"'Jesus Christ is Bangala!' declares the Reverend every Sunday at the end of his sermon. Bangala means something precious and dear. But the way he pronounces it, it means the poisonwood tree. Praise the Lord, hallelujah, my friends! for Jesus will make you itch like nobody's business" (276).
This passage from Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible sets up the basis for the novels title. Kikongo, one of the indigenous languages of Congo, is very much based around tonality and emphasis. This makes it a language that is difficult for the casual learner to grasp. In the novel, the Reverend, who does not respect the people or the culture, does not take the time to fully understand Kikongo, and this causes comical and upsetting errors. Encounters with the poisonwood tree come up throughout the novel, but "Jesus Christ is Bangala!" is the most significant use of the tree as a symbol.
A Poisonwood Tree
Did the Reverend Nathan Price write his own Bible during the Price family mission in Africa? Were there such errors in the translation of his own sermons due to his carelessness that the Bible became convoluted to the point of being unrecognizable and even comical? The phrase "Poisonwood Bible" epitomizes the nature of the Price's mission to Africa in its misunderstanding, attempts, and failures. Adah Price speaks to this in her final narration of the novel, as she says,
"I am born of a man who believed he could tell nothing but the truth, while he set down for all time the Poisonwood Bible" (553).
I love this never heard of this tree bfore..I've been to fl. many times and never seen any signs on trees...saying poisonous tree..but they are beautiful trees.
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