Chapter 8 - Quotation 1 - Page 66 Paragraph 1
"“Any advice?” I asked him. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” he said. “Just do the best you can. But it won’t matter.”"
Question 1- Does the quotation indicate a conflict? If so, what conflict?
This quotation does indicate a conflict. The conflict is between Grant and his old school teacher Matthew Antoine. Even though Grant thought as a teacher he could change things for the better for the next generation through his teaching, Matthew Antoine disagreed. Matthew Antoine believed no matter what Grant did or how hard he tried, his best efforts would eventually fail.
Question 2- Does the quotation characterize Grant, Jefferson, or another character? If so, in what way does it characterize?
This quotation characterizes Matthew Antoine as a negative man that believes in black failure. In Chapter 8, we learn that Matthew Antoine is Creole. He admits that he feels superior to blacks and inferior to whites and that all black people are destined to fail because of the society they live in. By saying that statement to Grant it shows everything he believes in about black failure.
Chapter 9 - Quotation 1 - Page 71 Paragraph 3
"The cell was roughly six by ten, with a metal bunk covered by a thin mattress and a woolen army blanket; a toilet without seat or toilet paper; a washbowl, brownish from residue and grime; a small metal shelf upon which was a pan, a tin cup, and a tablespoon. A single light bulb hung over the center of the cell, and at the end opposite the door was a barred window, which looked out onto a sycamore tree behind the courthouse. I could see the sunlight on the upper leaves. But the window was too high to catch sight of any other buildings or the ground."
Question 1- Does the quotation provide detail about the setting? If so, what type of description does it provide? How does the setting description classify the time period?
This quotation provides detail about the jail cell setting that Jefferson is currently living in. By listing everything in and around the cell and imagery readers can see and or imagine Jefferson's living quarter. The setting description classifies the time period by allowing readers to imagine jails and prisoner's living quarters during that time period.
Question 2- To what contemporary issue(s) do(es) the quotation connect?
Although times have changed drastically, most jails and prison cells or living areas still look the same is the contemporary issue that the quotation connects to. Prisoners are still locked away in small animal like cages with little lighting and unsanitary toilets and sinks.
