How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The Berets believed that white people were our worst enemy, and if they had one purpose in mind, it was to keep brown people down. We, on the other hand, were descendants of Indians blessed with a color that was as necessary as dirt to the earth, as important as the sun to all the trees. We had treasures buried deep inside our blood, hidden treasures we hardly knew existed. (7.40)
The Berets are a group with some serious pride, and when Manny tells us that they believe their cultural heritage is "important" and that it's like "hidden treasures," things seem pretty cool. But there's a flipside to this coin: For the Berets, believing that they're special also means making other racial groups into enemies. Oops.
Quote #8
What mostly fired us up, though, was Lencho's inspirational talks. He spoke with braids of lightning in his voice, saying stuff he'd learned in the Berets about Mexicans and Chicanos being a special people, how power slept in our fists and we could awaken it with a simple nod of our heroic will. He piled it on about being proud, about how marvelous it was going to be after we pulverized those other guys. (7.48)
When Lencho talked about "Mexicans and Chicanos being a special people," it feels like a nice little moment of cultural pride and recognition… but then Lencho takes that uniqueness in, well, a more violent direction when he starts talking about "our fists" and an ability to "pulverize." Yep, those are some strong associations between race and violence that he's building up there. What do you think about Manny's reaction to these associations? Do you think he views them favorably or as if they're a problem? How so?
Quote #9
In the bleachers, it was a circus. Guys were dancing and girls collapsing over each other. […] But then needling stuff, like arguing and weasely bragging, sparked between some black and brown guys. A few even began to shove each other and spit into arguments. Then the bell to the second round clanged and everybody right away sat down. (7.104)
Talk about being saved by the bell: When the boxing match between Lencho and Boise is underway, things get super heated in the bleachers. And the fighting happens to be between two different racial groups, though it's not clear what everyone is arguing about. At least it doesn't last too long, though. Phew.