Cory Kim

AP Literature
Book 1 Cornell Notes
1 Ruth May Price
Diction

because God made a big flood and

drowneded out the sinners. But Shem, Ham,
and Japheth got on the boat so they were
A-okay. (20)

Syntax

He said, I can talk like a native, listen here:

Ugga bugga bugga lugga. (21)

Detail

He said that means, Ill have me a drumstick

offn that little one with the curly yellow hair.
Our Sunday-school teacher Miss Bannie told
him to hush up. But I tell you what, she didnt
say one way or the other about them boiling
us in a pot and eating us up. So I dont
know. (21)

Tone

The other two brothers covered Noah up

with a blanket, but Ham busted his britches
laughing. When Noah woke up he got to hear
the whole story from the tattletale brothers.
(20)

Imagery

Then I got to feeling bad and upchucked on

the airplane, and it got all over a duffel bag
and the Donald Duck. I put that one under the
cushion so we dont have it anymore. (21)

Figurative Language

Mister Axelroot that flies the plane. He has

got the dirtiest hat you ever saw. (21)

Kingsolver uses southern diction and includes evidence of Ruths strong Christian values to
reinforce her as a common southern girl.

2 Ruth May Price

Diction

Well, here in Africa that temple has to do a

hateful lot of work in a day. She said, Why,
Nathan, here they have to use their bodies
like we use things at homelike your clothes
or your garden tools or something. Where
youd be wearing out the knees of your
trousers, sir, they just have to go ahead and
wear out their knees!(53)

Syntax

They wont talk about the bad things in front

of my sisters, but me I can listen all the
livelong day while Im getting me a banana in
the kitchen house and peeling it. (51)

Detail

One of them is a girl, because of her dress.

Its purple plaid, and its ripped right open on
the bodice so one of her nipples shows, but
she just runs around a-wearing it anyway like
she never noticed and neither did anybody.
She has shoes too. They used to be white
but now theyre dirt-color. (50)

Tone

She was sewing us some window curtains

out of dress material so they wouldnt be
looking in at us all the time, and had pins in
her mouth. She took the pins out and said to
him, (53)

Imagery

Hes near about big, like my sisters, but

doesnt wear a thing on Gods green earth
but an old gray shirt without any buttons and
baggy gray underpants. (50)

Figurative Language

He has a big old round belly with his belly

button sticking out like a black marble. (50)

Kingsolver, using Ruths witty sense of humor, characterizes her to be still slightly disturbed by
the nonchalant reaction of the natives when around amputees.

Book 1 Summaries
Leah Price
Leah begins with a list of basic needs that she once carried back home. She is surprised by
the limited quantity of belongings allowed, leaving only room for necessities. Being from
Georgia, Leah, with her family, is going to Africa on a mission trip. At the end, Leah was
satisfied that the most valuable luggage had no weight: the word of God.
Rachel Price
The chapter begins with Rachel complaining about the body odor of the Congolese. Rachel is
very accustomed to her previous cushiony live in the Western world, but is now faced with the
horrors of possibly staining her hair. She also doesnt seem too devoted towards the religion
that brought them to Africa either. Especially disgusted by the local food, Rachel ends the
chapter by weeping for the sins that brought them to Africa.
Adah Price
Adah seems to see the world in a really weird way. She seems almost pretentious about it too.
Adah is also the twin of Leah Price, born with a disease leaving half her body still. Adah doesnt
really speak but rather describes the scenery of the village. She seems to have an odd belief
that her sister Leah was responsible for her hemiplegia, which leaves half of her brain
obsolete. Being soft spoken, Adah likes to ponder on a more philosophical level. She also has
a hubris based the idea that her silence gives her many advantageous cognitively.
Leah
Leah talks about how her sisters want to help their mother more, only because she stays inside
most of the time. She decides to help her father in the gardens. The garden would be for their
own food and for the Africans. While the two worked on the garden, Leahs father began asking
Leah about the labor that was left for them by God. Her father concluded that God created a
world of equal opportunity and benefits. They both screw up and plant the garden the wrong
way with the wrong plants, but the Reverend is too prideful to submit to a natives advice. He
ends up having an adverse reaction to a plant in the garden.
Rachel
With a persistent sourness, Rachel talks about the Congo Easter Sunday and how theyve had
to use the same clothing for every sunday. She also continues to point out flaws with the
indigenous people, including the ways they dress and fashion trends. The Reverend attempts
to host a mass baptism for the people, but fails to attract attention. Rather, he changes it to an

Easter picnic and pageant, which attracts many people. But in the end he is disappointed that
there was no baptism.
Adah
Adah continues to entertain herself in her thoughts. She also proves to be pretty-well read.
and can apparently laugh in her mind? Adah also claims that she is reserved when it comes to
showing her excellence academically and mentally. When she finishes a book, she also reads it
back to front. She then goes on about how a normal brain, unlike hers, cannot comprehend
reading backwards. Later a downpour begins, resulting in minor flooding. After the downpour,
the girls go out to explore what was left behind, and find remains of random things, eventually
finding their destroyed garden. Leah seems to be the only upset one. Their father comes out
and begins to work on it again.
Leah
With the recovery of the garden, Leah is excited by the progress of her fathers accomplishment.
With such a dense, jungle-like garden, the sisters are able to play hide-and-seek, despite their
mothers disapproval. The parrot, Methuselah, says damn in the presence of the Reverend,
who figures out that it must have learned it from one of the girls. He becomes angry and yells at
them asking who did it. All the girls know it was their mother, but nobody confesses.
Adah
In the beginning, the Reverend uses an unconventional technique to get a lot of fish. But it
turns out to be pointless as nobody eats the fish. Afterwards, he tries to baptize and impose his
religion onto the locals. But it doesnt really work out. Then towards the end, the family has a
conversation about how a Mercedess fanbelt was replaced with a grass-woven replacement
belt by African children.
Leah
The Reverend tries to baptize the locals again. It fails, and one local, Mama Tataba, claims that
shes leaving but offers to give some last bits of guidance. Leahs father then begins to talk
about how no fruit is growing because only hostile insects like wasps reside in Africa instead of
bees. He then impatiently points out that nobody wants to be baptized because of the local fear
of crocodiles in the river. Still angry, he somehow gets angry at what the parrot was saying, and
throws it out the cage. But the parrot, before hitting the ground, is able to free its wings and fly
away.