Amigo Brothers by Piri Thomas

LITERARY FOCUS: THE SHORT STORY

Most television shows are only a half-hour or an hour long. Because TV
shows don’t have as much time to develop a story as full-length movies
do, their plots and conflicts tend to be less involved or complicated.
The same is true of short stories and novels. A short story is usually
between five and twenty pages long, whereas a novel is usually more
than one hundred pages long. Although short stories and novels may
have identical plot patterns, such as the one shown below, the action
in a short story unfolds much more quickly than it does in most novels.

Short Story Structure

Meet main characters ➜ Learn their problems ➜ Sort out complications

Move to the story’s climax ➜ Resolution

CONFLICT

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Conflict is the struggle or battle that characters in a story face. In “Amigo
Brothers,” the two main characters face both external and internal
conflict. The two best friends must battle each other in a boxing ring,
an external conflict. Each boy also struggles with this internal conflict:
How can he do his best in the ring and at the same time avoid hurting
his best friend?

Literary Skills READING SKILLS: COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

Understand
forms of prose: You compare and contrast things all the time without even thinking
the short story;
understand about it. When buying sneakers, for example, you may discover that
internal and
external conflict. although two pairs both are lace up, nylon, and designed for running
Reading Skills (points of comparison), you like the blue pair better than the white
Understand
comparison and pair (point of contrast).
contrast.
Vocabulary
Skills Use the same strategy when you read “Amigo Brothers.” Take notes as
Recognize
synonyms. you discover what makes the two main characters alike and different.

156 Part 1 Collection 5 / Worlds of Words: Prose and Poetry

 PREVIEW SELECTION VOCABULARY
Preview the following words before you begin to read
“Amigo Brothers.”

bouts (b¡ts) n.: matches; contests. dispelled (di·speld√) v.: driven away.
Both boxers had won many bouts. All doubt was dispelled the moment Tony made
up his mind.
pensively (pen√siv·l≤) adv.: thoughtfully.
frenzied (fren√z≤d) adj.: wild.
Felix nodded pensively as he rested.
The audience’s reaction was as frenzied as the
torrent (tôr√¥nt) n.: flood or rush.
battle in the ring.
A torrent of emotion left him close to tears.

CLARIFYING WORD MEANINGS: CHOOSING SYNONYMS

Synonyms are words that have the same meaning. It’s helpful when
learning a new word to also learn its synonyms. Each sentence below
contains an italicized word or phrase that is a synonym for one of
the vocabulary words. The vocabulary word appears in parentheses
following its synonym.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

• In a ninth-inning rally, the hitters poured out a flood (torrent) of

line drives on the tired infielders.
• The champion boxer was undefeated in his last twenty fights
(bouts).
• After winning the relay by six seconds, our swim team drove away
(dispelled) our coach’s fear that we couldn’t work as a team.
• A group of wild (frenzied) fans ran onto the field after the soccer
final.
• Michelle studied the basket thoughtfully (pensively) before the last-
second free throw.

Amigo Brothers 157

 Piri Thomas

BACKGROUND: Literature and Social Studies

This story is about two friends (amigos in Spanish) living on the Lower East
Side of New York City. Many boys from the Lower East Side have dreamed
of building a better life by winning the New York Golden Gloves, a tourna-
ment started in 1927 by Paul Gallico, a newspaper writer. This tournament
marks an amateur’s entry into the world of big-time boxing.

Notes Antonio Cruz and Felix Vargas were both seventeen years
old. They were so together in friendship that they felt
themselves to be brothers. They had known each other
since childhood, growing up on the Lower East Side of
Manhattan in the same tenement1 building on Fifth Street
between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Antonio was fair, lean, and lanky, while Felix was dark,
short, and husky. Antonio’s hair was always falling over his
eyes, while Felix wore his black hair in a natural Afro style.
10 Each youngster had a dream of someday becoming
lightweight champion of the world. Every chance they had,
the boys worked out, sometimes at the Boys’ Club on 10th
Street and Avenue A and sometimes at the pro’s gym on
14th Street. Early morning sunrises would find them run-
Re-read lines 1–17. Underline ning along the East River Drive, wrapped in sweat shirts,
the names of the two main
characters. Circle three short towels around their necks, and handkerchiefs Apache
details that tell how similar,
or alike, they are.
style around their foreheads.

“Amigo Brothers” from Stories from El Barrio

by Piri Thomas. Copyright © 1978 by Piri 1. tenement n. used as adj.: apartment. Tenement buildings are often
Thomas. Reproduced by permission of the
author. cheaply built and poorly maintained.

