In the last part of Book Three of The Posionwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the village of Kilanga is attacked by carnivorous ants. In panic mode and chaos, all of the Prices flee the scene of keen bites as fast as they could but chaos hinders the possibility to escape as a united  family. Orleanna, scared to save her four children, is torn in this situation because she is hesitance and confused about whether or not, or who to prioritize. Orleanna grabs Ruth May's hand and runs towards a boat where she is meant to stay safe. Scared out of her world, five-year Ruth is told to think about a happy place. She states the following quote then and there exposing her safe haven. I chose this quote because I can relate to Ruth's decision of choosing the habitat of a much feared creature as her safe haven. She understood the snakes were peaceful and  feared of, so what is there to be worry about?

Analysis: Ruth has a certain affinity towards the green mamba snakes of the Congo. Stating that she is one of them is a metaphor showing her hopes are to be fearless and calm, like snakes seem to be. Could it be that the snake represents the freedom she craves from the fear of her father's imperialistic nature and situation or could this be a clever warning foreshadowing a great tragedy?

Towards the middle of the Third Book of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the Price family stumbles upon the visit of Brother Fowles, the missionary in charge before Nathan. The visit is narrated through Rachel's eyes, the diva, since now she has taken the new role of being the house's new Mama Tataba, or maid. She depicts him as a skinnier version of "Santa Claus" before he, along with his Congolese wife, was invited into their house to drink some orange juice. Brother Fowles points out the Congolese are very religious people who pray during every task at hand. Leah asks if they're praying to their pagan gods but Brother Fowles keeps the conversation with a peaceful tone and states this quote. I chose this quote because his words painted an open mind about the views of Congo and their natives. The fact that he didn't think they were some savages who are behind in the world's competition of knowledge was pleasant to read.

Analysis: Brother Fowles' compassionate point of view towards the Congolese is the exact opposite of Nathan's, which is the same as the USA view towards Africa, and show how Fowles has come to find a balance through the social barriers by the fact he is married to a Congolese woman. These words are significant because they tell the reader other countries and people should appreciate the aesthetics of the Republic of Congo.

Starting the section The Things We Didn't Know in the Third Book of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Leah is our first narrator and explains how bad tough life has gotten for them after Independence Day. They no longer receive their $50 monthly allowance from the Church so they have no way to buying food. Mama Mwanza, their physically impaired neighbor, although, takes on this nurturing role and shares the plenty of oranges her sons find with them. Leah is surprised and confuse as to why would anyone help them out when they were the idiosyncratic ones among the Congolese. I chose this quote because it brings out the motif of Africa's great benevolence and magnanimous acts towards others despise social barriers like their chosen religion. 

Analysis: Leah is humbled by the experience of not having enough money, lowering her level in terms of the Hierarchy of Needs. Leah begans to understand that whites are no better than any other race in the world or to that matter, Christianity is not a requirement when wanting to help others in need. For the natives of Kilanga being uncivilized and lost souls, they are showing a better example of the principals of Christianity than the Christians themselves are.

In the middle Book Two of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the reader finds Adah points of view become wider and more knowledgeable about the world and the socioeconomic differences between countries and public relations. Adah's quote is found after the Price Family has found out Congo is about to hold an election day and claim independence from the Belgian government. Adah notices the frequents death and their strange normality in eyes of the Congolese and recalls once in her hometown's church in Georgia, USA, her Sunday school teacher, Betty Nagy, taught her a child's entrance to heaven is based on the child's place of birth and skin color. Adah realizes how ridiculousness this idea is, raises her hand, and pointed out her contradictory point of view that got her in trouble and as a result she concluded she no longer believed in God. I chose this quote because the word God in this quote is metaphorical  for a God that judges people based on demographical and soicioeconomical factors that she has always grown up with. The simple fact that she spoke up impresses me and the fact that she stopped believing in that judgmental filtering God makes me hope she now believe in the God that treats everyone the same. 

Analysis: Barbara, through Adah, provide a lot of twisted blasphemies that are justified by the specific conditions that caused the blasphemies to be said. This quote shows Adah leaning towards having an Internal Locus of Control, in terms of the Locus of Control theory and the reader finds she is the fastest at finding her identity instead of being satisfied with what people tell her to be. Her credibility is at an all time high.  

In Book Two, The Revelation, of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Rachel Price has stated this quote after school teacher Anatole was invited for dinner at the Price's temporary house in Congo. Anatole is a translator during the Sunday's sermons and he comes to tell Nathan, the people of Kilanga trust Tata Ndu, the village's religious leader, better than him. Due to the past missionary, Brother Fowles, the village have gain a lot of mistrust towards missionaries. The Price's had to deal with this consequence since they preceded Brother Fowles. Rachel is the narrator during this story and is sharing what she experienced during this dinner. Rachel is the oldest, the most glamorous, and careless of the four girls. I chose this quote because it shows how the natives actually felt about the presence of the Price's. The quote shows how Rachel felt which was important since every decision parents make affect their children.

Analysis: Rachel's quote is crucial to the plot since they are revealed to whom the natives' trust belong to. Nathan's purpose is only to bring salvation and knowledge to them but cannot do it if he has competition in town. The quote shines a light to the clash of Rachel's true teenage personality and hatred towards her Father and the fear she has of him. Barbara is also keeps each character's personalities one of a kind.

