The Theme Of Cultural Ignorance In The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver
he Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, details the tale of a missionary family into Africa with the aim of converting natives in the context of the time between the widespread colonization of Africa by Western powers and the beginning of the Cold War. Kingsolver explores the deleterious effects of the cultural ignorance of the west on two main levels -- the micro level, which was through the Price family's interactions with the Congolese and each other, and the macro level, which was through the greater political and historical events occurring during the missionary family's trip to Africa. To illustrate the ramifications of the cultural ignorance of the West, Barbara Kingsolver employs figurative language, the literary device conflict, …show more content…
Kingsolver alludes to past political and historical events in the Congo to provide concrete examples of the influence Western cultural ignorance has on other nations. On the micro level, this is accomplished by alluding to (and detailing) one of several missionary trips (while the concept of missionary trips in the mid 20th century is nonfiction, this family is fictional) -- that of the Price family's. Upon arriving to the Congo, Leah remarks that her "...father needs permission only from the Saviour, who obviously is all in favor of subduing the untamed wilderness for a garden." (Kingsolver 36). This portrays the cultural ignorance of the West on several levels. Firstly, Leah describes the Congo as "untamed wilderness" and contrasts this to what she implies is a superior form of organization -- Western religion (the "garden"). Secondly, she asserts that her father only needs permission from a Western idea (the Christian God) to "tame the east", which illustrates her lack of awareness of the …show more content…
On the macro-level, Kingsolver portrays this through the West-Congo conflict -- namely, the conflict between the U.S.' strategic interests and the Congo's. Rachel explains, "...this Devil One person was going to get one million dollars from the United States to pay soldiers to do that, go against the very person they all elected..." because "...in their locked room, these men [Western politicians] put their heads together and proclaimed Patrice Lumumba a danger to the safety of the world." (Kingsolver 294, 319) The West didn't want an independent leader, they wanted a puppet government -- hence the CIA-sponsored coup that replaced the democratic leader with a despotic puppet dictator. This sense of self-entitlement -- that the West had the God-given right to meddle with local politics at their fancy -- is derived from cultural arrogance, and the belief that their institutions surpass all
Analysis Of The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver
589 Words | 3 PagesIn the novel, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, she uses the contrasts between America and the Congo to show how the pressures of living in the different environments effected the Price family and the choices they made about their future. After the Price family moved from America to the Congo, they experienced many struggles while trying to adapt to their new surroundings in Congo and introduce Christianity to the villagers. Adapting was difficult for them because they went into the Congo with American thoughts, ideals and materials that they thought were necessary, such as Rachel’s hand mirror and cake mix, which Leah later realizes that their “supplies from home seem to represent a bygone world” (14). Their life in America was very luxurious compared to Congo.
Analysis Of King Leopold's Ghost
969 Words | 4 PagesSummary of the text: Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa is a historical fiction published in 1998 (Hochschild, 1998). It comprises a myriad of evidence to testify the Belgian King Leopold II’s atrocities in Congo between 1885 and 1908 for the sake of capturing the attention of various readers towards the Belgian imperialist delinquencies through a detailed narration of a number of main characters’, including George Washington Williams and William Henry Sheppard, experiences in Belgian Congo (Hochschild, 1998). In this excerpt, it illustrates William’s peaceful exploration in Congo as the first American-Black missionary. During his journey, not only did he explore the Congolese culture,
Sacrifice In The Poisonwood Bible
1459 Words | 6 PagesOn their mission to bring God to the people of a small village in the Congo, the Price family faces a lot of adversity. However, things get harder when they
Analysis Of A Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver
414 Words | 2 PagesA Poisonwood Bible When describing Patrice Lumumba, Barbara Kingsolver uses complementary wording that makes the reader like him, or at least respect him. The Belgian doctor puts a cast on Ruth May’s arm on page 149 and calls Lumumba “the new soul of Africa”, which introduces Lumumba to the reader as a positive idea. When Leah sees Lumumba on pages 221-222, he’s described as “a thin, distinguished man” and that “when he stood to speak, everyone’s mouth shut... Even the birds seemed taken aback”. This portrayal makes him appear smart and scholarly and the reader is partial to him.
Nathan Price Character Analysis
994 Words | 4 PagesIn many ways the Congo changes the young fourteen-year-old girl into a strong independent woman. There are many encounters in the novel where she starts to question her faith in God as well as in her father. For example, hearing stories about rubber plantation workers getting their hands chopped off because they were not able to get the desired about of rubber startles Leah and makes her question race relations. Race becomes a dominant issue at this point and her experiences in Kilanga have invalidated all she had been taught about race in America. At this point, Leah starts to go on her own and figure out whom she is.
Figurative Language In The Poisonwood Bible
467 Words | 2 PagesHaving read, The Poisonwood Bible book, it was both fascinating and interesting. The author, Barbara Kingsolver, was quick with her diction and used quite a lot of figurative language. The objective of the book was to show the true meaning of Africa and show how it was difficult to convert the people of Africa to Christianity religion. The setting was present in Georgia, which later they traveled to a village called Kilanga in Congo, in which they started their journey. The main characters includes, Nathan Price who was the main character, his wife Orleanna Price, and their four daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May.