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 While some youngsters were into street negatives,
Antonio and Felix slept, ate, rapped, and dreamt positive.
20 Between them, they had a collection of Fight magazines Underline the details that
describe each youngster’s
second to none, plus a scrapbook filled with torn tickets fighting style (lines 27–33).
to every boxing match they had ever attended, and some What does the author mean
when he says Antonio is “the
clippings of their own. If asked a question about any given better boxer,” while Felix is
“the better slugger”?
fighter, they would immediately zip out from their memory
banks divisions, weights, records of fights, knockouts, tech-
nical knockouts, and draws or losses.
Each had fought many bouts representing their com-
munity and had won two gold-plated medals plus a silver
and bronze medallion. The difference was in their style.
30 Antonio’s lean form and long reach made him the better
boxer, while Felix’s short and muscular frame made him
the better slugger. Whenever they had met in the ring for
sparring sessions,2 it had always been hot and heavy.
Now, after a series of elimination bouts, they had been
informed that they were to meet each other in the division bouts (b¡ts) n.: matches;
contests.
finals that were scheduled for the seventh of August, two
weeks away—the winner to represent the Boys’ Club in the
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Golden Gloves Championship Tournament.

The two boys “sensed a wall
The two boys continued to run together along the East
rising between them” (lines
40 River Drive. But even when joking with each other, they 40–41). What is happening
to their friendship? What is
both sensed a wall rising between them. the wall?
One morning less than a week before their bout, they
met as usual for their daily workout. They fooled around
with a few jabs at the air, slapped skin, and then took off,
running lightly along the dirty East River’s edge.
Antonio glanced at Felix, who kept his eyes purposely
straight ahead, pausing from time to time to do some fancy
leg work while throwing one-twos followed by uppercuts to
an imaginary jaw. Antonio then beat the air with a barrage

2. sparring sessions: practice matches in which boxers use light punches.

Amigo Brothers 159

 50 of body blows and short devastating lefts with an overhead
jaw-breaking right.
What might the word ace- After a mile or so, Felix puffed and said, “Let’s stop
boon in lines 56–57 mean?
Use context clues to help you. a while, bro. I think we both got something to say to
each other.”
Antonio nodded. It was not natural to be acting as
though nothing unusual was happening when two ace-
boon buddies were going to be blasting each other within
a few short days.
They rested their elbows on the railing separating
60 them from the river. Antonio wiped his face with his short
towel. The sunrise was now creating day.
Felix leaned heavily on the river’s railing and stared
across to the shores of Brooklyn. Finally, he broke the silence.
“Man. I don’t know how to come out with it.”
Antonio helped. “It’s about our fight, right?”
“Yeah, right.” Felix’s eyes squinted at the rising
orange sun.
Pause at line 74. How do you
“I’ve been thinking about it too, panin.3 In fact, since
think Antonio and Felix will we found out it was going to be me and you, I’ve been awake
solve the problem they have

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

about fighting each other? 70 at night, pulling punches on you, trying not to hurt you.”
“Same here. It ain’t natural not to think about the
fight. I mean, we both are cheverote4 fighters and we both
want to win. But only one of us can win. There ain’t no
draws in the eliminations.”
Felix tapped Antonio gently on the shoulder. “I don’t
mean to sound like I’m bragging, bro. But I wanna win, fair
and square.”
Antonio nodded quietly. “Yeah. We both know that in
the ring the better man wins. Friend or no friend, brother
80 or no . . .”

3. panin (pä·n≤n√) n.: Puerto Rican Spanish slang for “pal” or “buddy.”
4. cheverote (che≈ve·r»√t†) adj.: Puerto Rican Spanish slang for “the
greatest.”

160 Part 1 Collection 5 / Worlds of Words: Prose and Poetry

 Re-read lines 75–91. Then,
retell what the friends decide
about how they will fight
and how they will prepare
for the fight.
© Royalty-Free/CORBIS.

Felix finished it for him. “Brother. Tony, let’s promise

something right here. OK?”
“If it’s fair, hermano,5 I’m for it.” Antonio admired the
courage of a tugboat pulling a barge five times its welter-
weight size.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

“It’s fair, Tony. When we get into the ring, it’s gotta be
like we never met. We gotta be like two heavy strangers that
want the same thing and only one can have it. You under-
stand, don’t cha?”
90 “Sí, I know.” Tony smiled. “No pulling punches. We go
all the way.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Listen, Tony. Don’t you think it’s a
good idea if we don’t see each other until the day of the
fight? I’m going to stay with my Aunt Lucy in the Bronx. I
can use Gleason’s Gym for working out. My manager says
he got some sparring partners with more or less your style.”

5. hermano (er·mä√n») n.: Spanish for “brother.”

Amigo Brothers 161

 Tony scratched his nose pensively. “Yeah, it would be
better for our heads.” He held out his hand, palm upward.
pensively (pen√siv·l≤) adv.: “Deal?”
thoughtfully.
100 “Deal.” Felix lightly slapped open skin.
“Ready for some more running?” Tony asked lamely.
“Naw, bro. Let’s cut it here. You go on. I kinda like to
Pause at line 108. Conflict is
a struggle between opposing
get things together in my head.”
characters or forces. In this “You ain’t worried, are you?” Tony asked.
story, the fight is an example
of external conflict. One “No way, man.” Felix laughed out loud. “I got too
friend is supposed to knock
the other one out. The
much smarts for that. I just think it’s cooler if we split right
friends also struggle with here. After the fight, we can get it together again like noth-
internal conflict, a fight that
takes place inside a charac- ing ever happened.”
ter’s mind. What internal
conflict do they have?
The amigo brothers were not ashamed to hug each
110 other tightly.
“Guess you’re right. Watch yourself, Felix. I hear there’s
some pretty heavy dudes up in the Bronx. Suavecito,6 OK?”
“OK. You watch yourself too, sabe?”7
Tony jogged away. Felix watched his friend disappear
from view, throwing rights and lefts. Both fighters had a lot
of psyching up to do before the big fight.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

