The Mosquito Coast

In class we watched The Mosquito Coast and were asked what similarities and differences there are between the film and Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible.

A main difference in the two stories is that Nathan Price is a missionary trying to spread the message of Christianity, while Allie is more of a scientist who dislikes missionaries. The first similarity is that the way Leah feels about Nathan Price is similar to the way Charlie feels about his father. In the beginning they both believe everything their father says and want him to be proud of them, and want to follow him. However, further into their father’s mission, they realize that they do not want the same things as their father, and drift away from him and his ideas. I thought that Mr. Hattie was a lot like Mama Tataba, because both characters try to help the family adjust to the new environment and give them advice, but the father in both situations stubbornly ignores their advice. Another similarity is that in both stories the mother was calm and collected when a member of the family died. However in The Poisonwood Bible Orleana expresses extensively her guilt about the entire situation, while we never see whether the mother from the movie was plagued by guilt after the incident. However, maybe it was not as much because it was not her child. Another similarity is that the father in both stories lies for the sake of his mission. However, they are different, because in The Poisonwood Bible Nathan Price lies to the people of Kilanga and makes fake miracles with fish, while in The Mosquito Coast Allie lies to his family, telling them that America has exploded.

Lit Circle-Moderator

The following are ten questions posed for purposes of discussing book four, bel and serpent, of Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible

1. Each of the books begins with a quote, which has significance to the following book. What significance does the quote have for book four?

2. What are some things that the Price family lost?

3. Compare and contrast Reverend Price and Tata Kuvundu. How are there characters similar and different? How are there messages and beliefs similar or different?

4. What significance does the information Orleana talks about in the beginning have with the plot, which unfolds for the rest of the book?

5. How have the roles of the members of the Price family changed since prior to this book?

6. What are similarities and differences between The Poisonwood Bible and The Mosquito Ghost?

7. Why does Ruth May not have a chapter in this book? Why do you think Kingsolver chose not to speak through Ruth May in this book?

8. How do think things are going to change after Ruth Mays death? How do you think people are going to change?

9. What did Ruth May give to the Price family? What did she give to the people of Kilanga? What did she give to the reader?

10. How does guilt play a part in this book?

History of the Congo

The following is a brief historical outline of important dates in the Congo. I wrote this to help me better understand the setting and political implications that are relevent to Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible

1955-1966
In the mid 1950s, the people of Congo, under Belgian rule started an uprising against the Belgians in the name of their independence. The Belgians realized that they no longer had enough power to control Congo and January 27, 1960, they announced that they would relinquish their control after six months. On, June 30, 1960, the Congo gained its independence and renamed itself the Republic of Congo. Congolese elected Patrice Lumumba as Prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu President. The country was however not being managed well and Congo’s two richest provinces, Katanga, and Kasai, separated themselves from the country. Moise Tshombe now ruled Katanga, and Europeans still had access to its resources. Patrice asked the USSR for help and Nikita Khrushchev greed to do so. However, the USA thought this was a bad idea, and the UN ended up not allowing Nikita Khrushchev aid the Congo. Tension between Lumumba and Kasavubu rose and eventually led Colonel Mobutu, with the help of Kasavubu and the USA to imprison Lumumba and eventually execute him. The UN and the Congolese government gained control of the two stray provinces while Lumumba followers rose in rebellion.

2000-2007
At this time, a second Congolese war was brewing. In January 2001, Laurent-Desire Kabila, Congolese president was assassinated by one of his bodyguards. Kabila’s son Joseph gained the position of president after his father’s death. He held peace talks with Uganda and Rwanda, which had control over much of Congo at the time. Ethnic clashes made peace even more difficult to obtain, however, in June 2002, the countries signed a peace treaty, equaling power. To establish the government, the Congolese held elections on July 30, 2006 and elected Kabila over his opponent Jean-Pierre Bemba. Bemba supporters were very upset and held riots after the throughout the country.

Lit Circle Notes: Judges

First, we picked up on key, meaningful words used in Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible. Batiza means baptism. However when pronounced incorrectly it means to terrify. The Kikongan people have a hard time comprehending the meaning of Reverend Price’s message because of this linguistic barrier. Báza is the word to refer to twins. In Kikongan culture, gods are punishing those who keep their twins, making life difficult for the members of the village. Il trompe son monde is a phrase, which means bluff in French. Tata Bidibidi is what the people of Kikongo call Brother Fowles, also known as, Mr. Bird and Reverend Santa. Lastly, nsongonya is the Kikongan word for ants. The ants start crawling out is masses because the drought has deprived them of water. The ants’ act of revolt when pushed to live a certain way can represent the Congolese revolting when other ideas such as Nathan Price’s are pushed onto them. As well as the Congolese people being fed up with not having their own resources as well as being stomped on by Belgians and Americans and possibly the Congolese people rising against these powers with the help of Patrice Lumumba.

