How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Her mother had given the young woman her first name, but for her new life Fatima chose the last, a French word meaning to hope. She taught herself the language from schoolbooks that somehow escaped burning—English too. (2.5)
While names aren't a big deal for anyone else, Fatima's is super significant. It tells us about her resilient personality, and how she continues to hope regardless of the obstacles in her way. It also shows us the fact that she's a language wizard, nailing three languages and counting.
Quote #2
The half explosion tore the girl apart but didn't kill her instantly. Jimmi got to her on her third to last breath. As she died she asked him something in a language he didn't understand. The wounded man next to her coughed up, "She said, 'I know I am going into a coffin, but where will my face live?'" (4.5)
Jimmi's encounter with the little girl and the bomb is confusing enough without a foreign language in the mix to boot. It's significant that Jimmi needs someone to translate for him, because he doesn't understand anything about his current situation or how this could happen.
Quote #3
George sighed. He turned from Jimmi to Fatima and sized her up with suspicious eyes. "Any teaching experience?" Back in the refugee camp Fatima taught English to the younger girls. She lived to teach. She nodded. (5.41)
Fatima is used to teaching kids different languages, and that's what she really enjoys. Her knowledge of different languages highlights her open-minded nature and her ability to learn about different cultures quickly.