The days in training passed much too slowly. Although
they kept out of each other’s way, they were aware of each
other’s progress via the ghetto grapevine.
The night before the fight,
why does Tony try not to 120 The evening before the big fight, Tony made his way to
think of Felix (lines 120–127)?
the roof of his tenement. In the quiet early dark, he peered
over the ledge. Six stories below, the lights of the city
blinked and the sounds of cars mingled with the curses and
the laughter of children in the street. He tried not to think
of Felix, feeling he had succeeded in psyching his mind. But
only in the ring would he really know. To spare Felix hurt,
he would have to knock him out, early and quick.

6. suavecito (swä≈v†·s≤√t») adj.: Puerto Rican Spanish slang for “cool.”

7. sabe (sä√b†) v.: Spanish for “you know.”

162 Part 1 Collection 5 / Worlds of Words: Prose and Poetry

 Up in the South Bronx, Felix decided to take in a
movie in an effort to keep Antonio’s face away from his Notes
130 fists. The flick was The Champion with Kirk Douglas, the
third time Felix was seeing it.
The champion was getting beaten, his face being
pounded into raw, wet hamburger. His eyes were cut,
jagged, bleeding, one eye swollen, the other almost shut.
He was saved only by the sound of the bell.
Felix became the champ and Tony the challenger.
The movie audience was going out of its head, roaring
in blood lust at the butchery going on. The champ hunched
his shoulders, grunting and sniffing red blood back into his
140 broken nose. The challenger, confident that he had the
championship in the bag, threw a left. The champ coun-
tered with a dynamite right that exploded into the chal-
lenger’s brains.
Felix’s right arm felt the shock. Antonio’s face, super-
imposed on the screen, was shattered and split apart by the Pause at line 152. How does
awesome force of the killer blow. Felix saw himself in the watching the movie help
Felix prepare for the fight?
ring, blasting Antonio against the ropes. The champ had to
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

be forcibly restrained. The challenger was allowed to crum-

ble slowly to the canvas, a broken bloody mess.
150 When Felix finally left the theater, he had figured out
how to psych himself for tomorrow’s fight. It was Felix the
Champion vs. Antonio the Challenger.
He walked up some dark streets, deserted except for
small pockets of wary-looking kids wearing gang colors.
Despite the fact that he was Puerto Rican like them, they
eyed him as a stranger to their turf. Felix did a fast shuffle,
bobbing and weaving, while letting loose a torrent of blows
that would demolish whatever got in its way. It seemed to
impress the brothers, who went about their own business. torrent (tôr√¥nt) n.: flood
or rush.

Amigo Brothers 163

 160 Finding no takers, Felix decided to split to his aunt’s.
Walking the streets had not relaxed him; neither had the
How would you describe fight flick. All it had done was to stir him up. He let himself
Antonio’s conflict in lines
166–177? What does he fear quietly into his Aunt Lucy’s apartment and went straight to
will happen to his friendship bed, falling into a fitful sleep with sounds of the gong for
with Felix?
Round One.
Antonio was passing some heavy time on his rooftop.
How would the fight tomorrow affect his relationship with
Felix? After all, fighting was like any other profession.
Friendship had nothing to do with it. A gnawing doubt crept
170 in. He cut negative thinking real quick by doing some speedy
fancy dance steps, bobbing and weaving like mercury. The
night air was blurred with perpetual motions of left hooks
and right crosses. Felix, his amigo brother, was not going to
be Felix at all in the ring. Just an opponent with another face.
Antonio went to sleep, hearing the opening bell for the first
round. Like his friend in the South Bronx, he prayed for
victory via a quick clean knockout in the first round.
Pause at line 187. Who do
Large posters plastered all over the walls of local shops
you think will win the fight? announced the fight between Antonio Cruz and Felix
Will Antonio and Felix still be

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

friends after the fight? Tell 180 Vargas as the main bout.
what you think will happen.
The fight had created great interest in the neighbor-
hood. Antonio and Felix were well liked and respected. Each
had his own loyal following. Betting fever was high and
ranged from a bottle of Coke to cold hard cash on the line.
Antonio’s fans bet with unbridled faith in his boxing
skills. On the other side, Felix’s admirers bet on his
dynamite-packed fists.
Felix had returned to his apartment early in the morn-
ing of August 7th and stayed there, hoping to avoid seeing
190 Antonio. He turned the radio on to salsa8 music sounds and
then tried to read while waiting for word from his manager.

8. salsa (säl√s¥) n. used as adj.: Latin American dance music, usually

played at fast tempos.

