In the 1979 novel, Kindred, Octavia E. Butler writes of an African American woman who is "called" by her ancestor Rufus Weylin, who is the son of a plantation owner, to not only keep him alive, but also to ensure that her (what would be several times) grandmother is born. Though the novel is told from Dana 's (the main character) point of view, there are several instances where the reader is given a glimpse into the background of other characters ' lives, which helps the reader to gain a new perspective. In Kindred, perspective is key to understanding how the dark years of slavery shaped the views of both the slaves and Whites. This essay will analyze as well as compare five different dichotomies of characters ' views and experiences of …show more content…
Not only was the country divided on the issue of slavery as a whole, but the Abolition movement was divided as well as to what to do with the slaves once they were free. The early ideas of Abolition were to send them back to Africa. However, after many generations of true African descendants being born in America and being assimilated into slavery, some of their culture and knowledge of how to survive in Africa would have been lost. In addition to sending them to Africa, the issue arises of the possibility that they would be captured and resold into slavery. Another idea was to have the freed slaves stay in America but in doing so, it would challenge property rights, pushing a whole new matter into question. Although reform had its many problems, for the dream of slaves to be free to become a reality, it was necessary for them to survive.
For Dana to survive each trip that she takes into the past, she must adopt and assimilate into a culture that is completely different from the one she lives in the mid-seventies. To do this, she must play the role of a house slave which also means that she must accept the same treatment that house slaves receive. For instance, in chapter six of The Fall Margaret Weylin confronts Dana about her sleeping arrangement; in the heat of her questioning, Margaret slaps Dana and calls her a "filthy black whore" (Butler, 93). Back in the nineteenth century, this was an acceptable way (to most slave owners) to treat
He loses his hold on her hand, but “catches” her arm before she can “get away” (260). The negative effects of Rufus’s grip on Dana show how slavery affects America even today, just like Rufus from the past affects Dana’s arm in present times.
The turmoil of war offered other avenues for freedom and the idea of freedom petitions. Many slaves fought for the Americans and gained their freedom, but more slaves obtained their liberty from Britain. Abolition was happening after the Revolution; however, it was a drawn-out process and took a long time to get rid of the idea of having slaves. Abolition created a division between free and slave
Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred exemplifies the lesson that people should be given opportunities regardless of their appearance through accurate depiction of the stereotypes and relationships between races in America during the 1800s. Dana’s defiance to the norms set in place clearly displays that black people are capable of doing anything white people do, however, they need to be given equal opportunity to prove it. The entire community in the plantation is astounded because when Dana arrives she immediately defies the social standards set in place for black people at the time, let alone a black woman. She speaks similarly to a white person than a typical black woman during that time period; she does not have obedience to white people; and she
As Americans were moving west to fulfill the Manifest Destiny and conquering new territories, new boundaries for the Union were having to be shaped. With the northern states having officially abolished slavery since 1804, the argument over which territories would be free or not was now coming into play. The North and South have had differing opinions regarding slavery for over sixty years, but with the topic being kept out of most, if not all, political debates the dispute never seemed to come to a head. After the
This debate created much animosity between the north and south, and put into question the future of slavery. The south wanted to ensure its continuation of it’s a way of life, and the right to own slaves. They wanted to ensure that the new territories of the United States were free to choose for themselves whether or not slavery should be justified in their territory. This
The first issue was abolitionist movement wanted to end slavery and that was because colonist in the North didn’t want slaves to be part of the society unlike the colonist in the South. With that going on it started to divide the country really bad, by the 1830s many settlers was saying that slavery was a good thing and a lot of other settlers didn’t believe that. As time went the country grew worse and worse by the da, until eventually segregated by the settlers who want slaves and who didn’t, another reason would be that slaves were counted as three-fifths of a vote for the purpose of population and representation in the House of Representatives. The Constitution also prohibited the importation of slaves that begin in 1808, but have to manage without using the words slave or slavery. The last reason is that with the improvements of the cotton grin and the sewing machine increased the demand of slave labor in the US especially in the South. The
Northern and Southern states both had different ideas about slavery; the North wanted to ban it whereas the South wanted to keep slavery in all states. This disagreement led to many different disagreements that had to resolved with multiple
One of the main issues as to why there was a such a big debate over slavery was the Declaration of Independence. As written in the Declaration of Independence, “All men are free.” However, the North interpreted this as both white and black men are created equal while the south interpreted this
Slavery was one of the main issues that divided the North and the South. All of the Southern states allowed slavery, while most of the Northern ones didn’t. Both parties strongly believed that they were right and argued with others who didn’t feel the same way. One example of this is a letter written by the American Anti-Slavery Society to its new members: “...our object is, the overthrow of American slavery, the most atrocious and oppressive system of bondage that has ever existed in this country...we expect to correct...our slave--holding fellow-citizens, and convince them… of the immediate abolition of slavery. Slavery is un-American.” (Doc. 2a) This goes to show how abolitionists not only believed that they should get rid of slavery everywhere, but also thought of the South as detached from themselves.
Before the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the enactment of it 1865, the issue of slavery was dividing the nation. Many, mainly those in the Northern states, began to view slavery as immoral. Those in the Southern states didn’t agree with them, causing a secession
First published in 1979, Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred is a unique novel, which can be categorized both as a modern-day slave narrative, and as a science fiction time-travel tale. In the novel, Butler uses time-travel as a way to convey W.E.B. Du Bois’ theory of double-consciousness. Dubois’ theory is based on the idea that people of color have two identities, both struggling to reconcile in one being. His theory about the complex nature of the African-American experience directly relates to Butler’s use of Kindred’s protagonist, Dana, and her experience time travelling as a modern-day African-American woman, and her experience of a pre-abolition, nineteenth-century slave.
During the 19th century slavery was a very prominent and controversial issue between the north and the southern states. In the South, most people believed that slavery was a profitable way of life and if the slavery was to be abolished it would then affect their economy. On the hand the northern had different opinions about slavery and intended to stop it. The fact that the perception were different between the two led to a very difficult situation in resolving the issue.
Life for was harsh and arduous following up towards gaining freedom and after becoming a liberated for many African Americans during the 19th century. But soon after the political,social,and economic effects of slaves getting their freedoms back many bills or propositions were made to oppose the reform movement.
The controversy of racism scorches Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass written by Frederick Douglass himself. Douglass unveils the atrocious truth about slavery that was hidden for so many years. Every beating, every death, every malicious act was all recorded for the people of the U.S. to finally see the error of our ways. The short essay, Slavery as a Mythologized Institution, explains how people in that time period justified the disgusting behavior that was demonstrated regularly. Religion and intellectual inferiority were concepts that were used to manipulate the minds of everyone around into believing that practicing slavery was acceptable. However a very courageous man, Frederick Douglass challenges those beliefs. Douglass debunks the mythology of slavery in his narrative by rebuking the romantic image of slavery with very disturbing imagery, promotes his own views on the intellectual belief of slaves, and exposes the “system” for promoting the disloyalty among slaves.
Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred takes place in the ante-bellum southern United States while showing readers the struggles of that time period through the life of twenty-six year old, black women named Dana. Kevin, Dana’s white husband, who goes back in time with her also, shows us the abolitionist view while trying to save Rufus, Dana’s white relative. Between the struggle of black and white, and slave and master we see the struggle of their relationship both in present and past time. Before informing of their race Octavia informs the reader of Dana and Kevin’s love for each other before race rather than after. Dana and Kevin’s relationship highlights the negative views of society between the present and the