Roots: The Saga of an American Family Slavery Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Indeed, Kunta saw them coming together asking permission for the slave to marry into the master's family. (31.8)

Could you imagine one of the massas in the novel giving a member of the Kinte clan permission to marry one of their daughters? They'd rather start working in the fields themselves.

Quote #5

His muscles [...] screamed with pain, but [...] he had to stop himself from whooping out loud with the pleasure of feeling so wildly free. (42.23)

Kunta makes a run for it almost as soon as he's enslaved. Even though his body's been broken, he simply won't accept subjugation at the hands of such clearly evil men. Sadly, however, he learns that it's a lot harder to reach freedom than he might think.

Quote #6

"What's behind it, y'understan', all white folks scared to death dat any loose n***** is plannin' a re-volt." (55.2)

The irony of this logic is nuts. First, you kidnap people from their homeland and force them into slavery. And then you worry about them revolting up against you? That part should have been obvious from the get-go.