Relationships With Power In Octavia Butler's Kindred

As Dana soon discovers, the reality of slavery is even more disturbing than its portrayal in books, movies, and television programs. Before her journey into the past, Dana called the temp agency where she worked a "slave market," even though "the people who ran it couldn't have cared less whether or not you showed up to do the work they offered."

Octavia Butler's short story “Bloodchild,” reinvents normative ideas of gender, power, and reproduction to demonstrate the discrepancies created by the aforementioned constructed ideals in society, both fictional and otherwise. Through the idea of embracing one’s differences Butler also builds the notion that the “Other,” in the short story is not simple because she assigns humanity to both the Tlics and Terrans creating a gray area for who is viewed as “Other,” which tells us that Butler’s idea of other is non-existent rather she focuses on accepting diversity of thought and appearance.

Dana, the narrator of Kindred the idea of what it means to be a monster comes up upon the violent treatment on the part slave owners. Dana believes there is a reasonable explanation of why Mr. Weylin acted the way he

Because Dana is both a woman and an African-American, a member of both an oppressed race and sex, she has two key distinguishing features that separate her from their white, male understanding. This lack of understanding from Kevin is clearly demonstrated in The Fall, Section 7, when Kevin mentions that “This (the antebellum South) could be a great time to live in,” and that he keeps “thinking of what an experience it would be to stay in it – go West and watch the building of the country, see how much of the Old West mythology is true.” Dana responds the West is “where they’re doing it to the Indians instead of the blacks!” Dana then mentions that Kevin “looked at me strangely. He had been doing that a lot lately.”

As the world has grown throughout the centuries, females have generally been under the domination of males. This remained culturally entrenched until the late nineteenth century, when women began to appear in public more often and also began to join alongside men in the work force. In the network of employees and employers in the emerging institution of the Parisian department store, men and women depended on each other for survival in the workplace. Such interdependence is a microcosm of the bourgeois French society during that time, which Emile Zola wrote of in The Ladies’ Paradise, the eleventh book of the Rougon-Macquart series detailing middle-class life. According to Professor Brian

Kevin giving away her position by squawking- Naivety and innocence. The trust that people wouldn’t harm her and there’s nothing to worry about is soon re-evaluated whilst being chased by dogs.

The book follows Dana who is thrown back in time to live in a plantation during the height of slavery. The story in part explores slavery through the eye of an observer. Dana and even Kevin may have been living in the past, but they were not active members. Initially, they were just strangers who seemed to have just landed in to an ongoing play. As Dana puts it, they "were observers watching a show. We were watching history happen around us. And we were actors." (Page 98). The author creates a scenario where a woman from modern times finds herself thrust into slavery by account of her being in a period where blacks could never be anything else but slaves. The author draws a picture of two parallel times. From this parallel setting based

The novel under the title Kindred is a magnificent literary piece created by renowned African-American fantasy writer and novelist of contemporary times Octavia Butler. This superb piece encompasses the most burning issues and problems faced by the African-American community. The novel throws light on the pathetic condition of the black slaves and vehemently condemns domestic violence and slavery inflicted and imposed upon the black stratum of the American society. The novel also discusses atrocities and hatred exercised upon the African Americans on the basis of racial and ethnic discrimination prevailing in the society. Butler points out the communication gap between spouses and family members, which adds to the misery of the black

It was dangerous for Dana because she spoke as the educated women that she was, so when talking with someone new they would comment on her educated speech. “It was dangerous to educate slaves, they warned. Education made blacks dissatisfied with slavery. It spoiled them for field work. The Methodist minister said it made them disobedient, made them want more than the Lord intended them to have. “(Butler, 236). With the lack of education given to the slaves it is hard to know and understand just how bad things truly got. When Dana time- travels she is treated as one of the slaves because she doesn’t have papers saying that she is freewomen, considering she is living in the 1900s. Throughout the novel Dana protects Rufus from many things because she sees it as crucial for her to help because if he were to die then her life could be altered drastically. Those who helped free the slaves as Kevin did when he got taken back in time are also seemingly forgotten. With the risk of getting caught, whether it was teaching the slaves or assisting them to run away. Those whether black or white put their lives on the line to help those who couldn’t help

By taking this course “women write the world”, I have more a few reflections to offer in terms of the meaning of writing the world from the points of view of women, the three out of five influential and powerful novels introduced through the course and also my favorite book and character.

Tamra and Simon reflect how dependency and power can exist in marriage. In the video we can clearly see that the person with most power is Simon. He was able to pull her aside even though she did not want to. He did not acknowledge her feelings. He also made sure that she was not discussing their private information with her friend. We can also that the one that depended on the relationship was Tamra. Simon was able to walk away from that their relationship quickly. However, Tamra states that she was always the one that chased Simon when he walked away. I have seen these dynamics in relationship around me. In these kind of marriage you can tell who has the power by their behavior toward the other person. The person who is dependent on the relationship

The novel The Lady of the Rivers follows the story of a noblewoman, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, during the early to mid-1400s. She enters the world of politics at age seventeen when she is married to the Duke of Bedford. When he dies, she falls in love with and marries a squire, which was not socially acceptable because he was below her rank. However, she eventually regains her position and becomes a close friend and advisor of the queen of England, Margaret of Anjou. However, the country begins to break down as battles between political figures begin. Political and military battles are prominent in the novel as they are centers of conflict throughout the book. Philippa Gregory’s The Lady of the Rivers accurately portrays the extensive power struggle

In paragraphs three through seven, Brady provides the reader with what she desires in a wife. Through repetition and tone, she shows the reader the unrealistic roles of a wife.

Only the best tactics and the quickest decisions can insure a win in a fight for survival. Dana Franklin, the main character in the novel Kindred, has what it takes to take on the cruel South and use those qualities to ensure survival. Due to a mysterious and confusing power she acquires, Dana can miraculously travel through time and reach her ancestors during the slavery period. With that power alone, she has to work hard to survive against the strongest, meanest, and craziest people she’s ever dreamed of to ensure the safety of herself and whom she cares. In addition to working hard, Dana has to witness and carry out what horrors fighting and struggling in the antebellum South was like. In Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Dana is seen fighting,

In her transformation of the well-known fable "Little Red Riding Hood," Angela Carter plays upon the reader's familiarity. By echoing elements of the allegory intended to scare and thus caution young girls, she evokes preconceptions and stereotypes about gender roles. In the traditional tale, Red sticks to "the path," but needs to be rescued from the threatening wolf by a hunter or "woodsman." Carter retells the story with a modern perspective on women. By using fantasy metaphorically and hyperbolically, she can poignantly convey her unorthodox and underlying messages.