The Dangers of Self-Superiority in the Poisonwood Bible from religion. The Price family travels to Congo on a mission trip, with only a year left before the country secedes from Belgium, leaving them in great need of assistance. Nathan was determined to give them this help by will or force, all while dragging his family with him. How each child handles this situation depends on their personality and views. Kingsolver uses Nathan's three daughters and their personal perspectives to address the dangers of ignoring the points of view of others with the idea of one's own superiority. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Leah's Perspective The morality of imposing one's personal values on others without regard for opposing points of view creates a toxic circumstance that can lead to closed minds that form dangerous misconceptions. Kingsolver addresses this issue by using the narrative structure of switching from one perspective to another to make the toxicity of superiority evident throughout the text. However, he specifically leaves out Nathan's perspective so that readers can see how his behavior affects different types of people. Nathan Price is almost immediately introduced as a radical Christian, a closed-minded individual who believes he owes his entire existence to God's pleasure. The illusion that his God sees a clear division between right and wrong is very dangerous for someone like Nathan, a man determined to spread the word of God for his own personal gain. When the Price family ventures into the Congo, they are not welcomed as Nathan's Western superiority is very evident in how he treats the Congolese but how he reacts in times of need. The fact that they are not ready to accept him and the word of God only intensifies his personal feelings of superiority and makes him even more defiant than before. However, the way in which this intensity is accepted is different for each character. Leah, a teenager who cares about her father's image, thinks highly of her father – even stating that "[Nathan's] devotion to the church has been the 'anchoring force' in his life" (Kingsolver 64). He even goes so far as to state that "his wisdom is great" (42). This heroic view he has of his father makes the church and his faith something of great importance in his life, only fueling Nathan and his idea of himself as someone of considerable value. This self-centered trait leads Nathan to overlook not only “centuries of customs and survival” but the reality that “everyday struggles focus on survival, not redemption” ( Ognibene ). Despite all this, Leah still has a positive outlook of her own father, and her childlike perspective leads her to truly believe that everything she does is for the betterment of the Congolese. She believes the world is beautiful through her naive eyes and wishes to “rejoice in God's creation” – a view that it is very different from perspective of the Congolese as their society is in chaos (Kingsolver 149). The world is not beautiful for the Congolese and they believe that God has given them nothing, something that even Leah's sister Rachel seems to agree with. As Leah grows up, she begins to resent her father and the guilt in her heart is almost crippling. She mentions “stirring anger at [her] father for making[she] the daughter of a white preacher" because it set her apart so much from the Congolese (115). It is difficult for her to process the fact that it is "scary when the things you love suddenly appear changed from what you have always known" (236 ) All her life she had seen her father as a hero, "walking in his footsteps all her life" and now her whole perspective has changed, leaving her "falling in line behind [her] mother" (393). , Leah began to see her father's inability to accept other cultures and embrace the differences in those who were different from him. Rachel's Perspective While Leah had a tendency to see the good in the people around her, including her father , the point of view of Rachel the Congolese is very negative as she tends to only see beauty in herself. She is very in line with the character of the stereotypical teenager as she is very concerned with herself and her appearance interest in things that do not benefit them one way or another. Upon arriving in the Congo, she complains that she is "irritated at Padre...for letting them be there in the first place" (49). Rachel also speaks negatively of those who do not share her Western idea of fashion and privilege, referring to the Underdowns as “plain janes” with their “cheap haircuts and khaki pants” (Kingsolver 159). Even though the Underdowns share the English language with the Prices, Rachel still refuses to accept them as her equals - a trait that is very similar to the way her father behaves when in contact with people different from him. This is not surprising when he speaks badly of the Congolese and their customs, even complaining about their traditional clothes. He states that they didn't need to be "so African about it," making it clear that he rejects the idea of trying to accept or validate cultures other than his own (45). Rachel not only does not accept, but is rather insensitive to the cruelties that occur around her. Ruth-May's death was something that took a toll on every member of the family, no matter how they dealt with it. However, Rachel's personal superiority never fails to shine through even during this tragedy as she claims to be "still alive and not dead like Ruth May" leaving her to believe that "she must have done something right" insinuating that Ruth May had done something that would cause his own death (405). This insensitivity and presumption is a derivative of his father's behavior and lack of exposure to other cultures for his children. Rachel even states that her father "would rather see them all die one by one than listen to anyone but himself" (169). Nathan is so invested in his faith and his mission to spread the word of God that the family is able to pick up on his characteristics, good or bad, and create their own personal agendas. Rachel's mission is to be in a position of superiority over those around her. She sees things the way she wants as long as it benefits her, and this trait doesn't leave her even as she gets older. On the way to leave Congo, she says she "doesn't remember thinking back to when I would ever see [her family] again, if ever" because in the end, if it doesn't engage her or benefit her in some way, it doesn't matter. . Adah's Perspective Adah's outlook on life is very different from that of the other sisters. Being physically disabled doesn't hinder her mental ability to process and understand the world around her at all – in fact, she could be called the most insightful in the entire novel, even though she rarely speaks for most of the book. This may, however, be intentional as she refers to herself as being unable to "speak as [she] can think" (Kingsolver 34). Having a disability that apparently made her “less.

