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"But . . . you born with two strikes on you before you come to the plate. You got to guard it closely . . . always looking for the curve-ball on the inside corner. You can't afford to let none get past you. You can't afford a call strike. If you going down . . . you going down swinging. Everything lined up against you." (2.1.69)
While Troy and Rose are having an argument, Troy brings up that his whole life has been rough and when he found Rose and Cory he was safe and couldn't afford to take anymore chances or "strikes" in life. Troy compares how he was brought up with the world already against him to in baseball when you are about to strike out, meaning that you have to work hard to get out of a bad situation you are in. Making this comparison is not only accurate to the situation, but also reveals how much Troy reminisces on his past because of his wide knowledge of baseball. Troy also brings up baseball often because that is an element of his youth that brought him joy, especially after his rough childhood and adolescence.

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" And I got to thinking that if I tried... I might just be able to steal second. Do you understand that after eighteen years I just wanted to steal second" (2.1.70).

Rose asks Troy why he went to another woman, and this is his response. He sees Cory and Rose as his first base, the place that he has been at for 18 years. But when Alberta came, he saw something new and different and exciting: second base. So he decided to leave first base and steal second. To him, family isn't permanent. It is a place that you can stay for a while, but in the end it is still just a place to stop on your way to go somewhere else. He stayed in the same place with the same woman and same son for 18 years and he didn't want to do it anymore. He doesn't see family as forever, he saw it as a way to stay alive until something better came along.

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"Don't you think I had dreams and hopes? What about my life? What about me. Don't you think it ever crossed my mind to want to know other men? That I wanted to lay up somewhere and forget about my responsibilities? That I wanted someone to make me laugh so I could feel good? You not the only one with wants needs. But I held on to you Troy."(2.1.70-71)
Rose is talking about the years of her life she has had to sacrifice for Troy and their family, when there are other things she'd rather be doing. It makes her feel even more betrayed by Troy, because she persevered through all of the hardships for the sake of Troy, while Troy gave in and had an affair with another woman.

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"I went down there and got him out. Cost me fifty dollars. Say he was disturbing the peace. Judge set up a hearing for him in three weeks. Say to show cause why he shouldn't be re-committed" (2.1.64-65).
Troy is talking about the sacrifices he must make for Gabriel. It is a common occurrence for Gabriel to be arrested because he disturbs the peace and every time Troy pays the fifty dollars to bail him out. This shows Troy's ability to make sacrifices, especially financial ones, when it comes to the people he loves. He often doesn't show love towards the characters throughout the book but it is through his sacrifices that you can see he cares for them.

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¨I ain´t ducking the responsibility of it.  As long as it sets right in my heart...then I am okay.  Cause that´s all I listen to.  It will tell me right from wrong every time¨(2.1.63).

This quote shows truly what kind of a man Troy is.  He listens to his heart and if his heart says that it is okay, then it is okay. This is what Troy says in response to Bono asking why he had an affair with Rose. Troy´s response is saying that it felt right with this girl and that his heart told him that it was the right thing to do.

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"I went down there and got him out. Cost me fifty dollars. Say he was disturbing the peace. Judge set up a hearing for him in three weeks. Say to show cause why he shouldn't be recommitted... Some kids was teasing him and he run them off home. Say he was howling and carrying on. Some folks seen him and called the police. That's all it was" (2.1.64-65).
Troy explains how Gabe was arrested for "disturbing the peace" and how he was kept until a fine was payed. From the moment he entered the story, Gabe is portrayed as a sweet person who would never hurt a fly, and so the audience knows he would not scare or make any offense to anyone. The neighbors who saw him interacting with the children who likely did not understand his disability called the police because of cultural expectations and racial prejudice. They likely assumed that as an African American man, he was harassing the children, but in reality, it was the other way around.

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"What’s the matter, you too good to carry people’s rubbish? Where you think that ten dollars you talking about come from? I’m just supposed to haul people’s rubbish and give my money to you ’cause you too lazy to work. You too lazy to work and wanna know why you ain’t got what I got."(1.1  17)
Troy is working for the garbage company to provide for his family. Its not a flashy or enjoyable job its one that pays. Troy feels and entitlement to this money and that he shouldn't give it to someone who in his eyes will be throwing it away. He is trying to teach the consequences of life to his children but in a rather backwards way

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"Rose: But I held on to you, Troy. I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams... and I buried them inside you" ( 2.1.71).

This quote shows the family relation between a husband and wife in Rose's eyes. Rose believes even though you may want to do other things in your life that just you want to do you should put all your energy and life into your spouse. Rose believes that everyone has wants and needs but when you are married those things should be embedded within the other so each person focuses on the other above all else.

