After watching a movie called, "The Mosquito Coast," we had to think up of similarities and differences between that and The Poisonwood Bible. Both were about a family that moved from home, because of the father's decision, to help an underdeveloped village, so there were many similarities. However, there were also many very distinct differences between the two of them.
One similarity between The Mosquito Coast and The Poisonwood Bible is that both fathers took their families away from their homes to an underdeveloped community and tried to better that community like how they saw fit. Another similarity is that both fathers were stubborn and unyielding so that they could achieve their goals, despite the pleas of their families to leave, and as a result both families endured a heavy loss; the Price Family lost their youngest daughter, Ruth May, and the Fox family lost their father. Another similarity, is the “verse battle” that occurred in both stories. Nathan Price engaged in a verse battle with a radical reverend that had preached in the village before he had, where they quoted verses from the bible and interpreted them, while Allie Fox and his rival, a preacher who took many of his villagers away from him, quoted verses from the bible to continue an argument. Another similarity is that both families had a very important local person that helped them out. For the Price family, it was Anatole, a schoolteacher who gives them gifts and helps them with the politics of the community, and for the Fox family, it was Hatty, a ferryman who brings important goods and helps the family any way he can. A very important similarity between these two stories is that both Nathan and Allie went to underdeveloped villages bringing with them something intended to help the village, which ended up destroying the village. For Nathan, it was Christianity; he intended to use God’s word to lead the people to spiritual salvation, while for Allie it was in the form of an ice maker; he intended to provide many benefits for the village, like food storage and air conditioning. However, Christianity ended up tearing apart the village, since Nathan’s personality and vision agitated the entire village, and the ice machine ended up attracting bandits, which eventually led to the destruction of the village when it exploded. This connects to the poisonwood in The Poisonwood Bible; Bangala could mean precious or poisonwood: something good or something bad. All of these things could be either good or bad depending on how it is used.
There are also some differences between The Mosquito Coast and The Poisonwood Bible. First of all, Nathan appeared to be totally absorbed in his own plans and didn’t really show affection to any member of his family, whereas Allie was constantly expressing his love for his family, despite being extremely devoted to his plans. Another difference was each father’s relationship with his respective villages. Nathan went to the village expecting that everyone had to see it his way and didn’t really care about the well being of the villagers, and because of that, he became distant from the village, preventing him from connecting with them, whereas Allie worked with the villagers and was constantly trying to make them happy, and as a result the villagers accepted him and it was much easier for Allie to achieve his goal of building a giant ice machine.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Lit Circle #3 Lexicographer
Kikongo Lexicon
A, baki!: You thief!
A bu: Well then, fine, ok
A bu, kwe?: Where, then?
A bu mpya: Who’s next?
Anatole baana bansisila au a-aana!: Anatole the orphan without descendants!—Bitterest insult that could be borne by a Congolese man
A yi bandu: If you do not mind
*Bakala mputu: Help me
Bantu: People
*Beelezi: Foreigners, government
Beto nki tutasala: What are we doing?
Beto tutakwe kusala: We will begin
Dikonko: Edible locusts and crickets
Kakakaka: Go!
*Kibaazu: Evil spirits
Kuleka?: Do you expect to sleep?
Ku nianga, ngeye uyele kutala: You thatched your roof and now you must not run out of your house if it rains
*Mankulu: Ancestors
Midiki: Milk
Muntu: A living, dead, or unborn person
Mwana: Your children
Nguka: Edible caterpillars
Nkento: A woman
Nommo: The force of a name to call oneself
Nsamba: New palm wine
Pagnes: Colorful women’s clothing
*: Not sure about definition
Difficult Words, Phrases, Proverbs, and Short Passages:
1) “The sting of a fly, the Congolese say, can launch the end of the world” (317).
This quote basically says that a small event can change everything. This makes sense since a wrong word can end a relationship and a small mistake like leaving the stove on can destroy a home. For the Price family, the sting was staying in Congo, and the end of the world was the death of Ruth May. They could never have guessed that something so bad could happen from that.
2) “They say you thatched your roof and now you must not run out of your house if it rains” (331-332).
This was the translation Anatole gave to Nathan when the village decided to vote to make Jesus the God of Kikongo. This is a proverb from Kikongo that was said to Nathan. It basically says that if you use an idea, like democracy, you always have to use it, which goes along the lines of not being hypocritical.
3) “And Nelson jumped right in to agree with Anatole, saying we should be glad for every arrow that shoots straight, even if it comes from a girl” (336).
