How we cite our quotes: The main text of the story is cited (Chapter.Paragraph). The date headers are not counted as paragraphs. The verses in the chapters with a single passage from the narrator's religious texts are cited (Chapter.Verse.Line#). In chapters with multiple passages, the verses are cited (Chapter.Verse#.Line#). The four section pages with the years and passages are cited (Year.Verse).
Quote #7
[Travis] had asked and asked me what the point of Earthseed is. Why personify change by calling it God? Since change is just an idea, why not call it that? Just say change is important.
"Because after a while, it won't be important!" I told him. "People forget ideas. They're more likely to remember God—especially when they're scared or desperate." (18.60-61)
Once again, we confront the problem of trying to make people—or ourselves—change. As Travis puts it, why not just say that change is muy importante and leave the God stuff out? After all, religion might turn off a lot of your potential audience. Well, Lauren disagrees. She thinks that when stuff hits the fan, people turn to God, whatever God actually is. It's like that saying: There are no atheists in foxholes. What do you think? Is God (keep that definition broad) necessary for social change or not?
Quote #8
Changes.
The galaxies move through space,
The stars ignite,
burn,
age,
cool,
Evolving.
God is change.
God prevails. (19.Verse)
This verse passage from Lauren's Earthseed is pretty lyrical—you know, like written all pretty and stuff. What's the point of writing that way? Well, the prettiness of the language might convince your audience to take your message seriously. It's a rhetorical trick. This sounds good, you might say, so I'll believe it. In other words, in Lauren's battle to make people accept the importance of change, lyricism is one of her weapons.
Quote #9
God is Change, and in the end, God does prevail. But we have something to say about the whens and the whys of that end. (24.2)
This is Lauren saying that we the people are empowered to shape change. Now, we're not all-powerful: we can't do just whatever we want, because God is more powerful than we are. But don't count us out, either. Note that this passage comes toward the end of the novel, which means that it comes after Lauren has had a lot of experiences that test how well her Earthseed philosophy holds up. In Robledo, she was more timid about her beliefs, but now, with her own community following her, she's more assertive.