Theme Explanation: The Poisonwood Bible exemplifies the importance of language, particularly foreign languages. It is quite obvious that language plays a role in this work: a white, English-speaking Christian family moves into a wealthy, multicultural society. This new society has learned “easy” English phrases, but also speaks French and its native African languages. Language can be seen not only as a sign of knowledge and erudition, but a sign of closed-mindedness or open-mindedness. The language is associated with imperialism (especially in this novel, and especially in relation to the United States). Readers often find that stories about other cultures cast the English language as overbearing and inflexible. (English speakers believe that other cultures should learn their language.) Most important, however, is the transfer of meaning between languages. (Take the importance of bangala) – this also incorporates the importance of multicultural ignorance. But the transfer of meaning between languages ​​could have helped Nathan Price potentially reach the people of Kilanga: they may have seen Tata Jesus as loved rather than prurient! Language plays a huge role in everyday life: connotation, denotation, etymology, idioms, all these things come into play. We as English speakers sometimes have difficulty understanding certain expressions or accents: imagine the Price family trying to decipher French and Kilangan. Investigation of an Academic Article: In Alison Phipps' article "Unmoored: Language Pain, Porosity, and Poisonwood," Phipps explores the ideas of multilingualism, the "porosity" of language learning, the pain associated with language, and the Bible connection of Poisonwood to these ideas. Phipps explains the "moored world" as a world of comfort...... middle of paper.... ...to question their sense of linguistic superiority and adaptability. The reader is introduced to a huge variety of characters, all with their own attitudes towards language. The question of language, however, is not simply a question of English, French or Kilangan. Age plays a role in understanding some aspects of language, as does attitude towards others or oneself. The idea of ​​language is rarely addressed in classical literature. This makes Kingsolver's novel even more valuable in the literary realm. Language, however, is not the main focus of this novel. Therefore, the reader needs to look much, much closer at this issue. Careful reading leads to a better understanding of every message and theme in The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Works Cited Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel. New York: Harper Perennial, 1999, c. 1998. Print.