How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
He began talking about what went on inside the building. "There are scores of tables inside," he said. "And brother, you have to go through every one of them. God help you if you don't understand Afrikaans, for the tables are manned by stubborn Afrikaners who believe very much in apartheid. They'll make that clear in their treatment of you. They'll humiliate you to the point where you feel you are not human. They'll strip you of your dignity, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. You'll get angry, yes, you'll hate, yes, but here's not a damn thing you can do. After all, they know they hold your fate in their hands: you, not they, need the 'passport to existence.'"(53.89)
The process of obtaining and maintaining a pass is necessary humiliation blacks must endure in order to live and work in apartheid South Africa. But the entire process of obtaining a pass is also structured to show blacks their place, and to demonstrate their inferior position in society.