Day 220 as an Oklahoma Teacher
Before my students write their blogs, I wanted to write one for them and model how it should be written. I chose The Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingslover and first took notes over the author, plot, rhetorical devices, and characters. Here is the example I will show my students.
I have never read the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover, so I decided to research the author and the book. I know that writers take their time writing books, but it took Kingslover 15 years of planning, researching, and writing to finally finish this book. In an interview that she did with a reporter for the New York times, she said that she "took trips to Africa and read several books that covered the history of the Congo." I never really knew how much time it took to write a book, but to make a book factual and authentic, the ideas just can't be thrown together in some random order.
Here is a summary of the book in five sentences. Nathan Price, a Baptist minister, takes his wife and five children to live in the Congo. He wants to spread Christianity into the village but encounters setbacks: crops can't be pollinated, the Chief in the village believes that Baptism will corrupt his people, Belgium is letting the Congo become an independent country which means that Price and his family have to leave, and the attitude that his culture is more superior than what's in the village. I find it ironic that Price was looking for a new beginning, a place for Genesis to happen but didn't think of all the problems he and his family would have to face. He was a reactive and not proactive with his decisions. Also, his hubris believing that "their culture was more superior and that they were masters of their domain" proved to be detrimental to the family ("Plot Overview"). They walked into a situation where they tried to manipulate a culture without trying to understand that culture.
On the other hand, Orleana, his wife, had a transformation in the book. In the beginning, she was passive and complacent, and she did what she was told. One day, she stayed in bed unable or unwilling to get out of bed. After a few days, she got out of bed a changed woman. She went through a metamorphosis and spoke her mind about leaving the Congo with her children. In my opinion, she was a weak character; the safety of her children should have been the first priority. However, she was married to a man with strict religious beliefs and obeyed his decisions. This relationship, in a way, reminded me of my grandparents. My grandma would always follow what grandpa wanted to do. She was the dutiful way, followed the Bible, and always tried to help people.
One odd feature about this book is that the five women narrate the chapters. I recently read The Fifth Wave and the second book in the series, and different characters were the narrators. The last chapter is narrated by Ruth May who "gives her mom forgiveness for what happened to her" ("Plot Overview"). It was confusing at times to keep up with the plot using this format. Imagery in the book was used to contrast light and darkness and symbolized the good and evil in the world. This book will be put on my reading list, and I will recommend it for my students to read.
Works Cited
"Author Chat with BK: a Transcript." partners.nytimes.com. Web. 2 February 2016.
"Plot Overview." The Poisonwood Bible. sparknotes.com Web. 2 February 2016.
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