This occurred when Anatole was trying to convince the village to let Leah hunt with the men. This shows that the entire village looks down upon women and even Nelson, who is a friend to Leah, seems to think that girls are inferior from him saying, “…even if it comes from a girl” (336). This also shows that Leah is becoming her own spirit, since she decided on her own that she wanted to hunt and also suggests that her newfound confidence will cause problems in Kikongo.
4) “Using the body as a mask, muntu watches and waits without fear, because muntu itself cannot die” (343).
This quote shows an interesting belief in Kikongo, which is that people are the same, dead or alive. Muntu can almost be considered a spirit in the Christian sense, meaning that when you die, you live on in the afterlife. This also foretells the death of Ruth May by interesting the aspect of life after death.
5) “Those who have known this kind of hunger cannot entirely love, ever again, those who have not” (345).
This explains the feelings of the Congolese towards the foreigners. Foreigners are much wealthier than the Congolese and never go hungry, but the Congolese constantly suffer from famine. The pain that comes from famine breeds hate towards those who do not know the pain, which causes fighting to break out, like the events that are happening in the Northern Congo during the time the book takes place.
6) “On the day of the hunt I came to know in the slick of my bones this one thing: all animals kill to survive, and we are animals” (347).
This is an interesting statement because it sheds light on the brutal truth of life, that everything comes with a price. Living is no different from getting a TV; we must spend something to live and get a TV. While a TV requires payment in money, living requires payment in the lives of others. This relates to the question of how can we live a morally decent life.
7) “Lambs to the slaughter. We were, or the animals were, I don’t even know who I feel sorry for the most” (350).
Rachel said this when she was reflecting on the massive hunt of the village. This quote is kind of confusing, but from my understanding it is very interesting. In Rachel’s eyes, although the animals’ bodies were destroyed, the people’s spirits were destroyed. In other words, when they were ruthlessly killing all of the animals, their morality was dying with the animals.
8) “And so it came to pass that the normal, happy event of dividing food after a hunt became a war of insults and rage and starving bellies” (354).
This shows that even though the villagers usually are very generous and kind towards one another, hunger can change everything. This relates to the violence in North Congo at that time, where even though the people there are normally very nice people, the hunger they suffer from cause them to become violent in order to obtain food to stop their hunger and that they are not just targeting white people only out of anger.
9) “Only a man, one man and no other, who brought the snake in a basket or carried it stunned or charmed like a gift in his own two hands” (362).
This occurred when the Price daughters and Nelson decided to set a trap to see if the snakes appearing in weird places were natural or the work of a man. This relates to the story of Bel in the beginning of the book, which told of how men were responsible for mysterious happenings.
10) “I was not present at Ruth May’s birth but I have seen it now, because I saw each step of it played out in reverse at the end of her life” (365).
This relates to Adah’s fascination with palindromes. According to her, life is one big palindrome, where life ends like how it beings. This explains the saying, “anything with a beginning has an end,” because everything needs to end the opposite of the way it started.
A, baki!: You thief!
A bu: Well then, fine, ok
A bu, kwe?: Where, then?
A bu mpya: Who’s next?
Anatole baana bansisila au a-aana!: Anatole the orphan without descendants!—Bitterest insult that could be borne by a Congolese man
A yi bandu: If you do not mind
*Bakala mputu: Help me
Bantu: People
*Beelezi: Foreigners, government
Beto nki tutasala: What are we doing?
Beto tutakwe kusala: We will begin
Dikonko: Edible locusts and crickets
Kakakaka: Go!
*Kibaazu: Evil spirits
Kuleka?: Do you expect to sleep?
Ku nianga, ngeye uyele kutala: You thatched your roof and now you must not run out of your house if it rains
*Mankulu: Ancestors
Midiki: Milk
Muntu: A living, dead, or unborn person
Mwana: Your children
Nguka: Edible caterpillars
Nkento: A woman
Nommo: The force of a name to call oneself
Nsamba: New palm wine
Pagnes: Colorful women’s clothing
*: Not sure about definition
Difficult Words, Phrases, Proverbs, and Short Passages:
1) “The sting of a fly, the Congolese say, can launch the end of the world” (317).
This quote basically says that a small event can change everything. This makes sense since a wrong word can end a relationship and a small mistake like leaving the stove on can destroy a home. For the Price family, the sting was staying in Congo, and the end of the world was the death of Ruth May. They could never have guessed that something so bad could happen from that.
2) “They say you thatched your roof and now you must not run out of your house if it rains” (331-332).
This was the translation Anatole gave to Nathan when the village decided to vote to make Jesus the God of Kikongo. This is a proverb from Kikongo that was said to Nathan. It basically says that if you use an idea, like democracy, you always have to use it, which goes along the lines of not being hypocritical.
3) “And Nelson jumped right in to agree with Anatole, saying we should be glad for every arrow that shoots straight, even if it comes from a girl” (336).
