I wasn't in class for our final whole class literature circle discussion, but here are a few of the major topics that we discussed in our small group discussion.
One thing that we talked about was religion. In the end, each character in the book had a different religion they turned to. Rachel, basically stayed like the same materialistic, self consumed teenager she was in the begining of the book. She only cared about herself, and only worshiped herself and her money. The only thing that she seemed to truly care about in her life was the hotel. Adah turned to the religion of science, and a life of balance. Orleanna turned to nature and taking care of her garden. It was her way of dealing with her guilt, and trying to forget what happened. The garden was something that she could control and start over with. Leah turned out to be a lot like her father by always giving everything she had to the Congo. She was on a mission to help Anatole and all of the other pro Lumumbaists, and in doing so she had dealt with her guile, just like Nathan did.
We also talked about the quote, "Lock, stock, and barrel" (531). Each of these parts represents the Price sisters according to Orleanna. The lock represented Rachel because she would lock up all of her emotions and try to forget everything that happened. The stock was Adah because she was always observing, and she distances herself from other people. Even though the stock is in the background, it is still important. The barrel is Leah because she always barrels forward . She always has to be first and she pushes hard in her efforts to save the Congo. The lock, stock and barrel are actually parts of a gun, and all of these parts are necessary in order for it to function.
One more thing that we talked about was the very last line of the book, “walk forward into the light” (543). This quote is significant because it was kind of like a palindrome, like the one Adah talked about when Ruth May died, life and death. It is also Ruth May telling her sisters and her mother that she has forgiven them, and that she wants the family to move on from that tragic event and live their lives leaving their guilt in the dark.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Literature Circle 5
New Critic
"So that's my advice. Let others do the pushing and shoving, and you just ride along. In the end, the neck you save will be your own. Perhaps I sound un-Christian, but let's face it, when I step outside my own little world at night and listen to the sounds out there in the dark, what I feel down in my bones is that this is not a Christian kind of place. This is darkest Africa, where life raras by you like a flood and you grab whatever looks like it will hold you up. If you as me, that's how it is and ever shall be. You stick out your elbows, and hold yourself up" (517).
I thought that this quote from Song of the Three Children was really interesting. It is in Rachel's section of the chapter. I thought it was interesting because it basically summs up Rachel's view on life and what she has learned throughout the years. This has been what Rachel has done for the entire book. She just stays in her own little world, where ever that is at the time, and doesn't get involved in all of the terrible things going on in the Congo. After all these years the only thing that Rachel still cares about is herself.
"Such childhood energy I spent on feeling betrayed. By the world in general, Leah in particular. Betrayal bent me in one direction while guilt bent her the other way. We constructed our lives around a missunderstanding, and if ever I tried to pull it out and fix it now I would fall down flat. Misunderstanding is my cornerstone. It's everyone's, come to think of it. Illusions mistaken for truth are the pavement under our feet. They are what we call civilization" (532).
I also thought that this quote from Song of the Three Children was interesting. It is in Adah's section of the chapter. I thought it was interesting because Adah was talking about the way she used to see the world around her, and when she was younger she spent a lot of time feeling betrayed because she was born with her disability and how this affected her and Leah's relationship. She finally sees that she shouldn't have spent all that time feeling betrayed because all it really was is a missunderstanding in her mind.
"So that's my advice. Let others do the pushing and shoving, and you just ride along. In the end, the neck you save will be your own. Perhaps I sound un-Christian, but let's face it, when I step outside my own little world at night and listen to the sounds out there in the dark, what I feel down in my bones is that this is not a Christian kind of place. This is darkest Africa, where life raras by you like a flood and you grab whatever looks like it will hold you up. If you as me, that's how it is and ever shall be. You stick out your elbows, and hold yourself up" (517).
I thought that this quote from Song of the Three Children was really interesting. It is in Rachel's section of the chapter. I thought it was interesting because it basically summs up Rachel's view on life and what she has learned throughout the years. This has been what Rachel has done for the entire book. She just stays in her own little world, where ever that is at the time, and doesn't get involved in all of the terrible things going on in the Congo. After all these years the only thing that Rachel still cares about is herself.
"Such childhood energy I spent on feeling betrayed. By the world in general, Leah in particular. Betrayal bent me in one direction while guilt bent her the other way. We constructed our lives around a missunderstanding, and if ever I tried to pull it out and fix it now I would fall down flat. Misunderstanding is my cornerstone. It's everyone's, come to think of it. Illusions mistaken for truth are the pavement under our feet. They are what we call civilization" (532).
I also thought that this quote from Song of the Three Children was interesting. It is in Adah's section of the chapter. I thought it was interesting because Adah was talking about the way she used to see the world around her, and when she was younger she spent a lot of time feeling betrayed because she was born with her disability and how this affected her and Leah's relationship. She finally sees that she shouldn't have spent all that time feeling betrayed because all it really was is a missunderstanding in her mind.
Literature Circle 4 Reflection
For this literature circle we talked about our questions of how the stories of the Price family will come to a close, and what the answers seem to be. Also, we addressed answers to some of the important themes in the whole book, especially guilt. Some other things that we talked about were Mobutu v.s. Lumumba, guilt and redemption, and the similarities between Nathan's death and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Throughout the whole book, one of the common themes is guilt. The book was filled with a lot of grief and situations that caused the Price's to feel extremely guilty. Two things that the Price's felt the most guilty about were the deaths of Ruth May and Nathan. All of the Prices had reasons for the need of redemption from their guilt. Nathan's guilt was the most obvious in this book. His guilt was that he was the only one who survived in his troop when he went to war. Another reason for his guilt could be that he was blind to the injustice that he was causing, forcing Christianity onto the Congolese. It seems like his redemption for his guilt was his death. Orleanna's redemption came when she freed herself from Nathan and took the girls away from Kilanga shortly after Ruth May's death. She was then free to do what she wanted to do, and blossom just like the flowers that she would grow in her garden. Rachel redeemed herself by refusing to see that which she felt was unjust, so that she would not have to worry about it and she could focus on her own pretend American world in Africa. She basically went back to that same oblivious teenager that she was for most of the book. Leah was extremely guilty about weather or not she caused Adah to be crippled, and especially Ruth May's death. Her redemption for this is living in Africa and trying to do every thing that she can to make things better like teaching in her small village. Adah felt guilty about Orleanna saving her and not one of her other sisters. Adah's redemption was when she left her limp and her disability behind. She also started studying medicine to fill the gap of her disability and she was able to see the world in a more positive way than she used to.
Another interesting thing that I thought was significant was that Ruth May passed away on the same day as Lamumba, January 17th. When Ruth May died, the Price family started to fall apart. Also, Lumumba's death signified the fall of the Congo's independence, and the Congo completely falling apart. Ruth May and Lamumba were both innocent people with good intentions trying to help the people around them.
Mobutu completely corrupted the Congolesse government. In trying to create a stronger Congo, he changed all of the Belgian names of towns, streets, etc, to African names, and tried to build a powerline. But, the powerline failed and it put the Congo into a great deal of debt. This allowed America to take even more of the Congolese resources like diamonds. Also, Mobutu brought in Mohammed Ali and George Foreman to have a boxing fight called the Rumble in the Jungle. This cost millions of dollars that he could have used to better the Congo for his people, but he used it for the fight instead. This was also significant because the stage for the fight was right above all these dead boddies of people that supported Lumumba. This fight also parallelled the fight between Lamumba and Mobutu because Ali was out and about during his stay trying to meet the people and help the Congo, while Foreman stayed in the nice hotels. Ali was like Lamumba and Foreman was like Mobutu, but in the boxing match Ali ended up beating Foreman in the end unlike the fight between Lamumba and Mobutu so far.
Another interesting thing that we talked about was Nathan's death. When the three remaining Price girls, Rachel, Leah, and Adah, have their reunion in africa, Adah says taht Nathan got "the verse" that he would always give her because she was too slow because of her limp. Nathan's death is also similar to the death of Jesus. They both died for their religious beliefs which kind of makes Nathan like a martyr.
