How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph), (Chapter.Figure)
Quote #7
"Children, what is our duty as future Pioneers?" says Nina Petrovna. "It is to collectively expose those responsible for what happened to Comrade Stalin's statue. Then and only then will we be allowed to proceed with the Pioneers rally. Act in the Stalinist spirit and you will earn the red Pioneers scarf tied around your neck." (18.1)
Remember that Sasha writes in his letter to Stalin what make up the duties of the Young Soviet Pioneers. How might Nina Petrovna be twisting the meaning here? On the other hand, how might she be completely correct about her new definition of the Pioneers' duty?
Quote #8
When the senior lieutenant and his guards enter the cafeteria, Sergei Ivanych yells, 'Spontaneous applause, everybody!" He claps wildly, until the teachers start clapping; then the rest of us join in, and we all clap for a long time. (20.1)
While it's not quite an oxymoron, demanding "spontaneous applause" is just not right. It's as genuine as the clapping you get from a poor production assistant on the set of America's Funniest Home Videos holding up the "Applause" sign when they show the five hundredth video of a groom taking a header just before he says, "I do." So, basically not spontaneous at all, falsely over-exuberant and therefore totally ungenuine.
Quote #9
We walk from the cafeteria in pairs, holding hands. (21.1)
Oh, this is such a heart-warming image, ain't it? Cute little kids walking hand-in-hand, in peace and harmony. Right? Not a chance. You've heard that saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"? Well, that's what's happening here. These kids aren't holding hands because they like each other, but rather because no one trusts anyone else. They're watching each other—kind of like a low-tech (way low-tech) surveillance system.