164 Part 1 Collection 5 / Worlds of Words: Prose and Poetry

 The fight was scheduled to take place in Tompkins
Square Park. It had been decided that the gymnasium of
the Boys’ Club was not large enough to hold all the people Circle the details in lines
192–216 that help to build
who were sure to attend. In Tompkins Square Park, every- suspense.
one who wanted could view the fight, whether from ring-
side or window fire escapes or tenement rooftops.
The morning of the fight Tompkins Square was a Yesteryear (line 217) is a term
beehive of activity with numerous workers setting up the that is not in common use
today. Draw a line between
200 ring, the seats, and the guest speakers’ stand. The scheduled “yester” and “year.” What
might that word mean?
bouts began shortly after noon and the park had begun
filling up even earlier.
The local junior high school across from Tompkins
Square Park served as the dressing room for all the fighters.
Each was given a separate classroom with desk tops, cov-
ered with mats, serving as resting tables. Antonio thought
he caught a glimpse of Felix waving to him from a room at
the far end of the corridor. He waved back just in case it
had been him.
210 The fighters changed from their street clothes into
fighting gear. Antonio wore white trunks, black socks, and
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

black shoes. Felix wore sky-blue trunks, red socks, and white
boxing shoes. They had dressing gowns to match their fight-
ing trunks with their names neatly stitched on the back.
The loudspeakers blared into the open windows of the
school. There were speeches by dignitaries, community
leaders, and great boxers of yesteryear. Some were well pre-
pared; some improvised on the spot. They all carried the
same message of great pleasure and honor at being part of
220 such a historic event. This great day was in the tradition of
champions emerging from the streets of the Lower East Side.
Interwoven with the speeches were the sounds of the
other boxing events. After the sixth bout, Felix was much

Amigo Brothers 165

Notes

© S. Meltzer/PhotoLink/Getty Images.
relieved when his trainer, Charlie, said, “Time change.
Quick knockout. This is it. We’re on.”
Waiting time was over. Felix was escorted from the

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

classroom by a dozen fans in white T-shirts with the word
FELIX across their fronts.
Antonio was escorted down a different stairwell and
230 guided through a roped-off path.
As the two climbed into the ring, the crowd exploded
with a roar. Antonio and Felix both bowed gracefully and
then raised their arms in acknowledgment.
Antonio tried to be cool, but even as the roar was in its
first birth, he turned slowly to meet Felix’s eyes looking
directly into his. Felix nodded his head and Antonio
responded. And both as one, just as quickly, turned away to
face his own corner.

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 Bong—bong—bong. The roar turned to stillness.
240 “Ladies and Gentlemen, Señores y Señoras.” Notes
The announcer spoke slowly, pleased at his bilingual
efforts.
“Now the moment we have all been waiting for—the
main event between two fine young Puerto Rican fighters,
products of our Lower East Side.”
“Loisaida,”9 called out a member of the audience.
“In this corner, weighing 134 pounds, Felix Vargas.
And in this corner, weighing 133 pounds, Antonio Cruz.
The winner will represent the Boys’ Club in the tourna-
250 ment of champions, the Golden Gloves. There will be no
draw. May the best man win.”
The cheering of the crowd shook the window panes of
the old buildings surrounding Tompkins Square Park. At
the center of the ring, the referee was giving instructions to
the youngsters.
“Keep your punches up. No low blows. No punching on
the back of the head. Keep your heads up. Understand? Let’s
have a clean fight. Now shake hands and come out fighting.”
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Both youngsters touched gloves and nodded. They

260 turned and danced quickly to their corners. Their head Re-read the boxed passage
silently. Re-read it again,
towels and dressing gowns were lifted neatly from their aloud. Pretend you are the
announcer, and use a tone of
shoulders by their trainers’ nimble fingers. Antonio crossed voice that will get the atten-
himself. Felix did the same. tion of the crowd and help
build suspense.
BONG! BONG! ROUND ONE. Felix and Antonio
turned and faced each other squarely in a fighting pose.
Felix wasted no time. He came in fast, head low, half-
Re-read the description of
hunched toward his right shoulder, and lashed out with a the first round in lines
264–286. Notice the details
straight left. He missed a right cross as Antonio slipped the that help you see, hear, and
punch and countered with one-two-three lefts that snapped even feel what’s happening
in the ring. Circle five of the
270 Felix’s head back, sending a mild shock coursing through details that help you picture
the fight.

