Biblical Allusion In The Poisonwood Bible

In The Poisonwood Bible, one of the most significant allusions refers to the Curse of Ham story in the Bible. Essentially, the prophet Noah became intoxicated and when one of his sons, Ham, found him, began laughing as he called his brothers, Shem and Japheth to cover up their father so they would not have to see his nakedness. Surprisingly, when Noah woke up, he was extremely angry when he found out that Ham has mocked his nudity, so he cursed Ham’s youngest son Caanan.

Opinions, self-assurance, and knowledge – these aspects of one’s character constantly develop throughout one’s lifetime. In some cases, opinions shift from one end of the spectrum to the opposite end of the spectrum, while the knowledge gained from the world guides one to become more self-assured. In The Poisonwood Bible, Leah, the daughter of a passionate preacher, gains several unfamiliar experiences after moving to Congo such as the peoples’ way of life and insight on what the Africans think about her family. Throughout The Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver thoughtfully uses textual features such as figurative language, syntax, and tone to show how Leah’s character gradually progresses from a blinded worshiper who wants nothing more than to follow in her father’s footsteps to an individualistic young woman who strives to live a life without her father’s influence. To begin the novel, Kingsolver establishes Leah’s beliefs by utilizing different forms of figurative language.

(John 15: 13). What we value can only be seen through what we sacrifice. In the Poisonwood

To begin, the poisonwood tree represents Nathan’s ignorance. For example, Nathan is so ignorant that he mispronounces words in Kikongo because he believes that everything he says is always right. At the conclusion of his church service, Nathan always exclaims “Tata Jesus is bängala!”(276). Although the word bangala can mean precious, which what Nathan means to say, the way he pronounces bangala is wrong. He puts more stress on the first syllable, causing the congolese people to believe he is saying poisonwood. This mispronunciation results in a “poisonwood” Jesus that causes Nathan to ineffectively communicate with the Congolese people since he never realizes his mistake. Price also ends up hurting himself because he ignores his helper Mama Tataba. To illustrate, while Nathan plants his demonstration garden, Mama Tataba tells him to avoid “the plant that bites” whenever he gets close to the tree while he is working(40). Nathan’s poisonous attitude of ignorance of Mama Tataba arises

Authors, such as Upton Sinclair, incorporate allusions in their books to refer to other great works, people, and events. However, in the book The Jungle, biblical allusions are mixed in throughout the story. These allusions are used to fuse the story with references from the Bible; however, it’s extremely important to understand the literature of the fairy tails and short stories attached. With that in mind, we use these biblical excerpts and allusions in How to Read Like a Professor, such as the story of the Garden of Eden, and the story of Noah to enrich our perception on the sole idea of how biblical allusions can deepen our understanding of The Jungle.

“The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver inclusion of Orleanna’s guilt contributes to how not taking action is as bad as doing the act. Orleanna continuously disregarded the way she and her children were treated and was determined to ignore it by doing this, manifested leading to her living in misery for the rest of her life.

Humans instinctively seek pleasure and ease by settling into a formation of habits that co-align with their lifestyle and culture. This process of entering a routine, based on one lifestyle, solidifies the ideology that one’s destiny is determined by one’s status in the social hierarchy, such as what one individual’s occupation is. In the book The Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver utilizes dynamic characterization and juxtaposition to reveal the lifestyle transformation and fresh insight of the significance of human existence, that is prompted due to an abandonment of previous habits and social hierarchies that once provided comfort.

In the Poisonwood Bible, Nathan's and all of his daughter’s names are a reference to characters found in the Bible. Throughout the book, Kingsolver uses biblical allusions in the text that ties in with the characters and events that take place. In the Bible, Rachel is the younger daughter of Laban's. Just like The Poisonwood Bible Rachel, biblical Rachel is referred to as being “lovely in form, and beautiful.” (NIV) Gen. 29:17 A man named Jacob was astounded by her beauty and fell in love with her, deciding to work seven years of labor so he could eventually marry her. However, on his wedding night he was tricked in to marrying Rachel's older sister, Leah. For a second time, Jacob decided to work another seven years and was finally able to

False judgment leads to crazy notions. It creates false ideas and opinions. Judgment stretches or condemns the truth to be less that it is. In Barbara Kingsolver's novel, The Poisonwood Bible, many characters judge others based upon preconceived stereotypes. 'Judgment is always influenced by stereotypes and causes false feelings'.

1. TITLE and AUTHOR The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 2. HISTORICAL DATE THE BOOK WAS PUBLISHED 1998 3.

Father-daughter relationships are commonly filled with unconditional love, but an adolescent's complete devotion can be abused by an unfit parent. In Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, the devout baptist minister Nathan Price traverses the luscious African country of the Congo along with his wife Orleanna and their four daughters: Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. One of the Price girls, Leah, is introduced as having an indescribable adoration for her disparaging dad. However, as Leah matures into a young women, Nathan's racist, misogynistic, and all-around despicable acts turn what was once an affectionate worship for her father into an unaffected scorn.

In the Poisonwood Bible, the second biggest factor in Leah Price’s struggle for independence from her father and her religion is the culture of both Kilanga and Bethlehem. During the reader’s short scene of her time in Bethlehem they could infer that she is being surrounded with a immensely Christian culture. The normal preacher’s child spending every free minute at a church affiliation. As a young girl Leah is being forced into this lifestyle early on and she doesn’t really have a choice in her beliefs since her father is a preacher. Kingsolver uses this to show the reader why Leah will have an open mind to the Congo culture because she is old enough to understand that she has a choice. Kingsolver also uses the fact that her father is pushing

In literature, one of the most effective ways of developing a character is to move them. Movement requires an evolution in character development; it constitutes change, and in The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver hones movement and travel in order to form diverse characters and development. This literary device becomes even that much more effective with Leah and Rachel Price, who are the only two protagonists in the story who goes against the compelling idea of returning home, and decide to stay. Leah and Rachel Price remain in Africa, Leah in The Congo, and Rachel in South Africa; despite cultural and racial disputes. Upon moving, the readers only get a chance to experience these two characters in one war shaken, racially diverse

As children develop, their attitude and perspective on viewpoints changes. They become more mature and aware of their situation and surroundings. In The Poisonwood Bible, Baptist pastor Nathan Price, his wife Orleanna, and daughters Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May travels to the Congo on a mission trip. Throughout the story, the children are exposed to the cultural differences of the Congo and their home state of Georgia, but because of Nathan’s focus on his pastoral duties while in the Congo, he does not present himself as a father figure for the daughters. Because of this, the daughters are left to mature and figure out their surroundings on their own which gives the story its core.

Never judge a book by its cover. People judge others based solely on differences and stereotypes created by others and false rumors. In the novel The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver this is seen many times throughout the book. Nathan, the father in the novel believes that women are held to a certain standard and shows that in theses examples. First, when Nathan yells, “‘Nakedness, and darkness of the soul! For we shall destroy this place where the loud clamor of the sinners in waxen great before the face of the Lord.’” (7). This shows Nathan judging the women of the Kilanga Village based on the bible because he believes they are sinning because the bible says so. Proving that he doesn't give them a chance to explain so they are yelled at by Nathan that they are sinning. Another example is when Nathan expresses his feelings on sending his