The Fight
1.
Antonio glanced at
Felix, who kept his eyes purposely straight ahead.
a.
Where were Antonio and
Felix?
Antonio and Felix were running along a
river’s edge.
b.
Why did Antonio glance
at Felix and why did Felix look purposely ahead? How do you think they were
feeling?
Both Antonio and Felix must have been feeling rather awkward and
uncertain at this point. They knew they were going to fight each other in a few
days. They were both wondering how the fight might affect their friendship and
how they should interact with each other. Antonio looked at Felix to see how he
might be feeling. Felix looked purposely ahead because he was not ready to face
Antonio yet.
2.
“Yeah, it would be
better for our heads.”
a.
What did the speaker
and listener agree to do? Why?
The speaker and the listener—Antonio and Felix—agreed not to see each
other till the day of their fight. They decided this because they thought it
would be a good idea to face each other directly at the fight as competitors,
rather than keep meeting as friends before the fight.
b.
What else did they
agree on?
They also agreed to face each other at the fight as two strangers who
want the same thing—to fight equally, without trying to spare the other or
letting their friendship come in the way of the fight.
3.
“Let’s have a clean
fight.”
a.
Who said this to whom?
The referee said this to the two fighters—Antonio and Felix.
b.
What does a clean
fight mean in this context?
In this context, ‘a clean fight’ means a match fought fairly and
honestly, where each fighter tries his best and none tries to defeat the other
by any unfair means.
c.
Do you think the fight
that followed was clean?
Yes, the fight that followed was a clean fight as both fighters fought
as hard as they could. They did not try to spare each other because they were
friends. In fact, they were only concerned with putting up a good fight, so
they did not even wait to hear the result.
4.
If Felix had any doubt
about the rare friendship affecting their fight, it was being neatly dispelled.
a.
Where was Felix?
Felix was in the ring, fighting a boxing match with Antonio.
b.
Why might he have had
doubts about their friendship affecting their fight?
He might have had doubts about their friendship affecting their fight
because he and Antonio were great friends. When they had learned that they were
going to fight each other, they had been wondering whether their friendship was
going to affect their fight (or vice versa)—whether they would fight less hard,
try not to hurt each other or try to make the other person win.
c.
How was his doubt
being dispelled?
If Felix had any doubt, it was being dispelled by the way Antonio was
fighting and hitting back at him. Antonio was not pulling punches at all, and
neither was Felix himself.
5.
… a roar of approval
for good sportsmanship. From this text, what do you understand by the term
sportsmanship? Where the two boxers good sportsmen? Why or why not?
From this text, ‘sportsmanship’ seems to mean the quality of
participating in a sport honestly and to the best of one’s abilities. It means
the spirit of fairness where the sportsperson does not let other emotions, even
positive emotions like affection, affect his performance. Yes, the two boxers
were good sportsmen. We know this because they fought as well as they could,
without letting their friendship affect their fight. They did not even wait to
hear the result because winning was not as important as fighting fairly.
6.
Read the ending of the
story. The text leaves a question unanswered & yet brings a sense of
satisfaction.
a.
What is the unanswered
question and why do we get a sense of satisfaction?
The unanswered question at the end of the story is who won the match. In
spite of not knowing this, we get a sense of satisfaction as we see that
Antonio and Felix remain great friends.
b.
Why do you think this
question was left unanswered?
At the end of this story, after fighting as hard as they could, the two
fighters hugged each other and left the ring together, without waiting to know
who had won the match. This proved that what mattered the most to the two boys
was boxing itself—the importance of fighting well—and their friendship. They
did not care to find out who had won the match. The question was left
unanswered to stress the importance of friendship and sportsmanship over
success and failure.
7.
“Don’t you think it’s
a good idea if we don’t see each other until the day of the fight.”
a.
Who speaks the above
lines and to whom?
The above line is spoken by Felix to Antonio.
b.
Why does he say they
should not see each other?
Though they were very dear friends, they had to fight each other in a
boxing match after two weeks. So, he suggests that they do not see each other
so that they could focus fully on the fight.
c.
What was the response
from the other person?
Antonio agreed with the suggestion and they struck a deal & decided
to get together only at the fight.
d.
Did they stick to
their decision?
Yes, they met only in the ring for the boxing match.
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