champion, you have to be a contender. Where do james, major, hollis, and sonny decide to go after alfred s visit to the clubroom. Jun 28, 2014 in the contender by robert lipsyte, mr. In the book alfred the main character is a troubled young man that is a high school dropout. The contender is the debut novel by american author and sports journalist robert lipsyte.
The protagonist of the novel is a black seventeenyearold man named alfred brooks, a high school dropout living with aunt pearl and her 3. A summary of chapters in robert lipsytes the contender. A vocabulary list featuring the contender by robert lipsyte, chapters 7. Donatilli is saying that he will know once alfred gets hurt. Now alfred feels not just powerless, but afraid and he wants to be able to walk down the street like a man. I recommend this book to kids that are into sports, and love the sport of boxing.
He lived in harlem with his aunt and also he works part time at a grocery store. Alfred brookss life is going nowhere until he joins a renowned boxing club in harlem. This acclaimed novel by celebrated sportswriter robert lipsyte, the recipient of the margaret a. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the contender and what it means. Who is alfred waiting for and where are they about to go. Donatelli, near the end of chapter 3, in his speech that begins, you have to start by wanting to be a contender. Alfred s story parallels the major theme of the novel, which is stated most poignantly by the fight manager, mr. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. He then wants to learn how to fight and get stronger so he starts boxing, this turns his life aro. The contender essays the contender is a book about a young black boy named alfred brooks, growing up in a poor part of new york. Edwards award for lifetime achievement in ya fiction, is the story of a young. The contender by robert lipsyte essay, literature, the. The chances are that alfred will never reach the top, but he will be a contender if he takes his skill, his brain, and his heart as high as he can. Alfreds bestfriend got addicted to drugs and started to hang around with punks, therefore alfred is the book the the contender by.
Then once hes hurt will he give up or will he keep on going. In robert lipsytes the contender, how do the epsteins treat alfred after the robbery. Hes a highschool dropout working at a grocery store. Alfred brooks is a black seventeenyearold high school dropout who lives with his aunt pearl and her three daughters in harlem. Alfred lives in harlem with his aunt pearl, and works at a grocery store.
All these things are happened in a book named the contender, the author is robert lipsyte. How alfred changes what kind of changes does alfred go through in the book the contender by robert lipsyte. Lipsyte 152 donatelli telling alfred that he knows that hes a contender he feels better about himself. A contender is, first and foremost, a man, an adult. How tall is alfred in the book the contender answers. I found it very interesting, i thought it was kind of annoying at the end how they left it on a huge cliff hanger and didnt bother to add another book or at least tell us how it ends. So, alfred begins going to donatellis gym, a boxing club in harlem that has trained champions.
The book s plot centers on a black seventeenyearold man named alfred brooks, a high school dropout living with aunt pearl and her three daughters in harlem, new york city. The contender, by robert lipsyte, is the story of a highschool dropout named alfred who makes a hard choice to turn away from a life on the streets of harlem and all the trouble that entails and. He wins all of them, and during one fight, he is drastically shaken when he knocks his opponent out. The spirit of life in harlem is clearly captured from the beginning. Most recently, some street punks have started to harass alfred for something he didnt do. In fact, the book opens with alfred waiting for james on the. The contender chapter 12 study guide flashcards quizlet. Alfred is influenced a lot by the characters henry, major, and mr. Donatelli examines alfred, judges him, and decides if he will become a contender. The contender, however, he really liked and said it was one of his favorites. During the book, alfred brooks, a seventeenyearold adolescent and the protagonist of the novel, develops from an indecisive youth into a confident. The contender lipsyte novel the contender is the debut novel by american author and sports journalist robert lipsyte. The contender, a biography of andrew cuomo the new york times. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Quote 2 donatelli tells alfred now you know, alfred. James chubby face was set and unsmiling as major continued his imitation, scratching his nose, pouting his lips, and shambling loosely like a puppet at the end of jerking strings. There, he learns its the effort, not the win that makes a man. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. His father left when alfred was ten, and his mother died three years later, so alfred lives with his aunt pearl and her 3. What had happened at the cllubroom since alfred was last there. Alfreds story parallels the major theme of the novel, which is stated most poignantly by the fight manager, mr. The contender by robert lypsyte timeline timetoast timelines.
Ala best of the best books for young adults ala notable childrens book new york public library books for the teen age. Robert lipstyle named the book the contender because alfred brooks wanted to be a contender. In the beginning alfred is working at a shop sweeping, he gets bullied and picked on all the time. My 14 year old son had to read this for one of his summer reading books. Alfreds friend henry influences him a lot in the book. Sometimes, it feels like we are at a crossroads, where everything is changing, and we dont know what we are doing. Donatelli tells alfred that a contender is willing to pay the price. Although major persuades james to permanently join him, alfred. Free study guidethe contender conflictshort summary. The breakthrough modern sports novel the contender shows readers the true meaning of being a hero this acclaimed novel by celebrated sportswriter robert lipsyte, the recipient of the margaret a. I think there is some situational irony when alfred first fought those two boxers.
