I got a letter from a former student the other day, at least he claims he was a former student.
Dear Teacher,
I took your class many years ago. I had no purpose or goals in life. I was about to drop out of school. Your class was to be my last. On that day we read “Amigo Brothers” by Piri Thomas and you did some “Amigo Brothers” Summary and Plot Diagram Lesson Plan or something like that. We talked about setting and conflict and theme–all those things English teachers drone on about. For some reason, this story really resonated with me. I still dropped out of school, but I became a professional boxer and the youngest heavyweight champion of all time. Then I bit someone’s ear.
Sincerely,
Mike
Well I don’t know who this Mike fellow is but I do appreciate the kind letter. In his honor I share this lesson plan: “Amigo Brothers” Plot Diagram Lesson Plan.
“Amigo Brothers” Summary
Check out the entire “Amigo Brothers” unit plan.
Best friends Antonio Cruz and Felix Vargas are boxers who grew up in the same apartment building. They train together and share an unrivaled passion for their sport. One day, they learn they are to fight each other in an elimination bought with the winner moving on to compete in the Golden Gloves boxing tournament.
Although they remain best friends, they separate in order to train physically and psychologically. The two friends fight in front of a sold-out crowd with neither seeming to gain the upper hand. As the fight ends, the two walk off together before the decision is announced.
“Amigo Brothers” Analysis
- Irony. For one friend to progress in his dream to become a professional boxer, he must crush the dreams of his best friend.
- Conflict. As with any story involving two individuals physically fighting one another, man vs man conflict appears to be at the story’s forefront. This fight, however, involves an inner conflict with each fighter struggling to overcome his positive feelings toward his opponent. I think we can also throw in an individual vs society angle here as well.
- Character Analysis. In addition to the best friend aspect of the characters’ relationship, the cultural background of the two fighters plays an important role in the story’s main conflict.
- Plot. As with any huge sporting event, this story contains a lot of suspense, exaggerated by the friendship of the two combatants.
- Setting. The story’s setting accentuates the importance of boxing in keeping these two characters out of trouble.
- Narrative Writing. What happens to these two friends after the fight? One year later? 5 years later?
- Boxing. Here’s a link to the greatest rounds in boxing history. Might be a good warm up.
Analyzing Plot in “Amigo Brothers” Lesson Plan Standards
A different type of dream forms the central focus in this classic short story. Check out this lesson plan or click on the picture for the entire unit.
There are a ton of standards you can cover with the aforementioned lesson plan. Here are a few main ones that might put on the board (or computer screen).
- RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- L.9-10.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
“Amigo Brothers” Teaching Resources
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