Here's just a little something to think about.
"[Nelson] opened up the peg and I blew in the little hole and quick he said my name Nommo Bandu Nommo Bandu Nommo Bandu! and shut up the hole with the little peg and Now you are safe. He said now if anything happens to me, if I start fixing to die or somethig, hold on to this tight and bambula! Ruth May will disappear.
How do you know? But Nelson knows everything about the dead people.....
I dont want to disappear, I said.
But he said, Only if you are going to die. He said this way I won't die, i will just disappear for a second and then I'll turn up someplace safe...
You have to think of your safe place every day." (pp.239)
"Its a very odd thing to recall, that we all looked up. Not one of us looked at Ruth May. I cant say that Ruth May was even there with us, in that instant. Just for the moment it was as if she disappeared and her voice was thrown into the trees. Then she returned to us, but all that was left was an aweful silence...
I could only stare at Ruth May's bare left shoulder, where two red puncture wounds stood out like red beads on her flesh." (pp.363-64)
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Desperate times call for Desperate Measures
"Oh they cheered to see it. I have not seen so much cheering since a homecoming game. Everybody jumped for joy. Me too, at first, for I was thinking, Horray, a halfway decent meal at last. If I eat one more omlet i think i'll turn over easy and cluck. By the end of the day everybody was smeared with blood like creepy,, happy ghouls, and I couldnt bear to be one of them myself. Everything changed. The villagers transformed into brutish creatures before my very eyes, with their hungry mouths gaping wide." (pp. 350, said by Rachel)
It seems like necessities vary from continent to continent. One typical 'necessity' for Westerners is some kind of transport, like a car, to make it to work and school. The necessities of Africans come down to the nitty gritty- Food. In this chapter where the village used fire to surround jungle animals then shoot them because desperate times called for desperate measures, as Rachel says, it seemed as if everyone turned into savages. Even Leah, with her rebellious bow and error, shot and killed and skinned too.
The crazed actions of the people came from desperation, which made me think about my own life, what i myself have experienced, and what i have seen others go through.
Never have I been through this kind of need, but to compare to personal experience, if i DO need something, like a grade or something, I'll sacrifice sleep and a social life to get it. Not as crazy as risking their life and rounding up every person in their village to get what they need, but you get it.
Remember in a few chapters before this event? The lion ants (i think theyre called) all come out and destroy EVERYTHING. alone, a little ant cant do anything, but they got so depserate they worked together and created a catastrophe, injuring people, and destroying animals and crops and houses.
POINT BEING: desperate times can make people or things crazy enough to act out unlike they ever would. We can all relate, because we have social situations that provoke this at one time or another.
It seems like necessities vary from continent to continent. One typical 'necessity' for Westerners is some kind of transport, like a car, to make it to work and school. The necessities of Africans come down to the nitty gritty- Food. In this chapter where the village used fire to surround jungle animals then shoot them because desperate times called for desperate measures, as Rachel says, it seemed as if everyone turned into savages. Even Leah, with her rebellious bow and error, shot and killed and skinned too.
The crazed actions of the people came from desperation, which made me think about my own life, what i myself have experienced, and what i have seen others go through.
Never have I been through this kind of need, but to compare to personal experience, if i DO need something, like a grade or something, I'll sacrifice sleep and a social life to get it. Not as crazy as risking their life and rounding up every person in their village to get what they need, but you get it.
Remember in a few chapters before this event? The lion ants (i think theyre called) all come out and destroy EVERYTHING. alone, a little ant cant do anything, but they got so depserate they worked together and created a catastrophe, injuring people, and destroying animals and crops and houses.
POINT BEING: desperate times can make people or things crazy enough to act out unlike they ever would. We can all relate, because we have social situations that provoke this at one time or another.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Bigger picture
Orleanna Price says something that is somewhat relate-able to myself.
(pp. 323)
"From the next five months.of Lumumba's imprisonment, escape and recapture, I recall- what?
The hardships of washing and cooking in a drought. A humiliating event in the church, and rising contentions in the village. Ruth May's illness, of course. And a shocking scrap with Leah, who wanted to go hunting with the men. I was occupied so much by each day, I felt detached from anything so large as a month o a year. history didn't cross my min. Now it does. Now I know, whatever your burdens, to hold yourself apart from the lot of more powerful men is an illusion."
This speaks to me in a way because sometimes it feels like I look back on a time of my life where things seemed to be falling apart, or situations felt so overwhelming and took over everything that was going on. It distracted me from the bigger picture in life. Usually this has to do with grades. I find that happened a lot during the duration of high school. Yes, grades are important, but from a Christian perspective, they're not anything close to what i should be living for.
I'd like other ppl's views on if this has ever felt familiar in your life, too. Being distracted from something huge by something small yet it seemed big.
(pp. 323)
"From the next five months.of Lumumba's imprisonment, escape and recapture, I recall- what?
The hardships of washing and cooking in a drought. A humiliating event in the church, and rising contentions in the village. Ruth May's illness, of course. And a shocking scrap with Leah, who wanted to go hunting with the men. I was occupied so much by each day, I felt detached from anything so large as a month o a year. history didn't cross my min. Now it does. Now I know, whatever your burdens, to hold yourself apart from the lot of more powerful men is an illusion."
This speaks to me in a way because sometimes it feels like I look back on a time of my life where things seemed to be falling apart, or situations felt so overwhelming and took over everything that was going on. It distracted me from the bigger picture in life. Usually this has to do with grades. I find that happened a lot during the duration of high school. Yes, grades are important, but from a Christian perspective, they're not anything close to what i should be living for.
