English quotes

Pastor wife displaying patriarchy

“pastors wife liked to take girls aside and teach them how to be modest, chaste girls. “Dont wear lipstick, Dont laught loudly, Dont wear tight dresses or short skirts. Dont wear your hair down. Dont sit with your legs open. Dont wear a red flowers in your hair. Dont be tempters of men.”

Grandma shapeshift foreshadow

Lefaga had many faces. That day she wore the face she showed most often to the villagers who came to her for medicine and guidance.

Pastor being misogynistic

"such is the power of a seductive woman. Even a holy man as righteous as David could not resist her temptations.”
“Satan sent his most wicked of tempters. A woman!”

Systematic corruption quote spotlight

• “if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one” garabedian

• Neutral lighting mimics a cramped lawyers office, no hollywood ‘glamour’, shows exhausting reality of fighting a large institution.

Emotional spotlight quote

• "They knew and they let it happen to kids! ... It could have been you, it could have been me, it could have been any of us!" rezendes

• Unstable handheld camerawork, tight shot of face. Cold fluorescent office lighting

Power and corruption spotlight

• "This is how it works. They pressure you, and you look the other way." — Mitchell Garabedian

• How dominant institutions manipulate social networks and systemic influence to protect themselves

• Implies a toxic insular community where fear, loyalty, and intimidation dictate human behaviour.

• Small, cramped ‘claustrophobic’ environment mimics the described intimidation.

Turning point quote

• "We spend most of our time stumbling around in the dark. Suddenly, a light gets turned on and there's a fair amount of blame to go around." — Marty Baron

• Idea that true justice and accountability need self-reflection and acknowledging blind spots, rather than just shifting the blame.

body image and patriarchal control

• Her husband made it clear that it didn't do his image any good to have her waddling around jiggling rolls of flesh.

• This quote highlights how Tara's body is policed by the male gaze. Abhay views her not as an individual, but as an extension of his own social standing ("his image"). It exposes the superficial, performative expectations placed on women in a patriarchal society.

• Degrading diction - harsh verbs and nouns (waddling, jiggling, rolls)

symbolism

• Her husband couldn't be too serious about her losing weight, after all, he was her main supplier

• This quote reveals the sinister, manipulative nature of Abhay’s control. By acting as her "main supplier" of chocolate while publicly shaming her for her weight, he intentionally keeps her trapped in a cycle of low self-esteem and dependency.

• extended metaphor - tara = addicted, Abhay = dealer, feeds dependency to keep vulnerable.

Role reversal

• Tara joined Mrs. Singhal's Cooking Classes… Tara dived into the experience like a duck into water. Cooking was endlessly creative

• Kapur uses situational irony here. Tara actively chooses to step into the kitchen—traditionally the ultimate symbol of female domestic confinement—but converts it into a space of strategic genius. Her cooking transforms from a chore meant to please her husband into an act of creative warfare.

• simile = like duck in water

Feminist

• An all-girls college. Her parents don't think it wise to send Tara anywhere else.

• Use this quote to critique the societal framework. Tara’s upbringing was designed to shelter and pacify her, rather than empower her. Her initial inability to see through Abhay’s manipulation stems from an education system that prioritizes female docility over critical awareness.