How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He never seemed to ask anybody else if they were being men […] I didn't consider him much of one, a man, hangin' on the corner, drinking forties at ten in the morning. (3.1)
Here Bobby thinks of Just Frank, a neighborhood drunk who always asked Bobby if he was being a man. And Bobby reveals that his definition of "man" doesn't include alcoholism.
Quote #2
I went to his funeral at Zion AME, then walked home and held Feather for the rest of the night, wondering if I would be a man, a good man. (3.4)
Frank surprises everyone when he is killed trying to prevent a neighborhood girl's assault. His death forces Bobby to rethink what it means to be a man—Frank may have been a drunk, but he tried to protect an innocent life nonetheless. How might his actions have affected Bobby?
Quote #3
I don't have any plans except shooting hoops with my partners at the rec center, and hanging out till we get bored and take in a movie. (Is this what you meant, Mr. Wilkins? Is this what you wanted me to say instead of I'm going to be the best father to me and Nia's baby that there ever was?) (6.22)
When Bobby and Nia tell Nia's parents about the pregnancy, Bobby is respectful in what he says to them, but he thinks something totally different. Sure, Bobby and Nia are going to be teenage parents, but Bobby is a little offended that Mr. Wilkins doesn't seem to expect Bobby to take responsibility for his actions.