Each of the girls has changed significantly in Judges. Leah feels that her father and perhaps God have turned their backs to her and her family. The time she spends with Anatole leads her to believe opinions other than her father’s. The Congo is sucking the life out of Rachel. The mirror shattering into pieces can signify Rachel’s life falling apart. Tata Ndu wants to marry her because she is white, want to take advantage of the Price family’s vulnerable state caused by their lack of supplies. Rachel doesn’t like Tata Ndu and pretends to be engaged to Axelroot. Ruth May is much weaker. She notices the tension between her mother and father. She keeps wishing she were a green mamba snake. Her lack of childhood energy and her wanting to be a snake, make Ruth May seem almost ghostly in this book. Adah starts to question her own value. Her family never realizes where she is, Leah left her to be eaten by the lion, and Nelson tells her that twins are very bad. When the ants attack her, she wishes to die right then. All the girls feel as if they aren’t given enough attention, and act on that need for attention.

Guilt is a theme that plays into the characters of both Nathan and Orleana. Nathan feels guilty about all the people in his troupe that died in the war. He feels like he has to save everyone to save himself in order to make up for the lives lost in the war. Orleana has this tremendous guilt about what she did and didn’t do for her children as well as what she did and didn’t do for the Congolese people. In many ways Nathan is like Zell Kravinsky. They both don’t value the lives of two of their own children over the lives of two children they hardly know. Nathan doesn’t help Orleana and Ruth May when they desperately needed it.

Brother Fowles approach to spread faith is much different than Nathan’s. He trusts and relies on the Congolese in order to build a relationship. He also uses ideas that are relevant to their lives and compares them to Christian ideas to help the Congolese understand Christianity’s message.

Lit Circle- Psychological Critic

Leah’s character at the beginning of judges seems to be as it typically is from the beginning of the book on. You can tell in the way she talks about Christianity and her authority over Ruth May. However over the course of judges, Leah’s character changes dramatically. When Orleana starts to act on her own will and on her own means, Leah finds new respect for her. She also considers other perspectives than her father’s through her discussions with Anatole.

Similarly to Leah, Orleana also seems to be her usual self at the beginning of judges. She reveals a lot to us about what her life was like when she was younger. I wonder if this recollection in some way had an affect on her behavior after she gets out of bed. As a result, she stands up to Nathan for the first time in the book. She also finds determination to fulfill a responsibility as a mother to fight for her children’s future. Consequently, she actively tries to find a way to get them out of the Congo.

Essential Question Cycle 18 Response 1

My brother is an artist. He is really into this new art form called aquascaping. It is composing pieces of living breathing art using aquatic nature (fish, plants, substrate). In address to my essential question: Is there such a thing as human immortality and does it have any significance? his art makes me believe that no there is not. The world is always changing, and to consider someone or something not being in that cycle and ending existence, would be conceit. His art makes me feel that trivial things like human immortality have no significance, and the only amazing thing is that we are part of this world and part of nature and that we are here in this cycle to witness the beauty of it all. I know that if I actually talked to my brother, he would say something along the lines of, biological survival is the only means of living and reproduction is the only meaning of life. I feel, however, that his art expresses the ideas in a much better way. It makes me wonder how I can contemplate about why or whether people can be remembered after death, when there’s so much to live with and so much to be a part of in this world. It makes me marvel at the natural world and how in this world, the question of immortality is completely irrelevant, and I think that’s part of what makes it so beautiful. That’s why it makes me believe that human immortality is not significant at all and if it even exists, it must only be a concept that humans have created for security. Maybe humans in some sense need that security to as if there is importance in the world and a way to improve our selves and not live our life in vain. However, this artwork, along with other things that have influenced me, make me reason that life purpose may lie in just being a part of the cylce of life and witnessing as well as living in the natural world.

Lit Circle Notes: Revalation

In our literature circle discussing Revelation from The Poisonwood Bible, our group mainly discussed the significance of Nathan Prices life in the Congo. We talked about his relationship with the Congolese, Orleana Price, and the Price daughters. We then discussed the family’s relationship as a whole.

To begin, we shared our gathered information from our different roles, touching on the importance of historical figures. This included Patrice Lumumba, a Congolese freedom leader, Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, Baudoin and Leopold, kings of Belgium in relative order, and Eisenhower, the president of the United States. For, these people were important political figures of that time. We also discussed key passages from the text and what importance they may have to the story.

In our literature circle, the question was raised of why Nathan Price is still in the Congo. We concluded that for the most part, his presence in Congo was both not beneficial to the Congolese as well as draining on his family. We inferred through how Nathan Price is portrayed that he stays in the Congo because he is a very stubborn person. He also believes in his religion and his way of life, and his conceit may lead to him feeling that his way is the best way and everyone should conform. We also realized that many of his relationships with others, Mama Tataba, Tata Ndu, Methuselah and so forth have turned out to be very bad.

This led us to discuss his relationship with his wife and daughters. Orleana is often times drained by Nathan. She has freaks out and has mental and emotional breakdowns. She is also very submissive to Nathan. When he breaks the plate, he justifies himself by saying that Orleana was getting to attached to it and that it is bad to become attached to worldly goods. Orleana agrees with him. Nathan Price also never seems too concerned about his daughters and what they’re going through. We concluded that as a whole, the Price family isn’t a very together family.

Other groups discussed key points including how Axelroot is like Nathan just in a more material manner. They both (try to) steel precious things from people of Kilanga. They also brought up the idea that Congo and Georgia are going through very similar ordeals in this time period. The other idea was that Methuselah could still be compared with the Congolese people. His constant returning to the village and the Price’s house can be paralleled with how the Congolese people want to be freed but can’t successfully find freedom on their own.