I think there is some situational irony when alfred first. Gathering his courage, he starts going to donatellis gym, a neighborhood boxing club famous for training champions. One of these movements takes the form of boxing training, and soon alfred gets. Buy a cheap copy of the contender book by robert lipsyte. The contender is a book about a young black boy named alfred brooks, growing up in a poor part of new york. The breakthrough modern sports novel the contender shows readers the true meaning of being a hero. The title of the book refers to the saying that before you can be a champion, you have to be a contender.
The contender by robert lypsyte timeline created by ubteached. For the true contender, the journey is more important than the arrival. The contender the contender a black teenager became a. The contender was about a highschool dropout named alfred brooks. Exposition our main character, alfred brooks, lives in a. Synopsis alfred brooks, a seventeenyearold living in harlem, overcomes the negative forces of the ghetto to become a contender in the. Apr 05, 2015 andrew cuomo is not running for president. He undergoes many changes, both physical and emotional, and grows. The contender themes moodbiography by robert lipsyte. He has flawsalmost fatal onesand sometimes acts in ways that can make us cringe. So alfred begins going to donatellis gym, a boxing club in harlem that has trained champions. Hes not an avid reader and often complains about the book hes been assigned to read.
When donatilli told alfred this, alfred now knows what it means to be a contender and what it takes to be a contender. Alfred is faced with a struggle inside himself to become a better person. A contender is someone who is competing for a championship. Oct 27, 2015 the contender by robert lipsyte in epub, rtf, txt download e book.
Some street kids are after him for something he didnt pdf even do. Hes a highschool dropout and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. I would recommend this book to my friend because it is a high paced book and its about sports. Donatelli says one of the most inspirational quotes, which will help alfred strive to be the next best boxer. How alfred disciplines himself is that he gets up at five a. When jackson fell down and stayed down, what did alfred think. At the beginning of the novel, alfred brooks presents himself as a timid boy who is afraid to stand up for himself and who has no vision for his future. Understanding the contender structure conflict the contender captures alfred brooks at a crucial time in his life. Boggio english 91 march 29 2012 the contender character influences the character alfred in the contender is influenced by many other characters in the book. Edwards award for lifetime achievement in ya fiction, is the story of a young boxer in harlem who overcomes hardships and finds hope in the ring on his path to becoming a contender. At this part in the book, alfred has decided to do something with his life and start a career as a boxer.
Alfred does not want to be just another good little slave, but he doesnt wan. He will sweat and bleed to get as high as his talent, courage, and character will take him. Robert lipsytes the contender is a great book and makes you feel like your really there. The literary background for the contender can be traced to the postharlem renaissance period.
The books plot centers on a black seventeenyearold man named alfred brooks, a high school dropout living with aunt pearl and her three daughters in harlem. In addition to his susceptibility to temptation, he is vulnerable to those weaknesses which everyone feelsloneliness. The contender by robert lipsyte free booknotes summary themes major theme. The contender by robert lipsyte study guide overall analysis character analysis alfred brooks.
Where alfred goes with major and major almost gets caught for stealing a car. Aunt pear, concerned for alfred, lightly complained about. The contender is a comingofage novel whose protagonist, a black seventeenyearold high school dropout named alfred brooks, lives with his aunt pearl and her three daughters in harlem, a predominantly african american neighborhood in manhattan, new york city, in the mid1960s. The contender by robert lipsyte in epub, rtf, txt download e book.
Alfred needs to be able to make sound like a machine gun. Lipsyte explores a number of issues especially those that confront teenagersthrough alfred. Speaking alfred and james were best friends for many years before their lives went down separate paths. The books plot centers on a black seventeenyearold man named alfred brooks, a high school dropout living with aunt pearl and her three daughters in harlem, new york city. Alfred s father deserted the family when alfred was ten years old. For the true contender, the journey is more important than the. He undergoes many changes, both physical and emotional, and grows significantly throughout the length of the text. Not in 2016 since the governor of new york is not about to throw himself in front of the freight train that is hillary clinton and possibly not ever. Start studying the contender chapter 12 study guide. Through much of the book, jeff wants to go to africa and make a fortune for himself as a businessman, while alfred wants to become a champion boxer. This is the kind of position alfred brooks is in at the beginning. Rising action 2 rising action 3 alfred gets better as a boxer and he has his first three fights. The contender the contender by robert lipsyte is an exciting novel with each chapter having something new to learn about the book. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote from the office.
Free online study guidethe contender by robert lipsytebook summary. The book was definitely first person narrator because it was always alfred this and alfred that. Alfred does not want to be just another good little slave, but he doesnt want to find himself in trouble with. Personificationair is cool and sweet imagery alfred brushed past the outstretched hand of a wino and caught up to his. His best friend is drifting behind a haze of drugs and violence, and now.