Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Butler s Kindred Essay - 1043 Words
First published in 1979, Octavia E. Butlerââ¬â¢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 Boisââ¬â¢ theory of double-consciousness. Duboisââ¬â¢ 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 Butlerââ¬â¢s use of Kindredââ¬â¢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. Dana finds herself travelling between her present day life in 1976 and her ancestral plantation of 1815 ââ¬â two time periods that represent two opposite concepts of her identity as an African-American woman. In the beginning of the novel, Danaââ¬â¢s identity is constructed strictly through the lens of her experiences as a modern African-American woman, and she defines herself solely through these contemporary constructs and experiences. Her experiences of time travel cause her to alter her self-identity from that of the modern woman to one based on her life as a slave in antebellum Maryland, experiencing and overcoming racial and gendered oppression. Essentially, we follow Dana as she attempts to reconcile her historical, fragmented reality. This fragmented sense of self creates a double-consciousness for Dana,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Octavia Butler s Kindred912 Words à |à 4 PagesOften when critics read Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢s Kindred, the focus of the novel is often o n the bodies of the black people who lived during this era. However, the narrative itself is fascinating in the way it confronts history in order to deconstruct it and rebuild it. Danaââ¬â¢s journey to antebellum Maryland enables the reader to take a new look at characters they though they knew, like Sarahââ¬â¢s role as the ââ¬Å"mammy.â⬠Butlerââ¬â¢s blending of the Neo-slave narrative genre and Fantasy allows her protagonist to getRead MoreOverview. Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢S Kindred Focuses On The Perspective1731 Words à |à 7 PagesOverview Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢s Kindred focuses on the perspective of a black female within two drastically different societies ranging from the ideals of colonialism to a society of change and acceptance. Butler utilizes Danaââ¬â¢s position in society to portray the cruelty of slavery and the power that society can have on the ideals and morals of individuals, such as the developing character of Rufus. Throughout the book, the issue of slavery is addressed through a multitude of different themes that spanRead MoreKindred : A Narrative Of African American Slaves And White Slave Owners Essay933 Words à |à 4 PagesOctavia Butlerââ¬â¢s novel Kindred is a narrative regarding African American slaves and White slave owners in the 1816. Butler accounts regarding slavery are depicted through time travel from 1976 to 1816 by a character named Dana. The novel explores many different themes and providing many different messages. The theme of time travel is used as an outlet to connect the rea der to the fact that slavery has had a lasting impact on past and present day societies. One message that Butler provides to the readerRead Moreviolence in kindred1237 Words à |à 5 PagesLevytan ENG4U Mr. Patrick August 7th, 2015 Is the Violence in Kindred Necessary? In modern society, violence is unquestionably looked down upon. With any type of inhumane abuse, there is a strict set of laws in place to protect victims. However, this was not always the case. In Octavia Butlerââ¬â¢s book Kindred, she does not hesitate in intensely describing the unjust and violent exploitation of power by white people against blacks within the 1800ââ¬â¢s. Even more so, she uses violence as a dominant theme throughoutRead MoreAnalysis Of The Writing Style Of Octavia Butler1432 Words à |à 6 PagesSeminar 25 September 2017 First Essay Assignment Kindred By Octavia Butler The writing style of Octavia Butler is heavily influenced by her historical period and her life experiences. This is evident through investigation of her historical period, life experiences, her novel; Kindred. Butlerââ¬â¢s writing is a unique mixture of neo- slave narratives, exaggerated tales, cultural rituals, fantasy, folklore, science fiction, and spirituality. Butler uses science fiction and fantasy as a means of exploitingRead MoreCapitalism and Oppression in The Hunger Games and Kindred1535 Words à |à 7 Pages The novels The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Kindred by Octavia Butler both contain examples of oppression created and/or worsened by the capitalist society in which they are set. In The Hunger Games, Collins creates a futuristic society of severe class inequality in which the children of the poor are killed for the political benefit and entertainment of the rich. Kindred is primarily set on a 19th century American slave plantation and examines the institution slavery in a fictional contextRead MoreKindred, By Octavia Butler1061 Words à |à 5 Pagesnarrative, Kindred, gives a glimpse into how life was for African Americans during slavery in the Antebellum South. Kindred serves as a time portal between the 1800s and the year 1976. As the main character Dana goes from an 1800ââ¬â¢s plantation to her home in 1976 it is obvious that time period changed, however being that Dana is constantly back and forth between the two times, she is able to see exactly how drastic the chang e was and what liberties she took for granted by living in 1976. Kindred is toldRead More Octavia Butlers Kindred vs. Harriet Jacobs Incidents In The Life of a Slave Girl1021 Words à |à 5 PagesOctavia Butlers Kindred vs. Harriet Jacobs Incidents In The Life of a Slave Girl According to the conventions for slave narratives, it is possible to categorize Kindred by Octavia Butler as a slave narrative. However, the circumstances that take Dana back in time are imaginative and fantastical compared to slave narratives such as Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. While reading Kindred, one doesnt really get the experience of the slaves, but how Dana feels as sheRead More Octavia Butlers Kindred Essay514 Words à |à 3 PagesOctavia Butlers Kindred Throughout the novel Kindred, Butler compared and contrasted modern African Americans with African Americans that were slaves in the novel. Some of the many ways she compares them are through education, work ethic, and their personal feelings about and/or how they handle their own slavery. Education is very important to the blacks that were enslaved in the novel. The slaves valued education even more than the modern African Americans like Dana who hadRead MoreThe s Kindred Are No Different Essay1379 Words à |à 6 Pagesmaternal figure or other members of the family. The families depicted in Butlerââ¬â¢s Kindred are no different. As I will demonstrate, Dana represents this maternal figure in the slave family at the Weylin house and in the Weylin family. Furthermore, I will also explain how Dana keeps both familial groups functional by making the most constructive decisions for each family as a whole. In other words, In Kindred, Octavia Butler uses the motif of motherhood to illustrate that familial bonds require a leading
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