Throughout the whole book, one of the common themes is guilt. The book was filled with a lot of grief and situations that caused the Price's to feel extremely guilty. Two things that the Price's felt the most guilty about were the deaths of Ruth May and Nathan. All of the Prices had reasons for the need of redemption from their guilt. Nathan's guilt was the most obvious in this book. His guilt was that he was the only one who survived in his troop when he went to war. Another reason for his guilt could be that he was blind to the injustice that he was causing, forcing Christianity onto the Congolese. It seems like his redemption for his guilt was his death. Orleanna's redemption came when she freed herself from Nathan and took the girls away from Kilanga shortly after Ruth May's death. She was then free to do what she wanted to do, and blossom just like the flowers that she would grow in her garden. Rachel redeemed herself by refusing to see that which she felt was unjust, so that she would not have to worry about it and she could focus on her own pretend American world in Africa. She basically went back to that same oblivious teenager that she was for most of the book. Leah was extremely guilty about weather or not she caused Adah to be crippled, and especially Ruth May's death. Her redemption for this is living in Africa and trying to do every thing that she can to make things better like teaching in her small village. Adah felt guilty about Orleanna saving her and not one of her other sisters. Adah's redemption was when she left her limp and her disability behind. She also started studying medicine to fill the gap of her disability and she was able to see the world in a more positive way than she used to.
Another interesting thing that I thought was significant was that Ruth May passed away on the same day as Lamumba, January 17th. When Ruth May died, the Price family started to fall apart. Also, Lumumba's death signified the fall of the Congo's independence, and the Congo completely falling apart. Ruth May and Lamumba were both innocent people with good intentions trying to help the people around them.
Mobutu completely corrupted the Congolesse government. In trying to create a stronger Congo, he changed all of the Belgian names of towns, streets, etc, to African names, and tried to build a powerline. But, the powerline failed and it put the Congo into a great deal of debt. This allowed America to take even more of the Congolese resources like diamonds. Also, Mobutu brought in Mohammed Ali and George Foreman to have a boxing fight called the Rumble in the Jungle. This cost millions of dollars that he could have used to better the Congo for his people, but he used it for the fight instead. This was also significant because the stage for the fight was right above all these dead boddies of people that supported Lumumba. This fight also parallelled the fight between Lamumba and Mobutu because Ali was out and about during his stay trying to meet the people and help the Congo, while Foreman stayed in the nice hotels. Ali was like Lamumba and Foreman was like Mobutu, but in the boxing match Ali ended up beating Foreman in the end unlike the fight between Lamumba and Mobutu so far.
Another interesting thing that we talked about was Nathan's death. When the three remaining Price girls, Rachel, Leah, and Adah, have their reunion in africa, Adah says taht Nathan got "the verse" that he would always give her because she was too slow because of her limp. Nathan's death is also similar to the death of Jesus. They both died for their religious beliefs which kind of makes Nathan like a martyr.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Literature Circle 4
Lexicographer
Sala mbote!- hello/goodbye
Wenda mbote- hello/goodbye
Nani oze mpasi zazo! Nani oze mpasi!- Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen!
Nyoka- Snake
soeur- sister
Bandika- “to kill with an arrow”
Pagne- cloth you wrap yourself with
Commercant- Merchant
Ce n'est pas a nous- not ours to question
John 3:16- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Want so life god die wereld gehad, dat hy sy eniggebore Seun gegee het, sodat elkeen wat in Hom glo, nei verlore mag gaan nie, maar die ewige lewe kan he.- John 3:16 in Afrikaans
Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu’il a donné som Fils unique- John 3:16 in French
Nuus- news
Braai- barbecue
La Dragueuse- mine sweeper
Nzole- double sided pagne
Authenticité- authenticity
simbas- army of young stanleyville boys and old village men or anyone who could gind a gun/machette all banded together
nkisis- the leaves wrapped around the simbas wrists to declare themselves inpermeable to bullets or immune to death
La Cité- the city
Papier- paper
Supplémentaire- supplement
Parc de la Maiko- Parc National Albert
Résidence- residence
Filaires- tiny parasites that crawl into your pores and cause flare ups
Tours de maitre- boos towers
saplanche de salut- a slang expression meaning your last hope (anatole sometimes calls leah his planche di salut)
Mookoo- One
Benduka- a bird that dipps in and out of the banks
Beto nki tutasala- What are we doing?
Nzolo- dearly beloved/white grub used for fish bait/little potatoes/special fetish against dysentery
Sala mbote!- hello/goodbye
Wenda mbote- hello/goodbye
Nani oze mpasi zazo! Nani oze mpasi!- Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen!
Nyoka- Snake
soeur- sister
Bandika- “to kill with an arrow”
Pagne- cloth you wrap yourself with
Commercant- Merchant
Ce n'est pas a nous- not ours to question
John 3:16- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Want so life god die wereld gehad, dat hy sy eniggebore Seun gegee het, sodat elkeen wat in Hom glo, nei verlore mag gaan nie, maar die ewige lewe kan he.- John 3:16 in Afrikaans
Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu’il a donné som Fils unique- John 3:16 in French
Nuus- news
Braai- barbecue
La Dragueuse- mine sweeper
Nzole- double sided pagne
Authenticité- authenticity
simbas- army of young stanleyville boys and old village men or anyone who could gind a gun/machette all banded together
nkisis- the leaves wrapped around the simbas wrists to declare themselves inpermeable to bullets or immune to death
La Cité- the city
Papier- paper
Supplémentaire- supplement
Parc de la Maiko- Parc National Albert
Résidence- residence
Filaires- tiny parasites that crawl into your pores and cause flare ups
Tours de maitre- boos towers
saplanche de salut- a slang expression meaning your last hope (anatole sometimes calls leah his planche di salut)
Mookoo- One
Benduka- a bird that dipps in and out of the banks
Beto nki tutasala- What are we doing?
Nzolo- dearly beloved/white grub used for fish bait/little potatoes/special fetish against dysentery
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Literature Circle 3 Reflection
In our Literature Circle discussion of the Chapter Bel and the Serpent in the Poisonwood Bible, there were many significant points that were brought up that relate and are significant even though this section of the book isnʻt that long.
This section, like all of the other sections, starts with Orleanna's chapter. However, in this section Orleanna's part was different from the other sections because she usually would talk about how guilty she felt about Ruth May's death. In her section in Bel and the Serpent, she starts by going in detail how the political events unraveled leading to the "fall of the Congo", and Patrice Lamumba's death. This opening by Orleanna relates to her earlier openings because it shows that she not only feels guilty about Ruth May's death, but she also feels guilty that she simply stood back in her own security blanket as the Congo was dying too.
The title, Bel and the Serpent, also played a key role in this section. Not only the biblical story related to the book's section, but also the roles of Bel and the "Serpent" were represented in this section. The story of Bel and the Serpent is a story that tells of Daniel, who travels to a town where the people worship a false idol statue, Bel. They give him food and goods and Daniel wants to prove to all those people that Bel is not a real God. So he puts ashes at the base of the statue and proves, with the footprints that were there the next morning, that the priests are taking the food and pretending that Bel is eating it. By using the same idea with the ashes, the Price girls know that Tata Kuvundundu planted the green mamba snake in the shed because of the six toed footprint that was left in the ashes. In this section, Bel could be represented by Nathan Price or Tata Kuvundundu because they both want to be worshipped by the people, but what they are preaching is not necessarily real. Also, they scare the villagers whether it be with curses or prophecies. The serpent could also be represented by Tata Kuvundundu because, just like the priests in the story, he is caught in the act of trying to show the villagers that their idol God does exist when he plants the green mamba snake.
