Jade Simonson’s Reviews > Babel > Status Update

“He did not know that impressing a white man could be as dangerous as provoking one.”

“Violets cast into crucibles, indeed.”

“English did not just borrow words from other languages; it was stuffed to the brim with foreign influences, a Frankenstein vernacular.
And Robin found it incredible, how this country, whose citizens prided themselves so much on being better than the rest of the world, could not make it through an afternoon tea without borrowed goods.”

“You know how the french refer to an unfortunate situation? Triste comme un repas sans fromage.
Sad as a meal without cheese.
Which is, really, the state of all English cheese.”

“We’re trapped in a symbiotic relationship with the levers of power. We need their silver. We need their tools. And, loath as we are to admit it, we benefit from their research.”