How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I stood up, threw the palm fibers at him, and screamed, "You ugly black man! I won't do it! You're stupid, you can't even spell!"
Timothy's heavy hand struck my face sharply.
Stunned, I touched my face where he'd hit me.
Then I turned away from where I thought he was. My cheek stung, but I wouldn't let him see me with tears in my eyes. (9.18-21)
After friction mounts between them, Timothy and Phillip are involved in a violent exchange. Phillip abusively screams at Timothy, and Timothy hits Phillip. Phillip now finally sees Timothy's point of view. Do you agree that escalating violence can make someone change for the better? How is this moment a turning point for Phillip's character? In what other ways might Timothy and Phillip have resolved their issues?
Quote #8
Excited, I asked, "Who's shooting?"
"D'sea," he said.
I laughed at him, "The sea can't shoot a rifle."
"'A crack like d'rifle," he said, worry in his voice. "It can make d'shot all right, all right. It b'tell us a veree bad starm is comin', Phill-eep. A tempis'." (14.5-8)
Here the violence of the natural world is associated with the violence of war – the sea is imagined as shooting a rifle. How does war compare to the tempest? How are they similar? How are they different?
Quote #9
Rain was now slashing into the hut, and the wind was reaching a steady howl. The crash of the surf was sounding closer; I wondered if it was already beginning to push up toward our hill. (15.9)
The hurricane wrecks the island. Notice the violent verbs used to describe the storm: "slashing" and "crash."