English Literature - Anita & Me - Anita Rutter - Quotes

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Chapter 1

  • "My heart unaccountably flipping like a fish" - Meena - Shows her admiration of Anita and also, Anita's status over her.
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Chapter 3

  • "Anita was the undisputed 'c*ck' of the yard" - Meena - Shows that Anita was so intimidating that no one would dare to challenge her status. The metaphore of a 'c*ck' as in c*ckerel has male connotations, portraying her as dominating.
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Chapter 5

  • "I stood open-mouthed in admiration, wondering what spell she had cast, to turn these boy-men, whom I would have crossed streets to avoid had I seen them hanging around any corner near my school, into grinning, pliant pets." - Meena - Shows her admiration of Anita. The metaphor of a 'spell' shows how highly Meena thinks of her, that her 'talents' are almost magical. - Also shows the contrast between them. - The adjective of 'pliant' once again shows her a dominating.
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Chapter 6 - Card 1

  • "I never had to force my admiration. It flowed from every pore." - Meena - Shows her adoration of Anita.
  • "Her irreverence was high summer for me" - Meena - Shows Anita as very apethetic, with an utter disregard for others. - (irreverence = a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously)
  • "Of course it was inevitable that Anita would get round to sex; it hung round her anyway like a faint perfume." - Meena - Shows Anita's promiscuity. She often talks of this topic as it makes her feel superior to others.
  • "Anita's monologues, all spark and spit, illuminate the darkness like fireworks." - Meena - Suggest that Anita is very insolent and rather cheeky, which fascinates Meena. (insolent = showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect)
  • "My life was outside the home, with Anita, my passport to acceptance" - Meena - Being friends with Anita would finally make her feel accepted.
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Chapter 6 - Card 2

  • "There was never fear or censure or recoil in those green, cool eyes, only the recognition of a kindered spirit, another mad bad girl trapped inside a superficially obedient body." - Meena - Meena feels accepted by Anita, as though they are 'kindered spirits'. - (censure = severe disapproval)
  • "I had finally broken free... leaving my heart unfettered" - Meena - Anita's aproval is of great significance to Meena. - (fetter = chain) - First instance in which Meena refers to Anita's approval as setting her free, as though being her inferior makes her feel trapped.
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Chapter 7

  • "she had looked right through my eyes like a telescope and seen the wicked thoughts and easy lies and bitter frustration that sometimes seemed to fill my head until it felt like it would burst." - Meena - Meena feels as though the fortune teller can see all the reservations of her friendship with Anita that she has been trying to keep bottled up. She is beginning to realise Anita is not as perfect as she once thought she was.
  • "I knew if I got too close to her during one of her wordless seething tempers, I would be sucked into it like a speck into a cyclone. ...if I retreated too far she would sense my fear and detachment and turn on me, accusing me of betrayal." - Meena - Meena is afraid of Anita and must tip-toe around her in order to maintain the friendship she has worked so hard for. She is scared of Anita.
  • "the good and the horrid in her were equally irresistible" - Meena - Shows how manipulative Anita can be.
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Chapter 9

  • "the fact that I had apparently got away with it made me feel light-headed and free. Maybe now things would be different; I would no longer be anita's shadow but her equal" - Meena - Meena often refers to Anita's acceptance as freeing ("unfettered" etc.) showing how her position as Anita's inferior makes her feel trapped.
  • "She needed me maybe more than I needed her. There was a fine line between love and pity and I had just stepped over it." - Meena - Meena has realised that Anita is dependant on her admiration and she pitys her.
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Chapter 10 - Card 1

  • "I knew Anita well enough not to expect a great display of mourning, but even I was suprised by her complete lack of emotion, or indeed, social graces." - Meena - Anita shows no emotion at the news of her mother's abandonment. This shows how little she cares for her family, creating a great contrast between her and Meena. - Her lack of social graces shows her to be rather rude, even despite her current situation.
  • "The girl had not even said a simple thank you yet." - Meena - Anita displays an utter scarcity of gratitude, which shock Meena and again displays a contrast between them.
  • "I would not have Anita play the same games with my parents that made me dizzy and confused." - Meena - She realises how Anita has messed with her through the entirety of their friendship and has finally learned to stick up for herself and her heritage.
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Chapter 10 - Card 2

  • "Anita reacted to the slightest sniff of authority with mindless violence." - Meena - This shows Anita to be highly irreverent.
  • "Clash of the Titans" - Meena - Shows Anita to be greatly significant in Meena's life. - (titan = an extremely important person)
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Chapter 11

  • "I needed someone to talk to. I needed to talk about Sam. Anita, being my best friend, should have been with me. But, I knew, as soon as I thoght this, that she would not have understood that there were some things that we would never be able to share." +"Anita and I had never been meant for eachother" - Meena - Meena realises the great contrast between her and Anita and how their differences have created a barrier between them.
  • "Sam and Anita, Anita and Sam, it sounded as natural as breathing." - Meena - Comparing Anita to one whom she has expressed such an intense loathing toward shows how her infatuation of Anita has rapidly declined.
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Chapter 13

  • "chewing gum like cud ... clumsy ... smoking with attitude ... deliberately sitting apart and above everyone else" - Meena - Meena's description of Sam and Anita's gang shows how she despises them. They believe they are superior to others. - (cud = partly digested food returned back to the mouth from the stomack for further chewing)
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