How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
All in all, I thought it amazing that Lencho even tried to spark up the Chicano guys to join his boxing team. Not that the Chicano guys couldn't fight or anything. There were a lot of ornery vatos around, but they just hung around and smoked and ditched class and acted like the school was some kind of contaminated nuclear zone. They'd never join any team that wasn't a gang. (7.34)
Lencho's all about a community of slackers who hate school and would rather be part of a gang. Teams and gangs are both types of communities in this book, and they definitely have some similarities—both are places where folks want to feel accepted and included, for instance. But there are also some big differences between being part of a team and joining a gang. What differences crop up for you in this book? Or are teams and gangs more similar than different?
Quote #5
I tried warning him. I tried explaining how ribs crack easy as dry twigs, and how a punch sometimes welcomes paralysis. But he wouldn't listen. He practically begged to sign up, and you could tell Lencho was disappointed at such a scrawny catch. He wanted guys like Nardo and Sammy Fuentes—dangers known to everyone.
But I think it was enough for Lencho to know that Chico and Albert would yank in whatever direction he pulled. They hung on his every word, and he could sure pump guys up with confidence. (7.38-39)
Albert only has one thing on his mind when he joins Lencho's boxing team: He wants to be part of the group. So he begs his way in and finds himself with a spot, which makes him seriously jazzed. Sure, this community has its violent aspects, like the possibility of paralysis and all that, but it also gives its team members a sense of acceptance in being part of the group.
And then there's Lencho. He might not be looking for a bunch of new friends, but he sure is on the lookout for some power. And when guys like Albert and Chico join the team, he gets just that. So each character gets something a little different out of being part of this community.
Quote #6
After a couple of weeks of watching punches pop deeper into the bag, and guys skip blurs on the jump rope—albert actually hit the tetherball four swipes in a row!—I began to get a little swell-headed bout our chances. Sure, at first I was a bit leery, since those other guys were bigger and could cross their arms when jumping rope, but they weren't any better than us, not really. (7.49)
At first, Manny is pretty suspicious of this whole boxing team thing. But eventually he gets on board, especially when everyone starts to show improvement. And one way we know he's really gung-ho about his team now is the way he refers to his pals as "us" and the opponents as "those other guys." Yep, he's making a distinction between his community and a different group even in the pronouns he uses, and this lets us know just how much he's buying into this whole team idea.