This occurred when Anatole was trying to convince the village to let Leah hunt with the men. This shows that the entire village looks down upon women and even Nelson, who is a friend to Leah, seems to think that girls are inferior from him saying, “…even if it comes from a girl” (336). This also shows that Leah is becoming her own spirit, since she decided on her own that she wanted to hunt and also suggests that her newfound confidence will cause problems in Kikongo.
4) “Using the body as a mask, muntu watches and waits without fear, because muntu itself cannot die” (343).
This quote shows an interesting belief in Kikongo, which is that people are the same, dead or alive. Muntu can almost be considered a spirit in the Christian sense, meaning that when you die, you live on in the afterlife. This also foretells the death of Ruth May by interesting the aspect of life after death.
5) “Those who have known this kind of hunger cannot entirely love, ever again, those who have not” (345).
This explains the feelings of the Congolese towards the foreigners. Foreigners are much wealthier than the Congolese and never go hungry, but the Congolese constantly suffer from famine. The pain that comes from famine breeds hate towards those who do not know the pain, which causes fighting to break out, like the events that are happening in the Northern Congo during the time the book takes place.
6) “On the day of the hunt I came to know in the slick of my bones this one thing: all animals kill to survive, and we are animals” (347).
This is an interesting statement because it sheds light on the brutal truth of life, that everything comes with a price. Living is no different from getting a TV; we must spend something to live and get a TV. While a TV requires payment in money, living requires payment in the lives of others. This relates to the question of how can we live a morally decent life.
7) “Lambs to the slaughter. We were, or the animals were, I don’t even know who I feel sorry for the most” (350).
Rachel said this when she was reflecting on the massive hunt of the village. This quote is kind of confusing, but from my understanding it is very interesting. In Rachel’s eyes, although the animals’ bodies were destroyed, the people’s spirits were destroyed. In other words, when they were ruthlessly killing all of the animals, their morality was dying with the animals.
8) “And so it came to pass that the normal, happy event of dividing food after a hunt became a war of insults and rage and starving bellies” (354).
This shows that even though the villagers usually are very generous and kind towards one another, hunger can change everything. This relates to the violence in North Congo at that time, where even though the people there are normally very nice people, the hunger they suffer from cause them to become violent in order to obtain food to stop their hunger and that they are not just targeting white people only out of anger.
9) “Only a man, one man and no other, who brought the snake in a basket or carried it stunned or charmed like a gift in his own two hands” (362).
This occurred when the Price daughters and Nelson decided to set a trap to see if the snakes appearing in weird places were natural or the work of a man. This relates to the story of Bel in the beginning of the book, which told of how men were responsible for mysterious happenings.
10) “I was not present at Ruth May’s birth but I have seen it now, because I saw each step of it played out in reverse at the end of her life” (365).
This relates to Adah’s fascination with palindromes. According to her, life is one big palindrome, where life ends like how it beings. This explains the saying, “anything with a beginning has an end,” because everything needs to end the opposite of the way it started.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Essential Question Response #9
I couldn't decide what I should write for this response, and as I pondered the idea behind an essential question, I realized that it was a way for us to see how we can better our own lives. So I decided to use this thought as my essential question, which is:
How can we better our lives?
The first step in bettering our lives is defining what exactly that is. When people think of having a "better" life, some people believe that this is found through love, others think it involves helping others, while others believe it is about finding morals to base your actions off of. Despite everyone having a different opinion on what they can do to better their life, every single one of these ideas are connected by a single similarity; they all make that person happy. Whether you derive joy from the burning passion for a lover, the bubbling euphoria of donating a toy to an orphan, or the satisfying thought of purpose that comes from the belief in a greater being, you are finding a way to be happy, so my definition for bettering our lives is finding a path in life that allows you to be happy and relish every second of it.
Now it is very easy to criticize my definition. You can say that our own happiness has nothing to do with bettering our lives. You can bring up dictators, such as Hitler, who massacred many innocent people just to satisfy their sick idea of joy. How can doing something so horrible be considered as bettering your life? Well as much I am against the thought of killing out of joy, the fact remains that those people are bettering their own lives, with little regard to others. They grew up under different circumstances from the norm, and as a result, have different ideas of happiness. This thought applies to the saviors throughout history as well, such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr., who sacrificed a lot to help many people because it made them feel joy that their lives had a purpose. It is only the morals that they were raised with that allowed them to find joy in helping others. These circumstances are the reason we all have such different ideas of bettering our lives.
So as you live each day, searching for a way to better your life, just think of what would make you happy and pursue it until you die.
How can we better our lives?