Another thing that we talked about was how the Price girls reacted to Ruth May's death. I think that the most significant reaction to the death was Adah's reaction because Adah changes her view on Ruth May the most. Adah turned the thought of Ruth Mayʻs death into a poetic kind of palindrome in her section. After Ruth May's death, it seems like Adah feels closer to her than when she was alive. I think that Adah is closer with Ruth May because she feels that they are both the same now now. They are both the eyes watching everyone. Now Ruth May is the eyes up in the trees, watching over everyone just like a green mamba snake.
One more important thing that we talked about is the difference between Muntu and Bantu. Both of these Kikongo words have two different meanings. Literally, Bantu means people or a group and Muntu means a singular person, dead, living, or unborn. Metaphorically, Bantu is the outer mask of a person, which is just a shell of what they really are, or their appearance. Muntu represents the inside of a person, their soul, or the eyes that are looking out of the Bantu.
This section, like all of the other sections, starts with Orleanna's chapter. However, in this section Orleanna's part was different from the other sections because she usually would talk about how guilty she felt about Ruth May's death. In her section in Bel and the Serpent, she starts by going in detail how the political events unraveled leading to the "fall of the Congo", and Patrice Lamumba's death. This opening by Orleanna relates to her earlier openings because it shows that she not only feels guilty about Ruth May's death, but she also feels guilty that she simply stood back in her own security blanket as the Congo was dying too.
The title, Bel and the Serpent, also played a key role in this section. Not only the biblical story related to the book's section, but also the roles of Bel and the "Serpent" were represented in this section. The story of Bel and the Serpent is a story that tells of Daniel, who travels to a town where the people worship a false idol statue, Bel. They give him food and goods and Daniel wants to prove to all those people that Bel is not a real God. So he puts ashes at the base of the statue and proves, with the footprints that were there the next morning, that the priests are taking the food and pretending that Bel is eating it. By using the same idea with the ashes, the Price girls know that Tata Kuvundundu planted the green mamba snake in the shed because of the six toed footprint that was left in the ashes. In this section, Bel could be represented by Nathan Price or Tata Kuvundundu because they both want to be worshipped by the people, but what they are preaching is not necessarily real. Also, they scare the villagers whether it be with curses or prophecies. The serpent could also be represented by Tata Kuvundundu because, just like the priests in the story, he is caught in the act of trying to show the villagers that their idol God does exist when he plants the green mamba snake.
Another thing that we talked about was how the Price girls reacted to Ruth May's death. I think that the most significant reaction to the death was Adah's reaction because Adah changes her view on Ruth May the most. Adah turned the thought of Ruth Mayʻs death into a poetic kind of palindrome in her section. After Ruth May's death, it seems like Adah feels closer to her than when she was alive. I think that Adah is closer with Ruth May because she feels that they are both the same now now. They are both the eyes watching everyone. Now Ruth May is the eyes up in the trees, watching over everyone just like a green mamba snake.
One more important thing that we talked about is the difference between Muntu and Bantu. Both of these Kikongo words have two different meanings. Literally, Bantu means people or a group and Muntu means a singular person, dead, living, or unborn. Metaphorically, Bantu is the outer mask of a person, which is just a shell of what they really are, or their appearance. Muntu represents the inside of a person, their soul, or the eyes that are looking out of the Bantu.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
The Mosquito Coast & The Poisonwood Bible
In English class we watched the movie The Mosquito Coast, starring Harrison Ford. We had to compare this movie to the book, The Poisonwood Bible. The Mosquito Coast and The Poisonwood Bible have many similarities and differences. Like the Price family, the Fox family starts out as a close happy family in America, and near the end, they start to go against the views of their headstrong fathers, Allie Fox and Nathan price. Allie Fox, is a lot like Nathan Price and they share many similarities and differences. Allie, played by Harrison Ford, was a smart, amazing inventor with many ideas to simplify the lives of the people in the town that he bought in africa. He even made a larger machine from his ice machine invention that he made in America which helped the poeple in his village a lot. He was on a mission to bring ice to Africa because he thinks that ice=civilization, and thats why he came to Africa, to make it better like his village which he called a superior civilization. This is just like Nathan Price, but Nathan's mission was to bring cristianity and spread the words of God to the poeple of africa. Both of the fathers have a similar mindset. They are both very bossy, and determined to do what they came there to do. Also, they both think that everything has to be done in the way the want it to be done. Another similarity is that both Allie and Nathan had good intentions when going to Africa, and they wanted to help the people, but it seemed like they were doing it more for themselves than the poeple. Allie wanted to be able to work on all of inventions, and be appreciated for all of the amazing things that he invented, which wasn't happening in America, and Nathan was trying to prove his worthiness to God, so that he wouldn't have to feel guilty about what happened to the other men in his group when he went to war, and so that he would automatically be able to go to heaven. One difference between the two fathers is that Allie felt very strongly against missionaries, he believed more in science, but Nathan was a missionary.
Both of the fathers were so set in their way of living, and trying to complete their "missions" they were neglecting their families, and even puting their families in dangerous situations. For example, when Allie decided to make his family live on the land near the beach coast, Mr. Hattie warns them that it is dangerous, but Allie wanted to stay there anyway. This is like the part in The Poisonwood Bible where People tell Nathan that he should go home because the Congo is going to become independent, and the Congo will not be a safe place for them to live anymore, but Nathan says that he and his familly won't be leaving the Congo untill he succesfully spreads the word of the Lord. Also, Nathan and Allie both get into scripture battles with a missionary. Another similarity had to do with the very destructive
ants in The Poisonwood Bible, and the destructive imaginary ants in the Mosquito Coast. they ultimately left the people with nothing, and they all had to start their lives up again from scratch. So, in both families, everyone had to deal with all of their losses, and figure out what they had to do to survive. Two other characters that I thought were very similar are Leah Price and Charlie Fox. Both Leah and Charlie totally and completely idolized their fathers in the begining, but while they were in Africa, they leaned a lot, and started to form their own opinions, and trust in their fathers less and less. The two mothers also have some similarities. The main thing that i noticed was their reactions to death in the family. Both Mrs. Fox and Orleanna Price have very calm reactions when a member of their family dies. One more similarity between the two famillies is the basic structure of the families. Both families have four children, and two of those four children are twin girls. Well, the movie, The Mosquito Coast, and the book, The Poisonwood Bible have lots and lots of similarities and some differences, but those are what i thought the main ones were.
Both of the fathers were so set in their way of living, and trying to complete their "missions" they were neglecting their families, and even puting their families in dangerous situations. For example, when Allie decided to make his family live on the land near the beach coast, Mr. Hattie warns them that it is dangerous, but Allie wanted to stay there anyway. This is like the part in The Poisonwood Bible where People tell Nathan that he should go home because the Congo is going to become independent, and the Congo will not be a safe place for them to live anymore, but Nathan says that he and his familly won't be leaving the Congo untill he succesfully spreads the word of the Lord. Also, Nathan and Allie both get into scripture battles with a missionary. Another similarity had to do with the very destructive
ants in The Poisonwood Bible, and the destructive imaginary ants in the Mosquito Coast. they ultimately left the people with nothing, and they all had to start their lives up again from scratch. So, in both families, everyone had to deal with all of their losses, and figure out what they had to do to survive. Two other characters that I thought were very similar are Leah Price and Charlie Fox. Both Leah and Charlie totally and completely idolized their fathers in the begining, but while they were in Africa, they leaned a lot, and started to form their own opinions, and trust in their fathers less and less. The two mothers also have some similarities. The main thing that i noticed was their reactions to death in the family. Both Mrs. Fox and Orleanna Price have very calm reactions when a member of their family dies. One more similarity between the two famillies is the basic structure of the families. Both families have four children, and two of those four children are twin girls. Well, the movie, The Mosquito Coast, and the book, The Poisonwood Bible have lots and lots of similarities and some differences, but those are what i thought the main ones were.
