These notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. The novel is set in harlem, new york, the same place that forms the background for many of the novels of reputed black writers like richard wright and james baldwin. Hes a highschool dropout and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. He undergoes many changes, both physical and emotional, and grows significantly throughout the length of the text. Rising action 2 rising action 3 alfred gets better as a boxer and he has his first three fights. This set of lesson plans consists of approximately 127 pages of tests, essay questions, lessons, and other teaching materials. The contender is a 1967 novel by american writer and sports journalist robert lipsyte. Lipsyte 25 donatelli telling alfred that everyone wants the be a champion but thats not good enough you have to want to be a contender and this makes alfred want to show donatelli that he is a contender so he wants to be a boxer to show donatilli. Students will complete a reading assignment, discussion questions, and create a contender. The book the the contender by robert lipstye was a decent book. Vin diesels bloodshot bombs at box office cosmic book news. This is the kind of position alfred brooks is in at the beginning.
Character list alfred brooks the protagonist of the novel, alfred hopes to transcend the repressive atmosphere of harlem and find a worthwhile life for himself. This acclaimed novel by celebrated sportswriter robert lipsyte, the recipient of the. It takes some coaxing, but james eventually responds to alfred. The contender, a biography of andrew cuomo the new. The contender by robert lipsytethemestheme analysis.
The book of thomas the contender, also known more simply as the book of thomas not to be confused with the gospel of thomas, is one of the books of the new testament apocrypha represented in the. The contender shows the harlem of midtwentieth century, when the blacks were becoming restless. Alfreds friend henry influences him a lot in the book. His best friend is sinking further and further into drug addiction. Alfreds aunt, in the book called aunt pearl, takes care of alfred after he lost. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay. A harlem high school dropout escapes from a gang of punks into a boxing gym, where he learns that being a contender is hard and often discouraging work. He is seventeen years old and an orphan living his with aunt in. Alfred brooks the protagonist of the novel, alfred hopes to transcend the repressive atmosphere of harlem and find a worthwhile life for himself james mosely alfreds best friend, james descends into.
In the novel, major, hollis, and even james hold attitudes that. Sometimes, it feels like we are at a crossroads, where everything is changing. Donatelli said, billy, i think its time, meaning donatelli thought it was time for spoon to quit boxing. Spoon had been a promising lightheavyweight boxer, ranked seventh in his division. Sometimes, it feels like we are at a crossroads, where everything is changing, and we dont know what we are doing. The pigman study guide contains a biography of paul zindel, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The chosen introduces the first book in the contender trilogy, an epic young adult fantasy from taran matharu, author of the new york timesbestselling summoner series. It was time for spoon to retire because, even though he was winning, spoon was being beaten too hard in the ring. Comprehension by chapter, vocabulary challenges, creative reading response activities and projects, tests, and much more. Alfred brooks is a black 17yearold high school dropout who lives with his aunt pearl in harlem in the mid1960s. 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. He works for the epsteins during the day and trains at donatellis gym in the evening. Alfred brooks the protagonist of the novel around whom the plot revolves.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the contender by robert lipsyte. 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. It was about a struggle of a black boy to become a real boxer, the contender. Synopsis alfred brooks, a seventeenyearold living in harlem. Jan 26, 2010 the breakthrough modern sports novel the contender shows readers the true meaning of being a hero. This is a sports fiction novel that tells a story of alfred brooks. Alfred brooks the protagonist of the novel, alfred hopes to transcend the repressive atmosphere of harlem and find a worthwhile life for himself james mosely alfreds best friend, james descends into drug addiction as alfred climbs toward maturity. He wins all of them, and during one fight, he is drastically shaken when he knocks his opponent out. Alfred and james go to the movies every friday, but one week, james is.
Donatelli said, billy, i think its time, meaning donatelli thought it was time for spoon. Alfreds aunt, in the book called aunt pearl, takes care of alfred after he lost both of his parents. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the chosen. Apr 05, 2015 andrew cuomo is not running for president.
Jamess associates beat alfred up for failing to tell them about the newly installed silent alarm installed at the store. The secret words that the savior spoke to judas thomas which, i, even i, mahaias, wrote down, while i was walking, listening to them speak. For him, alfred is the only person in the entire world who understands and cares to help him, and knowing that is enough to motivate james to change at the end of the book. He finds james hanging out there with major, sonny. Alfred finds james hanging out in the clubroom with his other friends, major and hollis. 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. See a complete list of the characters in the contender and indepth analyses of alfred brooks, mr.
