Students Entering AP/TaG English IV
2015 Summer Reading Assignment:
Barbara Kingsolver’s ThePoisonwood Bible
Summer Assignment:
Read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and come to the first day of class with your copy of the
novel and a critical understanding of the novel. You should use the following directions to help you
comprehend and analyze the novel.
The first days of class will be spent discussing and writing an analysis of the novel, so please come prepared to
ask questions, contribute your insights, and engage meaningfully with the text and classmates. Several grades
during the first weeks of school will stem from The Poisonwood Bible; including, but not limited to: quizzes,
Socratic Seminar discussion, stylistic and thematic annotations, timed writing, etc. We highly recommend you
make notes for yourself as you read to aid in understanding (annotations of the novel, notes on notebook paper,
sticky notes, etc.).
Novel Background Information:
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce,
evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them
everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—
is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing
and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the
Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to
install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African
nation of its autonomy.
Dancing between the dark comedy of human failings and the breathtaking possibilities of human hope,
The Poisonwood Bible possesses all that has distinguished Barbara Kingsolver's previous work, and extends this
beloved writer's vision to an entirely new level. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial
literature, this ambitious novel establishes Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern
****Note: It may be a good idea to research any of the concepts or historical references mentioned above that
may be unfamiliar to you (Belgian Congo, biblical allusions, postcolonial literature, etc.).
As you read: We suggest that students be in the habit of reading assigned novels twice—first for general
comprehension and enjoyment, second for analysis and critical observations. During the first reading, students
might respond solely with personal observations/questions. This first reading is your assessment of what the
novel means. The second reading should be focused on a) tracking thematic development and b) analyzing an
author’s style (literary and stylistic elements) as it contributes to the piece’s meaning. This second reading is
your gathering and evaluation of how the novel means
As you read, please look for and make notes on the following:
Thematic Concepts- (what)
● Cultural/spiritual arrogance
● Reaction to and coping with guilt
● Justice vs injustice
● Language and communication
Stylistic and Literary Elements that create meaning- (how)
● point of view, imagery, metaphor, allusion, personification, syntax/sentence structure, symbols,
symbols, repetition,
● motifs: vision, light and dark, language as both unifier and separator
We will also focus on the idea that, “Literature is the question minus the answer.”
Think about the questions the novel may be asking the reader—questions about society, human nature,
Does the novel provide any answers, or does the novel fail to answer those questions? How can you prove your
position You may want to make notes of these questions and possible answers (or lack of answers) and bring
them to class to aid in our discussions.
“To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible
From your AP Literature & Composition teachers, Mrs. Hengst and Mrs. Palmer