9. Loisaida (l¿·s¢√dä) n.: Puerto Rican English dialect for “Lower East Side.”

Amigo Brothers 167

 him. If Felix had any small doubt about their friendship
affecting their fight, it was being neatly dispelled.
Antonio danced, a joy to behold. His left hand was like
Highlight or color-mark
Antonio’s actions in lines a piston pumping jabs one right after another with seeming
264–286. Use a different ease. Felix bobbed and weaved and never stopped boring
color to highlight Felix’s
actions. In what way are the in. He knew that at long range he was at a disadvantage.
fighters the same? In what
way are they different? Antonio had too much reach on him. Only by coming in
close could Felix hope to achieve the dreamed-of knockout.
Antonio knew the dynamite that was stored in his
280 amigo brother’s fist. He ducked a short right and missed
a left hook. Felix trapped him against the ropes just long
enough to pour some punishing rights and lefts to Antonio’s
hard midsection. Antonio slipped away from Felix, crashing
two lefts to his head, which set Felix’s right ear to ringing.
Bong! Both amigos froze a punch well on its way, send-
ing up a roar of approval for good sportsmanship.
Felix walked briskly back to his corner. His right ear had
dispelled (di·speld√) v.: driven
away. not stopped ringing. Antonio gracefully danced his way
toward his stool none the worse, except for glowing glove
290 burns showing angry red against the whiteness of his midribs.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Pause at line 299. What do “Watch that right, Tony.” His trainer talked into his ear.
you think will happen in
“Remember Felix always goes to the body. He’ll want you to
round two?
drop your hands for his overhand left or right. Got it?”
Antonio nodded, spraying water out between his teeth.
He felt better as his sore midsection was being firmly rubbed.
Felix’s corner was also busy.
“You gotta get in there, fella.” Felix’s trainer poured
water over his curly Afro locks. “Get in there or he’s gonna
chop you up from way back.”
300 Bong! Bong! Round two. Felix was off his stool and
rushed Antonio like a bull, sending a hard right to his head.
Beads of water exploded from Antonio’s long hair.

168 Part 1 Collection 5 / Worlds of Words: Prose and Poetry

 Circle five details in lines
310–314 that use boxing
terms to help you picture the
fast action.
© Karl Weatherly/CORBIS.

Antonio, hurt, sent back a blurring barrage of lefts and

rights that only meant pain to Felix, who returned with a
short left to the head followed by a looping right to the
The author states that Felix
body. Antonio countered with his own flurry, forcing Felix had the habit of “playing
possum when hurt” (lines
to give ground. But not for long. 318–319). Possums (short for
Felix bobbed and weaved, bobbed and weaved, occa- opossums) are animals that
pretend to be asleep, ill, or
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

sionally punching his two gloves together. dead when in danger. Why
might Felix choose to “play
310 Antonio waited for the rush that was sure to come. possum” when boxing?
Felix closed in and feinted with his left shoulder and threw
a right instead. Lights suddenly exploded inside Felix’s head
as Antonio slipped the blow and hit him with a pistonlike
left, catching him flush on the point of his chin.
Bedlam broke loose as Felix’s legs momentarily buck-
led. He fought off a series of rights and lefts and came back
with a strong right that taught Antonio respect.
Antonio danced in carefully. He knew Felix had the
habit of playing possum when hurt, to sucker an opponent
320 within reach of the powerful bombs he carried in each fist.

Amigo Brothers 169

 A right to the head slowed Antonio’s pretty dancing.
He answered with his own left at Felix’s right eye that
Underline the details in lines began puffing up within three seconds.
328–343 that tell you that
Antonio and Felix are no Antonio, a bit too eager, moved in too close, and Felix
longer thinking about their had him entangled into a rip-roaring, punching toe-to-toe
friendship.
slugfest that brought the whole Tompkins Square Park
screaming to its feet.
Rights to the body. Lefts to the head. Neither fighter
frenzied (fren√z≤d) adj.: wild.
was giving an inch. Suddenly a short right caught Antonio
330 squarely on the chin. His long legs turned to jelly and his
arms flailed out desperately. Felix, grunting like a bull,
Pause at line 355. Retell what
has happened in the second threw wild punches from every direction. Antonio, groggy,
round.
bobbed and weaved, evading most of the blows. Suddenly
his head cleared. His left flashed out hard and straight,
catching Felix on the bridge of his nose.
Felix lashed back with a haymaker, right off the ghetto
streets. At the same instant, his eye caught another left
hook from Antonio. Felix swung out, trying to clear the
pain. Only the frenzied screaming of those along ringside
340 let him know that he had dropped Antonio. Fighting off

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

the growing haze, Antonio struggled to his feet, got up,
ducked, and threw a smashing right that dropped Felix flat
on his back.
Felix got up as fast as he could in his own corner,
groggy but still game. He didn’t even hear the count. In
a fog, he heard the roaring of the crowd, who seemed to
have gone insane. His head cleared to hear the bell sound
at the end of the round. He was glad. His trainer sat him
down on the stool.
350 In his corner, Antonio was doing what all fighters do
when they are hurt. They sit and smile at everyone.
The referee signaled the ring doctor to check the fight-
ers out. He did so and then gave his OK. The cold-water

170 Part 1 Collection 5 / Worlds of Words: Prose and Poetry

 sponges brought clarity to both amigo brothers. They were
rubbed until their circulation ran free. Notes
Bong! Round three—the final round. Up to now it had
been tic-tac-toe, pretty much even. But everyone knew
there could be no draw and that this round would decide
the winner.
360 This time, to Felix’s surprise, it was Antonio who came
out fast, charging across the ring. Felix braced himself but
couldn’t ward off the barrage of punches. Antonio drove
Felix hard against the ropes.
The crowd ate it up. Thus far the two had fought with
mucho corazón.10 Felix tapped his gloves and commenced
his attack anew. Antonio, throwing boxer’s caution to the
winds, jumped in to meet him.
Both pounded away. Neither gave an inch and neither
fell to the canvas. Felix’s left eye was tightly closed. Claret-red
370 blood poured from Antonio’s nose. They fought toe-to-toe.
The sounds of their blows were loud in contrast to the
silence of a crowd gone completely mute. The referee was
stunned by their savagery.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Bong! Bong! Bong! The bell sounded over and over

again. Felix and Antonio were past hearing. Their blows
continued to pound on each other like hailstones.
Finally the referee and the two trainers pried Felix and
Antonio apart. Cold water was poured over them to bring
them back to their senses.
380 They looked around and then rushed toward each other.
A cry of alarm surged through Tompkins Square Park.
Was this a fight to the death instead of a boxing match? Re-read lines 356–384.
Underline details that build
The fear soon gave way to wave upon wave of cheering suspense right up to the
as the two amigos embraced. climax of the story. Circle
the action that resolves the
internal conflict, when you
find out whether Antonio
and Felix can still be friends.