Literature Circle 3
Historian
This part of The Poisonwood Bible takes place durring 1960 and 1961. On June 30, 1960 Patrice Lumumba was elected Prime Minister of the independent Belgian Congo. Lumumba was Prime Minister and Joseph Kavabusu was President. After Lumumba became Prime Minister and Kasavubu presidentriots started to occur, a military coup broke out. Africa's richest (in natural resousces) province Katanga which was under the control of Moise Tshombe withdrew from "the repuplic". They did this because they wanted to be independent so they could decide what they wanted to do with their resources. 20,000 UN peace keepers were sent to Katanga to protect the European citizens in the province. Around this time the Kasai province also anounced that they wanted to become independent.
Lumumba asked for help from the USSR, but this didnt work out. In December 1960, Kasavubu and Mobutu overthew the repuplic and took away all of Lumumba's power and the army arrested him. At the end of 1960 the Congo became divided into four quasi-independent parts. On January 17, 1961 Lumumba was murdered while trying to escape from prizon. Lots of people thought the US played a part in his assianation.
The USSR tried to blame Hammarskjöld for Lumumba's assianation, and they wanted him to resign but he refused. On February 21, 1961 the Security Council used resolution 161. This resolution allowed the Council to take action if a civil war broke out. There was lots of tension, and many outbreaks between the africans and the missionaries. One example of this happening in the book was the Prices and the Congolese people were arguing over the food they caught, and they were also mad that Leah was trying to kill animals with the men.
This part of The Poisonwood Bible takes place durring 1960 and 1961. On June 30, 1960 Patrice Lumumba was elected Prime Minister of the independent Belgian Congo. Lumumba was Prime Minister and Joseph Kavabusu was President. After Lumumba became Prime Minister and Kasavubu presidentriots started to occur, a military coup broke out. Africa's richest (in natural resousces) province Katanga which was under the control of Moise Tshombe withdrew from "the repuplic". They did this because they wanted to be independent so they could decide what they wanted to do with their resources. 20,000 UN peace keepers were sent to Katanga to protect the European citizens in the province. Around this time the Kasai province also anounced that they wanted to become independent.
Lumumba asked for help from the USSR, but this didnt work out. In December 1960, Kasavubu and Mobutu overthew the repuplic and took away all of Lumumba's power and the army arrested him. At the end of 1960 the Congo became divided into four quasi-independent parts. On January 17, 1961 Lumumba was murdered while trying to escape from prizon. Lots of people thought the US played a part in his assianation.
The USSR tried to blame Hammarskjöld for Lumumba's assianation, and they wanted him to resign but he refused. On February 21, 1961 the Security Council used resolution 161. This resolution allowed the Council to take action if a civil war broke out. There was lots of tension, and many outbreaks between the africans and the missionaries. One example of this happening in the book was the Prices and the Congolese people were arguing over the food they caught, and they were also mad that Leah was trying to kill animals with the men.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Literature Circle 2 Reflection
In The Judges section of the book, a lot of things happened that helped us to learn more about the Prices and the people of the Congo. I think that the section where the girls are the narrators was called "The Things We Didn't Know" because the Price family realized that they didnt know as much as they thought they did, and how many things that they never knew about before. Also, it gives us the opprotunity to learn many things, especially how the women in the Price family change.
Rachel goes through a lot durring this part of the book. Tata Ndu, the chief, has been visiting the Price's house and giving them gifts almost everyday because he wants Rachel for a wife. So she doesn't have to marry Tata Ndu, she pretends to be engaged to marry Axelroot. He tells her the American's plot against Lamumba, but she is so oblivious she doesn't realize what is really going on. It also seems like she she has stopped caring about her appearance as much as she used to, and after her father pushed her out of plane, she has realized that she won't be going home anytime soon. To me, the biggest thing that happens to Rachel is when the ants come and the villagers push Rachel out of their boat. Rachel's mirror shatters which could be a metaphor for Rachel's life. Rachel's life is just like the broken, shattered mirror. She has nothing left, she doesn't know where to go or what to do. She basically has no life anymore. Her life is broken.
Leah changed a lot in this section of the book. Her belief and faith in her father is pretty much gone. She basically shifts her belief and faith she once had for her father to Anatole. Instead of always trying to help and impress her father, she tries to impress Anatole. When the ants swarm the village, Leah has no one to turn to except for Anatole who saves her. She feels that she has been betrayed by God,and says, "I felt the breath of God go cold on my skin" (310).
Adah has had her faiths in her family, herself, and America changing. She feels betrayed by the President, for planning to kill Lumumba, and her father or God, for not being there to help her when the ants come, she also feels betrayed by her own mother for not helping her, but instead helping Ruth May. She also questions her own worth, and weather she is even worth saving.
The ants in this section were also a metaphor for the African people. It showed that when they are pushed down for so long and with little resources, they will revolt and take everything in their path for freedom. It could also be a metafor for what could happen if Nathan continues pushing Christianity onto the people, then they will eventually get fed up and rise against him. Another meaning for this metaphor is the Independence movement, where Lamumba led the people to rise up against the Belgians.
Rachel goes through a lot durring this part of the book. Tata Ndu, the chief, has been visiting the Price's house and giving them gifts almost everyday because he wants Rachel for a wife. So she doesn't have to marry Tata Ndu, she pretends to be engaged to marry Axelroot. He tells her the American's plot against Lamumba, but she is so oblivious she doesn't realize what is really going on. It also seems like she she has stopped caring about her appearance as much as she used to, and after her father pushed her out of plane, she has realized that she won't be going home anytime soon. To me, the biggest thing that happens to Rachel is when the ants come and the villagers push Rachel out of their boat. Rachel's mirror shatters which could be a metaphor for Rachel's life. Rachel's life is just like the broken, shattered mirror. She has nothing left, she doesn't know where to go or what to do. She basically has no life anymore. Her life is broken.
Leah changed a lot in this section of the book. Her belief and faith in her father is pretty much gone. She basically shifts her belief and faith she once had for her father to Anatole. Instead of always trying to help and impress her father, she tries to impress Anatole. When the ants swarm the village, Leah has no one to turn to except for Anatole who saves her. She feels that she has been betrayed by God,and says, "I felt the breath of God go cold on my skin" (310).
Adah has had her faiths in her family, herself, and America changing. She feels betrayed by the President, for planning to kill Lumumba, and her father or God, for not being there to help her when the ants come, she also feels betrayed by her own mother for not helping her, but instead helping Ruth May. She also questions her own worth, and weather she is even worth saving.
The ants in this section were also a metaphor for the African people. It showed that when they are pushed down for so long and with little resources, they will revolt and take everything in their path for freedom. It could also be a metafor for what could happen if Nathan continues pushing Christianity onto the people, then they will eventually get fed up and rise against him. Another meaning for this metaphor is the Independence movement, where Lamumba led the people to rise up against the Belgians.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
History of the Congo (2000-2007)
In the last seven years of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (Zaire) history, the Congo was put through many hard times like the Second Congo War. This war began in 1998 and finally came to an end in 2003 when a Transitional Government took over. It was the widest interstate war in modern African History, and it involved eight separate African Nations, as well as twenty armed groups. The war ended in April 2004. Many people suffered, and there was a death count of around 3.9 million people. This turned out to be the deadliest war since World War II. Although the war had come to an end in July 2003, and an agreement to create a government of national unity was formed, the state remained weak. In 2004, an estimated 1,000 people died each day from violence or lack of food supply. The last decade in the Congo has been a hard time of suffering.