I'd like other ppl's views on if this has ever felt familiar in your life, too. Being distracted from something huge by something small yet it seemed big.
The Crazy Man.
Nathan Price...to sum it up...he's a clinical sociopath.
Basically Nathan's beliefs started after his experience in WWII, after being the only survivor, he views himself as a coward and unworthy of God's forgiveness. He ultimately decides to never be a coward again and devotes his life to saving as many souls as he possibly can. But its rather obvious from the beginning of the book that Nathan is anything BUT brave and only looking to help himself and not others (though I believe he actually thinks otherwise). His beliefs take on a simplistic outlook of not just morals, but everyday life.
Nathan became a missionary only to save his own soul, not to selflessly help other people, he is also egotistic to the max. and unable to face the real world with all of it's flaws.
Here's the scary part, Nathan not only seems to lack compassion for his own family but also seems to despise them. He does not like the idea of female intelligence,thus the irony of having an entire female family. He spreads God's name only because he feels that "God is watching him" and disapproves of any other behaviour. Nathan also deals with sexual urges (similar to Frollo from the hunchback of Notre Dame...if I'm the only loser who remembers that movie) and that is a big reason to why he hates and resents his family. Basically Nathan Price is abusive, sexist, majorly corrupted, and flat out crazy!
Basically Nathan's beliefs started after his experience in WWII, after being the only survivor, he views himself as a coward and unworthy of God's forgiveness. He ultimately decides to never be a coward again and devotes his life to saving as many souls as he possibly can. But its rather obvious from the beginning of the book that Nathan is anything BUT brave and only looking to help himself and not others (though I believe he actually thinks otherwise). His beliefs take on a simplistic outlook of not just morals, but everyday life.
Nathan became a missionary only to save his own soul, not to selflessly help other people, he is also egotistic to the max. and unable to face the real world with all of it's flaws.
Here's the scary part, Nathan not only seems to lack compassion for his own family but also seems to despise them. He does not like the idea of female intelligence,thus the irony of having an entire female family. He spreads God's name only because he feels that "God is watching him" and disapproves of any other behaviour. Nathan also deals with sexual urges (similar to Frollo from the hunchback of Notre Dame...if I'm the only loser who remembers that movie) and that is a big reason to why he hates and resents his family. Basically Nathan Price is abusive, sexist, majorly corrupted, and flat out crazy!
Change in faith for Leah
"I felt the breath of God go cold on my skin"
Leah has been questioning her faith for quite some time now, but now that she is with Anatole, her love for him replaced her father's vision of God, as her faith, so really... love conquers all! (as lame as that sounds).
Leah also realizes that life isn't just about doing going deeds and then being rewarded for them. This does not necessarily mean that she's turned her back on God, only that she's moved away from the close-minded faith her father has been pushing on his family, for her entire life. She instead has the chance to set her own morals and beliefs. This is a huge turning point in the book, for all of the girls, showing their independence from their father.
Leah has been questioning her faith for quite some time now, but now that she is with Anatole, her love for him replaced her father's vision of God, as her faith, so really... love conquers all! (as lame as that sounds).
Leah also realizes that life isn't just about doing going deeds and then being rewarded for them. This does not necessarily mean that she's turned her back on God, only that she's moved away from the close-minded faith her father has been pushing on his family, for her entire life. She instead has the chance to set her own morals and beliefs. This is a huge turning point in the book, for all of the girls, showing their independence from their father.
Language!
Throughout the book I realized that each of the girls have their own connection to language. Rachel misuses words, and seems to enjoy doing so. Adah reads words backwards (maybe dyslexic?). Ruth May uses her imagination to create her own language. Finally Leah, spends time with Anatole through language lessons.
Then I thought that maybe these different language aspects represent the girls different personalities. Rachel is somewhat close-minded and doesn't see past her own little world. Adah is very observant, and notices things in just a glance, that others may not see. Ruth May is an adventurer, and loves to play around with her imagination. Leah uses love to view the world around her and also uses love to create connections with the people.
Then I thought that maybe these different language aspects represent the girls different personalities. Rachel is somewhat close-minded and doesn't see past her own little world. Adah is very observant, and notices things in just a glance, that others may not see. Ruth May is an adventurer, and loves to play around with her imagination. Leah uses love to view the world around her and also uses love to create connections with the people.
Symbolism
"to build up a big fire first with good, stout wood and then cook while the coals die slowly down. Rachel could never get the hang of that. She was trying to start the fire and cook all at once, which will never get you anywhere. You can't keep a new fire low; it must grow or die. Nelson taught me that." (pp.241)
This quote said by Leah has meaning deeper than the overlying message. Kind of like an extended message into the life of the Congo, relating to the Price family. One way it relates to this family is when you look at Nathan Price. He's trying to build his fire way too fast when it comes to spreading the Gospel. That will never get him anywhere.
"God will know the difference!...God despises a coward who runs while others stand and suffer." (pp.218)
This quote said by Leah has meaning deeper than the overlying message. Kind of like an extended message into the life of the Congo, relating to the Price family. One way it relates to this family is when you look at Nathan Price. He's trying to build his fire way too fast when it comes to spreading the Gospel. That will never get him anywhere.
"God will know the difference!...God despises a coward who runs while others stand and suffer." (pp.218)
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