In the beginning of Book Two of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, The Revelation, Ruth May Price puts her experience into perspective. She is the youngest of the four daughters and can be described as innocent, approachable, and sweet. At the beginning of Book Two, Ruth May entails how she broke her arm after falling from a tree because she was spying on some Congolese boys with guns. Her innocence wins hearts. After observing sharply she notices the boys she saw had a lot of sores and scars and she recalls her mother told her the scars represent their hardships. I chose this quote because Ruth May Price is my favorite narrator to read and the quotes shows the importance of being a good role model to the younger generation. I must say I'm impressed by Barbara's way of making Ruth so likable that she can become the reader's favorite.


Analysis: The metaphor comparing the Congolese scarred skin to a map that shows their tribulations emphasizes the native's lack of progressing above the first level in the Hierarchy of Need  Triangle, The Biological and Physiological Needs.  People must first be well in basic needs, before they can actually worry about scars or in today's society, wrinkles.  Ruth's young age efficiently transmit that point to the reader as well as the cognitive dissonance of the values they teach they youngest daughter considering they are suppose to be loving Christians that see all people equal but her Father, Nathan, is the character who bring out the worse in others.

Starting Book Two The Revelation in The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Orleanna is the first character that we interact with. Still with the same tone of remorse, first person point of view, and past-tense detailing of her experience; she explains the hopelessness she feels after Mama Tataba, the Price's helper, felt because Nathan made her angry. Orleanna appreciates and admires Mama Tataba's way of handling herself around her home. The quote was said by Orleanna when it's her turn to provide descent meals to her family, as it was usually Mama Tataba's job, but since she is absent she encounter the hardship of cooking one descent meal, let alone 3 meals a day for 6 people. I chose this quote because I believe Mama Tataba represents the natives in a very civilized way instead of the savages they are believed to be. The way Mama Tataba keeps nurturing this ungrateful family is symbolic of the forgiveness Africa keeps having towards with the USA in terms of their relationship.

Analysis: Mama Tataba herself is a symbol of the perseverance  forgiveness, and mother-like role Africa has played in the world specially  in its relationship with the United States of America during the 1960's, a time of hardship particularly for the country of Congo, and their hidden resentment towards the USA at the same time. Regardless of how damaging the USA was to Africa, Africa has always welcomed the USA with open arms and have always allow them to access their riches taking on a nurturing mother-like role but the USA can not be describe any other way than as "ungrateful."

Near the end of the book of Genesis of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the narrator is switch to Adah Price, the other twin who has a medical condition called Hemiplegia. Still using first-person point of view, Barbara gives most reports and insights through the character of Adah. She seems to appreciate other cultures and shows an interest in learning the language of the village Kilanga. Adah has a unique hobby of reading backwards and creating palidromes which makes her incredibly smart. Adah's mind came across this thought during a Sunday's dinner when her dad was sharing a parable of Congolese boys working together to make a car run without a fan belt in the engine. I chose this quote because it highlights Barbara's unique foreshadowing skills since one can't help to wonder the purpose this was to serve. This quote provides an eerie mood and since Adah was chosen as the character to introduce this fact, there must be some importance.

Analysis: Adah is the only narrator who have the highest credibility and sense of understanding of the world. Since she points out the fact that a word that means a fatal storm backwards spells the word obeys seems to be kind of ironic since that is exactly what her father failed to do when Mama Tataba, the Price's maid, warned him about touching the Poisonwood Tree when he was trying to garden and made her leave. 

In the section, The Things We Carried, found in book one of The Poisonwood Bible by  Barbara Kingsolver, Leah Price is the new narrator telling what she experienced from a daughter's first person point of view. She is a twin to Adah and seems to have the closest relationship toward her imperative father, Nathan. Since she likes to be outdoor, while her sister are helping Orleanna with the dishes, she spends quality time trying to help his dad with the cultivation of a garden in their new home, Congo, Africa, with the purpose of being able to feed the family and civilize the natives. The quote was stated in the middle of book one after Leah sees the big steps her father is taking while trying to garden. I chose this quote because it is symbolic of the Nathan's intention, opinion, and relationship concerning the natives. The quote adds a dramatic irony since the reader can make this connection while Leah has no idea what she just said.

Analysis: Leah clearly reveals the arrogance and stubbornness of her father by stating he needs no one's permission but God's. This Garden is symbolic of Nathan's intention to subdue the local natives referred to by the keening used of "untamed wilderness for a garden" in which garden refers to the followers of God. This responsability felt by Nathan to civilize natives without taking into account social and cultural factors is known as "White Man's Burden."

In the first book of The Poisonwood Bible by Sarah Kingsolver, Genesis, Orleanna Price, the wife of a southern Baptist, is the first narrator that is introduce to the reader. She begins narrating her experience while being a time in Congo, Africa through a first-person point of view. Orleanna stated the following quote towards the end of her narration which pleads for forgiveness and tries to find an excuse or personal internal peace of some sort to tragedy that happened. I chose this particular quote because coming from a familiar background with Biblical allusions only in Spanish, I was greatly surprised to find this hyperbole that compares her experience with the greatly horrifying event to be, the Apocalypse. This quote introduced to me the great feeling of guilt she has and creates tension and a mystery of finding out what exactly caused this remorse. 


Analysis: Due to the rhetorical questions asked, this quote foreshadows an intimate part of Orleanna as a character revealing a not so stable marriage. Using the apocalypse as an synonym to Orleanna's experience is a symbol itself due to the fact the apocalypse is the Biblical event that will end the world in great pain and repentance will be no longer accepted by God.