The first step in bettering our lives is defining what exactly that is. When people think of having a "better" life, some people believe that this is found through love, others think it involves helping others, while others believe it is about finding morals to base your actions off of. Despite everyone having a different opinion on what they can do to better their life, every single one of these ideas are connected by a single similarity; they all make that person happy. Whether you derive joy from the burning passion for a lover, the bubbling euphoria of donating a toy to an orphan, or the satisfying thought of purpose that comes from the belief in a greater being, you are finding a way to be happy, so my definition for bettering our lives is finding a path in life that allows you to be happy and relish every second of it.
Now it is very easy to criticize my definition. You can say that our own happiness has nothing to do with bettering our lives. You can bring up dictators, such as Hitler, who massacred many innocent people just to satisfy their sick idea of joy. How can doing something so horrible be considered as bettering your life? Well as much I am against the thought of killing out of joy, the fact remains that those people are bettering their own lives, with little regard to others. They grew up under different circumstances from the norm, and as a result, have different ideas of happiness. This thought applies to the saviors throughout history as well, such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr., who sacrificed a lot to help many people because it made them feel joy that their lives had a purpose. It is only the morals that they were raised with that allowed them to find joy in helping others. These circumstances are the reason we all have such different ideas of bettering our lives.
So as you live each day, searching for a way to better your life, just think of what would make you happy and pursue it until you die.
Essential Question Response #8
After I was reflecting over the troubles that had accumulated over the past few weeks, I began to question why these things were happening to me. This ultimately led me to begin questioning religion. One such question was what exactly does God do?
One belief is the Christian belief that God has a great plan for us all, and every single event is the result of him carrying out this plan, which would make every person that exists nothing more than a pawn on a chess board; we need to rely on the hand of god to move us, whether it be towards salvation or suffering. This idea that we are completely hopeless seems idiotic: if I can’t control my fate, then why could I go into the kitchen right now, pull out a knife and stab myself? If I were destined to live so I could cure a disease to contribute to this plan, then would the blade become dull as I picked up the knife or would God slap the knife away with an invisible hand? I admit that although I was raised with Christian beliefs, I don’t go to church often, if at all, so I can’t really be in the position to be able to question this belief. For instance, maybe it was God’s plan to for me to pick up the knife to prove him wrong, and maybe that causes a ripple effect that affects someone important to his plan. But if God really did have a great plan, then why would humans even exist? It would be pointless for God to create us just so he could play a game of chess with himself. Instead of controlling our fate, maybe God is just trying to guide us along a path using his teachings?
I am a firm believer that God doesn’t control our fate and rather probability and choice are the driving factors behind our life. Even our choice is not the will of God, but rather a set of chemical reactions occurring in our brain that dictate our actions based on past experiences. Maybe that is how he “controls” our lives; he uses his word as a hand to guide us. This is why I believe that God is just observing the world while it forever spins on an invisible axis, occasionally interrupting the normal flow of life with a messiah who gives voice to God’s word, like Jesus. That is why I carefully examine each choice in my life; I am trying to set up my own life like I think it should be. If God does exist, then I believe that he only affects our life if we choose to heed his word, and that no matter what you do, he gives you the freedom to choose.
One belief is the Christian belief that God has a great plan for us all, and every single event is the result of him carrying out this plan, which would make every person that exists nothing more than a pawn on a chess board; we need to rely on the hand of god to move us, whether it be towards salvation or suffering. This idea that we are completely hopeless seems idiotic: if I can’t control my fate, then why could I go into the kitchen right now, pull out a knife and stab myself? If I were destined to live so I could cure a disease to contribute to this plan, then would the blade become dull as I picked up the knife or would God slap the knife away with an invisible hand? I admit that although I was raised with Christian beliefs, I don’t go to church often, if at all, so I can’t really be in the position to be able to question this belief. For instance, maybe it was God’s plan to for me to pick up the knife to prove him wrong, and maybe that causes a ripple effect that affects someone important to his plan. But if God really did have a great plan, then why would humans even exist? It would be pointless for God to create us just so he could play a game of chess with himself. Instead of controlling our fate, maybe God is just trying to guide us along a path using his teachings?
I am a firm believer that God doesn’t control our fate and rather probability and choice are the driving factors behind our life. Even our choice is not the will of God, but rather a set of chemical reactions occurring in our brain that dictate our actions based on past experiences. Maybe that is how he “controls” our lives; he uses his word as a hand to guide us. This is why I believe that God is just observing the world while it forever spins on an invisible axis, occasionally interrupting the normal flow of life with a messiah who gives voice to God’s word, like Jesus. That is why I carefully examine each choice in my life; I am trying to set up my own life like I think it should be. If God does exist, then I believe that he only affects our life if we choose to heed his word, and that no matter what you do, he gives you the freedom to choose.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Lit Circle #2 Reflection
During class, we discussed Book 3: The Judges, in "The Poisonwood Bible."
