QUOTES - SIGNIFICANT QUOTATIONS AND EXPLANATION OF THEIR MEANING

(Continued)

It's worth noting that while race is one of the most important issues of the book, there are very few times that anyone is actually called racist - even when they clearly espouse racist ideas. This reflects Cedric's own desire to be judged for his abilities and not the color of his skin. However, the frustration he felt throughout the weeks of the summer program and at being dismissed in such a casual fashion by Trilling - the quote "not MIT material" shows how little this matters to the man, and how belittling it is to Cedric - come to a head here. He shouts the word, emphasized in all capital letters, to vent and find a reason for his dreams being crushed.

The complexity of this accusation is felt by Cedric - the word is "not right", but he also can't resist using it. Trilling isn't a racist in the sense that he doesn't like people of other races; rather, he refuses to consider Cedric's education and social background (which is tied into his race) when deciding if Cedric is capable of attending MIT for college. He is unable to admit that the opportunity given to Cedric by the MIT summer program is an incomplete solution, that more is needed for the underprivileged students of any race to succeed academically. Trilling sees minority students as a means to show the progressive nature of MIT, but different skin color is his only concern. Actually helping minority students in need is beyond his chosen purview, which is what makes him a racist in Cedric's eyes.

Returning to Washington, D.C., Cedric comes to a crucial decision about his Senior year in high school:

Then suddenly, he smiles, a funny grim smile with his lips tight together. Of course he's decided. He's going back to..........

The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable PDF, RTF, or MS Word DOC file from the PinkMonkey MonkeyNotes download store. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters; detailed analysis of the themes, plot structure, and characters; author biography, setting, mood, and plot stucture analysis; important quotes - quotations and analysis; detailed analysis of symbolism, motifs, metaphors and imagery; a key facts summary; a multiple choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.