Memory and the Past Quotes in A Clash of Kings

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Narrator.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"And much of the stock [of wildfire] we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. No one could recall how they came there, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that the High Septon was beside himself with terror." (21.Tyrion.10)

But what was King Aerys storing wildfire all over the city for? Doesn't seem like stuff you'd want just lying around… In terms of history, the wildfire seems like the kind of thing you wouldn't want coming back as a blast from the past, either.

Quote #5

Winter comes for all of us, Catelyn thought. For me, it came when Ned died. It will come for you too, child, and sooner than you like. She did not have the heart to say it. (23.Catelyn.108-109)

Songs and story preserve the history of Westeros. While Brienne seems to think it preserves the past in all its glory, Catelyn knows that the songs are a pale imitation of the past for those who lived it.

Quote #6

[Arya] remembered Old Nan's stories of the castle built on fear. Harren the Black had mixed human blood in the mortar, Nan used to say, dropping her voice so the children would need to lean close to hear, but Aegon's dragons had roasted Harren and all his sons within their great walls of stone. (27.Arya.27)

The past doesn't exactly die in Westeros; it more lingers. Simply the history of Harrenhal has caused people to feel uneasy about living in the place—the past has tainted the castle for its present residents.