Connect the Biblical quotation from The Judges that introduces Book Three to the narrative in Book Three. 1. Explain the Biblical quotation itself and 2. Make the connections. Due: March 16
"And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars... They shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you."
The biblical Book of Judges tells of the times of the ancient Judges, who helped rule and guide the Israelites. This particular passage contains the words spoken by the Angel of the Lord to the Israelites at Bochim, reprimanding them for joining in on the acts of the people of that land. At first, I had quite a bit of trouble connecting this Bible verse with the story in Book Three. I was being too narrow-minded. In trying to apply every verse to the Price family and their situation, I was completely overlooking the possibility that they may apply to the people of Africa as well. If one analyzes this Bible verse in that way, especially the second part of this verse, the connection is obvious: "they shall be as thorn in your sides". After the chaos of independence, the Price family loses all measures of support from the mission service, being left on their own to survive in a turbulent new country. They have no money, they have no food, and they have no skill or experience to live on their own. They quickly fall into a despairing situation, facing both hunger and sickness. Like Leah says, "You know things are bad when a woman [ Mama Mwanza] without any legs and who recently lost two of her own children feels sorry for you" (Kingsolver 207). The Reverend was supposed to provide the people of Kilonga with God and Salvation, but instead he finds the very same Africans feeding and protecting his family from African natural forces, such as the dreaded nsongonya (Kingsolver 299). The Prices become the thorn on the village's side, sucking food and energy from an already meager supply. What is interesting is the way the last part of this Biblical passage ("their gods shall be a snare unto you") can be applied to the story. Although Nathan Price worships only one god instead of many, this divine entity is still like a snare for the African people. By accepting the Christian god, the Africans are also sucked into the political agenda of a "greedy nation" (Kingsolver 281), ranging from the diamond market to cheap labor in factories. The villagers are lured in with promises of salvation, stability, and prosperity, and soon become trapped in a dilemma that is much bigger than religion, and even bigger than Africa itself. The tables have turned, in a way: Africa may still be wild, dangerous territory, but it is now the Africans who have to be weary of the ever-changing, unpredictable force that is American foreign policy.
I am a teacher of AP English Literature and Composition, American Literature, Journalism and Creative Writing at Escuela Americana in San Salvador. This blog was developed for my AP English Literature class. Its original purpose was to allow two literary units to run simultaneously: Frankenstein would be an independent study via this blog, while the class time was devoted to Informal essays. Since then it has been a way to add depth to several literary units.
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"And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars... They shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you."
The biblical Book of Judges tells of the times of the ancient Judges, who helped rule and guide the Israelites. This particular passage contains the words spoken by the Angel of the Lord to the Israelites at Bochim, reprimanding them for joining in on the acts of the people of that land.
At first, I had quite a bit of trouble connecting this Bible verse with the story in Book Three. I was being too narrow-minded. In trying to apply every verse to the Price family and their situation, I was completely overlooking the possibility that they may apply to the people of Africa as well. If one analyzes this Bible verse in that way, especially the second part of this verse, the connection is obvious: "they shall be as thorn in your sides". After the chaos of independence, the Price family loses all measures of support from the mission service, being left on their own to survive in a turbulent new country. They have no money, they have no food, and they have no skill or experience to live on their own. They quickly fall into a despairing situation, facing both hunger and sickness. Like Leah says, "You know things are bad when a woman [ Mama Mwanza] without any legs and who recently lost two of her own children feels sorry for you" (Kingsolver 207). The Reverend was supposed to provide the people of Kilonga with God and Salvation, but instead he finds the very same Africans feeding and protecting his family from African natural forces, such as the dreaded nsongonya (Kingsolver 299). The Prices become the thorn on the village's side, sucking food and energy from an already meager supply.
What is interesting is the way the last part of this Biblical passage ("their gods shall be a snare unto you") can be applied to the story. Although Nathan Price worships only one god instead of many, this divine entity is still like a snare for the African people. By accepting the Christian god, the Africans are also sucked into the political agenda of a "greedy nation" (Kingsolver 281), ranging from the diamond market to cheap labor in factories. The villagers are lured in with promises of salvation, stability, and prosperity, and soon become trapped in a dilemma that is much bigger than religion, and even bigger than Africa itself. The tables have turned, in a way: Africa may still be wild, dangerous territory, but it is now the Africans who have to be weary of the ever-changing, unpredictable force that is American foreign policy.
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