Throughout this first reading, Rachel does not really develop over time. At the beginning of the book she is presented as a girl of 15, who only cares about her looks and materialistic things. Little changes about her personality during this reading. I had thought that being forced into this situation that her family is in would change her as a person and help her to develop. I assumed that she would eventually realize what is important in life besides her appearance and useless possessions when being relocated far away from home with few belongings. When carefully choosing the few goods to take with them on the trip, Rachel chooses to bring her hand mirror. Although this ends up being helpful to the entire family in the Congo, it being the only mirror for miles, this proves that Rachel is focusing on subjects that really aren’t that important in life. She would not need that mirror for survival. Once the Price family arrives in the Congo, Rachel does not show a sign of development. Even after months of living in the Congo, Rachel is still egotistical and materialistic. It is clear that all she thinks about are unimportant concepts when she says, “When he spoke of diamonds I naturally thought of Marilyn Monroe in her long gloves and pursey lips.” (p. 127). She continues to focus on things that are insignificant and tends to miss the more meaningful point and reasoning. Rachel views Africa in a very judgmental manner. She often judges all of the people around her who are different from her. She doesn’t understand how the Congolese could possibly do some of the things that they do, which are just their culture and traditions. “Girls, why all they ever do around here is start having babies when they’re about ten.” (p. 126). She can’t learn to accept their ways of life as not worse than hers, but different. It seems that she sees herself as higher than the natives of the Congo, and she often thinks this in ways based on their appearance. “If I were a Congolese girl I’m afraid I’d have to say thanks but no thanks on Anatole. He has scars all over his face.” (p. 125). Rachel can’t seem to get past her judgmental personality. She has difficulty looking to deeper meaning about things and learning to accept the people and culture in the Congo.
1. I believe that rachel is one of the few characters in this book who did not have a very momentous change, but a very small one. at the beginning of the reading she hated afrrica just as much as she does now and yearns for home and normalcy even more. Since the beginning of the novel rachel has been completely self absorbed and unwilling to do anything. but there were two things that marked a tiny tiny change. First, the comercials. She tried to cheer people up. previously, she would never do anything except complain that they were so far from the land of record players and coke. But she saw how distraught everyone was and tried to lighten the mood, marking a small change. Next, she worked on a hope chest. Though it benefitted her, at least she was doing work. She would have never so much as thought of doing anything productive before. As Adah says "Rachel is above manual labor" (135) but now, even though its not manual labor and she is benefitting from working, at least its SOMETHING. So I guess rachel really DOES change. First she tjhinks of others, then she does something productive. That's more than can be said at the beginning of the book. 2. Rachel despises Africa. There is nothing in it she seems to approve of. But maybe its not africa so much that she hates, but home that she misses. At the beginning, it was more about Africa, the natives pulling at her hair, the lack of real food etc. But in the later parts of the reading her grievences are focused on her absence from her previous life as opposed to the current life. she even throws a fit and says "Stay here? When everybody else gets to go home and do the bunnyhop and drink coke?" (177) These are small things but to rachel, they mean the world and not having them in Africa, makes everything very painful.
In the second section of Poisonwood Bible, Rachel begins to slowly develop more. In the previous chapters of the book, she remained as a girl unwilling to do any work or anything useful. She did nothing and complained day after day. Now, the situation for the Price family has changed. After the independence of the Congolese, the family begins to lose their wealth. Because the “50 dollars a month had made us richer than anybody,” once the mission league stopped supporting them, they were left with an income of 0 dollars a month. This along with the fact that Orleanna and Ruth May become ill cause Rachel to begin to act more as a responsible member of the family. As the oldest, Rachel realizes that it is her duty to be the main supplier of the family because her father was never around, and didn’t even care for the welfare of the family. She along with Adah and Leah devise a plan to continue to feed the family and keep everyone alive. Although “having Rachel in charge was very much as if Mrs. Donna Reed from television suddenly showed up to be your mother,” she was still doing something. Rachel begins to understand that now that they are in such a difficult situation, she must step up and become the responsible elder that she should be. She becomes the chef of the household, and although her meals always turn out terrible, she is actually trying to do something useful. Feeding the family is a very big responsibility to take on, and although she does not perform this task especially well, she certainly tries to. Rachel still despises Africa. Like the rest of the girls in the family, she is desperate to get out. She goes through day after day wishing for a miracle to help her escape these lands and return home to where it is safe. When Brother Fowles and his wife visit Rachel tries to “say to Ms. Fowles with just my eyes. Get us out of here! Send a bigger boat!” (256). She is tempted to “slip them a note, like a captivated spy girl in the movies: Help! Get me out of here!” (254). Rachel feels even more strongly about her hate towards Africa than she had in the beginning, and it is getting to the point where she claims that she is willing do anything to escape.
