Poisonwood Bible

Poisonwood Bible

Book One- Genesis

• Orleanna Price- submissive to others, lost voice, isn’t appreciated, life was taken away 
• Important concepts: okapi legend reflects disgust of human and beauty of nature (being killed,shot, and stuffed classifies it as a real animal rather than the grace if it living)
• symbol of Africa (obscure idea)
• Why does she want to be seen as innocent? -pure hearted and she has nothing to get blamed for or responsible for

The Things We Carry

• setting: journey from Bethlehem Georgia to Congo, Africa
• Important concepts: Family thought they needed al these materialistic, American items, but in reality they needed none of it. They were trying to make Africa like America but you can’t change Africa, it changes you.
• cake batter, seeds, mirror, frying pan, books
• When first arrived were terrified from all the chanting and different food that was being cooked right in front of their eyes (foreign meat that they could still taste the fur) and naked bodies
• Easter Sunday: Nathan tried to baptize all children in the river, but the river had just been scene of little girl being eaten by crocodile and natives were opposed to idea
• first signs of the theme of misunderstanding and misinterpreting 
• First realization that all the had brought was useless and they couldn’t 
• Strict gender roles and women not given any power
• First signs of father not adapting to culture or taking time to learn about the people rather than family and Orleanna who talked with natives and fed them to influence them
• As humans, we have this urge to stare at mistakes and try to make amends with them, but why do we do that? we can’t change anything but we still stare in the hopes of making someone perfect
• Methuselah, the bird, symbolizes freedom (ironic that he was trapped in a cage) and hope from the Dickinson poem that describes what hope is
• First encounter with poisonwood- theme of misunderstanding and different cultures because they didn’t know what it was and so they got hurt by it ( as with most of Africa’s encounters). Symbolizes his religion because he was trying to force down throats and got bitten by it

Book Two- The Revelation (the revealing, something not yet realized)

• Reflection on market day- chaos and outsider, shows that the family has a decision to make to either be in Africa or still be in America by following husband
• Appreciation for Tataba and all she does for family, she is the glue that holds the family together, but it is still a sign of being American because they are dependent on others so when she left they were one step closer into submersing in culture
• Realizing Nathan is going crazy and this environment wasn’t smart to come to 
• See her blame herself for her children situation  and helpless to help, family torn apart

The Things We Learned

• Mother May I game with Ruth May- she plays with the children and integrate int society
• symbolize that it is easier for children to adapt because they don;t see prejudice, they only see people or friends to play with
• Meets Pascal
• Realizes that there are no children, everyone has a job and responsibility and that is what makes them a unit and Congolese
• Is it still a sin if no one says not to do it?
• Snake on page 117 symbolized Africa because it blinds you first and then takes advantage of you and shapes you how it wants 
• Ruth May had to show dominance in culture being the youngest and when Axelroot threatened her family she realized that he was a mean man who hid secrets and was the first sign of real danger
• Ruth May relates herself to that of green mamba snakes and how powerful they are. She wants to be like them and that is a foreshadow of her death
• Rachel distinguishes cultural difference between America and Africa through working ethics of Diamonds: We take advantage of what we are given and don;t work for what we have
• Mother and father fight and see first signs that father is losing his conscience mind and he is an outcast within the family
• theme of misunderstanding and assumption
• Accusation that Adah was eaten by lion brings up resentment towards Leah and growing factions in family because she was left behind and that is her one fear
• Same other way, Leah starts to feel like she took something away from Adah and owes her 
• Tata Ndu comes to house and is proven wrong by Adah death and this symbolizes the growing belief in Nathan’s religion and his God can stop a lion form eating a lame 
• After dinner with Anatole which brought up concept that villagers didn’t like Nathan’s God, he insulted Nathan and so sent Nelson as repayment to insult
• Shows culture that by giving gift you can let go of revenge and make amends
• Nelson is the protector of the family because father is not helping and is obsolete
• Foreshadow Adah never getting married because her hope chest was ruined and she thought she would never succumb to anything good
• Father didn’t want the blame or blood on his hands of Leah running away due to owl and so didn’t give nay mind to it
• Underdowns came to warn family of harm in future but ignorance of father veered them away and his fear of being a coward from past experience. he wants to change but cant
• Election of new prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, who is activist of independence starts uproars
• Father doesn’t care of other and this is seen in is blindness to all their suffering
• Symbol of hope leaves (bird) but his feathers are empty hope which symbolize that there is none for the Price family

Book Three- The Judges

• Orleanna sacrificed her life for Nathan and lost the man she married after the war
• his internal struggles affected everyone around him and ultimately led to his and his family’s death
• she became a hollow body of her old self and was taken away from her happiness

The Things We Didn’t Know

• All their misfortune comes from misunderstanding of the language and the ignorance to not learn and apply it properly 
• Mother and Ruth MAy totally shut down for months and both are knocking at death’s doors so it forces the three other daughters to fend for themselves and lose their childhood and innocence because they are now only worried about surviving for the next day 
• First signs of Leah liking Anatole because he thought of her as an adult and gave her responsibility 
• Anatole’s outlook on life page 231
• knows death is apart of life and accepts it. He has a deeper gratitude for the living and treasures those close to him
• He says the Congo is them. It is characterized by the people who inhabit it as with all places. (connotations)
• Once you age you look back on your childhood and look down upon what you once thought as with Leah after Ruth May died
• She took advantage of her and threatened her life to get her to behave, what does that say?
• You have a realization that the things you love suddenly change from what you use to see (theme and relate to father and mother relationship)
• Leah finds fault in her admiration of her father and realizes his wrong doing
• This is sign of father losing his only admirer and everything is lost, no one cares for him like her cares for no one
• Mom gets better and finds strength to get out of bed and mend family back together (her getting better and Ruth May getting better resemble parasite relationship)
• Brother Fowles comes and give new insight on life pg 250
• gives symbol of the roots and how you don’t support roots they support you. Symbolic of Congo and the inhabitants there
• Rachel sad about her birthday not being celebrated. shows selfishness of her and how she out herself first over the wrk of others
• Tata Ndu comes and wants to marry Rachel so he gives them gifts, they don’t know wants going on but the village does so again symbol that they have no idea what is occurring and they are helpless to what is next, rachel fakes marriage with Axelroot to not anger family and get out of unchristain marriage
• The words in African language mean so many different things that the tone changes the meaning. The father says one thing but means another as in his def of Bangala. 
• theme of misunderstanding hurting development
• Leah visits Anatole and starts to really love him but she is afraid he had reservations because she is white and so she gets to talking and has so many questions but too afraid to ask
• fear reserves knowledges
• Seen as a man in the village progressively from her bow and arrow to her pants to her hair. but int he end she is the only one with a family, ironic
• Adah saw herself as equal with all the other lame individuals in the village and she wasn’t judged for once or looked down upon
• Axelroot foreshadows his involvement in the killing of Lumumba but Rachel is too conceited and worries about herself rather than the bigger picture 
• Fire ants attack village, family gets separated, Mother chooses to save Ruth over Adah and she is hurt b that and further questions her existence, Anatole helps Leah an makes sure family is safe (sign he is a good man and would sacrifice life for others), come back and everything is gone
• Leah feels like she leaves Adah behind constantly and she took something from her, her freedom and love and she owes Adah her kindness

Book Four- Bel and the Serpent

• Orleanna makes interesting comparison between game of chess and a make-believe murder
• ironic that America thought Lumumba was the threat when they had all the nuclear weapons and just shows the blindness of the culture and tendency to stray attention from themselves onto others.
• want to keep power
• Orleanna learned to love what she could lose, foreshadow a death in the next section

What We Lost

• Leah becomes teacher, gets bow and arrow really good, village plans to have ceremony where they burn parts of woods and mother and children pick up insects throughout burnt area, father kill animals that run out of fire, so leah believes she should be apart of the men due to bow and arrow, but villages gets angry, they vote she can do it, but Tata Kuvunda says snake will come from their home into our homes due to not following tradition, Anatole finds snake in home before ceremony, ceremony happens and leah kills antelope but Gbenye claims it his so him and leah fight over it leading to whole village fighting over it and become bad ceremony, Nelson spots snake in chicken coupe but Natan won’t let him in house so girls go out to help him and plant trap (like bel and the serpent in Bible) to catch snake planter, ruth may dies from snake which was planted by Tata Kuvunda, wrap Ruth’s body ceremonially and donate all excess objects in home, begin to rain and nathan baptizes children outside

Book Five- Exodus (going out, departure)

• Orleanna decides she is going to leave Africa because she has to keep moving so grief won’t overtake her 

What We Carried Out

• Begin journey walking away village and home, Leah got sick with malaria
• Arrive at Bulungu, family falls apart and disperses: Rachel leaves with Axelroot, Mom and Adah leave to America, Leah is forced to stay with Anatole to get better
• Leah gets better and stays to marry Anatole
• Rachel move to Johannesburg, South Africa. She eaves Axelroot by affair with ambassador and then leaves him and marries nice man who dies. She inherits Equatorial (hotel) and she is happy because she made something and brought it up from nothing. That is her child since she can’t have one and she pamper herself and her guests.
• society more Americanized and can pamper herself but she feels lonely and Axelroot treats her badly, like father did
• Adah finds self pride and acceptance and needs to be responsible so goes to medical school and looses her limp.
• she looses apart of herself and is distraught by it and questions if she really is who she is
• she is nurtured and excels
• Leah is constantly moving from africa to america to get Anatole out of trouble because he is a rebel and going against the government. He is imprisoned many times. Has four children all boys which is like her when she was growing up. Ends her journey on outskirts of Congo in Angola
• Leah is happy but she is still suffering what she was before 
• Sisters go on trip to reunite but a failure because they are so different from the lives the have lived and adjusted to. 
• father’s death revealed and finally they can rest their peace and forget their childhood memories of pain
• Ironic death because played out as last bible verse

Book Six- Song of the Three Children 

• Rachel
• Fifty and single stayed in Africa. reflects life and accomplishments. Doesn’t wish to go back because africa changed her as person and knew she wouldn't fit in anymore. Focused on herself and believed to let others suffer to safe herself
• Leah
• Stays in Africa her whole life and although she has suffered greatly there, she finds herself being accepted and same with her children. She found her home there and her skin color finally didn’t matter because she accepts herself for the way she is. 
• Anatole tells story of Portuguese and how they perceive Africans as primitive because they aren’t curious about what they can’t help
• Adah
• Single and says viruses are her relationship. She loves with genuine care not out of responsibility and that is what made her happy. She spends her life studying the diseases in the Congo and she has apart of it with her always

Book Seven- The Eyes in The Trees

• Ruth May looks down and sums up moral of the story
• Children left to fend for themselves. Each one came different from all diff experiences. Congo people only focus on themselves and their way of life and don;t care about gov or who they are being controlled by. She releases her mom from torture of her death and says to live her life. Story of lady with wooden animals and how they had nothing to offer to the congo but the congo always had something to offer them. (cadeau cadeau)