How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"And ain't a thing gonna be done 'bout it," said Mr. Lanier. 'That's what's so terrible! When Henrietta went to the sheriff and told him what she'd seed, he called her a liar and sent her on home. Now I hear tells that some of them men that done it been 'round braggin' 'bout it."
You've heard the expression, "I'll give my $0.02 worth," right? Well, here's a prime example with much more at stake. Henrietta's word is worth roughly $0.02, while the white men's is worth more like $2.00. Their deceit is powerful, while the testimony of the blacks is powerless.
Quote #5
As moronic rolls of laughter and cries of "N*****! N*****! Mud eater!" wafted from the open windows, Little Man threw his mudball, missing the wheels by several feet. (3.37)
Can you imagine hearing something deeply insulting and hurtful like this shouted out at you day after day? The Logans (and readers) get an earful of the humiliating racist language that was unfortunately standard for the novel's time and place (similar to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn). Little Man reacts to this in really the only way he can—with a sort of powerless rage. Smart boy. Anything more than that could get him into some serious trouble.
Quote #6
"Tarred and feathered him [...] I dunno if y'all's little ears should hear this, but it seems he called Mr. Jim Barnett a liar—he's the man who runs the Mercantile down in Strawberry. Mr. Tatum's s'pose to done told him that he ain't ordered up all them things Mr. Barnett done charged him for. Mr. Barnett said he had all them things Mr. Tatum ordered writ down and when Mr. Tatum asked to see that list of his, Mr. Barnett says, "You callin' me a liar, boy?" And Mr. Tatum says, "Yessuh, I guess I is!" That done it." (4.99)
It may sound funny, but being tarred and feathered is no joke. It was actually a quite brutal practice. How is Mr. Tatum's speech here courageous? What else might be he taking a stand against in addition to just an incorrect order at the market?