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.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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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