Direct Quotes Jessica Marovich
"The bridge goes up in a dream. It will link the east end with the centre of the city. It will carry traffic, water, and electricity across the Don Valley. It will carry trains that have not even been invented yet" (p.26).
-This quote is important to the text because it talks about the Bloor Street Bridge that was being built in the novel. It was envisioned by R.C. Harris, the city's commissioner of Public works. It shows how the rich upper-class people come up with a vision and automatically want it to be a reality. They do not care how it will be built and how many people will be harmed in the process. This quote was important to me because I saw the chapter called 'The Bridge' as an important aspect of the story. It shows how insignificant migrant workers were in the process of building city structures. As a future educator, I could use this quote and theme in order to portray the significance of the American Dream, and how unrealistic certain aspects of the dream are.
"You fought. You fought. Think about those who built the intake tunnels. Do you know how many of us died in there?" (p.236).
-This quote is important to the text because it shows how the upper-class tyrants think that they are just as involved in the process of creating structures as the immigrant people. Just because they planned the construction, they feel as if they underwent the same turmoil. Harris for instance had no idea how many people died in the process. All that mattered was that his structure was being built. This quote is important to me because it shows the heartlessness of these tyrants. They were only in it for the money and they could care less about their workers. This upset me because these workers came to America seeking a better life, and that is not what they received. This quote could also be used in future lessons when talking about the hardships of immigrants. This quote touches home when trying to envision the lives of working immigrants.
"He was always comfortable in someone else's landscape, enjoyed being taught the customs of the place," (p.138).
-This quote is important to the text because this is a clear description of Patrick's personality. His whole life he liked to be isolated: in the logging community as a child, in the Macedonian community, in his labor jobs. It was almost as if he did not want to be himself and would rather conform to other people's customs. This quote is important to me because I like Patrick's character. Although he was a quiet man, I thought that he had a hard life and was very passionate. I also am somewhat like Patrick and enjoy watching things that are taking place around me. I would rather observe and learn instead of being part of the action.