The first thing we discussed was the differences between Brother Fowles and Nathan Price. We talked it over, and concluded that the main difference between the two of them is Brother Fowles’ interest in Congo’s culture and his willingness to adapt his teachings to better suit their culture and he was able to get most of the village to accept his teachings, whereas Nathan Price is too stubborn to alter his teachings and as a result, is unable to get the Congolese people to accept his teachings. Their “verse battle” demonstrated these personalities. “‘Don’t be a fool, man!’ Father cried. ‘That verse refers to the children of Israel.’ ‘Maybe so. But the image of the olive tree is a nice one, don’t you think?’” (252). This quote shows that Nathan refuses to take the scripture out of context, whereas Brother Fowles enjoys taking parts of the scripture and interpreting it in different ways. We also talked about how Leah appears to be changing greatly. First of all, she is beginning to doubt her father, like when she says, “If it’s all up to him to decide our fate, shouldn’t protection be part of the bargain?” (243). At the beginning of the book, she blindly followed her father, but now she is beginning to see that he is not that great of a man, and as her dedication to her father lessens, a void in her heart grows larger. It appeared that she began to fall in love with Anatole to fill that void. We thought this because of when she said, “Anatole’s name anchored me to the earth, the water, the skin that held me in like a jar of water” (310-311). After that, we discussed the symbolism of the ants that attacked the village. We compared them to the Congolese people through Anatole’s quote. “When they are pushed down long enough they will rise up. If they bite you, they are trying to fix things in the only way they know” (308). This basically says that the Congolese people are not bad people, but they are hurting white people because they are trying to take care of themselves the only way the know of, which is violence. Also, the ants swept through the village, cleaning the village of its filth, just like the Congolese people, who are cleaning out their country of white people. We also discussed the relationships between the Price girls. Leah and Adah don’t have a really good relationship, mainly because of Adah’s disability. Leah tends to insult Adah, among other things. The reason behind this is probably that Leah actually feels really guilty for Adah’s condition, and insults her to cope with the guilt. Also, Rachel doesn’t really like any of her sisters because she is very self-centered. As a result, she tends to be jealous of Ruth May, since Orleanna gives her the most attention since she is the youngest.
We had a lot more time to discuss this lit circle, since we extended our discussion over two classes. This allowed us to go more in-depth with the symbolism of the ants and the relationships of the sisters. I found this lit circle to be helpful in analyzing the ants and Leah’s change over the book.
The first thing we discussed was the differences between Brother Fowles and Nathan Price. We talked it over, and concluded that the main difference between the two of them is Brother Fowles’ interest in Congo’s culture and his willingness to adapt his teachings to better suit their culture and he was able to get most of the village to accept his teachings, whereas Nathan Price is too stubborn to alter his teachings and as a result, is unable to get the Congolese people to accept his teachings. Their “verse battle” demonstrated these personalities. “‘Don’t be a fool, man!’ Father cried. ‘That verse refers to the children of Israel.’ ‘Maybe so. But the image of the olive tree is a nice one, don’t you think?’” (252). This quote shows that Nathan refuses to take the scripture out of context, whereas Brother Fowles enjoys taking parts of the scripture and interpreting it in different ways. We also talked about how Leah appears to be changing greatly. First of all, she is beginning to doubt her father, like when she says, “If it’s all up to him to decide our fate, shouldn’t protection be part of the bargain?” (243). At the beginning of the book, she blindly followed her father, but now she is beginning to see that he is not that great of a man, and as her dedication to her father lessens, a void in her heart grows larger. It appeared that she began to fall in love with Anatole to fill that void. We thought this because of when she said, “Anatole’s name anchored me to the earth, the water, the skin that held me in like a jar of water” (310-311). After that, we discussed the symbolism of the ants that attacked the village. We compared them to the Congolese people through Anatole’s quote. “When they are pushed down long enough they will rise up. If they bite you, they are trying to fix things in the only way they know” (308). This basically says that the Congolese people are not bad people, but they are hurting white people because they are trying to take care of themselves the only way the know of, which is violence. Also, the ants swept through the village, cleaning the village of its filth, just like the Congolese people, who are cleaning out their country of white people. We also discussed the relationships between the Price girls. Leah and Adah don’t have a really good relationship, mainly because of Adah’s disability. Leah tends to insult Adah, among other things. The reason behind this is probably that Leah actually feels really guilty for Adah’s condition, and insults her to cope with the guilt. Also, Rachel doesn’t really like any of her sisters because she is very self-centered. As a result, she tends to be jealous of Ruth May, since Orleanna gives her the most attention since she is the youngest.
