How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
PETROCELLI
Mr. Zinzi, do you know when you're lying and when you're telling the truth?ZINZI
Yes—sure. (2.168-169)
Hmmm. Debatable. Does he care if he's lying or telling the truth? He doesn't know Steve or King, after all, and he really wants out of prison.
Quote #2
I just wanted to do the right thing. You know, like a good citizen. (4.57)
We are not buying this for a second—go back and check out the witness testimonies to see if you agree. Who wants to be a good citizen? Who just wants a break?
Quote #3
[The preacher] asked if anyone wanted to talk with him or share a moment of prayer. Two guys said they did, and I was just about ready to say I would when Lynch, a guy who is going on trial for killing his wife, started cursing at the preacher and saying that everybody wanted to talk to him and act like they were good when they were just criminals. (5.6)
Why does Steve want to talk with the preacher? Is he just like the rest of them, like Lynch said, or is he different?
Quote #4
If [the jury] sees it as a contest between the defense and the prosecution as to who's lying, they'll vote for the prosecution. The prosecutor walks around looking very important. No one is accusing her of being a bad person. They're accusing you of being a monster. They jury can ask itself, Why should the prosecutor lie? (6.82)
Steve not only has to prove he's innocent, but he also has to prove he isn't guilty. Wait a second—isn't that the same thing? Not according to O'Brien. She's saying that merely sitting as a defendant makes him look guilty. He's got to overcome this as well as prove his innocence in the crime. That's a lot of work.
Quote #5
Miss O'Brien looked at me—I didn't see her looking at me but I knew she was. She wanted to know who I was. Who was Steve Harmon? (7.9)
O'Brien will do her job, whether Steve is guilty or innocent. He thinks he's innocent, but is he lying to himself?
Quote #6
O'BRIEN
Are you a member of a gang?OSVALDO
No.O'BRIEN
So the information I have about you belonging to a gang called the Diablos is wrong?A beat.
OSVALDO
No, that's right. I belong to the Diablos.O'BRIEN
So your first answer was a lie?OSVALDO (Looks toward Petrocelli.)
It was a mistake. (8.45-51)
Why does Osvaldo change his story here? Is there a difference between a lie and a mistake? Take a minute and chew on those (but don't let them lose their flavor).
Quote #7
He was trying to convince himself that he wasn't guilty. (13.22)
Steve recognizes this in the other inmate, but is he guilty of the same crime?
Quote #8
We lie to ourselves here. Maybe we are here because we lie to ourselves. (17.4)
What kinds of internal lies would land a person in prison? What kinds of lies landed Steve in prison? It seems like Steve might be both literally and mentally imprisoned by his lies.
Quote #9
The prosecutor said I was lying. I wanted to ask her what she expected me to do when telling the truth was going to get me 10 years. (18.86)
Which is more important—the truth or personal freedom? Can personal freedom only be enjoyed when it's attained by telling the truth? We have so many questions…