Alfred is influenced a lot by the characters henry, major, and mr. He begins training at a boxing club as an alternative to drugs and gang membership. The secret words that the savior spoke to judas thomas which, i, even i, mahaias, wrote down, while i was walking, listening to them speak with one another. The contender by robert lipsyte study guide overall analysis character analysis alfred brooks. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Jan 08, 20 the contender book trailer kelsey valdez. 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 entire novel takes place over a few months and is largely set at aunt pearls. This book wasnt amazing but it was pretty good that is why i rated it a four out of five. Alfred brooks alfred, the protagonist, is the most dynamic character in the book. I could just imagine what everything must look like. The novel follows alfred as his friend james is arrested after robbing the grocery store where alfred works, and his confronta.
The contender cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. The contender robert lipsyte by ann pufpaff on prezi. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Some of the secondary characters i enjoyed were quintus and amber. 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. Free the contender worksheets and literature unit for. This acclaimed novel by celebrated sportswriter robert lipsyte, the recipient of the margaret a. Before you can be a champion, you have to be a contender. The book of thomas the contender, also known more simply as the book of thomas not to be confused with the gospel of thomas, is one of the books of the new testament apocrypha represented in the nag hammadi library, a cache of gnostic gospels secreted in the egyptian desert. The novel is the story of his coming of age and struggling to succeed. Some street kids are after him for something he didnt pdf even do.
Answer the following questions in a complete sentence, being as precise and detailed as possible. Hes a highschool dropout, and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the chosen. The contender was about a highschool dropout named alfred brooks. Free online study guidethe contender by robert lipsytebook summary. This character is a seventeenyearold black boy who lives in a seedy section of harlem. Alfred is faced with a struggle inside himself to become a better person. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to. In the conclusion of the novel, alfred finds james hiding in the cave and. This study guide consists of approximately 57 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the contender. Free the contender study unit worksheets for teachers to print. It should be said the characters are really cool im a fan of shadowman and xo manowar, and i am particularly fond of the gold key characters when they.
The novel is set in harlem, new york, the same place that forms the background for many of the novels of reputed. The feelgood oscar contender has a magical negro problem opinion mahershala alis character exists solely to help a white man overcome his problems. The contender, a biography of andrew cuomo the new york times. The book of thomas the contender is a lost gospel and part of the nag hammadi collection codex ii, found in the egyptian desert in 1945. The breakthrough modern sports novel the contender shows readers the true meaning of being a hero. Back in the day, the valiant comic book titles sold in the millions, even outselling marvel and dc, but since the comic book bubble went bust in the 90s, valiant hasnt even been a contender. Character development is great with lipsyte creating an imperfect protagonist who. He spends his days trying to avoid the bullies, especially finch, and pretending hes not as smart as he is so that he doesnt attract attention. Answer the following questions in a complete sentence, being as precise.
During the book, alfred brooks, a seventeenyearold adolescent and the protagonist of the novel, develops from an indecisive youth into a confident young man. Vin diesels bloodshot bombs at box office cosmic book. He works for the epsteins during the day and trains at the gym in the evening. One friday evening 17yearold alfred brooks goes to the local clubroom to look for his best friend james. During the book, alfred brooks, a seventeenyearold adolescent and the protagonist of. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. He is seventeen years old and an orphan living with his aunt pearl in harlem. James mosely alfreds best friend, james descends into drug addiction as alfred climbs toward maturity. Alfred brooks the protagonist of the novel, alfred hopes to transcend the repressive atmosphere of harlem and find a worthwhile life for himself. For him, alfred is the only person in the entire world who understands and cares to help him.
The contender is the debut novel by american author and sports journalist robert lipsyte. I would recommend this book to my friend because it is a high paced book and its about sports. The contender 2000 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. In the novel the contender, a boy named alfred brooks lives with his aunt, and drops out of high school so he can work full time at the grocery store where he works. It is thought to have been originally written in the late first century. Summary and main characters of robert lipsytes the. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting.
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. Contender, book 1, cade is stuck in a reform school after hes kicked out of prep school for a crime he didnt commit. Robert lipsytes book, the contender, explores the story of a young teen who rises against all odds. To ask other readers questions about the contender, please sign up. Alfreds father deserted the family when alfred was ten years old.
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