Plan for the Day
- American Cultural Analysis
- Critique: What does Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” (1729) have to do with a post-nuclear war world?
- Celebrating Ignorance
- Gender Analysis
- Octavia Butler’s Dawn (Parts I & II)
Let’s jump back to November 1st’s page to discuss the American Cultural and Gender Analysis stuff. I’m still trying to stimulate your thinking for Essay #2
Octavia Butler’s Dawn
Octavia Butler is probably best known for Kindred (1979), which is more of a magical speculative novel. It explores systemic racism through a time traveling protagonist dealing with contemporary (late-1970s) racism and early 19th-Century American slavery. As you read Dawn, consider these questions:
- What does the benevolent overlord plot communicate?
- Although DNA knowledge is much more advanced today, Butler extrapolated on DNA science. What comment might be made by having the Oankali manipulate human DNA?
- Why was Lilith chosen to lead this group of humans?
Part I: The Womb
- p. 5: “She did not own herself any longer.
- p. 14: “Humanity in its attempt to destroy itself had made the world unlivable.”
- p. 22: “…overwhelmed by panic….a true xenophobia…”
Finish Up Dawn
Finish Dawn on Wednesday.