Octavia Butler Essay - 3243 Words

Table of Contents Page 1. A BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH OCTAVIA E. BUTLER Page 2 - 4. Biography Page 5 - 9. Synopsis Page 9 - 14. Analysis of Criticism Page 14 – 15. Influences on Society Page 16. Footnotes Page 17. Bibliography A BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH OCTAVIA E. BUTLER 1. Who is Octavia E. Butler? Where is she headed? Where has she been? Who am I? Im a 51-year-old writer who can remember being a 10-year-old writer and who expects someday to be an 80-year-old writer. Im also comfortably asocial - a hermit living in a city-a pessimist, a student, endlessly curious; a feminist; and African-American; a former Baptist; and an oil-and-water†¦show more content†¦Shortly after Butler was born, her father died leaving Butlers mother and grandmother to raise her. Octavia’s mother used to read her bedtime stories until she was six years old. As soon as she got to like the stories, her mother said, â€Å"Heres the book. Now you read.† She didnt know what she was setting her both up for. Just at the age of ten Octavia began to write short stories of fiction. Octavia lived most of her life in Pasadena. All through Junior High and High School, even college, Butler was a very shy person. She would not get up in front of class to do anything, her teacher’s thought this was because she didnt do the work and was unprepared. One time, she even went as far as to record her presentation on a tape and turn that in instead. During her years in school, there were three teachers who made a critical difference in Butlers development. The first was Butlers home economics teacher in seventh grade, Miss Peters. Peters took the time to read 2 Butlers stories and offer encouragement. The second teacher was Mr. Pfaff, an eighth grade science teacher who typed her first story, quot;typed it the way it was supposed to be, with no holes erased into the paper. He even corrected my terrible spelling and punctuation. The third teacher was Butlers first Black teacher. Miss Buggs taught ninth grade English, social studies, and drama. Butler remembers her as the only teacher who truly understood how muchShow MoreRelatedMy Creation Of A Soundtrack For Octavia E. Butler s Parable Of The Sower2146 Words   |  9 Pagesparticular emotions. A good soundtrack not only allows for the listener to understand the film better, but it should also bring to mind particular scenes, images, or characters. Soundtracks for books can do the same. In my creation of a soundtrack for Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, I strove to encompass Lauren’s journey throughout the novel and the various emotions that she experiences. Lauren wr ites about her experiences, and therefore, her reactions become central to the audiences’ feelingRead MoreKindred, By Octavia Butler Essay1434 Words   |  6 Pagessignificant other? In the novel Kindred, by Octavia Butler, Rufus learns this the hard way, after inheriting power over slaves; he was caught between love and reality. Where Alice, the one Rufus loved, was in love with another man; but Rufus being the slave owner, had the power to make her love him†¦or so he thought. Love/power can make you do some of the most questionable acts in life, just as it did to Rufus and Alice in the bygone days of slavery. Octavia Butler shows us the compelling force that overtakesRead MoreKindred, By Octavia Butler Essay1679 Words   |  7 PagesIn Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred, she creates a unique science fiction, first person slave narrative that illustrates the structures designed by white people to suppress black people in America. Just as other slave narratives, her novel helps bring remembrance to slavery and how it is still apparent in today’s society. Butlers makes it clear in her book that white people were able to gain their power by the establishment of a racial hierarchy and an additional marginalization of black women, whichRead MoreKindred by Octavia Butler671 Words   |  3 Pagesperiod of time by examining a fiction novel. Ironically, some argue fiction can educate us about part of our life by enabling us to relate and empathize. I a m certain that many people can learn factual items in fictional stories. In Kindred, by Octavia Butler, the near death experiences of Rufus Weylin transported an African American woman named Dana from 1976, to the antebellum south to gain an unbelievable experience of what it is like to have been a slave. Through her daily life on the Weylin plantationRead MoreKindred, By Octavia Butler1527 Words   |  7 Pagessame frame of reference because perspective varies from person to person. All human beings have experienced their own experiences and have backgrounds that, at times, play a great role in molding who that individual is. In the book Kindred by Octavia Butler, this notion of varying perspectives is tackled very head onwards. Kindred is primarily about a a young black women named Dana living in the 1970’s with her husband Kevin, an older white man. The whole story is centered around Dana and her experiencesRead MoreKindred, By Octavia Butler1061 Words   |  5 Pages Published June 1971,Octavia Butler’s science fiction narrative, 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 1800’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 change was and what libertiesRead More`` Kindred, By Octavia Butler1624 Words   |  7 PagesIn Octavia Butler’s novel, Kindred, Butler presents to the reader the controversial character of Rufus Weylin, a white plantation owner who is also the ancestor of the novel’s protagonist, Dana. As the story progresses, Rufus commits various heinous and agreeable acts that would have the reader question his innate goodness, or lack thereof. Butler never explicitly states whether Rufus is naturally good or inherently evil, but, through a number of incidents that merge to illustrate his true characterRead MoreKindred, By Octavia Butler Essay1556 Words   |  7 Pagesthe novel Kindred, by Octavia Butler, the main character Dana is exposed to the brutality and exhausting existence inflicted on slaves in the 1800’s. Through intentionally suppressive measures, slave owners used a series of methods to control and manipulate an entire race of people into submission. Dana describes this process as dulling and her experiences haunt her as she is slowly broken down. â€Å"See how easily slave are made?† (Butler 177) her thoughts say; this is Butler attempting to illustrateRead More Kindred by Octavia Butler Essay1397 Words   |  6 PagesKindred by Octavia Butler Octavia Butler’s novel Kindred is categorized as science fiction because of the existence of time travel. However, the novel does not center on the schematics of this type of journey. Instead, the novel deals with the relationships forged between a Los Angeles woman from the 20th century, and slaves from the 19th century. Therefore, the mechanism of time travel allows the author a sort of freedom when writing this slavery narrative apart from her counterparts. Butler is ableRead More`` Bloodchild `` By Octavia Butler834 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Bloodchild† is a story that pushes the limits of humankind, creating blurry interpretations of good and evil that challenges everyday societal norms. Octavia Butler takes a traditional action-filled story and twists it into an unexpected and intensified tale. Through this heightened piece of work, the most compelling argument can be found from the structure of the narrative itself. From the first-person narrative, readers are able to receive first hand perspective in which no omniscience of any