Roots: The Saga of an American Family Family Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

Little Kunta basked thus every day in his mother's tenderness. (2.9)

This is pretty indicative of Kunta's youth, which is as picturesque as you can get. He has loving parents. He has fun brothers. He has a whole life ahead of him. What could possibly go wrong?

Quote #2

Lamin began openly trying to imitate whatever he saw Kunta do [...] Though he pretended not to like it, Kunta couldn't help feeling just a little proud. (15.18)

The relationship between Kunta and his little brother Lamin is so adorable it causes us physical pain. Ouchies. On a serious note, Lamin's adoration of Kunta actually helps his big bro grow up, as Kunta feels a greater responsibility to do good knowing he's someone's role model.

Quote #3

"All men make mistakes. I lost a goat to a lion when I was of your rains. [...] I learned, and you must learn. Never run toward any dangerous animal." (21.18)

Kunta's terrified of Omoro's wrath when his inattention leads a goat to be chewed up by a panther, but Omoro instead treats it as a teachable moment. That's some quality dad work right there. Instead of holding his son's failure over his head, he uses it to bring them closer together.