10. mucho corazón (mº√ch» k»≈rä·s»n√): Spanish for “a lot of heart.”

Amigo Brothers 171

 No matter what the decision, they knew they would
always be champions to each other.
Retell what happens in the BONG! BONG! BONG! “Ladies and Gentlemen.
final round of the fight.
Señores and Señoras. The winner and representative to
the Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions is . . .”
390 The announcer turned to point to the winner and
found himself alone. Arm in arm the champions had
already left the ring.

The last sentence of the story

refers to both fighters as
“champions.” In what way

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are they both champions?

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172 Part 1 Collection 5 / Worlds of Words: Prose and Poetry

 Amigo Brothers
Venn Diagram Piri Thomas begins his story by contrasting the two best
friends: “Antonio was fair, lean, and lanky, while Felix was dark, short, and
husky.” A comparison points out similarities between things; a contrast
points out differences. Go back over the story, and use a Venn diagram Reading Skills
Understand
to help you identify the ways in which Felix and Antonio are alike and comparison
and contrast.
different. Write their likenesses in the part where the circles overlap.

Antonio Felix

Both
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

different alike different

Amigo Brothers 173

Skills Review

Amigo Brothers

VOCABULARY AND COMPREHENSION

Word Bank A. Clarifying Word Meanings: Choosing Synonyms Choose the word
or phrase that is the best synonym for each Word Bank word. Write the
bouts letter of the synonym in the correct blank.
pensively
1. torrent a. driven away
torrent
2. pensively b. flood
dispelled
3. bouts c. thoughtfully
frenzied
4. frenzied d. wild
5. dispelled e. contests

B. Reading Comprehension Answer each question below.

1. Where do Antonio and Felix live? How long have they known

each other?

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

2. What dream do Antonio and Felix share?

3. Why do Antonio and Felix stop training together? What agreement

do they make?

4. Why don’t Antonio and Felix stop fighting when the final bell sounds?

Vocabulary 5. Does the fight end the friendship between Antonio and Felix?
Skills
Recognize Explain.
synonyms.

174 Part 1 Collection 5 / Worlds of Words: Prose and Poetry

 Page 146 ■ Possible Answers to Skills Practice
IDENTIFY
Possible response: The narrator reveals her inner Narrator Chart (page 152)
Narrator: third sister in the Yang family
thoughts and feelings of embarrassment. Because
Possible observations: (1) “We were all happy about
she reveals them, most readers will feel sorry for her
the invitation.” (2) “What excited me most was
and root for her.
hearing that Holly Hanson and her mother were
Page 147 invited, too.” (3) “Apparently Mrs. Hanson had got
RETELL
over her anger at being called old, and we Yangs
Possible retelling: She is starting to get to know were not disgracing ourselves.”
Holly, but then she mentions that her father teaches Whose Point of View?
viola as well as violin. Then Mrs. Hanson interrupts Answers will vary. Possible answer: If Mrs. Hanson
their conversation, mistakenly thinking that the nar- were the narrator, she might tell how well behaved
rator is trying to get Holly to take lessons from her the Yang children were. She would probably tell
father. Next, the narrator’s father responds to Mrs. how odd it was that Mrs. Yang kept insulting her
Hanson, and Mrs. Hanson backs down. by telling her she was old and fat.

Page 148
■ Possible Answers to Skills Review
INFER
Possible response: Holly may be uncomfortable talk- Vocabulary and Comprehension (page 153)
ing about herself and her family.
A. 1. tasty
INTERPRET 2. made a face
Possible response: The cultural backgrounds lead to 3. quarrelsome
miscommunication and misunderstanding. 4. bringing shame
CLARIFY
5. did not give up
The narrator doesn’t know that hospital records are B. 1. The narrator and her family live in Seattle.
patient histories—not recordings of music. They moved to the United States from China.
2. The Yangs have been invited to the Conners’
Page 149 house to experience a traditional
INFER Thanksgiving dinner.
Possible answer: Holly likes pets, especially cats. 3. Holly and Yingmei play in the school orches-
tra together.
Page 150 4. Mrs. Yang calls Mrs. Hanson “old” and “fat.”
INFER Mrs. Yang intends her comments to be com-
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Possible answer: Holly probably wanted to give the pliments. Instead, the comments are taken as
narrator one of her kittens. insults.
IDENTIFY
He thinks of bean sprouts.
IDENTIFY
The narrator’s names are “Mary” and “Yingmei.” Amigo Brothers, page 156
Page 151
Page 158
IDENTIFY
“We Chinese think that being fat is good. It’s a sign IDENTIFY
of good fortune.” The two main characters are Antonio Cruz and
Felix Vargas.
INTERPRET Similarities: “both seventeen years old”; “so together
Mother wants to tell Mrs. Hanson that she is a good in friendship that they felt themselves to be broth-
person who is blessed. Instead, she says that Mrs. ers”; “growing up on the Lower East Side of
Hanson is “actually quite fat,” which is considered an Manhattan in the same tenement building.”
insult in America.
Page 159
INTERPRET
The details that describe each youngster’s fighting
style are “Antonio’s lean form and long reach made

