Pigeon English Key Quotes Flashcards
“You could see the blood. It was darker than you thought.”
- Shows the cyclical structure of the novel.
- Displays the inherently violent world that Harri lives in.
“The baby trees are in a cage.”
- Symbolic for how the youth of the area have a lack of opportunities due to the government not caring enough.
- Suggests that children from low income areas failure is inevitable as they are in “cages” from birth.
“X-Fires breath smells like cigarettes and chocolate milk.”
- Describes the contrast between childhood and adulthood.
- Suggests that gang crime is children involved in a very mature and adult world.
“My coffin would be an aeroplane.”
- Harri’s very unrealistic and childish view of death.
- Suggests his longing for travelling to see his close family members.
“The steps outside the cafeteria belong to the Dell Farm Crew.”
- A critique on capitalist ways to monopolise off of the best resources in a society.
- Also indicates a clear hierarchy between the DFC and the rest of the school, revealing an element of the dynamics of gang crime.
“Auntie Sonia’s fingers were all black and cracked.”
- Illustrates the loss of identity that is associated with immigrating illegally.
- Shows how Auntie Sonia is sacrificing her identity just to remain in the country.
“They won’t be laughing when I’m in the Dell Farm Crew.”
- Indicates Harri’s naïve view on power and gang crime.
- Reveals that Harri wants to be involved with the DFC as it will supposedly make his life better. This proves how young children rely on these paths in life to be successful due to the lack of assistance from the government.
“They [police] put chains on their [Nish and his wife’s] arms.”
- Depicts the unfair treatment of immigrants in the UK.
- Chains are a symbol of control.
- Comparison to animals in chains which feeds in to the dehumanisation of immigrants.
“The war was here.”
- Violence was the climax of the novel.
- Could symbolise the tension and fight between police and citizens.
“The playground was dying but nobody tried to save it.”
- Symbolises the youth and the dangers on gang crime.
- Suggests that the government do not care enough to save and protect young people.
- Also could symbolise the selfishness of today’s society and how people do not care to help anyone but themselves.
“That’s why I love stars, because they stand for freedom.”
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The pigeon’s eyes were “Full of love like a battery”
- This simile suggests that love is needed to end suffering and conflict.
- A very bitter-sweet reality that the only way to help Harri was to assist him to heaven.
- Shows the pigeon’s love and compassion for Harri and his desire to help him escape from a
“I wonder what it feels like to be chooked for real.”
- Foreshadowing to emphasis that gang crime can affect anybody and even people who are not expecting it.
- Gang crime is an issue that the whole of society must deal with, and it shouldn’t be ignored with the idea that it will not affect you.
“I hope heaven has proper goals with nets on them.”
-Implies that Harri sees something so simple as luxurious and this shows that the area is deprived of such normal and basic items.
