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Compare And Contrast The Poisonwood Bible And We Grow Accustomed To The Dark

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A novel about colonialism in Africa and a poem about darkness can have similar meanings? Yes, in fact Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible and Emily Dickinson's poem We Grow Accustomed to the Dark have very similar aspects when it comes to certain aspects. The Price family, specifically the Price women in Kingsolver's novel, show very similar feelings towards Kilanga as do the people about the dark in Dickinson's poem. Both writings mention that in order to overcome this obstacle, you must approach it in steps. In Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, Orleanna and the daughters become more accustomed to the lifestyle in the Congo, and going along with the writings of We Grow Accustomed to the Dark, upon arrival the Price women …show more content…

Each and every one of the Price women have different experiences throughout their time in Kilanga. Orleanna has to worry about taking care of the daughters, Rachel lives a typical teenage life (without certain luxuries), Leah helps teach the children, and and Ruth plays with the children in the village. So, each woman has a different viewpoint of what's happening, so not all of them will think the same thing about Dickinson’s poem. Dickinson writes in We Grow Accustomed to the Dark, “The Bravest - grope a little - And sometimes hit a Tree, Directly in the Forehead - But as they learn to see” in stanza four. This quote would most likely mean more to Orleanna and Leah than it would to any of the other girls. Unlike her daughters, other than Leah, Orleanna is really the only one that gets involved in activities in Kilanga, including communicating with the natives, learning their ways of life, and teaching them a little bit about the ways she does things. Leah also gets involved with the natives, and helps teach some of the children in school with Nelson. The quote by Dickinson would show their views of Kilanga, as they are the ones actually stepping into the unknown, and interacting with the people of the village, although sometimes it may not go as they planned. Ruth May and Rachel would interpret this poem a different way, as they really don't have a care in the world when it comes to Kilanga. Ruth is young, so she really doesn't understand the true purpose of being in Africa, but Rachel thinks of it as a different way. She wants to go back to Europe, and hates living in the Congo, and does the bare minimum when it comes to working. In We Grow Accustomed to the Dark, she wouldn't be part of “The Bravest”, and she would one to stay inside, or not go any further into the dark. Adah is in her own boat

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