Autumn Stevens

Queen Curmano
19 November 2014
Freshman English Honors
Poisonwood Bible Book V Dialogue Journal
In organic chemistry, invertebrate zoology
and the inspired symmetry of Mendelian
genetics, I have found a religion that serves. I
recite the Periodic Table of the Elements like
a prayer; I take my examinations as Holy
Communion, and the pass of first semester
was a sacrament. My mind is crowded with a
forest of facts. Between the trees lie wideopen plains of despair. I skirt around them. I
stick to the woods (409).

The relation to myself I find in this statement

is uncanny Not so much that I had religion
slammed down my throat a as child, but the
view and judgement that Adah and I both take
on it. Her head is full of facts and I believe
that this is a way of saying that the idea of the
Bible being based on faith and hearsay is
irrational. I absolutely LOVE her idea of
science as her religion. I enjoy knowledge and
learning itself, too. She recognizes and
acknowledges that religion will always be a
part of her life, but she will manipulate it to
become one in which she appreciates and
benefits from. Same goes for me, but in the
sense of surrounding religion

Betrayal is a friend I have known a long

time, a two-faced goddess looking forward
and back with a clear, earnest suspicion of
good fortune. I have always felt I would make
a clear-eyed scientist, on account of it. As it
turns out, though, betrayal can also breed
penitents, shrewd minor politicians, and
ghosts. Our family seems to have produced
one of each (414).

Adahs association between her family and

betrayal here is interesting I think the
penitent is Leah, the shrewd minor politician
is Rachel, and the ghost is Ruth May. I may
assume that the betrayal was from Nathan; he
wasnt a reliant or caring father, he betrayed
their freedom with (a) religion and (b) the
journey to the Congo. He was looking for
good fortune the entire time even for the
Congolese children that gave him his death.

Just when I start to feel jaded to life as it is,

Ill suddenly wake up in a fever, look out at
the world, and gasp at how much has gone
wrong that I need to fix. I suppose I loved my
father too much to escape being molded to at
least some part of his vision (504).

Leahs admittance of her carrying on her

fathers motives is Priceless. Haha She did
take some good things from his actions of
jamming religion down her throat. I think that
Leahs motives and drive are more pure and
less biased on religion itself and thus, making
them more effective and genuine.

Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel. New York: HarperPerennial, 1999. Print