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Leader of Less Than Desirable Slaves
Second Less Desirable is a member of the chorus of Less Than Desirable Slaves who are enslaved by Boss-Master and Missus. They don’t expect Hero to chase fame by following Boss-Master to war, and they plan to wager their most prize possession, a spoon, on it. By the time Hero returns from the war as Ulysses, Second Less Desirable has been sold by Missus.
Second Less Than Desirable Slave Quotes in Father Comes Home from the Wars
The Father Comes Home from the Wars quotes below are all either spoken by Second Less Than Desirable Slave or refer to Second Less Than Desirable Slave. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1 Quotes
SECOND
Some of us are betting that Hero’s going to the War.
LEADER
And some of us are betting that he’ll stay.
FOURTH
You might be the best at measuring Night
But that don’t mean you the best at measuring Men.
THIRD
Early risers have their say but we gotta make our own choices on this
Each of us gotta make a measure of the man
We gotta choose for ourselves.
(Rest)
I got a brass button
I might be betting that Hero is—
Going to the War.
FOURTH
I got a banjo.
THIRD
Don’t bet that.
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LEADER
Freedom in exchange for giving Homer away?
And you said yes.
[…]
SECOND
Freedom in exchange for breaking the bond of trust.
And you said yes.
[…]
HERO
Believe it.
It’s true.
Boss gave me a hundred reasons why I should tell.
[…]
Boss told me—
he talked up close inside my ear and he said—
He said—
And I thought, I thought—
I don’t know what I thought.
HOMER
When Boss said jump you jumped, that’s all.
You told on me to him.
I told on you to Them.
That makes it even.
OLD MAN
All we’ve got is the trust between us.
(Rest)
I can’t call you son anymore.
LEADER
And we can’t call you Hero.
PENNY
That’s still his name.
THIRD
Maybe we won’t call him anything at all.
The sun rises.
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Second Less Than Desirable Slave Character Timeline in Father Comes Home from the Wars
The timeline below shows where the character Second Less Than Desirable Slave appears in Father Comes Home from the Wars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
In the early spring of 1862, Leader of Less Than Desirable Slaves and Second Less Desirable meet in the pre-dawn darkness. They’re anxiously waiting to learn if Hero, a fellow enslaved...
(full context)
While they wait, Leader Less Desirable and Second Less Desirable discuss what they plan to wager on Hero’s choice. Second has brought his spoon (his...
(full context)
...about it, since Boss-Master’s promises come with strings attached. The return of Leader Less Desirable, Second Less Desirable , Third Less Desirable, and Fourth Less Desirable—without Odd-See—stops her from saying more.
(full context)
...ground, and tell Boss-Master to his face that he refuses to go. But this defiance, Second Less Desirable points out, is likely to earn all of the enslaved workers a savage beating. As...
(full context)
Penny, Third Less Desirable, Leader Less Desirable, Second Less Desirable , and Fourth Less Desirable try to restore peace. Old Man reminds Homer and Hero...
(full context)
Leader Less Desirable, Second Less Desirable , and Third Less Desirable are horrified; Old Man protests that Homer’s story is a...
(full context)
