How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I am no scholar, and I care not who knows it; but, judging from what I have seen, at deer chases and squirrel hunts, of the sparks below, I should think a rifle in the hands of their grandfathers was not so dangerous as a hickory bow and a good flint-head might be, if drawn with Indian judgment, and sent by an Indian eye." (3.7)
Hawkeye does not hide his lack of book learning; he takes pride in being intelligent in other ways. He exemplifies the difference between "book smarts" and other kinds of intelligence.
Quote #2
"I am willing to own that my people have many ways, of which, as an honest man, I can't approve. It is one of their customs to write in books what they have done and seen, instead of telling them in their villages, where the lie can be given to the face of a cowardly boaster, and the brave soldier can call on his comrades to witness for the truth of his words. In consequence of this bad fashion, a man, who is too conscientious to misspend his days among the women, in learning the names of black marks, may never hear of the deeds of his fathers, nor feel a pride in striving to outdo them." (3.9)
Hawkeye finds formal education foolish. One of the reasons he thinks activities like reading and writing are invaluable is that the written word has no accountability and that reading is a way of distancing yourself from your community.
Quote #3
"Even so; sucking babes are not more dependent on those who guide them than we who are of larger growth, and who may now be said to possess the stature without the knowledge of men." (4.5)
Heyward argues that knowledge of the forest is incredibly important—without it even grown men are reduced to the helplessness of babies. Being lost is a great equalizer: you can be a Nobel Prize-winning genius, but you're still out of luck if you're lost in the wilderness.