We had a lot more time to discuss this lit circle, since we extended our discussion over two classes. This allowed us to go more in-depth with the symbolism of the ants and the relationships of the sisters. I found this lit circle to be helpful in analyzing the ants and Leah’s change over the book.
Congo History
We were assigned in class to find out more information about certain periods of time in Congo’s history, so we could better understand the video, “Invisible Children.”
1955-1966
Up until 1960, Belgium had control over Congo, but on January 27, 1960, Belgium announced that they would relinquish their control in six months, and on June 30, 1960, Congo was granted its independence and was renamed “Republic of Congo.” Before they gained their independence on May 31, 1960, Patrice Lumumba was confirmed to be Congo’s first elected prime minister, and Joseph Kasavubu was to be Congo’s first elected president. However, on July 11, 1960, Katanga, which was the richest province of Congo, succeeded under Moise Tshombe. Also, the second richest province of Congo, Kasai, succeeded as well. Lumumba appealed to the USSR to help them, but the United States, with UN forces, stopped all of the USSR’s aid. On December 1, 1960, Mobutu’s forces arrested Lumumba, and on January 17, 1961, Lumumba was transferred to a prison in Katanga, where he was executed. Afterwards, the UN and Congolese government were able to recapture the provinces of Katanga and Kasai. After a period of unrest and rebellion, in 1965, Mobutu seized the country and declared himself president.
2000-2007
On January 18, 2001, Laurent Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was confirmed dead after he was shot by one of his bodyguards on January 16, 2001. His son, Joseph Kabila, became president after his death. On July 30, 2006, the first free elections, since the one in 1960, occurred, with Kabila winning the election and being inaugurated as president on December 6, 2006.
1955-1966
Up until 1960, Belgium had control over Congo, but on January 27, 1960, Belgium announced that they would relinquish their control in six months, and on June 30, 1960, Congo was granted its independence and was renamed “Republic of Congo.” Before they gained their independence on May 31, 1960, Patrice Lumumba was confirmed to be Congo’s first elected prime minister, and Joseph Kasavubu was to be Congo’s first elected president. However, on July 11, 1960, Katanga, which was the richest province of Congo, succeeded under Moise Tshombe. Also, the second richest province of Congo, Kasai, succeeded as well. Lumumba appealed to the USSR to help them, but the United States, with UN forces, stopped all of the USSR’s aid. On December 1, 1960, Mobutu’s forces arrested Lumumba, and on January 17, 1961, Lumumba was transferred to a prison in Katanga, where he was executed. Afterwards, the UN and Congolese government were able to recapture the provinces of Katanga and Kasai. After a period of unrest and rebellion, in 1965, Mobutu seized the country and declared himself president.
2000-2007
On January 18, 2001, Laurent Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was confirmed dead after he was shot by one of his bodyguards on January 16, 2001. His son, Joseph Kabila, became president after his death. On July 30, 2006, the first free elections, since the one in 1960, occurred, with Kabila winning the election and being inaugurated as president on December 6, 2006.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
PWB: Lit Circle #2, Historian
In class, we are periodically going to assume different roles to aid in discussions regarding The Poisonwood Bible. For the second lit circle, I am the historian, which means I have to come up with background information about some of the things presented in the book.
• The Bataan Death March occurred from April 9, 1942 and lasted several days afterward. The march was the result of the surrender of over 15,000 American and 60,000 Filipino troops at Bataan peninsula. Because of the large number of POW’s, many of the prisoners were forced to march around 60 miles in grueling conditions to get to a prison camp. 600-650 American and 5,000-10,000 Filipino prisoners died during the march to the prison camp.
• Sleeping sickness is a parasitic disease that causes minor symptoms, such as fever, aching joints, etc., but if untreated, can lead to neurological damage, such as irregular sleep patterns and confusion.
• Katanga declared its independence from Congo on July 1, 1960, under the leadership of Moise Tshombe. This resulted in turmoil between the two new nations, and after Congo tried to invade Katanga in 1961, the UN got involved and under pressure by Congo, forced Katanga to rejoin with Congo in 1963.
• Patrice Lumumba, after being overthrown from office and held under house arrest by UN soldiers, escaped and was eventually given to the Katangan government, who executed him on January 17, 1961.
• Driver ants (the ants that attacked the village in The Poisonwood Bible) are carnivorous and are able to strip chickens to their bones in a day or two. They are able to sting, but prefer to use their large, sharp mandibles to attack their prey.
• Malaria is a parasitic disease that multiplies within red blood cells. It infects about 300-500 million people every year and kills 1-3 million of the people that were infected.
