How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
There is nothing about this role that I desperately want. Yet being under the control of any of the protégés in this room for even the slightest moment is a nauseating prospect and I know that if I'm not in charge I'll be spending many a night on surveillance, freezing my bottom off in the middle of the bush. (1.33)
We get it, Taylor. Everyone can probably agree that it's better to be in charge than be the one taking orders—especially if the subject at hand is a competition as brutal as the territory wars.
Quote #2
"They reckon the Cadets are arriving any minute and that this time they mean business." Jessa McKenzie always speaks in a breathless voice, like she hasn't stopped speaking long enough to take a breath her entire life.
"I think they meant business last year when they threw every bike in the school over the cliff." (2.47-48)
There's no doubt about it: Destruction of personal property definitely screams, "We mean business."
Quote #3
After the Cadets are long gone and the Townies are back in their rabbit hole, the real war begins. The Houses are at one another, particularly if one was responsible for losing us territory. (3.2)
So let's get this straight. Once the war is technically over, the Houses at Jellicoe School basically have to live with the outcome for the next year by being pitted against each other. It seems like this competition would totally destroy the morale of the school, but evidently, something keeps them coming back every year.
Quote #4
Waiting for war is a killer. Not knowing when the first strike will happen, not knowing what the outcome will be. The build-up makes us tense. Sometimes I want to walk right out there and yell, "Bring it on!" just to get the suspense over. (3.4)
Taylor tells us at the beginning of Chapter 1 that most of the antics at Jellicoe School feature a melodramatic flair, but this has to be the biggest example. These kids have never been in an actual war zone and don't actually know the horror actual armies going through waiting for a strike. It seems like the territory wars have been so inflated beyond a friendly competition that they are just plain taken too seriously.
Quote #5
"I read the Little Purple Book last night. Written in 1986 by the first of the UCs […] Pretty bad handwriting, but it's all there, including the fact that no House leaders can fraternize with each other in a romantic sense. Don't know why, but probably because it takes away the competitive edge. (3.54)
Hmmm. We suppose that makes sense. After all, the tension of the war basically fizzles out when the relationship between Jonah and Taylor escalates.
Quote #6
As usual, the Cadets are in their fatigues and the bulky frame of Jonah Griggs stands out among them. He surveys the field and beyond, handling his team as he would his troops. I can tell that his team is first-class. Santangelo is tenacious and what his team lacks in skill, they make up for in endurance and speed. Our league team is abysmal and halfway through the round robin, I realized we are not even players in this whole territory war. (8.44)
Talk about intimidating. Fighting a war with guys who are training to actually be in the military versus just pretending to has to make things a little edgy for the other factions.
Quote #7
In my cell I don't seem to exist. The dust and grime begin to get to me and I feel a shortness of breath that I know spells trouble. On the other side of the cell Jonah Griggs and Santangelo are too busy sizing each other up like two demented pit bulls who have to prove who's got the biggest… attitude. (8.60)
How can you triple the hostilities of the territory wars in one move? Just put the leaders of the three factions in a jail cell together and watch the pent-up frustration explode. Especially after two of them just beat the poop out of each other.
Quote #8
The Cadets are wannabe soldiers. City people. They may know how to street fight but they don't know how to wade through cow manure. (15.52)
We've got to hand it to Taylor: Wrecking the Cadets' invasion by layering cow manure all over the Jellicoe School side of the river is pretty brilliant. Not that it would work in real-life warfare, but oh well.
Quote #9
Santangelo is irritated. "We're not supposed to be collaborating. It's supposed to be a war and you're supposed to stick to your boundaries."
"We've seen you in your jocks," she reminds him. "Taylor and Griggs have pashed. You've broken into your father's police station for us. Don't you think the war has lost a bit of its tension?" (18.78-79)
Raffaela's got a point. Once the faction leaders call a truce and make friends, the war pretty much fizzles out like a wet firecracker. Still, at least everyone's getting along now.
Quote #10
But then I catch Griggs's eye and he looks at me in a way that tells me exactly what he's feeling and I love that look. Suddenly I want to yell out to everyone, "It's a game, these territory wars. They loved each other." (20.4)
Here's the ultimate point of the territory wars: Webb created them because he and his friends were bored. Eventually, though, it became a tradition that erupted into full-on hostility and rivalry. Somewhere along the line, the factions lost sight of the founders' original goal.