Poisonwood Bible summer blog post #1

The Poisonwood Bible is centered around serious topics, including imperialism, racism, and violence. Poisonwood deals with these issues by introducing them into the conversations and showing them through the eyes of the participants, especially that of the white missionaries. Another topic that is depicted through the father’s early conversations with his family is sexism and anapirism- discrimination against people with disability. There are moments when religion is used as a way to isolate and put down the daughters' efforts in education. Clearly, the trip to the Congo was prioritized over their continued education in Georgia, and they knowing travelled somewhere without teachers, papers, and books—minus the bible of course. When Ada and Leah were noticed by their principal to be gifted, the Reverend simply rolled his eyes, which was taken as a normal reaction from him to a girl (even his daughter) furthering her education. The Reverend also warned them against going to college as well. The women of the Congo have their own traditions and culture. The Western world used this against them, believing that it represented savagery. The natural bodies of all the women and children were shamed because they were not clothed. 

Adah has always felt forgotten by her family, we never see them accommodate her disability or try and aid her in getting around. Many of the chapters in the perspective of her family look down on her for being angry or hateful, despite the fact that she cannot talk. She is never allowed to feel any emotions for her handicap without being punished for sinning. Adah internally struggles with her family accepting her disability as the work of God, rather than emphasizing with her over the possible mental and physical hardships. She wants them to be able to recognize that her condition is a bad situation that she is allowed to feel angry about. Adah even says that her father might be happy about her brain condition, because it represents their success in overcoming obstacles in life, almost as if they are passing God's test. No attention is paid to Ada's quality of life, but the parent's obviously feel pride in themselves and in their response to God for taking care of her despite her handicap. 

Their Catholicism is largely based on shame. The Reverend is annoyed that the people of the Congo do not feel shame over their nakedness and disability. Orleanna fights for their perspective, saying that if their bodies will naturally become disabled if they are used as tools for their entire lives, then perhaps not feeling shame or isolation is the only way to live. Despite having a disabled daughter himself, he still thinks that they should feel some sort of appreciation or penance over their condition. This is his way of controlling people. He selfishly wants them to overcome these obstacles and health issues, because he only wants them to do so if it is in the right way. Only if the can be some kind of example of faith, and only if they acknowledge that it they do not fit in, and are somehow "less than" than their counterparts.