Topic > The Dangers of Self-Superiority in the Poisonwood Bible from religion. The Price family travels to Congo on a mission trip, with only a year left before the country secedes from Belgium, leaving them in great need of assistance. Nathan was determined to give them this help by will or force, all while dragging his family with him. How each child handles this situation depends on their personality and views. Kingsolver uses Nathan's three daughters and their personal perspectives to address the dangers of ignoring the points of view of others with the idea of one's own superiority. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Leah's Perspective The morality of imposing one's personal values on others without regard for opposing points of view creates a toxic circumstance that can lead to closed minds that form dangerous misconceptions. Kingsolver addresses this issue by using the narrative structure of switching from one perspective to another to make the toxicity of superiority evident throughout the text. However, he specifically leaves out Nathan's perspective so that readers can see how his behavior affects different types of people. Nathan Price is almost immediately introduced as a radical Christian, a closed-minded individual who believes he owes his entire existence to God's pleasure. The illusion that his God sees a clear division between right and wrong is very dangerous for someone like Nathan, a man determined to spread the word of God for his own personal gain. When the Price family ventures into the Congo, they are not welcomed as Nathan's Western superiority is very evident in how he treats the Congolese but how he reacts in times of need. The fact that they are not ready to accept him and the word of God only intensifies his personal feelings of superiority and makes him even more defiant than before. However, the way in which this intensity is accepted is different for each character. Leah, a teenager who cares about her father's image, thinks highly of her father – even stating that "[Nathan's] devotion to the church has been the 'anchoring force' in his life" (Kingsolver 64). He even goes so far as to state that "his wisdom is great" (42). This heroic view he has of his father makes the church and his faith something of great importance in his life, only fueling Nathan and his idea of himself as someone of considerable value. This self-centered trait leads Nathan to overlook not only “centuries of customs and survival” but the reality that “everyday struggles focus on survival, not redemption” ( Ognibene ). Despite all this, Leah still has a positive outlook of her own father, and her childlike perspective leads her to truly believe that everything she does is for the betterment of the Congolese. She believes the world is beautiful through her naive eyes and wishes to “rejoice in God's creation” – a view that it is very different from perspective of the Congolese as their society is in chaos (Kingsolver 149). The world is not beautiful for the Congolese and they believe that God has given them nothing, something that even Leah's sister Rachel seems to agree with. As Leah grows up, she begins to resent her father and the guilt in her heart is almost crippling. She mentions “stirring anger at [her] father for making[she] the daughter of a white preacher" because it set her apart so much from the Congolese (115). It is difficult for her to process the fact that it is "scary when the things you love suddenly appear changed from what you have always known" (236 ) All her life she had seen her father as a hero, "walking in his footsteps all her life" and now her whole perspective has changed, leaving her "falling in line behind [her] mother" (393). , Leah began to see her father's inability to accept other cultures and embrace the differences in those who were different from him. Rachel's Perspective While Leah had a tendency to see the good in the people around her, including her father , the point of view of Rachel the Congolese is very negative as she tends to only see beauty in herself. She is very in line with the character of the stereotypical teenager as she is very concerned with herself and her appearance interest in things that do not benefit them one way or another. Upon arriving in the Congo, she complains that she is "irritated at Padre...for letting them be there in the first place" (49). Rachel also speaks negatively of those who do not share her Western idea of fashion and privilege, referring to the Underdowns as “plain janes” with their “cheap haircuts and khaki pants” (Kingsolver 159). Even though the Underdowns share the English language with the Prices, Rachel still refuses to accept them as her equals - a trait that is very similar to the way her father behaves when in contact with people different from him. This is not surprising when he speaks badly of the Congolese and their customs, even complaining about their traditional clothes. He states that they didn't need to be "so African about it," making it clear that he rejects the idea of trying to accept or validate cultures other than his own (45). Rachel not only does not accept, but is rather insensitive to the cruelties that occur around her. Ruth-May's death was something that took a toll on every member of the family, no matter how they dealt with it. However, Rachel's personal superiority never fails to shine through even during this tragedy as she claims to be "still alive and not dead like Ruth May" leaving her to believe that "she must have done something right" insinuating that Ruth May had done something that would cause his own death (405). This insensitivity and presumption is a derivative of his father's behavior and lack of exposure to other cultures for his children. Rachel even states that her father "would rather see them all die one by one than listen to anyone but himself" (169). Nathan is so invested in his faith and his mission to spread the word of God that the family is able to pick up on his characteristics, good or bad, and create their own personal agendas. Rachel's mission is to be in a position of superiority over those around her. She sees things the way she wants as long as it benefits her, and this trait doesn't leave her even as she gets older. On the way to leave Congo, she says she "doesn't remember thinking back to when I would ever see [her family] again, if ever" because in the end, if it doesn't engage her or benefit her in some way, it doesn't matter. . Adah's Perspective Adah's outlook on life is very different from that of the other sisters. Being physically disabled doesn't hinder her mental ability to process and understand the world around her at all – in fact, she could be called the most insightful in the entire novel, even though she rarely speaks for most of the book. This may, however, be intentional as she refers to herself as being unable to "speak as [she] can think" (Kingsolver 34). Having a disability that apparently made her “less.