The Contender by Robert Lipsyte

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The Contenderby Robert Lipsyte

• Vocabulary and
• Literary Terms

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contend

• To strive against difficulty struggle

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contender

• One who competes

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ghetto

• A section of a city occupied by a minority group
  who live there especially because of social,
  economic, or legal pressure.

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transistor radio
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marquee

• A rooflike structure, often with a signboard,
  projecting over an entrance

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spar

• To fight with an opponent in a short bout or
  practice session, as in boxing.

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sheepish

• Embarrassed because you did something wrong

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linoleum

• a floor covering
• Originally a
• trademark

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wino

• A poor alcoholic with no home

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Boardwalk

• A walkway, especially of planks, along a beach or
  waterfront.

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jab

• To punch (someone) with short punches

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catcall

• A harsh word, phrase, or whistle expressing
  disapproval or making fun of someone.

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knead

• To squeeze, press, or roll with the hands, as in
  massaging

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whimper

• To cry or sob with soft sounds whine
• To complain

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canvas

• The floor of a ring in which boxing or wrestling
  takes place

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clinch

• To hold a boxing opponent's body with one or both
  arms to keep him/her from punching

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probation

• A period in which a person's fitness, as for
  membership in a social group, is tested

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narcotic

• An addictive drug, such as heroin, that reduces
  pain, alters mood and behavior, and brings on
  sleep

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addict

• One who is addicted, as to narcotics

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emblem

• An object or a representation that functions as a
  symbol

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unanimous

• complete agreement

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shallow

• Lacking depth of intellect, emotion, or knowledge

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Literary Terms
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Plot

• Sequence of events

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Setting

• Time and place of a novel

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Irony

• The outcome is not what is expected

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Narrator

• Person telling the story

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Conflict

• Struggle between opposing forces in a novel
• Conflict can be between two people or a character
  can be in conflict with him/herself.

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Foreshadowing

• The authors use of hints to show the reader what
  events will follow

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Theme

• Main idea central message in a novel