How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Point B. A point of great gravity: No institution, like no fox, may long be sustained on its own flesh. We must devour elsewhere if we are not to devour ourselves, and so perish!" (2.3.7)
Enter Mr. Sharpe. Here he's addressing the College for the first time, and he's not holding back on his vision for the College (which his people will now be funding). His philosophy? Adapt or die. Unfortunately for pretty much everyone, Mr. Sharpe's vision changes the College into a completely practical institution. There go the operas, the concerts, the cool experiments, the literature… in other words, all the fun.
Quote #8
"Eh—," interposed Mr. 03-01, rising. He explained to us, "Eh—I am afraid… I am afraid that our system of metric designation has come to an end. Mr. Sharpe, reviewing the practice, had determined that it contributes to hierarchy and rank. So we shall… cast aside our numbers, my friends… like shackles… and instead… names. Names for all." (2.3.14)
Mr. Sharpe puts Mr. Gitney (03-01) in charge of dismantling the very system of naming he created. Note all the pauses and ellipses—clearly Mr. Gitney isn't comfortable with this new world order. One would think Mr. Sharpe would be all over Mr. Gitney's system because it tries to be objective, neutral, abstract—these are the principles Mr. Sharpe wants Octavian to pursue in his studies later on—but alas, he thinks it's hierarchical and ridiculous.
Quote #9
He held out the written pass. "This is what they want us to be," he said. "They want us to be nothing but a bill of sale and a letter explaining where we is and instructions for where we go and what we do. They want us empty. They want us flat as paper. They want to be able to carry our souls in their hands, and read them out loud in court. All the time, they're on the exploration of themselves, going on the inner journey into their own breast. But us, they want there to be nothing inside of. They want us to be writ on. They want us to be a surface. Look at me; I'm mahogany."
I protested, "A man is known by his deeds."
"Oh, that's sure," said Bono. "Just like a house is known by its deeds. The deeds say who owns it, who sold it, and who'll be buying a new one when it gets knocked down." (2.5.18-20)
This is a moment of truth passage. Bono has just exposed the problem with the entire College and its relationship to slavery—while the white men of the College go on with their philosophizing, the hard truth is that they still own slaves, so they can ponder all they like on the existence of humankind, but their actions show their own inhumanity. At the end of the day, it's undeniable that they're treating other human beings as superficial objects ("mahogany") in order to support their own dreams. This truth stings Octavian, and badly.