How we cite our quotes: (Entry. Paragraph)
Quote #4
He told me that he often took the bus into the better parts of town where the whites lived, "just to get away from this place. I just walk in the streets and look at the houses… Anything, just to get somewhere where it's decent… To get a smell of clean air. (8.31)
You might think that Griffin is noticing the difference between black and white neighborhoods just because he's experienced them both. But it's obvious that he's not the only one who notices that things are much nicer where the white people live.
Quote #5
The whites seemed far away, out there in their parts of the city. The distance between them and me was far more than the miles that physically separated us. It was an area of unknowing. I wondered if it could really be bridged. (8.233)
During this time, most white and black people lived very far away from one another. They hardly interacted with one another. How do you think this impacted their ability to understand each other?
Quote #6
"I can't imagine how it must be," he said. "I don't think it's fair. But just the same, plenty of whites don't have access to these things—to art, history, literature and philosophy. Some of the finest people I know live in the country where they never get to museums, concerts." "Living in the country, they are surrounded by natural museums and concerts," I said. (13.75)
This scene is interesting, because it almost seems crafted as a rebuttal to people who would argue that poor white people, or white people living in the country, were just as disadvantaged as black people. While they are disadvantaged, it's not the same because they are not barred from things like museums, concerts, and higher education. Black people in the south were.