History of the Congo (1955-1966)
The Congo was controled by King Leopold II, but because of his harsh ruling, he was forced to give his control over the Congo to Belgium. This was exchange was made in a treaty on November 15, 1908. When the Belgian Government took over the Congolese Administration from King Leopold II, the Congo began improving both socially and economically. Because the Belgian Congo was a colony, the Congolese people were not given the same rights and privelages as the Belgian people. In 1952, the governor-general Leon Antoine Petillon wrote to the Secretary of Colonies, that stated that if nothing was done about the situation in the Congo, Belgium would lose its colony. Leon wanted to give the native people equal rights and privelages to the Belgians. The Belgian government did not support this, and didn't do anything about the unequal rights. This lead to the fomation of lots of groups that wanted to overthrow the Belgian government. In Belgium, members of the Parliament wanted to make sure they kept the Congo in the Belgian Kingdom, so the Congolese people were given the same rights that the Belgian people had. On June 30, 1960, the first elections were opened to the Congolese people. Joseph Kasavibu was elected as President, and the country was finally independent.
Literature Circle #2
Moderator
1) Why do you think Orleanna married Nathan Price?
2) Who or what do you think the "little beast" is that Orleanna refers to in the book?
3) How do you think that Leah's relationship with her father is changing?4) Do you think that Leah is starting to disbelieve in Nathan Price and his ways?
5) What do you think that the ants could be a metaphor for?
6) How do you think that Rachel, Leah, and Adah's relationships with each other changed when they started having to help cook when Orleanna and Ruth May were sick?
7) Do you think that the way Nathan says that the bible and tata jesus is Bangala which he thinks means precious, but actually stands for the poisonwood the way he pronounces it is significant?
8) Do you think that the Price girls names, or the Kikongo names given to them by the people describe their personalities better?
9) What do you think that Rachel's broken Mirror could symbolize?
10) What are the differences and similarites of Nathan Price and Brother Fowles? Why do you think that the people liked Brother Fowles more than Nathan Price?
1) Why do you think Orleanna married Nathan Price?
2) Who or what do you think the "little beast" is that Orleanna refers to in the book?
3) How do you think that Leah's relationship with her father is changing?4) Do you think that Leah is starting to disbelieve in Nathan Price and his ways?
5) What do you think that the ants could be a metaphor for?
6) How do you think that Rachel, Leah, and Adah's relationships with each other changed when they started having to help cook when Orleanna and Ruth May were sick?
7) Do you think that the way Nathan says that the bible and tata jesus is Bangala which he thinks means precious, but actually stands for the poisonwood the way he pronounces it is significant?
8) Do you think that the Price girls names, or the Kikongo names given to them by the people describe their personalities better?
9) What do you think that Rachel's broken Mirror could symbolize?
10) What are the differences and similarites of Nathan Price and Brother Fowles? Why do you think that the people liked Brother Fowles more than Nathan Price?
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Literature Circle Reflection
For the Literature Circle we talked about the Revelation section of the Poisionwood Bible. The main points that came up in the literature circle in my group were parallels between Nathan Price and Zell Kravinsky, how Nathan is being taught by the people of the Congo instead of vice versa, and parallels between what was happening historically at the time in Georgia and in the Congo.
Nathan and Zell are actually very simillar. Both of them sacrifice a lot to do what they feel they are morally obligated to do. For Nathan this is moving himself and his familly to the Congo and trying to spread Christianity to the people of the Congo. For Zell this is donating his entire fortune and even one of his kidneys. Also, they both put what they want to do before everything else, even their families.
Another interesting thing that we talked about was how Nathan is the one who is supposed to be teaching the people of the Congo about Christianity, but so far it seems like he hasn't really been teaching them anything. It actually seems like Nathan is the on who is slowly learning from and addapting to the Congo.
The parallels between what was happening historically at the time in Georgia and in the Congo were interesting too. As the native Congolese were fighting for independence, there was an oddly similar fight in the South in America because of the segregation, African American's fight for equality, and leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
Nathan and Zell are actually very simillar. Both of them sacrifice a lot to do what they feel they are morally obligated to do. For Nathan this is moving himself and his familly to the Congo and trying to spread Christianity to the people of the Congo. For Zell this is donating his entire fortune and even one of his kidneys. Also, they both put what they want to do before everything else, even their families.
Another interesting thing that we talked about was how Nathan is the one who is supposed to be teaching the people of the Congo about Christianity, but so far it seems like he hasn't really been teaching them anything. It actually seems like Nathan is the on who is slowly learning from and addapting to the Congo.
The parallels between what was happening historically at the time in Georgia and in the Congo were interesting too. As the native Congolese were fighting for independence, there was an oddly similar fight in the South in America because of the segregation, African American's fight for equality, and leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Literature Circle 1
Psychological Critic
Adah
Adah is different from her sister Leah because she was born with hemiplegia which is a condition that disabled half of her brain. Because of this, she can‘t move the left side of her body, which is why she is always in the back of the line of her and her sisters. She didn’t let the fact that she can only move one side of her body hold her back though. Adah always walked at her own pace, so she noticed things that no one else noticed because they never would take the time to actually look. Even though Adah only has half a brain, she is still a gifted student, like Leah, but Adah is more unique. She has the ability to view everything in her own special way, and she especially likes to look at things forwards and backwards.
Rachel
Because Rachel is the oldest of the four sisters she gives us a perspective of the Congo from the eyes of a self centered, materialistic teenager. She thinks that she is better than everyone else, and is obsessed with her appearance, like a lot of American teenagers. Rachel is pretty self centered, and she tends to only care about herself. Ruth May even tells us about a time when Rachel acted like a spoiled, brat, just to try to get her way. She said, “Rachel sassed him straight in the face, and tried to climb right into the airplane with her things! He flung her back. She threw her stuff on the ground and said fine, then, she was going to go drown herself in the river, but we knew she wouldn’t. Rachel wouldn’t want to get that dirty” (179).
Adah
Adah is different from her sister Leah because she was born with hemiplegia which is a condition that disabled half of her brain. Because of this, she can‘t move the left side of her body, which is why she is always in the back of the line of her and her sisters. She didn’t let the fact that she can only move one side of her body hold her back though. Adah always walked at her own pace, so she noticed things that no one else noticed because they never would take the time to actually look. Even though Adah only has half a brain, she is still a gifted student, like Leah, but Adah is more unique. She has the ability to view everything in her own special way, and she especially likes to look at things forwards and backwards.
Rachel
Because Rachel is the oldest of the four sisters she gives us a perspective of the Congo from the eyes of a self centered, materialistic teenager. She thinks that she is better than everyone else, and is obsessed with her appearance, like a lot of American teenagers. Rachel is pretty self centered, and she tends to only care about herself. Ruth May even tells us about a time when Rachel acted like a spoiled, brat, just to try to get her way. She said, “Rachel sassed him straight in the face, and tried to climb right into the airplane with her things! He flung her back. She threw her stuff on the ground and said fine, then, she was going to go drown herself in the river, but we knew she wouldn’t. Rachel wouldn’t want to get that dirty” (179).
Friday, February 16, 2007
From the Eyes of Rachel Price
I like it much better here than in the Congo. It's nice. There's actual grass instead of just dirt and mud, and the buildings are made of bricks instead of that disgusting mud. There won't be any dirt, dust or mud getting all over me. I'll actually be able to keep my dress a nice, bright white instead of having it fade and turn an ugly brown.
The weather here is better than in the Congo too. Back in Africa it was either much too hot or raining cats, dogs, horses, snakes, and lizards. Right now the sun is shining and the sky is a nice bright blue, but there is a soft cool breeze to keep me cool. The breeze running through my hair makes it look really good! And the sun shining down on my beautiful, blonde hair makes it sparkle.
It seems like people here actually use dial! Thank god no one here stinks like all the people in Africa did. The people here also have much better fashion sense than the people in the Congo. It looks like they actually look at a mirror when get dressed and ready in the morning. I'm still the prettiest girl here though. I wasn't named after Rebekah, the virgin at the well, for no reason.
Significant Quotes from The Poisionwood Bible (35-68)
Leah (pages 35-42)
"If only I could ever bring forth all that I knew quickly enough to suit Father" (37).
