Midnight Dreams

Please read both my essay, and the poem above it.

Lost

The end of the day,
it has come, to move us
to the next.
Although we've had so much
experiences
we've all come out
knowing that much more.
Although it is the end,
we are not lost, never lost.

Dedicated to Mr. Johnson and our English Class

The Bean Trees

The world you live in, it seems as though you are inferior; you are simply there to take care of everyone else, you have no other purpose. In The Bean Trees, women are seen as tools, people who don't have much of a reason to be there, people who do not have the same right as men. Barbara Kingsolver tells us that anyone can be who or what they want to be in life, regardless of gender or upbringing, and also expresses her views on both our current culture, and culture during her time.

In the beginning of the novel, Taylor(or Marietta, at the time) is narrating her childhood, how that throughout high school, only her and a handful of other girls made it through it all. Already Kingsolver is driving the point home of equality. During the time in which the book was written(1988), some places were like this, where women that were anything more than housewives were a rarity. However, Marietta's first real achievement in her life isn't the only one she'll have, and Kingsolver makes examples out of that as well.

Another example of Marietta's difference from other women is her decision to change her name. While some people may think that changing her name is simply because she doesn't want it, the true reason is how she is making a new perspective on life. She wants a new life, and she isn't afraid to get it. She also decides to end up somewhere, and then make her new life there. However, at this point, Kingsolver is done with that view, and begins to speak through Taylor, a whole new view on modern culture.

When Taylor has met Lou Ann, and they are eating junk food in the basement with no regard for it, the author is trying to tell us something that many won't see. A common ritual in many, if not all, religions is giving thanks for having a meal at the end of the day. However, when Taylor and Lou Ann are described as eating “without care”, the author is saying that now, we never see a family, commercially, or publicly, give thanks for their food before they eat. What she means by that is that we are losing a sense of faith, of religion. In the book we just read, The Power and The Glory, religion is a huge part of it, and in both this book and that, religion is sometimes either abused, or altogether lost.

An example of that is 1-800-THE-LORD. This phone number is for people that feel they want to thank god, and to make a pledge. What it really means, is that we sometimes insult our beliefs and religion without knowing. Having God used as a money-maker is something nobody should do, because it is something sacred, and profiting from greed, using religion, is despicable. Another reason(at first), is Jesus Is Lord Uses Tires. At first, the name just seems like something used to attract more customers. However, when Taylor finds that it is a sanctuary, the name suddenly means that much more. All of these things tie into what Kingsolver thinks America should be, and what it is right now.

Our country is at times, frankly, at an all time low. We, as a people, should give more respect to our beliefs, and faiths. Kingsolver wants to drive this home, in The Bean Trees. She tells us that any and all can be who they want to be, but at the same time, not to lose our belief, and ourselves, while doing it.