Works Cited

The Beauty Within
Brainy Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Hoby, Hermione. "Barbara Kingsolver: Interview." The Telegraph. N.p., n.d. Web 16 Apr. 2013.

Congo Animals
"Bonobo Facts." Bonobo. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

"Serval Cat." Fun Facts about the. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Humans vs Animals
"Learn about the Roots of Control Issues and How Psychotherapy Can Help." Learn about the Roots of Control Issues and How Psychotherapy Can Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

"Science: The Civilized Ants." Time Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

 How do the characters in The Poisonwood Bible reflect the animals in the Congo?

        

Humans vs Animals

 

The Congo. A place just overflowing with majestic and eye-popping creatures.  From the ants scrambling in the dirt to the sly snakes slithering in the grass up to the birds squawking in the trees. Amazingly, the purposes and desires lived out by the characters of Poisonwood Bible can be reflected by some of the animals roaming around in the Congo.

When Nathan Price comes to mind, I can’t help but think of a misled and selfish man, not a bird capable of soaring in the sky.  But really they have a ton in common. Methuselah was a bird trapped in a cage, much like Nathan is a prisoner of his beliefs. Like a criminal who chooses to remain in his chains, Nathan and Methuselah will not use the opportunities given to them to be freed.  Nathan could let go of the control he feels when shoving a wrongly interpreted religion down peoples’ throats.  And Methuselah is allowed out of his cage, but what does he do?  He lingers around the house when there is much more out there. Good Therapy explains that control is most often a reaction to fear. Both Nathan and Methuselah are afraid of what is in store for them in the future, so they cling to the security of control. In the end, they both become vulnerable which leads to the destruction of their lives.

Being compared to a snake isn’t something I can tell you about first-hand but having known a few I will say that those jerks are manipulative. Tata Kuvundu is a very fitting example from Poisonwood Bible. Much like a snake that creeps on his victims, Tatu Kuvunda plans out his attack on his own victims, the Price family.  Wanting to scare them away from this territory, he coincidently plants snakes around the beds in the Price home. To make matters worse, one of those snakes ends the life of the very young and innocent Ruth May.

If you think about it, the people of the Congo and ants have a ton of similarities. Even Time Magazine says, “Some [entomologists] insist that the ant is brainier and better organized than man….” Each member of the community uses their own unique skills, whether it is collecting food or maintaining the village. The only way for them to survive is to work together in any way possible, exactly like the Congonese people.

 

                  
                                        Congo Animals

      Who doesn't love going to the zoo and seeing the amazing wildlife? The animals all have a unique personality, and maybe thats why we all have a favorite animal; we have the most in common with it. African wildlife contains some of the most crazy,spontaneous animals,especially in the Congo.   

   The Lechwe is a strange relative of the Antelope.This animal has adapted to water very well. It stays all day submerged in water, and will leap in the water if it's too shallow to swim in.The Lechwe has a similar personality to Leah. She  is outgoing, outdoorsy, and rebellious. Leah, like the Lechwe, has adapted to life in the Congo. She learns how to make the best of her temporary new home.

 The Serval is a cat special to the Congo area.This cat climbs the trees of this area and is a leaper: it catches birds by jumping up according to The Jungle Store. Ruth May's personality is similar to a Serval. She loves to climb trees and get into mischief. She is also the youngest out of her four sisters, so she is willing to hunt for the fun in the Congo, just like the Serval.

   The Bonobo is a unique primate in the Congo area. They are protective of their young, and"live in harmony  more often than engaged in fighting" according to Chimpworld. Their main diet consists of plants, Caterpillars, and Earthworms. They do,however,in serious times eat Bats, Flying Squirrels, small Antelope,and the young of monkeys. Orleanna has a personality similar to a Bonobo. She tries to protect her children, to the best of her ability, and is willing to whatever it takes to survive, even if that means eating strange foods.

               These are just a few of the animals in the Congo that are unique to this area. They help reflect the personalities of the characters in the story. Animals play an important role in stories, though sometimes we fail to realize just how important they are.  

    

                                                       Kayla Blurton

                The Beauty Within


      The jungle, full of beauty, life, and death. Many animals roam free and inhabit the 

land. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbra Kingsolver, takes you deep inside the Congo. 

The story of a family trying to adapt to the wild environment around them. The 

deeper you get into the book, you begin to realize similarities between certain people 

and the animals. I will show you what I mean. 

      As I began to explore the vast animals of Africa, I stumbled across an African 

Manatee. Because of the largeness in size, it tends to be relatively slow. Another 

interesting fact is that they are usually found by themselves. Throughout the novel, 

Adah is described as some one that is abnormal. She is also very slow because of her limp. 

She prefers too spend time by herself, but she is very very wise/smart for her age.

         In Africa, there are many different types of birds, but one that caught my eye is 

the Handsome Franklin. As you can see in the picture below, she is tending to her 

young. They are known too be very protective over their children. Orleanna Price, the 

mother of the Price family, plays a very important role in the book. She tends too her 

children and makes sure they have plenty too eat and that they stay well and healthy. 

      Cheetahs are known for their magnificent running ability. They can hunt, jump, 

and turn in an instant. They are always on the move and they usually have a mate. 

Leah Price is symbolized through this brilliant animal. She may not run as fast, but she 

is always on the move whether it's trying to gather food, taking care of her children, 

or spending as much time and devotion as she can with her husband. 

     
       Rachel Price is your typical teenage girl. She takes a lot of pride in her looks and 

how she dresses. She likes too be as radiant as possible. In other terms, Rachel is very 

spoiled and selfish. If you look closely at the peacock, you will begin to realize similar 

characteristics. Peacocks flair their beautiful/colorful feathers to gain attention. They 

are also very prideful in they way they walk; they strut around with their head held 

high.

        The lovable little girl we all fell in love with,Ruth May, always loved too play; 

She was full of life. However, her curiosity seemed to get the best of her. A baby 

African antelope can easily portray her. The antelope is young and carefree. 

However, if it separates from the herd, it can run into prey just 

like Ruth May did.

   Nathan, the hot headed father, that does only what he wants, is clearly ignorant and 

oblivious too the world around him. Throughout the novel, the more time that passes 

by, he slowly becomes more distant from his family. He is very rude and hurtful with 

the things he says. I think his personality closely relates too a crocodile. Crocs are 

very dominant, and they do what they want too do no matter who 

gets hurt in the process.

    The real question is, was Barbara Kingsolver purposely trying too relate the animals 

with the characters in this novel? There is no real answer too this question. In my 

opinion, I think she was. She is very dedicated in her work, and I'm sure she did her 

research about the wildlife and the environment.

“Every time I write a new novel about something sombre and sobering and terrible I 

think, ‘oh Lord, they’re not going to want to go here’. But they do. Readers of fiction 

read, I think, for a deeper embrace of the world, of reality. And that’s brave. I never 

get over being thankful for that – for the courage of my readers.” 

As you can tell by that quote, Barbara is a very deep thinker about the world and the 

things that make it up. 

"Humans are amphibians - half spirit and half animal. As spirits they belong to the 

eternal world, but us animals inhabit time." quote by C.S. Lewis