The Theory of Flight
Quote Page
• Select quotes (or parts of quotes) that you like/ particularly resonate with you/
find useful to prepare an essay.
• In the ‘relevance’ block, add your own notes, linking the quotes to particular
themes or possible essay topics.
• Often, the quotes might overlap (‘intertwine/interconnect’ ) with other themes.
Take this into consideration when studying and preparing for your essay.
• These quotes are by no means exhaustive – if you have other quotes that you really
like, please use them.
Eyes & beauty
Quote Said by/ about: Relevance
‘eyes that are not for beauty to see’ Several characters,
including narrator
‘…looking into the distance as though it held a future Thandi
in which she was not particularly interested.’
‘…he had loved the sunflowers only because Genie Marcus →
loved them.’ sunflowers → Genie
‘He saw that they were beautiful, but were it not for
Genie he would not have seen that theirs was a beauty
worth cherishing.’
‘The charred man’s heart had calcified into a precious After the massacre
and beautiful something.’
‘beautiful, golden-haired boy’ Kuki Carmichael →
‘he was beautiful and precious’ Everleigh Coetzee
‘She was so…incandescent.’ Vida → Genie
‘She was radiant.’
‘Something precious, something beautiful for the eye Vida → Genie
to behold…’
‘as though she truly were the most precious and Golide → Genie
beautiful thing in the world’
, Character & purpose
Quote Said by/ about: Relevance
‘a person’s character was the most important thing’ Prudence
‘He would dedicate the rest of his life to undoing the Mordechai →
pain he had caused her.’ Minenhle
‘the man with a song for a voice’
‘too…shiny’ The Masukus
‘Marcus felt that their beauty was not to be trusted. It The Masukus
was a dangerous beauty.’
‘The Masukus did not do politics.’ Eunice → The
Masukus
‘We don’t do politics.’
‘Politics is not for us. Politics is too…messy…and
spades are never really spades.’
(‘I like to call a spade a spade – even if I’m the spade.’) Genie
‘They would be respectable. They would be envied. Eunice → The
They would be somebodies.’ Masukus
‘…they were not to be trusted.’ Krystle → The
Masukus
‘The Masukus were like a glass menagerie; beautiful to Esme → the Masukus
look at, perfectly, meticulously, painstakingly put
together, but always just a breath away from
shattering.’
‘They glitter… All that glitters is not gold… Exactly.’ Valentine →
Masukus
‘They had come out on the right side of history with Valentine →
seemingly such little effort on their part.’ Masukus
‘The point is there were always cracks.’ Krystle → Masuku
house
‘all of them – fragile’ Marcus → Masukus
‘There are many ways to be a man.’ Ezekiel de Villiers →
Vida de Villiers
‘a hybrid thing – something rooted but free to fly’ Genie’s
understanding of
herself
‘defiant’ Dr Mambo → Genie
Quote Page
• Select quotes (or parts of quotes) that you like/ particularly resonate with you/
find useful to prepare an essay.
• In the ‘relevance’ block, add your own notes, linking the quotes to particular
themes or possible essay topics.
• Often, the quotes might overlap (‘intertwine/interconnect’ ) with other themes.
Take this into consideration when studying and preparing for your essay.
• These quotes are by no means exhaustive – if you have other quotes that you really
like, please use them.
Eyes & beauty
Quote Said by/ about: Relevance
‘eyes that are not for beauty to see’ Several characters,
including narrator
‘…looking into the distance as though it held a future Thandi
in which she was not particularly interested.’
‘…he had loved the sunflowers only because Genie Marcus →
loved them.’ sunflowers → Genie
‘He saw that they were beautiful, but were it not for
Genie he would not have seen that theirs was a beauty
worth cherishing.’
‘The charred man’s heart had calcified into a precious After the massacre
and beautiful something.’
‘beautiful, golden-haired boy’ Kuki Carmichael →
‘he was beautiful and precious’ Everleigh Coetzee
‘She was so…incandescent.’ Vida → Genie
‘She was radiant.’
‘Something precious, something beautiful for the eye Vida → Genie
to behold…’
‘as though she truly were the most precious and Golide → Genie
beautiful thing in the world’
, Character & purpose
Quote Said by/ about: Relevance
‘a person’s character was the most important thing’ Prudence
‘He would dedicate the rest of his life to undoing the Mordechai →
pain he had caused her.’ Minenhle
‘the man with a song for a voice’
‘too…shiny’ The Masukus
‘Marcus felt that their beauty was not to be trusted. It The Masukus
was a dangerous beauty.’
‘The Masukus did not do politics.’ Eunice → The
Masukus
‘We don’t do politics.’
‘Politics is not for us. Politics is too…messy…and
spades are never really spades.’
(‘I like to call a spade a spade – even if I’m the spade.’) Genie
‘They would be respectable. They would be envied. Eunice → The
They would be somebodies.’ Masukus
‘…they were not to be trusted.’ Krystle → The
Masukus
‘The Masukus were like a glass menagerie; beautiful to Esme → the Masukus
look at, perfectly, meticulously, painstakingly put
together, but always just a breath away from
shattering.’
‘They glitter… All that glitters is not gold… Exactly.’ Valentine →
Masukus
‘They had come out on the right side of history with Valentine →
seemingly such little effort on their part.’ Masukus
‘The point is there were always cracks.’ Krystle → Masuku
house
‘all of them – fragile’ Marcus → Masukus
‘There are many ways to be a man.’ Ezekiel de Villiers →
Vida de Villiers
‘a hybrid thing – something rooted but free to fly’ Genie’s
understanding of
herself
‘defiant’ Dr Mambo → Genie