This quote is significant because it shows how much Leah wants to impress and live up to her father's expectations, but she never seems to be able to because her father is so demanding.
“I vowed to work hard for His favor, surpassing all others in my devotion to turning the soil for God’s great glory” (38).
This quote also shows how Leah wants to impress her father. She wants to be his favorite. So, she works so hard helping him with their garden.
Rachel (pages 43-49)
“It is a disturbing sight to see a good-sized girl in a ruffled dress, and not a hair on her head. Consequently they are all envious of mine they frequently walk up boldly and give it a yank” (48).
This quote shows how Rachel is mostly concerned about appearences. Especially her own because she thinks that she is very pretty, and assumes that just because the people yank her hair they are envious of it.
"I was sore at Father all right, for having us to be there in the first place. But it was plain to see he was put out, too, something fierce. When he gets his mind set on something you'd just as well prepare to see it through" (49).
This quote shows what her father, Nathan's, personality is like. He is very hard headed, and he will try anything to get what he wants, which right now is for the people of the Congo to accept christianity, and be saved by the lord.
Ruth May (pages 50-54)
“She has shoes too. They used to be white but now they’re dirt-color. Anything that ever was white is not white here. That is not a color you see. Even a white flower opening up on a bush just looks doomed for this world” (50).
This quote shows us Ruth May's innocence and age. This could be a metaphor for what is going to happen to the Price family because they are some of the only white people in Kikongo, and they are not ment to be there.
"They won't talk about the bad things in front of my sisters, but me I can listen all the livelong day while I'm getting me a banana in the kitchen house and peeling it" (51).
This quote shows that even though Ruth May is only five years old, she is a lot smarter than she seems. She takes advantage of the fact that she is young and innocent to listen into conversations, and find out things she otherwise wouldn't be able to know about.
Adah (pages 55-63)
“This is our permanent order: Leah, Ruth May, Rachel, Adah. Neither chronological nor alphabetical but it rarely varies, unless Ruth May gets distracted and falls out of line” (62).
This quote is very significant because it shows how Adah thinks that her and her sisters relate to eachother. It also shows another way that Leah and Adah although they are twins, are exact opposites. Leah is always at the head of the pack trying to do as much as she can, expecially to impress her father. Adah just walks at her own pace, and she doesnt really care about what her father thinks or really belive in god.
“Last of all came Adah the monster, Quasimodo, dragging her right side behind her left in her body’s permanent step song sing: left…behind, left…behind” (62).
This quote shows how Adah thinks of herself. I thought it was interesting for someone to think of themselves as a monster, like quasimodo, because of her condition.
Leah (pages 64-68)
"My father wears his faith like the bonze breastplate of God's foot soldiers, while our mother's is more like a good cloth coat with a secondhand fit" (68).
This quote shows how Leah thinks of her parents. She admires her father for his strong faith and beliefs, but she thinks that her mother is weak, and doesn't really look up to her very much at all.
“But none of us could let him in on that awful secret. Not even me-and I know I’m the one to turn my back on her the most. Once in a great while we just have to protect her” (68).
This quote was very significant because it shows that even though Leah doesnt like her mother all that much, and she is the one who turns her back on her mother the most, she still wouldn't betray her and tell Nathan that she was the one who Methuselah learned the word "damn" from.
"If only I could ever bring forth all that I knew quickly enough to suit Father" (37).
This quote is significant because it shows how much Leah wants to impress and live up to her father's expectations, but she never seems to be able to because her father is so demanding.
“I vowed to work hard for His favor, surpassing all others in my devotion to turning the soil for God’s great glory” (38).
This quote also shows how Leah wants to impress her father. She wants to be his favorite. So, she works so hard helping him with their garden.
Rachel (pages 43-49)
“It is a disturbing sight to see a good-sized girl in a ruffled dress, and not a hair on her head. Consequently they are all envious of mine they frequently walk up boldly and give it a yank” (48).
This quote shows how Rachel is mostly concerned about appearences. Especially her own because she thinks that she is very pretty, and assumes that just because the people yank her hair they are envious of it.
"I was sore at Father all right, for having us to be there in the first place. But it was plain to see he was put out, too, something fierce. When he gets his mind set on something you'd just as well prepare to see it through" (49).
This quote shows what her father, Nathan's, personality is like. He is very hard headed, and he will try anything to get what he wants, which right now is for the people of the Congo to accept christianity, and be saved by the lord.
Ruth May (pages 50-54)
“She has shoes too. They used to be white but now they’re dirt-color. Anything that ever was white is not white here. That is not a color you see. Even a white flower opening up on a bush just looks doomed for this world” (50).
This quote shows us Ruth May's innocence and age. This could be a metaphor for what is going to happen to the Price family because they are some of the only white people in Kikongo, and they are not ment to be there.
"They won't talk about the bad things in front of my sisters, but me I can listen all the livelong day while I'm getting me a banana in the kitchen house and peeling it" (51).
This quote shows that even though Ruth May is only five years old, she is a lot smarter than she seems. She takes advantage of the fact that she is young and innocent to listen into conversations, and find out things she otherwise wouldn't be able to know about.
Adah (pages 55-63)
“This is our permanent order: Leah, Ruth May, Rachel, Adah. Neither chronological nor alphabetical but it rarely varies, unless Ruth May gets distracted and falls out of line” (62).
This quote is very significant because it shows how Adah thinks that her and her sisters relate to eachother. It also shows another way that Leah and Adah although they are twins, are exact opposites. Leah is always at the head of the pack trying to do as much as she can, expecially to impress her father. Adah just walks at her own pace, and she doesnt really care about what her father thinks or really belive in god.
“Last of all came Adah the monster, Quasimodo, dragging her right side behind her left in her body’s permanent step song sing: left…behind, left…behind” (62).
This quote shows how Adah thinks of herself. I thought it was interesting for someone to think of themselves as a monster, like quasimodo, because of her condition.
Leah (pages 64-68)
"My father wears his faith like the bonze breastplate of God's foot soldiers, while our mother's is more like a good cloth coat with a secondhand fit" (68).
This quote shows how Leah thinks of her parents. She admires her father for his strong faith and beliefs, but she thinks that her mother is weak, and doesn't really look up to her very much at all.
“But none of us could let him in on that awful secret. Not even me-and I know I’m the one to turn my back on her the most. Once in a great while we just have to protect her” (68).
This quote was very significant because it shows that even though Leah doesnt like her mother all that much, and she is the one who turns her back on her mother the most, she still wouldn't betray her and tell Nathan that she was the one who Methuselah learned the word "damn" from.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Roles...
What do you think the role of each child will be in the story The Poisionwood Bible?
Nathan and Orleanna Price have four daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. Rachel, a self centered teenager is the oldest sister, Leah and Adah are twins, and Ruth May is a young five year old. Each girl is unique, and I think that each of them will play an interesting, important role in The Poisionwood Bible.
Rachel, the oldest sister seems very vain and self centered. In some ways I can kind of relate to her, but sometimes I find her to be a little annoying. She is obsessed with looks, especially her own looks. She even compares herself to Rebekah, the virgin at the well, from the bible. She also shows how self absorbed she is when she says, “of course, everyone kept staring at me, as they always do here. I am the most extreme blond imaginable. I have sapphire-blue eyes, white eyelashes, and a platinum blonde hair that falls to my waist” (47). Rachel really doesn't like living in the Congo because it means she doesn't get to have any of the fun girly things that teenage girls in America have. Although she is a little annoying and extreme in some parts, Rachel shows us what we would all feel like if we had to go rough it in the Congo after living a nice cozy life in America.
Leah is the perfect, gifted twin sister. She is a tom boy that's always folowing her father around. This surprised me because not a lot of adolecent girls like to spend that much time with their fathers. She even says, “I like spending time with my father very much more than I like doing anything else” (36). Leah always listens to her father. In some ways she is just a big kiss up because she wants his attention. Because Leah has the biggest connection with the girl's father, Nathan, a lot of the things she says have to do with her father and his views on god and the church.