• The Bataan Death March occurred from April 9, 1942 and lasted several days afterward. The march was the result of the surrender of over 15,000 American and 60,000 Filipino troops at Bataan peninsula. Because of the large number of POW’s, many of the prisoners were forced to march around 60 miles in grueling conditions to get to a prison camp. 600-650 American and 5,000-10,000 Filipino prisoners died during the march to the prison camp.
• Sleeping sickness is a parasitic disease that causes minor symptoms, such as fever, aching joints, etc., but if untreated, can lead to neurological damage, such as irregular sleep patterns and confusion.
• Katanga declared its independence from Congo on July 1, 1960, under the leadership of Moise Tshombe. This resulted in turmoil between the two new nations, and after Congo tried to invade Katanga in 1961, the UN got involved and under pressure by Congo, forced Katanga to rejoin with Congo in 1963.
• Patrice Lumumba, after being overthrown from office and held under house arrest by UN soldiers, escaped and was eventually given to the Katangan government, who executed him on January 17, 1961.
• Driver ants (the ants that attacked the village in The Poisonwood Bible) are carnivorous and are able to strip chickens to their bones in a day or two. They are able to sting, but prefer to use their large, sharp mandibles to attack their prey.
• Malaria is a parasitic disease that multiplies within red blood cells. It infects about 300-500 million people every year and kills 1-3 million of the people that were infected.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Essential Question Response #7
So my essential question for this response is
Can determination allow you to accomplish anything?
I couldn't help but remember the football game between Boise State and Oklahoma. At the end of the game, Boise State was trailing Oklahoma by seven points. Boise State was on the fifty-yard line with only eighteen seconds left. This situation was extremely bad for Boise State and many teams would have been defeated mentally. But Boise State was determined not to lose and pulled off a spectacular lateral for the fifty-yard touchdown, which sent them into overtime. After their spectacular play, during overtime they were faced with the decision whether to kick for the extra point and go into double overtime, or to go for a conversion, risking it all to win. Their determination to win caused them to take a gamble for the win, and after another spectacular play they scored the conversion and won the game. Boise State was faced with many grim situations in that game, that would have broken many teams, but their determination to win pulled them through each one of those situations and allowed them to pull of a spectacular win.
Can determination allow you to accomplish anything?
I couldn't help but remember the football game between Boise State and Oklahoma. At the end of the game, Boise State was trailing Oklahoma by seven points. Boise State was on the fifty-yard line with only eighteen seconds left. This situation was extremely bad for Boise State and many teams would have been defeated mentally. But Boise State was determined not to lose and pulled off a spectacular lateral for the fifty-yard touchdown, which sent them into overtime. After their spectacular play, during overtime they were faced with the decision whether to kick for the extra point and go into double overtime, or to go for a conversion, risking it all to win. Their determination to win caused them to take a gamble for the win, and after another spectacular play they scored the conversion and won the game. Boise State was faced with many grim situations in that game, that would have broken many teams, but their determination to win pulled them through each one of those situations and allowed them to pull of a spectacular win.
Essential Question Response #6
For this essential question response, I couldn't think of anything to address my original essential question, which was "What is the responsibility of a human being?" So for this response, I'm picking a new essential question to respond to (at least for now). My new essential question is:
Can determination allow you to accomplish anything?
50 years ago, the idea of space travel was classified as a demented scientist's fantasy. No one at the time ever believed it even possible to travel outside of this world. However, on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy said "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." This challenge was unimaginably difficult; travel to the moon and back, something that had never been accomplished, and in less than a decade? But despite the obvious difficulties his challenge held, the nation joined together and on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong was sent to the moon. At the time, Kennedy's challenge seemed impossible. But because of his drive and determination, we accomplished his astronomical goal, proving that determination can allow some of the wildest dreams to come true.
Can determination allow you to accomplish anything?
50 years ago, the idea of space travel was classified as a demented scientist's fantasy. No one at the time ever believed it even possible to travel outside of this world. However, on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy said "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." This challenge was unimaginably difficult; travel to the moon and back, something that had never been accomplished, and in less than a decade? But despite the obvious difficulties his challenge held, the nation joined together and on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong was sent to the moon. At the time, Kennedy's challenge seemed impossible. But because of his drive and determination, we accomplished his astronomical goal, proving that determination can allow some of the wildest dreams to come true.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Lit Circle #1 Reflection
We split up into small groups and discussed book 2 in The Poisonwood Bible in class today.
