How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph), (Chapter.Figure)
Quote #7
The sidewalks are crowded. Citizens rush to work, line up for food rations, push into the streetcars. On the corner, a loudspeaker blares our country's anthem. They always play it at 8:45 sharp. (11.2)
Amidst the images of crowds (of people waiting for rations and the mass of people clinging to the streetcar that Sasha later gets on) we also see that the society is very strictly regimented. The national anthem plays at precisely 8:45 in the morning. Talk about a wake up call.
Quote #8
I have three marksmanship awards from the war-preparedness class, so everyone wants me on their team. (12.1)
Yep, the Soviet education system sounds pretty different than the American one. Do American schools have anything close to this "war-preparedness" class? Last time we checked, not so much. Although dodgeball can get pretty heated during P.E.
Quote #9
As I march, I imagine the parade on May Day, my favorite day of the year. I hear the crashing brass of a marching band and I see crowds of people applauding and waving red flags and shouting, "Long live Comrade Stalin!" Under my feet, the ground rumbles as the mighty Red Army tanks roll onto Red Square, and up above, a formation of fighter planes, flying in a cloudless sky, shapes six giant letters: S-T-A-L-I-N. (15.4)
The May Day parade is pageantry on a grand scale. Why? Because it's meant to show Soviet citizens the might of Stalin and his Communist regime. While it's clearly a show of power, we also think it might be a bit of a positive outlet for the citizens—after all, folks are applauding and waving, right?