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.