POISONWOOD BIBLE: CHARACTERIZATIONS

POISONWOOD BIBLE: CHARACTERIZATIONS

Syntax

Rachel uses a colon instead of a comma and also uses italics. These add drama to her declarative sentences. She is not merely stating her personal opinion on the Congo, but what she believes is the overall perception.

Tone

Rachel's tone throughout the passage is disgusted and unenthused. Rachel uses words such as "slick" and "smelly" to describe a riverbank describes as beautiful by her sisters in other places. She seems to be grasping at things to criticize when she describes the Kwilu River as not "chilly and wide" like the River Jordan, but "lazy" and "as warm as bathwater." She seems intent on hating the Congo, and this refusal to open her mind to something different is perhaps why her character is so static throughout the novel, contrasting the change seen in each of her sisters.

DIFFERENCES

Rachel's passage differs tremendously from Leah's, Orleanna's, and Adah's.

Adah's passage describes the beauty of the land, and life in the Congo. She describes the nature as a "parade that never stops" trying to grab her attention.

Rachel states more of what the Congo is not, instead of describing it as it is. She also doesn't use as many "I" statements as the others do.

THESIS TEMPLATE

Rachel is characterized by her concrete diction and syntax, and judgemental tone.

DICTION

Rachel's diction throughout this passage portrays her negative and closed-minded opinion of the Congo. This is seen through her use of juxtaposition, similes, and strong syntax. She uses similes to juxtapose images of American pop-culture against her charged descriptions of the Congo. In stead of appreciating the unique beauty of the Congo, she describes "Gaudy orange flowers so large so that if you try to put one behind your ear, like Dorothy Lamoure, you would look like you were wearing a Melmac Soup bowl."