How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
In the very center of the expansive front lawn, waving red, white, and blue with the emblem of the Confederacy emblazoned in its upper left-hand corner, was the Mississippi flag. Directly below it was the American flag. As Jeremy and his sister and brothers hurried toward those transposed flags, we turned eastward toward our own school. (1.89)
Taylor pulls the old switcheroo here. When we see "waving red, white and blue," we naturally think of the American Flag. But, no—we are slapped in the face with the image of the Confederate flag (and believe us, a lot of fabric goes into making a flag, so it's a pretty big slap). So, what's up with this? Taylor mentions that the flags are "transposed," which means to "change the position or order of (two things)." We expect the American flag to be higher, so the symbolism is pretty clear: the values of the Confederacy (inequality for African-Americans, basically) take precedence over the American values of equality and justice for all.
Quote #2
[W]e consequently found ourselves comical objects to cruel eyes that gave no thought to our misery. (3.4)
It's all just fun and games to the white kids on the school bus, as they see the Logans and their friends splashed by mud day in and day out. They see the African-Americans as something less than human.
Quote #3
But as we passed one of the counters, I spied Mr. Barnett wrapping an order of pork chops for a white girl. Adults were one thing; I could almost understand that. They ruled things and there was nothing that could be done about them. But some kid who was no bigger than me was something else again. Certainly Mr. Barnett had simply forgotten about T.J.'s order. I decided to remind him and, without saying anything to Stacey, I turned around and marched over to Mr. Barnett. (5.55)
Why do you think Cassie "could almost understand" Mr. Barnett serving a white adult before a black child? What is the major insight she has when she notices that Mr. Barnett serves a white child before black customers who were there first?
Quote #4
"Then you get her out of here," he said with a hateful force. 'And make sure she don't come back till yo' mammy teach her what she is." (5.71)
Talk about a rude awakening. This is a major turning point—Cassie realizes that she's being judged strictly (and unfairly) on her color.
Quote #5
But someone caught [my arm] from behind, painfully twisting it, and shoved me off the sidewalk into the road. I landed bottom first on the ground. (5.91)
Mr. Simms glared down at me. "When my gal Lillian Jean says for you to get yo'self off the sidewalk, you get, you hear?" (5.92)
These days, if the father of a schoolmate did this to you, you could have his behind hauled down to the police station faster than he could say "child abuse." Or at least "child endangerment." In the time period of the novel, though, this was sadly biz as usual. Mr. Simms pushes Cassie into the street because she refuses to apologize for something that wasn't her fault (bumping into Lillian Jean).
Quote #6
"I didn't say Lillian Jean is better than you. I said Mr. Simmons only thinks she is [...]' (6.81)
"Just 'cause she's his daughter?" I asked, beginning to think Mr. Simms was a bit touched in the head. (6.82)
"No, baby, because she's white." (6.83)
Mama's hold tightened on mine, but I exclaimed, "Ah, shoot! White ain't nothin'!" (6.84)
Mama's grip did not lessen. "It is something, Cassie. White is something just like black is something. Everybody born on this earth is something and nobody, no matter what color, is better than anybody else." (6.85)
Holy Major Revelations, Batman! Mama schools Cassie on the situation, and it's not about what Cassie originally thought: that Mr. Simms thinks Lillian Jean is better just because she's his daughter. Nope. It's because she's white. Cassie finally realizes that Mean Old Mr. Simms would still have pushed her out into the road just because she's black, and he thinks white people are better.
Quote #7
"[T]here were some white people who thought that it was wrong for any people to be slaves; so the people who needed slaves to work in their fields and the people who were making money bringing slaves from Africa preached that black people weren't really people like white people were, so slavery was all right." (6.89)
Mama points out that the first step toward enslaving people is to dehumanize them. When people can take away someone's humanity, they are more likely to be able to convince themselves that anything you do to them is okay. What are some other examples of this? You may want to consider the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide as examples.
Quote #8
"Well, Cassie, during slavery there was some farms that mated folks like animals to produce more slaves. Breeding slaves brought a lot of money for them slave owners, 'specially after the government said they couldn't bring no more slaves from Africa, and they produced all kinds of slaves to sell on the block. And folks with enough money, white men and even free black men, could buy 'zactly what they wanted. My folks was bred for strength like they folks and they grandfolks 'fore 'em." (7.51)
This is another example of the dehumanizing influence of slavery: the slaves were bred like farm animals, and selected for desirable traits. Ugh. But at least we know why Mr. Morrison is so big and strong. (Also, irony alert: this breeding program is what made Mr. Morrison so dangerous.)
Quote #9
"I'm a Southerner, born and bred, but that doesn't mean I approve of all that goes on here, and there are a lot of other white people who feel the same." (7.139)
Mr. Jamison's a pretty good guy. Here, he shows his support for the black community and has just offered to back the credit of the poor black farmers so they don't have to shop at the Wallace store. Instead of painting all white characters with the broad brush of stereotypes, Taylor offers some counter-examples of whites who treat the African-Americans fairly (such as Mr. Jamison) and who want to be their friends (Jeremy Simms). Can you think of other examples in the book?
Quote #10
Moving across the field, slowly, mechanically, as if sleepwalking, was a flood of men and women dumping shovels of dirt on fire patches which refused to die. They wore wide handkerchiefs over their faces and many wore hats, making it difficult to identify who was who, but it was obvious that the ranks of the fire fighters had swelled from the two dozen townsmen to include nearby farmers. I recognized Mr. Lanier by his floppy blue hat working side by side with Mr. Simms, each oblivious of the other, and Papa near the slope waving orders to two of the townsmen. Mr. Granger, hammering down smoldering stalks with the flat of his shovel, was near the south pasture where Mr. Morrison and Mama were swatting the burning ground. (12.91)
There's nothing like the threat of a disaster to forcefully bring people together. Here, we get a glimpse of how things could be: everyone working together, side by side. Temporarily, racial differences don't matter, since all of the people are united by one goal—to put out the fire and save their homes and property. Notice how the handkerchiefs and hats make it "difficult to identify who was who"? Why do you think Taylor describes the people in this way here?