In this next section of Poisonwood, Rachel is sort of forced to develop more and mature. In this part of the book, the chief wants to marry Rachel, and in order to prevent him from marrying her, she pretends to be engaged to Axelroot. Because of this situation that she is being thrust into, she has to quickly mature. Right when she finds out about the marriage, Rachel realizes that she must act mature, but finds herself still acting a bit childish. “When Tata Ndu comes to our house, Jeez oh man. I can’t even stand to look at him looking at me…sometimes I do unladylike things like scratch myself” (268). In time though, once she begins spending more time with Axelroot, she tries to act more mature, and more like an adult in order to make Axelroot think this. “I laughed and started to remind him that I’m not old enough, but then realized, by gosh, I was seventeen years old. I could smoke if I wanted to” (289). Because she just turned a yeah older, Rachel is now trying to develop into and act as a real lady, in order to prove to Axelroot that she is. Rachel still continues to dislike living in the Congo. It is clear that because of the marriage situation that she is places in, she is feeling expecially strong towards leaving the Congo. “My family is thinking of everything but my personal safety. The instant we get back to Georgia I am filing for an adoption” (268). This circumstance that she is in is causing her to hate living in Africa even more. She also expresses that this year has been worse than the first year when she says “Two birthdays now I have had in the Congo, and I thought the first one was the worst there could be” (274). Rachel is continuing to despise spending her teen years in Africa.
In this reading of poisonwood bible, Rachel finds herself in an uncomfortable position. Tats Ndu wants to marry her and to make it seem like she can't marry him she has to appear already engaged to Axelroot. waht is so interesting about this is that at the beginning of the book, even though "she'd stop whatever she was doing and scream with disgust," (266) she'd really enjoy the attention because of her love of being in the spot light. but now she realizes that its not always a good thing when she says "I always wanted to be the belle of the ball, but, jeepers, is this ever the wrong ball." (269) this is a very important moment for rachel. It shows how just a year in a foreign place can make someone once completely self involved, a little more humble. And for Rachel, it makes a difference.
Rachel, of course still despises the congo. she compares her 1st birthday there to her second birthday, thinking at first that her first birthday there was the "lowest a girl can go" (274). She hated not getting presents and spending "tender teenage years in aforeign land." (274) but then she got to her next birthday. wearing the same clothes as last year and having no one notice that it was her birthday, she realizes that she was wrong. her birthday this year was the worst because of being in africa and all those things that happen because they are in africa. it could not be clearer that she continues to hate the place with every fiber of her being.
7 comments:
sarah miller wants rachel.
so does abi oshins!
Throughout this first reading, Rachel does not really develop over time. At the beginning of the book she is presented as a girl of 15, who only cares about her looks and materialistic things. Little changes about her personality during this reading. I had thought that being forced into this situation that her family is in would change her as a person and help her to develop. I assumed that she would eventually realize what is important in life besides her appearance and useless possessions when being relocated far away from home with few belongings. When carefully choosing the few goods to take with them on the trip, Rachel chooses to bring her hand mirror. Although this ends up being helpful to the entire family in the Congo, it being the only mirror for miles, this proves that Rachel is focusing on subjects that really aren’t that important in life. She would not need that mirror for survival. Once the Price family arrives in the Congo, Rachel does not show a sign of development. Even after months of living in the Congo, Rachel is still egotistical and materialistic. It is clear that all she thinks about are unimportant concepts when she says, “When he spoke of diamonds I naturally thought of Marilyn Monroe in her long gloves and pursey lips.” (p. 127). She continues to focus on things that are insignificant and tends to miss the more meaningful point and reasoning. Rachel views Africa in a very judgmental manner. She often judges all of the people around her who are different from her. She doesn’t understand how the Congolese could possibly do some of the things that they do, which are just their culture and traditions. “Girls, why all they ever do around here is start having babies when they’re about ten.” (p. 126). She can’t learn to accept their ways of life as not worse than hers, but different. It seems that she sees herself as higher than the natives of the Congo, and she often thinks this in ways based on their appearance. “If I were a Congolese girl I’m afraid I’d have to say thanks but no thanks on Anatole. He has scars all over his face.” (p. 125). Rachel can’t seem to get past her judgmental personality. She has difficulty looking to deeper meaning about things and learning to accept the people and culture in the Congo.
1. I believe that rachel is one of the few characters in this book who did not have a very momentous change, but a very small one. at the beginning of the reading she hated afrrica just as much as she does now and yearns for home and normalcy even more. Since the beginning of the novel rachel has been completely self absorbed and unwilling to do anything. but there were two things that marked a tiny tiny change. First, the comercials. She tried to cheer people up. previously, she would never do anything except complain that they were so far from the land of record players and coke. But she saw how distraught everyone was and tried to lighten the mood, marking a small change. Next, she worked on a hope chest. Though it benefitted her, at least she was doing work. She would have never so much as thought of doing anything productive before. As Adah says "Rachel is above manual labor" (135) but now, even though its not manual labor and she is benefitting from working, at least its SOMETHING. So I guess rachel really DOES change. First she tjhinks of others, then she does something productive. That's more than can be said at the beginning of the book.
