How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Well, read all you can. And newspapers, Jeth—study them. I know they're a little difficult, but you're a bright boy; you can get something out of them. The accounts you read in newspapers today will fill the pages of history by the time you're a man." (4.144)
Shadrach Yale highlights the importance of the present moment and the events currently happening. The war is not just some humdrum battle between disagreeing sides, and Shad knows that the country is experiencing a massive shift in its own history.
Quote #2
The world was turning upside down for Jethro. He felt as if he were someone else, someone looking from far off at a boy who had started from home with a team and wagon on a march morning that was at least a hundred years ago. (5.176)
We've all felt this, especially on those long, tiring days when there's a lot of work to do and the beginning seems like it was an eternity ago. Jethro's adventure to Newton is one of those days. He packs a lot of activity into one day, plus the small confrontation with Wortman, so we're surprised he has enough energy once he gets home to tell his family about his day.
Quote #3
"Mother," he turned toward her with eyes full of despair, "if you could ha' knowed back in 1830 of all the griefs you'd hev..."
She put a hand out to him quickly when he paused. "Yore spirit needs bolsterin' today, old man." She smiled at him. "You know good and well I wouldn't ha' believed ary prophecy. And if I had, I reckon I'd ha' risked it. I wanted Matt Creighton fer mine awful bad, if you air of a mind to remember." (6.7-8)
Matt is all ready to have a pity party for himself but Ellen will have none of that. Not one of the hardships that the Creightons have had to endure would make Ellen ask for a mulligan. It's also one of the sweetest exchange between characters, once you look past the "could ha' knowed" and "ha' believed ary" type of writing.