The Poisonwood Bible One Pager by NATALIE NIGHBERT https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst en-us 2020-05-08 04:48:23 UTC 2025-10-22 18:41:50 UTC hello@padlet.com Special Scene: Leah's First Time Telling Anatole She Loved Him 3448415 https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559026648 This scene proved to be quite stressful for both Anatole, Leah and the people around them. While escaping from their near deaths from almost being eaten alive by armies of ants, Leah was also going through a character development crisis, spitting questions out to Anatole that he clearly did not feel comfortable answering. For instance, on page 310 Leah asks Anatole, “‘We never should of come here...We’re just fools that have gotten by so far on dumb luck. That’s what you think isn’t it?’” This pushed Anatole’s normally very controlled manor over the edge. He tries to explain to Leah everything that the people of the Congo have done to make their lives easier, including bringing them food when they have none left to eat. As their conversation begins to heat up, Leah can no longer take the pressure. She breaks down, sobbing, explaining her fears and wondering why it seems that God has fully turned her back on her. All of this emotion leads her to fully express her true feelings for Anatole. She finally says those three little words that brought a cold demeanor to Anatole. His reaction was short, but far from sweet. On page 311 Anatole responds to Leah’s confession by stating, “Leah! Don’t ever say that again.” 
This passage shows an important development to Leah’s character and reveals an interesting part of Anatoles. Leah questions her faith in her father and her faith in God by questioning why God would put her and her family through such torture to begin with. Leah continues to undermine her father's authority later into the novel, when continuing to hunt with the boys of the Congo after clearly being instructed not to. This scene sets up the new character Leah starts to become, and Anatole is a large part of that development. He could be seen as a mentor or role model for Leah. Anatole’s reaction to Leah’s act of love is quite interesting to decipher. Considering Leah and Anatole do end up getting married, obviously love grew eventually. Anatole might have been scared to admit love for another human, considering everyone in his life was never permanent. He is an orphan with no family to come back to, however after Leah is left without much family when RuthMay passes, this could have been a bonding opportunity for the young couple. Anatole’s and Leah's character dynamic can be considered one of the complicated relationships of the novel, however by working together and learning from one another, their bond is one of the better things that came from Price's journey to the Congo. Word Count: 434

 
]]> 2020-05-08 05:11:02 UTC https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559026648 Text to Self Connection 3448415 https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559056308 Growing up, I have never had the experience of fighting, playing, and loathing with any siblings, due to the fact of being an only child (thanks mom & dad). Thankfully, however, with my aunts and uncles living decently local, I have had the pleasure to grow up with my cousins. Considering we are all still inseparable I would say that it is close enough. The characteristics of my cousins and I, remind me of the personality traits of the Price sisters. All of my close cousins are girls, which makes the correlation that much stronger, and I see a bit of each Price sister in each of us. Since Adah is very to herself, but still gives off that rebellious attitude, while being extremely intelligent and self aware, I would correlate her to my eldest cousin, Kayla. Kayla is very independent, and would much rather stay inside on a Friday night, rather than party with friends. Even though we all prove to be very different from one another, we still have a bond and manage to work well together. Word Count: 178 ]]> 2020-05-08 05:51:28 UTC https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559056308 Relating the Novel to the Outside World: Corona Virus Pandemic 3448415 https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559056646 This may sound like a bit of a stretch, however I think it would be a fair comparison while looking at the similarities of how Nathan handled being in the Congo, to people who refuse to practice social distancing and will not acknowledge the existence of the virus.  Nathan was well aware of the danger he was putting his family into when going to the Congo. Infact, he even knew the risk he was taking when deciding to stay when drama with the freedom of the Congo erupted. Nathan refused to acknowledge his actions, and admit his faults, so he continued to put his family in danger, until one day it ended up killing one of his children. People who refuse to practice social distancing and won’t stay at home, is putting their family at a similar risk. Nathan refused to acknowledge the dangers of his actions, and so do selfish teenagers who feel their right to “have fun” should be above the safety of one's life. Word Count: 167]]> 2020-05-08 05:51:55 UTC https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559056646 Important Quotes 3448415 https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559080911 Adah, pg 343, "The Bantu speak of 'self' as a vision residing inside, peering out through the eye holes of the body, waiting for whatever happens next." 

Rachel, pg 355, "'My fiance, Mr. Axelroot, and I are planning on returning to America,' I would tell them, 'where it's a free country and you can get anything to eat that you want.'" 

Leah, pg 434, "I'm losing my family piece by piece...Rachel I could only despise more if I knew for sure which way to direct my ire, presumably South Africa, where I guess hit pay dirt with her exceeding whiteness and mercenary husband."

Ruth May pg 216, "And I could see Mommy Mommy, the top of her. I could see everything she was thinking, like Jesus does. She was thinking about animals."

Adah pg 217, "After the Independence cut off our stipend and all contacts with the larger world, it seems God's plan called for Mother and Ruth May to fall sick nigh unto death." ]]> 2020-05-08 06:17:11 UTC https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559080911 Final Reflections 3448415 https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559095074 Kingsolver’s goal while differentiating the voices of the different Price sisters, was to give the audience an idea as to how their personalities and characteristics led them to the place they are at in the end of the novel. Each sister is pretty much fully separated from one another, and living their own lives away from all family they once had (except for Adah and Orleanna of course). Character development and maturity levels had a lot to do with the endings of each sister. Rachel was always seen as the pretty girl who needed a husband, and strived to be a trophy wife. It’s clear that she feels she needs the validation or security of a man to live comfortably. This is why the easiest thing for her to do when everyone split from the Congo was to get married to Eeben Axelroot. Adah on the other hand, always wanted her mother's approval. She never felt like she would ever be her first choice, so going with her made her feel special. Even though she was well aware that RuthMay was the original favorite in her mother's eyes, by being somewhat chosen by her mother, it made her feel special. She felt quite abandoned and left out after her mother ran off without her when being chased by the ants. Leah’s character developed, in my opinion, the most by the end of the novel. Anatole inspired Leah to fight for something bigger than her. She fell in love and fought for her love until the end. She would never give up on Anatole, and proved to be headstrong in her actions and opinions. 
Little hints to the type of character each sister had, revealed where each sister ended up. Sadly, the most innocent of the sisters ended up the one dead. Kingsolver made sure to even hint at the death of RuthMay. Throughout the novel he would mention her fear of snakes, or how she wanted to be up in the trees in her hidden place.  The death of RuthMay hit Orleanna the hardest, and changed the dynamic of their lives for good. This proved to be the plot twister of the entire novel. Word Count: 364

]]> 2020-05-08 06:29:56 UTC https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559095074 Symbols... 3448415 https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559101599 This different hands represent the differences of each Price sister. The fact that the can not touch hands represent how their differences drove them apart. ]]> 2020-05-08 06:35:51 UTC https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559101599 Setting 3448415 https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559106564 The Congo represents where everything begins to crumble for the Price family. ]]> 2020-05-08 06:40:05 UTC https://padlet.com/3448415/r0s9cma17m4flxst/wish/559106564