2. Rachel despises Africa. There is nothing in it she seems to approve of. But maybe its not africa so much that she hates, but home that she misses. At the beginning, it was more about Africa, the natives pulling at her hair, the lack of real food etc. But in the later parts of the reading her grievences are focused on her absence from her previous life as opposed to the current life. she even throws a fit and says "Stay here? When everybody else gets to go home and do the bunnyhop and drink coke?" (177) These are small things but to rachel, they mean the world and not having them in Africa, makes everything very painful.
In the second section of Poisonwood Bible, Rachel begins to slowly develop more. In the previous chapters of the book, she remained as a girl unwilling to do any work or anything useful. She did nothing and complained day after day. Now, the situation for the Price family has changed. After the independence of the Congolese, the family begins to lose their wealth. Because the “50 dollars a month had made us richer than anybody,” once the mission league stopped supporting them, they were left with an income of 0 dollars a month. This along with the fact that Orleanna and Ruth May become ill cause Rachel to begin to act more as a responsible member of the family. As the oldest, Rachel realizes that it is her duty to be the main supplier of the family because her father was never around, and didn’t even care for the welfare of the family. She along with Adah and Leah devise a plan to continue to feed the family and keep everyone alive. Although “having Rachel in charge was very much as if Mrs. Donna Reed from television suddenly showed up to be your mother,” she was still doing something. Rachel begins to understand that now that they are in such a difficult situation, she must step up and become the responsible elder that she should be. She becomes the chef of the household, and although her meals always turn out terrible, she is actually trying to do something useful. Feeding the family is a very big responsibility to take on, and although she does not perform this task especially well, she certainly tries to.
Rachel still despises Africa. Like the rest of the girls in the family, she is desperate to get out. She goes through day after day wishing for a miracle to help her escape these lands and return home to where it is safe. When Brother Fowles and his wife visit Rachel tries to “say to Ms. Fowles with just my eyes. Get us out of here! Send a bigger boat!” (256). She is tempted to “slip them a note, like a captivated spy girl in the movies: Help! Get me out of here!” (254). Rachel feels even more strongly about her hate towards Africa than she had in the beginning, and it is getting to the point where she claims that she is willing do anything to escape.
In this next section of Poisonwood, Rachel is sort of forced to develop more and mature. In this part of the book, the chief wants to marry Rachel, and in order to prevent him from marrying her, she pretends to be engaged to Axelroot. Because of this situation that she is being thrust into, she has to quickly mature. Right when she finds out about the marriage, Rachel realizes that she must act mature, but finds herself still acting a bit childish. “When Tata Ndu comes to our house, Jeez oh man. I can’t even stand to look at him looking at me…sometimes I do unladylike things like scratch myself” (268). In time though, once she begins spending more time with Axelroot, she tries to act more mature, and more like an adult in order to make Axelroot think this. “I laughed and started to remind him that I’m not old enough, but then realized, by gosh, I was seventeen years old. I could smoke if I wanted to” (289). Because she just turned a yeah older, Rachel is now trying to develop into and act as a real lady, in order to prove to Axelroot that she is.
Rachel still continues to dislike living in the Congo. It is clear that because of the marriage situation that she is places in, she is feeling expecially strong towards leaving the Congo. “My family is thinking of everything but my personal safety. The instant we get back to Georgia I am filing for an adoption” (268). This circumstance that she is in is causing her to hate living in Africa even more. She also expresses that this year has been worse than the first year when she says “Two birthdays now I have had in the Congo, and I thought the first one was the worst there could be” (274). Rachel is continuing to despise spending her teen years in Africa.
In this reading of poisonwood bible, Rachel finds herself in an uncomfortable position. Tats Ndu wants to marry her and to make it seem like she can't marry him she has to appear already engaged to Axelroot. waht is so interesting about this is that at the beginning of the book, even though "she'd stop whatever she was doing and scream with disgust," (266) she'd really enjoy the attention because of her love of being in the spot light. but now she realizes that its not always a good thing when she says "I always wanted to be the belle of the ball, but, jeepers, is this ever the wrong ball." (269) this is a very important moment for rachel. It shows how just a year in a foreign place can make someone once completely self involved, a little more humble. And for Rachel, it makes a difference.
Rachel, of course still despises the congo. she compares her 1st birthday there to her second birthday, thinking at first that her first birthday there was the "lowest a girl can go" (274). She hated not getting presents and spending "tender teenage years in aforeign land." (274) but then she got to her next birthday. wearing the same clothes as last year and having no one notice that it was her birthday, she realizes that she was wrong. her birthday this year was the worst because of being in africa and all those things that happen because they are in africa. it could not be clearer that she continues to hate the place with every fiber of her being.
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