Answer Key 17
 him the better boxer, while Felix’s short and muscu- Page 164
lar frame made him the better slugger.” INTERPRET
Possible responses for meaning of “better boxer” and Students’ responses will vary. Possible response:
“better slugger”: A better boxer would be faster and Antonio’s conflict is internal. His desire to win is in
would throw punches more accurately. A better slug- conflict with his desire to keep his friendship with
ger would be a power hitter, a boxer with more Felix. He fears that, no matter who wins, his friend-
strength, power, and endurance. A slugger’s blows ship with Felix will be over.
would land harder. PREDICT
INTERPRET Students will choose different favorites to win the
Possible responses: Antonio and Felix feel that the fight. Many students might predict that one of the
upcoming match is interfering with their friendship. youngsters will drop out of the fight. Maybe one of
The “wall” is the match they both want to win. them will be hurt on the way to the fight or be dis-
qualified for another reason. Some students may
Page 160 predict that the fight won’t take place, and Antonio
WORD STUDY and Felix will remain friends.
Possible meanings of “ace-boon”: close, affectionate,
understanding. Context clues to the meaning are Page 165
“not natural to be acting as though nothing unusual IDENTIFY
was happening” and “blasting each other.” Details in lines 192–216 that build suspense are “It
had been decided that the gymnasium of the Boys’
PREDICT Club was not large enough to hold all the people
Possible predictions: Antonio and Felix will flip a who were sure to attend”; “everyone . . . could view
coin to decide which one will drop out of the fight; the fight . . . from ringside or window fire escapes or
they will forget about being friends, at least until tenement rooftops”(lines 193–197); “The morning
after the fight is over; they will promise to be friends of the fight Tompkins Square was a beehive of activ-
while still being rivals. ity”; “The scheduled bouts began shortly after noon
and the park had begun filling up even earlier” (lines
Page 161
198–202); “Antonio thought he caught a glimpse of
RETELL Felix waving to him from a room at the far end of
Possible retelling: They decide that in the ring they the corridor” (lines 206–208); “The fighters changed
will act as if they are strangers who both want the from their street clothes into fighting gear” (lines
same thing. They will not pull punches. They also 210–211); “The loudspeakers blared into the open
agree to work out separately, and they agree not to windows of the school” (lines 215–216).
see each other until the day of the fight.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

DECODING TIP
Page 162 The word yesteryear might mean “in previous years”
INTERPRET or “years before this one.”
Possible response: The internal conflict is their desire
to win versus their desire not to hurt a friend. Page 167
VISUALIZE
INFER The five details that students circle will vary. Some of
Possible response: Tony tries not to think of Felix the details that help students picture (and hear) the
because he doesn’t want to think about punching fight include “BONG! BONG! ROUND ONE”;
him and possibly hurting him. “faced each other squarely in a fighting pose”; “head
Page 163 low, half-hunched toward his right shoulder, and
lashed out with a straight left”; “Antonio danced, a
CLARIFY joy to behold”; “His left hand was like a piston
Possible response: The movie gives Felix a strategy. pumping jabs.”
He decides he will pretend during the fight that he
is a champ who needs to defend his title against a
challenger.

18 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

 Page 168 Page 171
COMPARE & CONTRAST IDENTIFY
Possible responses: The details that build suspense include “Bong!
Round three—the final round”; “Neither gave an
Antonio’s actions: “slipped the punch and countered
inch and neither fell to the canvas”; “Felix and
with one-two-three lefts”; “Antonio danced, a joy
Antonio were past hearing. Their blows continued to
to behold. His left hand was like a piston pumping
pound on each other like hailstones. Finally the ref-
jabs one right after another”; “He ducked a short
eree and the two trainers pried Felix and Antonio
right and missed a left hook”; “Antonio slipped
apart”; “They looked around and then rushed
away from Felix, crashing two lefts to his head.”
toward each other. A cry of alarm surged through
Felix’s actions: “came in fast, head low, half-
Tompkins Square Park. Was this a fight to the death
hunched toward his right shoulder, and lashed out
instead of a boxing match?”
with a straight left. He missed a right”; “Felix
bobbed and weaved and never stopped boring in”; The action that resolves the internal conflict is “the
“Felix trapped him against the ropes just long two amigos embraced.”
enough to pour some punishing rights and lefts to
Antonio’s hard midsection.” Page 172
Similarities: Both fighters are aggressive and quick; RETELL
they display good sportsmanship by freezing a In the third and final round, Antonio comes out fast
punch when the bell rings. and drives Felix against the ropes. Felix comes back,
Differences: Antonio has a longer reach than Felix. and neither gives ground as they savagely punch
each other, toe to toe. The crowd is silent. Felix’s eye
PREDICT
is swollen closed and Antonio’s nose is bleeding.
Students’ predictions will vary. Possible prediction:
When the bell signals the end of the round, both
The two fighters will be equal for a while, then
Felix and Antonio continue to punch each other and
one—maybe Antonio—will gain advantage of the
the referee has to pry them apart.
other.
INTERPRET
Page 169 Possible responses: They are both champions
IDENTIFY because they know they did their best—they did not
Details include “rush”; “closed in”; “feinted”; “threw pull any punches—during a difficult competition,
a right”; “slipped the blow”; “pistonlike left.” and their friendship has survived the fight.
WORD STUDY
Felix would act hurt in order to draw, or lure, his ■ Possible Answers to Skills Practice
opponents within reach.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Venn Diagram (page 173)