The first thing we discussed was the connection between Ruth May and Green Mamba snakes, which are the deadliest snakes in Africa. We talked about how Ruth May is similar to these snakes because Green Mambas are very quiet and are hard to notice, and Ruth May is very quiet and unnoticeable as well, which allows her to see and hear things that people try to keep secret. She also mentions her desire to see one, which could foretell an encounter with one later on in the story. And since the snake is constantly being connected to poison and death, it is almost certain that if Ruth May ever encounters one, it will result in a vicious attack. The next thing we discussed was Leah. We believed that she had changed from book one to book two; she is becoming her own self and less like her father. For example, she is starting to adapt to Congo by making friends and learning about the culture, whereas Nathan refuses to assimilate anything from Congo. Also, she was punished by her father for being prideful, which shows that she is slowly gaining her own confidence instead of emulating Nathan. We also discussed Nathan's personality. We found him to be extremely prideful, which is ironic since he had punished Leah for this very sin. He constantly demonstrates his pride by his unfaltering stance on his teachings, believing that his way is the only right way and that it doesn't need to be changed or altered. Also, he provides a lot of evidence that shows that he believes he is better than his family, such as his disregard for their opinions about leaving Congo when the government was changed from the Belgiums to the Congolese. His lack of respect for his family led us to discuss his relationship with his wife, Orleanna. We figured out that Nathan doesn't treat Orleanna like an adult, since he doesn't hold her word in high regard. Also, he uses Orleanna as an outlet for his anger and frustration from his lack of success in Congo. Then we questioned his motive for trying to convert Congo to Christianity and we doubted that he wanted to help the Congolese through his religion and rather wanted to force his own opinions on people, allowing him to act like a god. At the end of the discussion, we talked about how Methuselah could be a metaphor for many things in the story. For example, Methuselah related to the Price family because he was handicapped by having a safe home and many conveniences, much like the Price family in America. And by Methuselah being killed when he was released, it foretells the trouble that the Price family will encounter in Congo.
For this being our first lit circle and having very little time, I believe we covered a lot of subjects and went in depth with most of them to the point that we were able to formulate connections that run deep within the story. I believe that it is helpful to have a fresh perspective on things so that new ideas can be formulated instead of just coming up with generic ideas. An example of this was when Methuselah was connected to many points in the story, most of which I hadn't noticed. Overall, I found this lit circle to be extremely helpful, since I can now move on to the next book in the story with fresh ideas I gathered from my classmates.
The first thing we discussed was the connection between Ruth May and Green Mamba snakes, which are the deadliest snakes in Africa. We talked about how Ruth May is similar to these snakes because Green Mambas are very quiet and are hard to notice, and Ruth May is very quiet and unnoticeable as well, which allows her to see and hear things that people try to keep secret. She also mentions her desire to see one, which could foretell an encounter with one later on in the story. And since the snake is constantly being connected to poison and death, it is almost certain that if Ruth May ever encounters one, it will result in a vicious attack. The next thing we discussed was Leah. We believed that she had changed from book one to book two; she is becoming her own self and less like her father. For example, she is starting to adapt to Congo by making friends and learning about the culture, whereas Nathan refuses to assimilate anything from Congo. Also, she was punished by her father for being prideful, which shows that she is slowly gaining her own confidence instead of emulating Nathan. We also discussed Nathan's personality. We found him to be extremely prideful, which is ironic since he had punished Leah for this very sin. He constantly demonstrates his pride by his unfaltering stance on his teachings, believing that his way is the only right way and that it doesn't need to be changed or altered. Also, he provides a lot of evidence that shows that he believes he is better than his family, such as his disregard for their opinions about leaving Congo when the government was changed from the Belgiums to the Congolese. His lack of respect for his family led us to discuss his relationship with his wife, Orleanna. We figured out that Nathan doesn't treat Orleanna like an adult, since he doesn't hold her word in high regard. Also, he uses Orleanna as an outlet for his anger and frustration from his lack of success in Congo. Then we questioned his motive for trying to convert Congo to Christianity and we doubted that he wanted to help the Congolese through his religion and rather wanted to force his own opinions on people, allowing him to act like a god. At the end of the discussion, we talked about how Methuselah could be a metaphor for many things in the story. For example, Methuselah related to the Price family because he was handicapped by having a safe home and many conveniences, much like the Price family in America. And by Methuselah being killed when he was released, it foretells the trouble that the Price family will encounter in Congo.
For this being our first lit circle and having very little time, I believe we covered a lot of subjects and went in depth with most of them to the point that we were able to formulate connections that run deep within the story. I believe that it is helpful to have a fresh perspective on things so that new ideas can be formulated instead of just coming up with generic ideas. An example of this was when Methuselah was connected to many points in the story, most of which I hadn't noticed. Overall, I found this lit circle to be extremely helpful, since I can now move on to the next book in the story with fresh ideas I gathered from my classmates.
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