“Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
—Toni Morrison, Beloved
Quotes
Reading Between The Lines – ‘Charlotte’s Web’
“You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”
— E. B. White, Charlotte’s Web
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Reading Between the Lines – ‘The Power Broker’
“Bob Moses had learned what was needed to make dreams become realities. He had learned the lesson of power.
And now he grabbed for power with both hands.
To free his hands for the grab, he shook impatiently from them the last crumbs of the principles with which he had entered public service and for which, during his years of idealism, he had fought só hard.”
— Robert Caro, The Power Broker
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Reading Between The Lines – ‘The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street’
The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own for the children, and the children yet unborn.
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Reading Between the Lines – ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’
“Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
— Margery Williams, Velveteen Rabbit
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Reading Between the Lines – ‘Life of Pi’
“I must say a word about fear. It is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unnerving ease. It begins in your mind, always … so you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don’t, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.”
Reading Between the Lines – ‘Heart of Darkness’
"We live in the flicker — may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday."
The quote is from Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness. This novella is a complex exploration of colonialism, human nature, and the darkness within the human soul.
In Heart of Darkness, the story is narrated by Charles Marlow, who recounts his journey up the Congo River to meet the enigmatic ivory trader, Mr. Kurtz. The novella delves into the brutality and moral ambiguity of European colonialism in Africa.
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Reading Between the Lines – ‘My Brilliant Friend’
“Children don’t know the meaning of yesterday, of the day before yesterday, or even of tomorrow, everything is this, now: the street is this, the doorway is this, the stairs are this, this is Mamma, this is Papa, this is the day, this the night.”
Elena Ferrante’s quote from “My Brilliant Friend” captures the essence of a child’s perception of time and the world around them. Ferrante delves into the consciousness of children, highlighting their innate immediacy and presence in the moment.
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Reading Between the Lines – ‘The Wasteland’
“April is the cruelest month, breeding
lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
memory and desire, stirring
dull roots with spring rain.”
This poem is from the opening lines of T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land,” first published in 1922. This poem is one of the most important works of modernist literature, known for its complex structure, rich symbolism, and fragmented narrative.
“The Waste Land” was written in the aftermath of World War I, a period marked by widespread disillusionment and a sense of cultural and spiritual crisis.
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Reading Between the Lines – ‘The Giver’
“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”
In Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel “The Giver,” the protagonist, Jonas, lives in a seemingly perfect community where there is no pain, suffering, or emotional depth. Everything is controlled and regulated, from people’s emotions to the color of their surroundings.
Reading Between the Lines ‘ 1Q84’
“It is not that the meaning cannot be explained. But there are certain meanings that are lost forever the moment they are explained in words.”
This quote comes from Haruki Murakami’s novel “1Q84“, a complex and surreal work that explores themes of reality, connection, and the nature of storytelling itself. To provide some context:
Haruki Murakami is a renowned Japanese author known for his unique blend of magical realism, surrealism, and introspective narratives. “1Q84” is one of his most ambitious works, a sprawling novel that interweaves multiple storylines and realities.
Reading Between the Lines – ‘1984’
“The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”
This quote from George Orwell’s “1984” delves into the profound human desire for genuine connection and understanding.
In the novel, the protagonist, Winston Smith, lives in a society where the Party dictates every aspect of life, leaving little room for authentic relationships or personal expression. The oppressive regime forces people to conform and suppress their true selves, making it nearly impossible to forge real connections with others.