Page 170
Antonio (Different)—fair, lean, lanky, hair falling in
IDENTIFY his eyes, lean form, long reach, the better boxer
Details that tell you that Antonio and Felix are no Felix (Different)—dark, short, husky, wore his hair
longer thinking about their friendship: “Neither in an Afro style, muscular, the better slugger
fighter was giving an inch”; “Felix, grunting like a Both (Alike)—seventeen, grew up in the same build-
bull, threw wild punches from every direction”; “His ing, had the same dream of becoming lightweight
left flashed out hard and straight, catching Felix on champion, had won medals for boxing, had a pos-
the bridge of his nose”; “Felix lashed back with a itive outlook
haymaker, right off the ghetto streets”; “Antonio
struggled to his feet, got up, ducked, and threw a
smashing right that dropped Felix flat on his back.” ■ Possible Answers to Skills Review
RETELL Vocabulary and Comprehension (page 174)
Possible retelling: At the start of round two, Felix
A. 1. b
rushes Antonio “like a bull.” The advantage shifts
2. c
back and forth between them with each one battling
3. e
as hard as he can. Felix knocks down Antonio; then
4. d
Antonio knocks down Felix. At the end of the round,
5. a
both fighters have been hurt.

Answer Key 19
 B. 1. Antonio and Felix live on the Lower East Side ■ Possible Answers to Skills Review
of Manhattan in New York City. They have
known each other since childhood. Comprehension (page 178)
2. Antonio and Felix share the dream of becom- 1. The speaker claims to be “Nobody.”
ing lightweight champion. 2. The speaker is addressing any reader who also
3. They stop training together because they want considers himself or herself nobody important.
to approach the fight as if they were going to 3. The speaker thinks it would be dreary to be
fight a stranger. They agree to not pull “Somebody.”
punches, to “go all the way.” 4. The speaker compares “public” people to a frog.
4. They don’t stop fighting because they are It’s an example of a simile.
so involved in the fight that they don’t hear 5. Possible response: The speaker thinks it’s better to
the bell. be unknown than to be famous. Students may
5. The fight doesn’t end their friendship. As agree that famous people lose their freedom.
soon as the fight ends, they embrace each Others may think being admired would
other. They leave the ring arm in arm before be fun.
the referee even announces the winner.

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not

I’m Nobody!, page 175 Take the Garbage Out, page 179
Page 176
Page 180
INTERPRET
IDENTIFY
The “they” in line 4 may refer to people who are
Students should circle the following words:
“somebody” or to those who live in “an admiring
Bog.” Line 1: /s/ Sarah, Cynthia, Sylvia, Stout
Line 3: /sc/ scour, scrape
IDENTIFY Line 3: /p/ pots, scrape, pans
The simile in the second stanza is “like a Frog.” Line 6: /t/ not, take, out
IDENTIFY Possible response: Alliteration makes the poem
The “admiring Bog” refers to the public who admire funny.
famous people.
IDENTIFY
INTERPRET Adjectives that describe the garbage include the
Possible response: The speaker is conveying the idea following: Gloppy, cold, withered, Soggy, burned,
that it is better to be anonymous than to be a Gristly, Greasy, gooey, green, Rubbery, blubbery,

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

famous person. Curdled, Moldy, dried-up, Cold, rancid, Yellow.
Possible response: Most students will say the adjec-
■ Possible Answers to Skills Practice tives make the garbage sound disgusting.

Punctuation Clues (page 177) Page 181

Line 1: Stop at the end of each short sentence. INFER
Line 2: Stop at end of the sentence. Responses will vary. Possible inference: Sarah was
Line 3: Stop at end of the sentence. buried in the garbage.
Line 4: Stop at ends of sentences, and pause briefly INTERPRET
after the comma. Responses may vary. Possible responses: The speaker
Line 5: Stop at end of the sentence. is warning young listeners to avoid Sarah Stout’s fate
Line 6: Set off the phrase “like a Frog” by pausing and take out the garbage; the speaker is warning
before and after. children to obey their parents.
Line 7: Make a slight pause at the end of the line,
but continue on to the next line to complete the
sentence.
Line 8: Complete the sentence begun in line 7.

20 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual