The Poisonwood Bible has five different point of views. There is Oreleanna Price, the mother, the oldest daughter Rachel, the twins Leah and Adah, and the youngest Ruth May. Each view point offers a different feel and observations to the story, and all of the view points are women. And although each character is special and gives an interesting narrative, Ruth May is my favorite, and highlights why it's important for women and children to narrate this novel.
Ruth May is the freshest and most innocent perspective in the novel. She also happens to be the youngest. Ruth May observes in ways the others do not due to her age and her birth order. She is one of the only look we have into the culture the prices came from and an intriguing perspective into the culture she has been immersed in. She looks at the African children innocently wondering about them. Her first narrative in the novel starts with "if somebody was hungry, why would they have a big fat belly? I don't know" (50). This sets up her character to be unknowing of much, as she is just a child. She is trying to figure out if they are hungry or not because to her hungry means skinny. She also gives a glimpse of the USA when she talks about the man "Jimmy Crow" who makes colored skin people do things separately from whites. She is so innocent she thinks the Jim Crow Laws are a person. Lastly, her opinion on religion and morality is in the pre conventional stage of just right and wrong and fear of punishment. She is confused about if the African children stealing are committing a sin. She knows stealing is a "bad sin", but her mother says "you can't hardly even call it a sin when they need ever little thing as bad as they do" while her father says "to forgive them for they know not what they do" (50-51). She concludes the confusion with "so I don't know which one, if it was a sin or it wasn't, but I sure got mad and had a fit" (51). This shows that she does not care if it is a sin, all she knows is it affects her and she doesn't like that. This is a typical child's point of view.
It is important that women and children narrate the story because they are the oppressed voices that are not quite sure about all the politics and converting. By having women narrate the story, it offers more of sentimental, calm, observations about what is going on. From their stories, the reader can tell that Nathan is a hot head who is very aggressive. His narration would just be trashing the African culture, not observing it. The children offer a perspective that is different from adults. They are more trusting and gravitate towards other kids their age no matter the skin color. This helps show that racism is taught, in this case by their father, Nathan. The women and children offer a different perspective that would not be given by a angry man.
Ruth May, both a girl and a very young child, gives a narration that is slightly comical due to her innocence and concerns. Without Ruth May, the reader would not have a child's perspective on the other African children nor would they get a view on how a child views the religion being forced upon her.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Friday, May 5, 2017
The Hunt-Goddess Twin
I am really enjoying reading The Poisonwood Bible. The writing is amazing. I love how much Kingsolver changes her writing to create a distinct tone for each narrator. The characters are relatable and it's refreshing to have a book with strong female voices. Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart were interesting reads, but they left a lot to desire when it came to strong female characters (or even female characters who speak). The fact that this book is written completely from the perspectives of different women is really interesting to read.
I find Leah's narrative to be the most interesting to read. First of all, I think she's a really interesting character who undergoes an extremely drastic transformation. I like that she's a tomboy who hates indoor chores. I can definitely relate to that. Leah also strives to gain her father's approval and keeps trying to please him after repeatedly failing. (I'm pretty sure it would be impossible to make Nathan Price happy). She plays the part of the dutiful daughter until she realizes that her dad is kind of full of crap and she totally disobeys him. Leah is intelligent, has a strong will, and doesn't really care what others think of her. I also think it's hilarious that their neighbors refer to her as a male sex organ. Leah's chapters contain a lot of nature description and show how optimistic she is.
Leah's views on the world and her family have changed the most drastically throughout the novel so far, and it has been a really interesting journey to witness. Leah has also grown closer to the natives than most of her other family members. Nathan isn't really getting anywhere with the Congolese, but Leah has grown very close to Anatole, and even teaches at his school. Leah's sense of adventure and justice keep the plot moving.
I find Leah's narrative to be the most interesting to read. First of all, I think she's a really interesting character who undergoes an extremely drastic transformation. I like that she's a tomboy who hates indoor chores. I can definitely relate to that. Leah also strives to gain her father's approval and keeps trying to please him after repeatedly failing. (I'm pretty sure it would be impossible to make Nathan Price happy). She plays the part of the dutiful daughter until she realizes that her dad is kind of full of crap and she totally disobeys him. Leah is intelligent, has a strong will, and doesn't really care what others think of her. I also think it's hilarious that their neighbors refer to her as a male sex organ. Leah's chapters contain a lot of nature description and show how optimistic she is.
Leah's views on the world and her family have changed the most drastically throughout the novel so far, and it has been a really interesting journey to witness. Leah has also grown closer to the natives than most of her other family members. Nathan isn't really getting anywhere with the Congolese, but Leah has grown very close to Anatole, and even teaches at his school. Leah's sense of adventure and justice keep the plot moving.
Innocence and Perception
Let me just start off by saying that I love all the narrators with all my heart. Each woman brings so much life to their story to The Poisonwood Bible, making each voice wholly compelling. While the individuals express a wide variety of viewpoints from innocent to cynical, there is much to appreciate from each character. That being said, I enjoy Ruth May's point of view the most. She inputs less than her sisters, but each entry proves to be absolutely hilarious. Her inexperience with idioms and slang contrasts her more knowledgeable sisters and mother. Even so, she notices events and traits that others cannot, like her keenness for identifying the friendly animals. Ruth May sees the world as black and white, as most children do, which guides the reader to believe that the events as she tells them are interpreted in the simplest, most straightforward way possible.
The main benefit of having nontraditional narrators is that it blockades the possibility of this book simply becoming yet another postcolonialist novel written by a white man, about a white man, solely for an audience of white men. Kingslover illustrates just how homogeneous the genre is, and continues far off the beaten path as far as narrators and the narrative. These new perspectives add a certain vitality to the story; hearing what it was like for the heroic, multi-talented missionaries' families who were brought along to support the mission. Most definitely not all families wished to go to Africa. The Prices are a special subset within this category; their missionary father and husband was far more adamant about staying in the Congo until everyone was saved or another missionary came to take his place. Nathan's one-track mind focused solely on achieving his own goal of converting everyone led him to neglect his family, adding another level of insight into how these men affected those around them, especially their immediate families. Kingslover solves the problem of this singular point of view by omitting it entirely. While I think this slightly detracts from the book as not everyone is represented, I understand her point of presenting solely the points of view not in so many other pieces. Being nontraditional is almost a tradition for Kngslover in this book, straying from the normal narrator and how Africa's people, customs, and environment are described.
The main benefit of having nontraditional narrators is that it blockades the possibility of this book simply becoming yet another postcolonialist novel written by a white man, about a white man, solely for an audience of white men. Kingslover illustrates just how homogeneous the genre is, and continues far off the beaten path as far as narrators and the narrative. These new perspectives add a certain vitality to the story; hearing what it was like for the heroic, multi-talented missionaries' families who were brought along to support the mission. Most definitely not all families wished to go to Africa. The Prices are a special subset within this category; their missionary father and husband was far more adamant about staying in the Congo until everyone was saved or another missionary came to take his place. Nathan's one-track mind focused solely on achieving his own goal of converting everyone led him to neglect his family, adding another level of insight into how these men affected those around them, especially their immediate families. Kingslover solves the problem of this singular point of view by omitting it entirely. While I think this slightly detracts from the book as not everyone is represented, I understand her point of presenting solely the points of view not in so many other pieces. Being nontraditional is almost a tradition for Kngslover in this book, straying from the normal narrator and how Africa's people, customs, and environment are described.
Rachel's Story
The Poisonwood Bible, written by Barbara Kingsolver, is certainly one of the most intriguing novels we have read thus far. It discusses the Congo and the culture there in a way no other story has that we have read and it is very though provoking because of this. With the story having many different narrators, there is always a different perspective offered to the reader that is refreshing and quirky in their own respective manner. Although all of the narrators provide interesting stories and angles of what is going on in their lives while living in the Congo, my favorite narrator is Rachel. Rachel is the eldest of the daughters of the Price family and she is a sassy teenager that is quite displeased with moving to the Congo. She demonstrates this frustration through the judgements she makes and the observations she describes to the reader. It is made clear early on by Kingsolver that Rachel has no interest in getting comfortable while living in the Congo. She is represented as a stereotypical teenage girl that wants everything her way. She is quick to judge people, especially about things such as clothing and nudity because she has strong opinions on these things. However, what I find most interesting about Rachel is how her narrative changes throughout the book. As time goes on, she becomes more involved and intrigued with what is happening around her. She eventually brings down the wall of teen annoyance and welcomes new ideas and people into her bubble. I think this will only continue as time goes on in the novel. To me, Rachel has the most mature outlook on life since she is the eldest daughter, yet she is still developing her opinions and ideas and just starting to get involved with everything like wanting to read the newspaper and learn about what events are taking place around the world. I definitely think her narrative will continue to become more and more interesting as she continues to become curious about the world she lives in.
The fact that this novel is narrated by only women and children speaks volumes to the message the author is trying to send out. This allows the reader to see life in the Congo from the female perspective and not the white, male perspective that is most common. Kingsolver's narratives allow the reader to connect to the story in a more realistic way because everyone was a child once and can understand the thoughts and feelings being expressed by the children in their narratives. The fact that Nathan Price has no narrative shows the reader that his story is not the focal point of the novel, it is about how the children and his wife are dealing with living in the Congo more than it is about Nathan himself. Also, even though Nathan does not have a narrative, his story is still told through others which demonstrates that men in power like him do not even need their own narrative to have their story told because others will do it for them. This novel is certainly unlike the previous books we read that took place in the Congo, however, it is by far my favorite. I find it very refreshing to read a novel from the perspectives of only women, especially regarding a topic as important and interesting as this.
The fact that this novel is narrated by only women and children speaks volumes to the message the author is trying to send out. This allows the reader to see life in the Congo from the female perspective and not the white, male perspective that is most common. Kingsolver's narratives allow the reader to connect to the story in a more realistic way because everyone was a child once and can understand the thoughts and feelings being expressed by the children in their narratives. The fact that Nathan Price has no narrative shows the reader that his story is not the focal point of the novel, it is about how the children and his wife are dealing with living in the Congo more than it is about Nathan himself. Also, even though Nathan does not have a narrative, his story is still told through others which demonstrates that men in power like him do not even need their own narrative to have their story told because others will do it for them. This novel is certainly unlike the previous books we read that took place in the Congo, however, it is by far my favorite. I find it very refreshing to read a novel from the perspectives of only women, especially regarding a topic as important and interesting as this.
Dramatic Irony
The Poisonwood Bible is refreshing in that the narrative structure differs from everything we've read before. Out of the five narrators, my favorite is Ruth May. I'm not as attracted to the writing as much as the experience of reading it. Though Adah, in my opinion, provides the most vivid and interesting descriptions of the world around her, Ruth May's obliviousness makes her narrative so enjoyable to read. This is because it's littered with dramatic irony, and her ignorance makes one long for her to know more, and know better.
Ruth May has misconceptions about a lot of things, and this is largely because she believes everything she hears. A prime example of this is her taking on the superstitions of Nelson. When Nelson tells her one can't say the name of a snake or a leopard at night or they'll find you, Ruth May immediately begins using 'string' and 'spotted cloth' as names instead, just as Nelson tells her too. Similarly, she takes stories of the bible (and stories of her father) literally, and things often get lost in translation. Because these superstitions and mishaps are so obvious to the reader but not to Ruth May, it provides comic some comic relief to the more serious aspects of the novel. These incongruences, often funny, are what make me affectionate of her character. Her boldness and curiosity make me wish that she could find some better place to grow up than under the tyranny of Nathan Price. Her boldness, curiosity, and adventurousness make one desire for her a better life.
Ruth May has misconceptions about a lot of things, and this is largely because she believes everything she hears. A prime example of this is her taking on the superstitions of Nelson. When Nelson tells her one can't say the name of a snake or a leopard at night or they'll find you, Ruth May immediately begins using 'string' and 'spotted cloth' as names instead, just as Nelson tells her too. Similarly, she takes stories of the bible (and stories of her father) literally, and things often get lost in translation. Because these superstitions and mishaps are so obvious to the reader but not to Ruth May, it provides comic some comic relief to the more serious aspects of the novel. These incongruences, often funny, are what make me affectionate of her character. Her boldness and curiosity make me wish that she could find some better place to grow up than under the tyranny of Nathan Price. Her boldness, curiosity, and adventurousness make one desire for her a better life.
The Voice of a Child
The Poisonwood Bible is by far the most engaging and thought provoking book we have read in AP English this year. By having the story narrated by more than one voice, a complexity and richness is achieved that is not possible when their is only one voice. The fact that the narrators are all women and children is unique. It is very uncommon to have a story told without the voice of at least one man coming through. By having the wife and daughters of Nathan Price telling the story, readers get an honest look on the nature of Nathan Price. Of all of the daughters and the wife narrations, my favorite is Ruth May Price because of her honesty and how her perception of the world and her father differs than her mother and sisters as a result of her young age.
Children rely on those around them to find truth in the world Ruth May Price is no exception. As a five year old, Ruth May's perception of the world is often simplistic. At the beginning of the first section of her narration, Ruth May discusses the concepts of blackness and whiteness and why they exist. She starts it out with "God says the Africans are the Tribes of Ham" (20) and then goes on to tell the story of Noah and Ham and concludes with "that's how come they turn out dark". In the same passage she goes on to talk about what her Sunday school teacher told her about Africans and how they would boil white people up in a pot. These are examples of how they ideas of the people around her shaped her views. However, she also says "so I don't know" (21) in reference to the boiling in the pot idea which shows the beginning of an individual thought process. In another section, Ruth May is questioning how someone could be hungry if they have a bug fat belly, but she then justifies it with "I reckon that's what they get for being the Tribes of Ham" (50). Again this shows a start of an individual thought process but she is still relying on the information she has received from others to find reason The language she uses is so simple and colloquial which makes it fun to read in contrast to other books that are more complex and confusing.
In addition to reflecting the opinions around her as a way to form her own opinions, I also like the pure curiosity and adventurous nature of Ruth May (at least in the beginning part of the book). The curiosity of a child is incredibly fun to read about and feel like one can remember what it was like to be a child. After Ruth May had been spying on African Communist Boy Scouts from a tree top her mother was very concerned about her safety. Ruth May says that "every day Mama said, You're going to crack your head wide open, but no sir. I broke my arm instead" (116). This made me laugh. There is no hint of concern in her voice. If anything she seems rather proud that she proved her mother to be wrong. This playful nature is unique to children and is not often captured in complex literature. Another example of Ruth May's curiosity is when she "tried to see Nelson naked" (151). Most adults and older children know that trying to see someone is not only creepy but is also socially unacceptable. However, in her five-year-old mind Ruth May was simply curious about what a boy looked like naked. Her curiosity and adventurous nature is the driving force behind her narrative and is fun to read in contrast to the others.
The voices of women and children are so often lost in biblical and religious literature. Male preachers are the voices most commonly heard. Due to the fact that the female voices are so often lost, many people just assume that they believe the same ideas that their husbands or fathers are preaching. However, this is not the case in The Poisonwood Bible. It becomes evident very quickly that the women, especially Orleanna Price, the mother, have very different ideas than Nathan. Reading about how they feel trapped and helpless is intriguing and heartbreaking. When Nathan refuses to leave Africa because he believes it is his duty, Orleanna is devastated. This indicates that she does not buy into the crap her husband is preaching. The narration by the women allows readers to feel for them and become invested in their anguish. It is genius.
Children rely on those around them to find truth in the world Ruth May Price is no exception. As a five year old, Ruth May's perception of the world is often simplistic. At the beginning of the first section of her narration, Ruth May discusses the concepts of blackness and whiteness and why they exist. She starts it out with "God says the Africans are the Tribes of Ham" (20) and then goes on to tell the story of Noah and Ham and concludes with "that's how come they turn out dark". In the same passage she goes on to talk about what her Sunday school teacher told her about Africans and how they would boil white people up in a pot. These are examples of how they ideas of the people around her shaped her views. However, she also says "so I don't know" (21) in reference to the boiling in the pot idea which shows the beginning of an individual thought process. In another section, Ruth May is questioning how someone could be hungry if they have a bug fat belly, but she then justifies it with "I reckon that's what they get for being the Tribes of Ham" (50). Again this shows a start of an individual thought process but she is still relying on the information she has received from others to find reason The language she uses is so simple and colloquial which makes it fun to read in contrast to other books that are more complex and confusing.
In addition to reflecting the opinions around her as a way to form her own opinions, I also like the pure curiosity and adventurous nature of Ruth May (at least in the beginning part of the book). The curiosity of a child is incredibly fun to read about and feel like one can remember what it was like to be a child. After Ruth May had been spying on African Communist Boy Scouts from a tree top her mother was very concerned about her safety. Ruth May says that "every day Mama said, You're going to crack your head wide open, but no sir. I broke my arm instead" (116). This made me laugh. There is no hint of concern in her voice. If anything she seems rather proud that she proved her mother to be wrong. This playful nature is unique to children and is not often captured in complex literature. Another example of Ruth May's curiosity is when she "tried to see Nelson naked" (151). Most adults and older children know that trying to see someone is not only creepy but is also socially unacceptable. However, in her five-year-old mind Ruth May was simply curious about what a boy looked like naked. Her curiosity and adventurous nature is the driving force behind her narrative and is fun to read in contrast to the others.
The voices of women and children are so often lost in biblical and religious literature. Male preachers are the voices most commonly heard. Due to the fact that the female voices are so often lost, many people just assume that they believe the same ideas that their husbands or fathers are preaching. However, this is not the case in The Poisonwood Bible. It becomes evident very quickly that the women, especially Orleanna Price, the mother, have very different ideas than Nathan. Reading about how they feel trapped and helpless is intriguing and heartbreaking. When Nathan refuses to leave Africa because he believes it is his duty, Orleanna is devastated. This indicates that she does not buy into the crap her husband is preaching. The narration by the women allows readers to feel for them and become invested in their anguish. It is genius.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Rachel's Complexity, and Narrational Genius
I really like The Poisonwood Bible so far. I like the plot, I like the different narrations, and I like the complexity of all the characters. I think that Rachel is my favorite narrator at this point. She is so honest -- like we said in class one day, if Rachel notices something and says it, it must be true. I also think that she's a lot more intelligent that she's given credit for. While she doesn't know how to cook and she save her mirror in a crisis over anything else, she is still very observant and I think that she feels things very deeply. She seems to understand politics, even if she presents herself as being ignorant. And she understands the relationships within her family better than anyone else does. She looks at everything from the same disdainful perspective, which means that she sees everything equally. Her bias is spread evenly over her whole family, while the other characters have a lot of different emotions about each family member. My favorite moment so far in the book is when Rachel takes a bath after the hunt. Her thoughts, again, are superficial, but her actions are genuine. The image of her trying to scrub the hardship off of her was the most authentic moment that I've seen of her so far. I'm excited to see how she changes in the fifth book.
I think that the importance of the narration is impossible to miss. Firstly, I think that it is very important to tell the story from the perspective of only women. Conrad had two women, only one who spoke, in Heart of Darkness, and, no matter Achebe's own beliefs and intentions, Things Fall Apart was noticeably lacking in feminist themes. By having women narrate the book, we get a perspective of the men in the story that would otherwise be absent. We see the ways in which men are complex, rather than only seeing their strength and ever-present action. Also, we get more of a story about the strength of the women in the village, who are missing body parts and are raising and losing children, and who are holding the village up on their backs while the men maintain the illusion that they are more important. By giving five different perspectives, from different ages, we see a lot of little details and are shown a lot of relationships that help to tell the story and characterize the nature of the Congo and the missionaries. Ruth May gives details about the story that no other character would notice; Adah characterizes her sisters and parents; Leah talks about the politics of the Congo with Anatole; and Rachel shows the expectations pushed on women of her age, both in the Congo and in the US. Orleanna gives the big picture in specifically placed intervals throughout the book, foreshadowing and filling in gaps and drawing our attention to relationships or politics that need more elaboration and attention. I think that the narrative structure of this book is crucial to its message and quality; Kingsolver is quite brilliant in her storytelling, and she makes the novel impossibly complex while being completely whole.
I think that the importance of the narration is impossible to miss. Firstly, I think that it is very important to tell the story from the perspective of only women. Conrad had two women, only one who spoke, in Heart of Darkness, and, no matter Achebe's own beliefs and intentions, Things Fall Apart was noticeably lacking in feminist themes. By having women narrate the book, we get a perspective of the men in the story that would otherwise be absent. We see the ways in which men are complex, rather than only seeing their strength and ever-present action. Also, we get more of a story about the strength of the women in the village, who are missing body parts and are raising and losing children, and who are holding the village up on their backs while the men maintain the illusion that they are more important. By giving five different perspectives, from different ages, we see a lot of little details and are shown a lot of relationships that help to tell the story and characterize the nature of the Congo and the missionaries. Ruth May gives details about the story that no other character would notice; Adah characterizes her sisters and parents; Leah talks about the politics of the Congo with Anatole; and Rachel shows the expectations pushed on women of her age, both in the Congo and in the US. Orleanna gives the big picture in specifically placed intervals throughout the book, foreshadowing and filling in gaps and drawing our attention to relationships or politics that need more elaboration and attention. I think that the narrative structure of this book is crucial to its message and quality; Kingsolver is quite brilliant in her storytelling, and she makes the novel impossibly complex while being completely whole.
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