Adah is also a gifted twin despite the fact that she only has half a brain. Her brain is what makes her seem to bee the most complex sister. I think she will give us a totally different perspective on everything in the story because her half a brain makes her view on the world unique to everyone elses. One of the first things she says is, “Through Adah eyes, oh the world is a-boggle with colors and shapes competing for a half brains attention” (30). Also, because she doesnt talk too much, the things that she actually does say in the book probably have a lot more meaning to them than things that other people say.
Ruth May is only five years old when the Price family goes to the Congo. She is still young , so she sees everything from the eyes of an innocent child. Her perspective is really interesting because it seems like she is always discovering something new.
Nathan and Orleanna Price have four daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. Rachel, a self centered teenager is the oldest sister, Leah and Adah are twins, and Ruth May is a young five year old. Each girl is unique, and I think that each of them will play an interesting, important role in The Poisionwood Bible.
Rachel, the oldest sister seems very vain and self centered. In some ways I can kind of relate to her, but sometimes I find her to be a little annoying. She is obsessed with looks, especially her own looks. She even compares herself to Rebekah, the virgin at the well, from the bible. She also shows how self absorbed she is when she says, “of course, everyone kept staring at me, as they always do here. I am the most extreme blond imaginable. I have sapphire-blue eyes, white eyelashes, and a platinum blonde hair that falls to my waist” (47). Rachel really doesn't like living in the Congo because it means she doesn't get to have any of the fun girly things that teenage girls in America have. Although she is a little annoying and extreme in some parts, Rachel shows us what we would all feel like if we had to go rough it in the Congo after living a nice cozy life in America.
Leah is the perfect, gifted twin sister. She is a tom boy that's always folowing her father around. This surprised me because not a lot of adolecent girls like to spend that much time with their fathers. She even says, “I like spending time with my father very much more than I like doing anything else” (36). Leah always listens to her father. In some ways she is just a big kiss up because she wants his attention. Because Leah has the biggest connection with the girl's father, Nathan, a lot of the things she says have to do with her father and his views on god and the church.
Adah is also a gifted twin despite the fact that she only has half a brain. Her brain is what makes her seem to bee the most complex sister. I think she will give us a totally different perspective on everything in the story because her half a brain makes her view on the world unique to everyone elses. One of the first things she says is, “Through Adah eyes, oh the world is a-boggle with colors and shapes competing for a half brains attention” (30). Also, because she doesnt talk too much, the things that she actually does say in the book probably have a lot more meaning to them than things that other people say.
Ruth May is only five years old when the Price family goes to the Congo. She is still young , so she sees everything from the eyes of an innocent child. Her perspective is really interesting because it seems like she is always discovering something new.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Genesis
"And God said unto them,
Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,
and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
(Genesis 1:28)
Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,
and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
(Genesis 1:28)
I think that this quote in beginning of the book, The Poisionwood Bible, gives you a little preview of what the book is about. This quote from the bible can be interpreted in many different ways. After reading the summary of the book on the back cover and the first chapter, I think that the missionaries that go into the Congo refer to this quote a lot because they probably think that the Bible is saying that they have dominion, and that they should spread their beliefs to Africa.
In the book, the White people probably think that they are superior to the Africans.
Another thing that I thought of when I read this quote was how people were treating the animals. One part of the quote says to subdue the earth and have dominion of all the animals. In one part of chapter one, Orleanna Price says, "a white man finally did set eyes on the okapi. I can picture him spying on it with binoculars, raising up the cross-haired rifle sight, taking it for his own. A family of them now reside in the New York Museum of Natural History, dead and stuffed" (7). This relates to the quote because at one time the okapi were a legend, just like a unicorn, untill men hunted them all down so they were just a real animal with nothing special about them. Man's hunting down the okapi subdued their mystical, mysterious quality, so now we know them as a horsish gazelle.
Quintessential
One thing that i think is quintessential in my life is my samsung k5. It's a really cool mp3 player that I got for my birthday in December last year. I listen to it pretty much all the time. It's great because instead of having to listen to it with my earphones all the time, i can just slide out the built in speakers and listen. It also has a radio, alarms, and can store pictures. The speakers are one thing that really make it quintessential because listening to music with earphones all the time can make your ears sore, and you will probably end up being deaf one day. Also, with the speakers, you can listen to your music with all of your friends, instead of having so sit or stand super close together so you can both have an earphone in one ear. I listen to music all time, and it seems to help me concentrate when im doing homework. Also, I really love listening to, singing along to, and dancing to music. Music really helps me to calm myself down if im having a hard day, or to pump myself up before a match. Another thing that I like to do is listen to music that matches my mood. For example, if I'm feeling angry, I listen to a loud, yelling kind of song, and it usually lets me release some of my anger, especially if I sing or scream along with it. If I wasn't able to listen to my music, I would probably have an emotional break down. So, that's why I think that my samsung k5 is quintessential to my life.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Choices
Is everything a matter of choice? Is there no difference between spending money on yourself and spending money to save someone's life? Is every individual entitled to the pursuit of his or her own happiness regardless of the consequences? Are some happinesses more lasting and meaningful than others?
Yes, I think that everything is a matter of choice. No matter what you are doing, you always have choices of what to do. There are the small choices that we make without even thinking like weather or not i should wear this shirt today, and there are bigger choices like weather you should tell your friend somthing that someone else told you to keep a secret. Sometimes making those choices is easy, and other times it is really hard to decide what to do.
I think that there is deffinately a difference between spending money on yourself and spending money to save someone elses life. What you want to spend your money on is your choice, and most people do choose to spend their money on themselves and buy cool new clothes, or the bigger and better tv. I think that it takes a lot more thought to choose to spend your money to help someone else. Everybody wants new, cool gadgets, but it takes a lot more effort for you to give up something you want to help someone else. In some ways, I think that this makes you a better person because you are able to see the bigger picture instead of thinking about your self all the time, but you still have to make sure you are taking care of yourself too.
This kind of has to do with weather or not some kinds of happiness are more lasting and meaningful than others. I think that when you buy something for yourself, innitially you are happy, but sooner or later, the happiness wears off. It doesn't last as long, or mean as much as something else could, like doing something with your family and friends. Or another thing that makes me happy is when i spend time doing community serivce, or practicing tennis, pretty much anything that requires hard work. It feels like I've actually acomplished something, and that really makes me feel good about myself and what I'm doing.
I think that every individual is entitled to the pursuit of his or her own happiness. After all it even says in our constitution that everyone is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I mean what is the point of living, if you aren't enjoying your life? I think that in order for your life to mean something, you have to be doing what makes you happy. Otherwise, nothing would feel right or complete. There would always be something more out there that you felt was missing and wanted. In the end, I think that it is your choice of weather or not you want to pursue happiness or not, and most people will because who doesn't want to be happy? I think that everyone is entitled to pursue happiness as long as you're willing to deal with the consequences.
Yes, I think that everything is a matter of choice. No matter what you are doing, you always have choices of what to do. There are the small choices that we make without even thinking like weather or not i should wear this shirt today, and there are bigger choices like weather you should tell your friend somthing that someone else told you to keep a secret. Sometimes making those choices is easy, and other times it is really hard to decide what to do.
I think that there is deffinately a difference between spending money on yourself and spending money to save someone elses life. What you want to spend your money on is your choice, and most people do choose to spend their money on themselves and buy cool new clothes, or the bigger and better tv. I think that it takes a lot more thought to choose to spend your money to help someone else. Everybody wants new, cool gadgets, but it takes a lot more effort for you to give up something you want to help someone else. In some ways, I think that this makes you a better person because you are able to see the bigger picture instead of thinking about your self all the time, but you still have to make sure you are taking care of yourself too.