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“Alright. That’s strike two. You stay away from around me, boy. Don’t you strike out. You living with a full count. Don’t you strike out.”  (Wilson, 72)Troy tells this to his son because Cory has been focusing on other things such as football rather than focusing on essentials. Troy tells his son that him being in my his sons life is like baseball. Cory tells his dad that he hasn’t been there for his son because Cory was jealous. Troy says well three strikes in youre out. Meaning that Cory has three “strikes” for his dad to be in his life. This came up because Troys dad was never there for him. He’s trying his best to be there for his son but Cory is barely trying to be present for his dad. Troys dad was brutal towards Troy and he doesn’t want to be like that for his son. He’s trying to be different but if Cory doesn’t want that then Troy gives up. Troy also is basically parenting like his father because he never had a father figure so honestly he’s lost on how to parent.

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"I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams... and I buried them inside you. I planted a seed and watched it and prayed over it. I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom." (2.1.71)

This excerpt from Rose shows that the expectation for women as homemakers is still to remain subservient to men. Rose married Troy and remained loyal to him out of hope that he would change his ways. Troy had already had Lyons through a different woman, but Rose still remained loyal due to the cultural expectations placed on women. Without marriage Rose would be in a worse situation which forces her to rely on Troy.

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"I went down there and got him out. Cost me fifty dollars. Say he was disturbing the peace. Judge set up a hearing for him in three weeks. Say to show cause why he shouldn't be re-committed"(pg.65)

This quote shows how Troy is with everything that goes on with him he is a thoughtful person for going to bail him out of jail when he didn't have to

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"Rose, I done tried all my life to live decent...to live a clean... hard... useful life. I tried to be a good husband to you," (Wilson 69)

This quote demonstrates the way Troy perceives himself and how he is almost ashamed of the way he lives his life. He wanted to be the best version of himself but was never able to use that in his day to day life. He is determined to have a strong relationship but knows that his temptations got the best of him

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"I done tried to be everything a wife should be. Everything a wife could be. Been married eighteen years and I got to live to see the day you tell me you been seeing another woman and done fathered a child by her" (2.1.67). This quote is from Rose to Troy after the revelation of Troy's affair. This is an example of inequality because Rose gave much more than Troy and got much less in return. In a relationship ideally partners would follow a principle of equivalent exchange, but in this case it is evident that Rose didn't get what she deserved in return for her devotion.

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"Troy, I can't live like this. I won't live like this. You livin' on borrowed time with me. It's been going on for six months now you ain't been coming home" (2.2.74).

This quote shows that Troy has been neglecting his family with Rose, Cory, and Gabe. He is spending all his time with Alberta. He claims he spends the nights at home, but he is clearly prioritizing one family over the other.

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"I been standing with you! I been right here with you, Troy. I got a life too. I gave eighteen years of my lifew to stand in the same spot with you." (Wilson 70)

This quote shows the sacrifices that Rose made for Troy and her family. Troy said he is stuck but he goes and cheats on Rose and claims it's in the sake of family. However Rose has been stuck with him for eighteen years and she made sacrifices for her family and have up her dreams to

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"But you were born with 2 strikes on you before you come to the plate". (Wilson 69)
This reference is to their past by mentioning how they were already born with "two strikes". This refers to the damage and baggage already found in Rose. He tells her how he tried to be a good husband but he failed miserably.

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"I've got eighteen years of my life invested in you. You ought to have stayed upstairs in my bed where you belong."

Rose feels betrayed by Troy's affair and recalls their long marriage where she thought they had a good relationship the whole time.

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"I can step out of this house and get away from the pressures and problems... be a different man. I ain't got to wonder how I'm gonna pay the bills or get the roof fixed. I can just be a part of myself that I ain't never been" (2.1.68-69).

As Troy tries to justify his actions of seeing another woman, he brings up some points on how the life of an African American man is. Men were expected to take care of the family, put away their own passions, and tend to what needed the most attention - which was the family. Troy explains how whenever he gets AWAY from the house, he feels more free. He feels like he has less responsibilities when he's with another woman.

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"The old folks... my granddaddy used to pull his teeth with pliers. They ain't had no dentists for the colored folks back then." (Wilson 2.1.60)

I think when we think about this topic, we think of Troy and his childhood, but I chose this quote because I think it shows how much all of the character look back in the past and see how their kind of people will treated by others and that really plays into all of their lives and how they act as people. I think even in today's modern society, would be drastically different life would be like for blacks and whites today. I think this goes more on a general sense on how the past has haunted and is always in the back of all the characters head instead of forgetting the past. It is just too terrible and happened to too many people to just forgive and forget.

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"Maybe you ought to go on and stay down there with her, if she a better woman than me" (Wilson 2.1.69).

Rose feels that she has been a bad woman and wife and expresses that directly to Troy. Troy tries to tell her that he messed up and it isn't her fault. He tells her that it is his and his mistake only. Troy's affair is very unfair to Rose because she has done everything in her power to show her love and take care of her family.

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“The colored guy got to be twice as good before he get on the team. That’s why I don’t want you to get all tied up in them sports. Man on the team and what it get him? They got colored on the team and don’t use them. Same as not having them. All them teams the same“(2.1.69-70) This is Troy talking about sports and how it was hard for black people to make good sports teams because the white people wound not let them join. This is a cultural expectation because back in the day it was tough for black people to earn their way to good sports teams.