majority rules?

For homework, we were assigned to write a critical response on a significant passage in Bel and the Serpent, responding on our views of the literal meaning and deeper meaning in the book.

Tata Ndu turned directly to Father and spoke to him in surprising careful English, rolling his r's, placing every syllable like a stone in a hand. "Tata Price, white men have brought us many programs to improve our thinking," he said. "The program of Jesus and the program of elections. You say these thingss are good. You cannot say now they are not good."

In this scene, the citizens of Kilanga voted against Jesus, 11 to 56. Tata Ndu tells Nathan that the Americans have brought Jesus and elections but the people in Kilanga used the Western customs against itself. This shows that the Westerns try to impose a way of life for the people in the Congo that they obviously don't want. They belive in tradition, in respecting elders, nature and supernatural power. Tata Ndu says to Nathan, "Younger men listened to older men. Now the Beelezi tell us the vote of a young, careless man counts the same as the vote of an elder" (333). Nathan has the same attitude as the West, who seems to be superior in all sense. Nathan's stubbornness to see past his narrow minded thoughts and to adapt to the ways of the Congo is the key to his failure. For example, when he tried to plant his garden with American plants and the American way, he was faced with defeat. His plants grew fine but would not bear fruit. Also how he repeatedly says "bangala" and "batiza" in a way that doesn't mean dearly loved and baptism. He tells the Kilangan people that God is "poisonwood", and it is important "to terrify". Adah talks about how no ones even dares to tell Nathan of his linguistic differences, "No one has yet explained it to the Reverend. He is not of a mind to receive certain news" (214).

So when the West created the voting system, it was applied that "majority wins." However, in this sense, the West does not want the majority's opinion because the majority wants to stick with their old way of life, the life they know. This shows the arogance and superior air of the West and how they feel that they will always rule over the inferior Congo. Nathan was struck with the shocking truth when the votes were casted.