How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"For eons, Ra's glorious sun boat would travel this route each night, fighting off the forces of Apophis… It was dangerous: every night, a fight for existence. But as he passed, Ra would bring sunlight and warmth to the Duat, and these lost spirits would rejoice, remembering the world of the living." (27.34)
Memory matters even to the dead: without it, they're just lost spirits. Egyptian mythology tells about Ra warming the dead with his sun boat and reminding them of their lives… but when Ra goes away, so does the sun's warmth in the underworld, and so does the reminder to the dead of the living world. In the Egyptian underworld, light and memory are necessary for existence.
Quote #8
"A legacy that powerful does not disappear. Next to the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans were babies. Our modern nations like Great Britain and America? Blinks of an eye. The very oldest root of civilization, at least of Western civilization, is Egypt. Look at the pyramid on the dollar bill. Look at the Washington Monument—the world's largest Egyptian obelisk. Egypt is still very much alive. And so, unfortunately, are her gods." (6.102)
Amos's speech pretty much says: Egypt is the oldest and longest-lasting Western civilization. Period. We think our modern civilizations are so great? We're infants and toddlers compared to ancient Egypt. In addition to being so very old, Egypt is also persistent: its symbols are alive and well today. Oh, and yeah: some other things—like gods—are alive today, too. For better or worse.
Quote #9
At Sadie's sixth birthday party, the last one we'd shared as a family, Sadie and I had a huge argument… I remember Dad rushing toward us, trying to intervene, but before he could, Sadie's birthday cake exploded… Later, they said we must've hit the cake by accident as we were fighting, but I knew we hadn't. Something much weirder had made it explode, as if it had responded to our anger. (6.168)
Having a magical experience when you're not expecting it apparently leaves a strong enough impression that you remember it, even though what happened was technically impossible. Or at least you do if you're from a magical family: it seems like most normal mortals block out or forget experiences that include magic. When Carter shares his memory here, he's demonstrating how intertwined magic and memory can be.