Bibliography
Course Hero. "The Poisonwood Bible Study Guide." Course Hero. 10 Nov. 2017. Web. 5 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Poisonwood-Bible/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2017, November 10). The Poisonwood Bible Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Poisonwood-Bible/
In text
(Course Hero, 2017)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "The Poisonwood Bible Study Guide." November 10, 2017. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Poisonwood-Bible/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "The Poisonwood Bible Study Guide," November 10, 2017, accessed June 5, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Poisonwood-Bible/.
Barbara Kingsolver
1998
Novel
Drama, Historical Fiction
Most of the The Poisonwood Bible is narrated from the first-person perspective of one or another of the five women in the Price family―excluding the voices of male characters altogether.
The Poisonwood Bible is written mostly in the past tense, with some segments in the present tense.
The title The Poisonwood Bible links the setting of Africa with the Christian missionary family, the Prices, on whom the text focuses. Poisonwood is a type of tree that grows in Africa, and elsewhere, and causes discomfort and illness to people who handle it. Preacher Nathan Price uses a native phrase to mean "Jesus is precious": "Tata Jesus is bangala!" However, the Congolese understand the phrase to mean "Jesus is poisonwood" because of the way the missionaries and their Jesus hurt the native way of life through colonization. The meanings are opposite but both true to different audiences. Late in the book, Adah, one of Nathan's daughters, refers to his "poisonwood bible," a reference to this duality of language.
This study guide and infographic for Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.
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