This kind of has to do with weather or not some kinds of happiness are more lasting and meaningful than others. I think that when you buy something for yourself, innitially you are happy, but sooner or later, the happiness wears off. It doesn't last as long, or mean as much as something else could, like doing something with your family and friends. Or another thing that makes me happy is when i spend time doing community serivce, or practicing tennis, pretty much anything that requires hard work. It feels like I've actually acomplished something, and that really makes me feel good about myself and what I'm doing.
I think that every individual is entitled to the pursuit of his or her own happiness. After all it even says in our constitution that everyone is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I mean what is the point of living, if you aren't enjoying your life? I think that in order for your life to mean something, you have to be doing what makes you happy. Otherwise, nothing would feel right or complete. There would always be something more out there that you felt was missing and wanted. In the end, I think that it is your choice of weather or not you want to pursue happiness or not, and most people will because who doesn't want to be happy? I think that everyone is entitled to pursue happiness as long as you're willing to deal with the consequences.
Interview
Me: So Shelby, do you think that Singer's solution to world poverty is too extreme?
Shelby: I think that what he said was really harsh, but true. I agree with what he said, and i think that people aren't donating even though they have the opprotunity to dontate. Singer's article is an effective way of getting people to donate. His point that he was trying to get across to the people was a very effective one because it makes you think about situations you could be in. Some of his examples were a little extreme, but he was only doing it to make sure he got his point across. Also, people only see what they want to see, so it takes a lot to get your point across because no one wants to think that they arent helping to save innocent children's lives. I don't think that by not donating, you are actually killing a child, but you're not helping either.
Me: Do you think that there are other ways to help save children's lives besides donating money?
Shelby: There are a lot of ways to help besides donating money, like donating your time and voulenteering.
Me: If you help the community by donating your time or voulenteering, do you think that you should still donate money like Singer says to do?
Shelby: I think that sometimes the other ways of helping are better than donating money. Just like the video we watched last english class about the water buffalo. It is a lot more rewarding for your self because you get to see the results and how you are affecting others. I think that if you spend your time voulenteering then you don't have to donate money. Actually, I don't think that anyone is obligated to donate, and that people should be doing it out if the kindness of their hearts. So, if you are voulenteering, you don't have to donate, but it's nice if you do.
Me: Do you think that you should donate all of your money that is not used for necessities, and not save or invest any of it for the future?
Shelby: I am kind of split on this question. In some ways, I think that you should, and in other ways, I think that you shouldn't. Everyone is unintentionally selfish, and will always want something for themselves. If people had a lot or were given a lot, they probably wouldnt give away what they had. You always want or need something for your self to make you feel happy and accomplished, but I think that you should donate because it could help a lot of people, and they would really appreciate it because it could even save their life. One thing I'm not sure about though, is that if you donate almost everything you have, it can put you into the same position as the people you are trying to help, which I don't think you should do.
Me: Why do you think that Kravinsky is so sad, even though he has given so much?
Shelby: I think that Kravinsky was depressed because he gave so much and that giving everything he had sucked the happiness out of him. I personally believe that he gave too much, and didn't keep enough for himself. I also think that it was his method of giving that made him unhappy. Shince he only gave money to charities, he wasn't really able to see the results of his giving. I think that part of giving is being able to see how it helps and affects others. This is the part that makes you feel the best, and most accomplished. Kravinsky was also probably depressed because giving those excessive amoutns of money ended up hurting his family, and ruined his relationship with his wife and kids. I think that he literally gave everything that he had, and didn't save anything for himself. It seems like he always gave more and more each time he gave, and he eventually sucked himself dry. Maybe, to be happy and reach moral extasy, he didnt need to give money. Maybe that's not what he really needed to do to reach that goal.
Me: Do you think that Kravinsky is living a morally decent life? Why or why not?
Shelby: It's hard to say that Kravinsky is living a morally decent life because morally decent can be seen in many different kinds of views. I think that Kravinsky probably wasn't living a morally decent life by his own standards because he wasn't very happy. Actually he was pretty depressed. I think that morally decent is based on your own opinions of what you think is right and wrong. What is morally decent to one person, may not be morally decent to another person. For example, the people who work in animal slaughter houses. Those people kill animals for food for themselves and other people. To someone else it might seem cruel, but to them its a necessity for life, its their job, and maybe the only way that they can make money. So for the question of weather Kravinsky was living a morally decent life, I think that you would have to know what exactly he believed in, and weather or not he was doing what he thought was the right or wrong thing to do. If he was doing what he thought was right, then I think that he was being morally decent.
Shelby: I think that what he said was really harsh, but true. I agree with what he said, and i think that people aren't donating even though they have the opprotunity to dontate. Singer's article is an effective way of getting people to donate. His point that he was trying to get across to the people was a very effective one because it makes you think about situations you could be in. Some of his examples were a little extreme, but he was only doing it to make sure he got his point across. Also, people only see what they want to see, so it takes a lot to get your point across because no one wants to think that they arent helping to save innocent children's lives. I don't think that by not donating, you are actually killing a child, but you're not helping either.
Me: Do you think that there are other ways to help save children's lives besides donating money?
Shelby: There are a lot of ways to help besides donating money, like donating your time and voulenteering.
Me: If you help the community by donating your time or voulenteering, do you think that you should still donate money like Singer says to do?
Shelby: I think that sometimes the other ways of helping are better than donating money. Just like the video we watched last english class about the water buffalo. It is a lot more rewarding for your self because you get to see the results and how you are affecting others. I think that if you spend your time voulenteering then you don't have to donate money. Actually, I don't think that anyone is obligated to donate, and that people should be doing it out if the kindness of their hearts. So, if you are voulenteering, you don't have to donate, but it's nice if you do.
Me: Do you think that you should donate all of your money that is not used for necessities, and not save or invest any of it for the future?
Shelby: I am kind of split on this question. In some ways, I think that you should, and in other ways, I think that you shouldn't. Everyone is unintentionally selfish, and will always want something for themselves. If people had a lot or were given a lot, they probably wouldnt give away what they had. You always want or need something for your self to make you feel happy and accomplished, but I think that you should donate because it could help a lot of people, and they would really appreciate it because it could even save their life. One thing I'm not sure about though, is that if you donate almost everything you have, it can put you into the same position as the people you are trying to help, which I don't think you should do.
Me: Why do you think that Kravinsky is so sad, even though he has given so much?
Shelby: I think that Kravinsky was depressed because he gave so much and that giving everything he had sucked the happiness out of him. I personally believe that he gave too much, and didn't keep enough for himself. I also think that it was his method of giving that made him unhappy. Shince he only gave money to charities, he wasn't really able to see the results of his giving. I think that part of giving is being able to see how it helps and affects others. This is the part that makes you feel the best, and most accomplished. Kravinsky was also probably depressed because giving those excessive amoutns of money ended up hurting his family, and ruined his relationship with his wife and kids. I think that he literally gave everything that he had, and didn't save anything for himself. It seems like he always gave more and more each time he gave, and he eventually sucked himself dry. Maybe, to be happy and reach moral extasy, he didnt need to give money. Maybe that's not what he really needed to do to reach that goal.
Me: Do you think that Kravinsky is living a morally decent life? Why or why not?
Shelby: It's hard to say that Kravinsky is living a morally decent life because morally decent can be seen in many different kinds of views. I think that Kravinsky probably wasn't living a morally decent life by his own standards because he wasn't very happy. Actually he was pretty depressed. I think that morally decent is based on your own opinions of what you think is right and wrong. What is morally decent to one person, may not be morally decent to another person. For example, the people who work in animal slaughter houses. Those people kill animals for food for themselves and other people. To someone else it might seem cruel, but to them its a necessity for life, its their job, and maybe the only way that they can make money. So for the question of weather Kravinsky was living a morally decent life, I think that you would have to know what exactly he believed in, and weather or not he was doing what he thought was the right or wrong thing to do. If he was doing what he thought was right, then I think that he was being morally decent.
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