Things Fall Apart Dbq
784 Words | 4 PagesAlthough many readers tend to blame the missionaries for the disastrous end to the Umuofian society, Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, suggests that the real culprit is the clash of customs between both the Africans and Europeans because of the Africans unwillingness to change their customs, the Christian’s feelings of superiority, and the inclusivity of Christianity. The loss of culture signifies the lack of unique views, values, and a sense of belonging. The differing customs of the Africans and Europeans were important factors to the destruction of the Umuofian society due to the Christians disdain for the African’s religion. For example, the Europeans believe they "have to put an end to the awful misery” (Source A).
The Poisonwood Bible Literary Analysis
1462 Words | 6 PagesIn the novel, The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, a missionary family travel to the African Congo during the 1960’s, in hopes of bringing enlightenment to the Congolese in terms of religion. The father, Nathan, believes wholeheartedly in his commitment, and this is ultimately his downfall when he fails to realize the damage that he is placing upon his family and onto the people living in Kilanga, and refuses to change the way he sees things. However, his wife, Orleanna, and her daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, take the Congo in, and make the necessary changes in their lives, and they do this in order to survive with their new darkness that they are living in. Curiosity and acceptance help the ones with curious minds,
Ignorance In The Poisonwood Bible
390 Words | 2 PagesThe Poisonwood Bible explores multiple different meanings ranging from love and loyalty, to ignorance and political oppression. While it is a story of the journey of the Price family in the Congo, Kingsolver uses these narratives to draw a bigger picture of the geopolitics that are at play in the Congo. I think the overarching theme of the novel is ignorance and its opposite: empathy. We follow the journeys of ignorant characters such as Rachel and Nathan Price and are given a parallel with the journeys of Adah, Leah, and Orleanna. However Kingsolver showcases the realities of life here or beyond by the end of the novel where it is clear that none of the characters we met at the beginning would end up with lives that fulfilled all their dreams
Alienation In The Poisonwood Bible
1623 Words | 7 PagesThis further expands on the meaning by showing the contrast of how little the Congolese care for others’ appearances when compared to the American view. The Congolese shared their view on appearances near the beginning of the novel when describing Mama Mwanza and Mama Nguza. The Americans think Orleanna became tainted while she was in the Congo. Even though Orleanna used to live in Bethlehem, the other residents of the town don’t view her the same way as they did before she went to the Congo. Adah even commented on their reception: “...welcome home the pitiful Prices!
Foreshadowing In Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible
485 Words | 2 Pageshe Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver focuses on both real life and fictional events and tells the story of the Price family’s experience in the Congo. Kingsolver makes good use of foreshadowing to dramatize the tragic incidents that occur in Africa. Orleanna Price is the most reliable narrator in the novel and is used to foreshadow future events and to explain various aspects of the past. In the first chapter, Orleanna maps out all the major events that will occur throughout the book.
Sacrifice In The Poisonwood Bible
891 Words | 4 PagesLeah’s tone of contempt towards her father is clear in the previous passage, and she also challenges the importance of the state of Ruth May’s soul, which shows a significant change in her earlier, more submissive and naïve, self. Her absolute belief in her father earlier in the novel is characterized when she says “His [Nathan’s] devotion to its [the garden’s] progress, like his
Poisonwood Bible Analysis
854 Words | 4 PagesHer family, as she realizes the people they truly are, also change her thought process and mindset from when they lived back home in Georgia. As the Congo becomes their home, moral lessons were taught until the day the Price family departs from the Congo, but not all of them. Leah Price was introduced as a fourteen year old girl who is very intelligent and who idealizes her father, a godly man whose rules are stricter than most. The family is departing from Bethlehem, Georgia on a mission trip to Africa for a year with not much from home. Prior to the touchdown in the Congo, Kingsolver helps the reader understand Leah’s character by showing how she describes herself as the favorite and the smartest of the four girls.
Cultural Misunderstandings In Brian Moore's Black Robe
769 Words | 4 PagesA person’s culture is their way of life. From a young age, we learn to act within the norms of our culture and to be truly ethnocentric. What if one day someone came into your life and told you everything you were doing your entire life was wrong and stupid? Brian Moore’s Black Robe, tells the story of Laforgue, a Jesuit priest from 17th Century Québec who travels to an unfamiliar land called New France. Laforgue’s goal is to convert Algonquin Native Americans into God fearing Christians. Laforgue faces many cultural misunderstandings with the Natives along his journey; he finds the most difficulties understanding the native’s concept of death, why they value dreams, and overcoming ethnocentrism.
Lot Wife And Africa Analysis
880 Words | 4 Pages‘Africa’ informs the reader of the beauty of Africa is due to its link with God and magic. In line 2 “displeased with himself”and repetition of “again and again” highlights how much effort has gone into building Africa, implying that Europeans perverted the will of God. In line 6 the metaphor “snatched you from the breast of Mother Asia” personifies Africa as an infant suggesting that is inculpable and innocent which further goes on to portray the Europeans as child
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