Octavia E. Butler's Parable Of The Sower

Parable of the Sower: A Tale of Survival and Perseverance “The weak can overcome the strong if the weak persist. Persisting isn’t always safe, but it’s often necessary” (Butler 134). This quote examines one of the major points in Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower. In the novel, the main character, Lauren Olamina, attempts to survive with her family in a world plagued with environmental, social, and economic crises. Things get worse for Lauren, as her brother is found dead and her father disappears, and the rest of her family is killed after her gated community is attacked.

In Outliers, Gladwell attempts to answer, What makes some people successful while others cannot seem to realize their full potential? In U.S. society, people are considered successful when they have traits and characteristics: self-sacrifice, intelligence, talent. However, He says that the conditions and circumstances surrounding our lives are the significant influential factors that determine our success, not our inner ability or talent. These talents and abilities allow these people to be separate from society.

The characters in Scythe by Neal Shusterman, have strong and distinct personalities which unquestionably shape the book. The main characters are Citra, Rowan, Scythe Currie and Scythe Goddard. Citra Terranova is a very strong-willed girl. She is not afraid to speak her mind and is fully guided by her moral compass. She is determined when getting what she wants. Rowan Damisch is more reserved. He is cautious with his words. But he is selfless in the way that he puts others he loves ahead of himself. Scythe Currie is compassionate, humble and wise. She does what is best for others and the whole society overall. Scythe Goddard is egocentric and immoral. He cares only for himself. Similarly, he also does inhumane things just for his own enjoyment.

Throughout her novel ‘Year of Wonders’, Geraldine Brooks presents readers with many characters that are viewed as admirable in their village of Eyam, during the time of the plague. Set in 1665-66, Brooks creates an environment that many people would not be able to cope with. Numerous deaths and a village that is crumbling around you can push many people to their limits and bring out the worst in human nature however Brooks creates allows characters such as Michael and Elinor Mompellion and Anys and Mem Gowdie to defy the odds and remain admirable and strong throughout the tough

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler, is the story of a girl, Lauren, forming a new sort of religion in a post- apocalyptic world. As she travels through the remnants of a lost world, she begins to formulate her own belief system and calls it Earthseed. In short, Earthseed is described as a “combination of Buddhism, existentialism, Sufism” in addition to other worldly beliefs (261). All in all, Lauren hopes to create a new, sustainable religious community, and in turn, one day, a better human society.

As a child grows, many people influence their development as a person. Some people impact more than others, and a select few really leave their mark. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” several characters play this role. Among them, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a woman who proves herself a strong character, prevails as the one who has the greatest impact on Scout Finch, the protagonist of this novel. As Scout matures and grows up, her views on the world around her change. Through subtle yet effective ways, Miss Maudie teaches Scout many life lessons about being humble, judging, and attitude, all of which ultimately have a great effect on the kind of person Scout develops into and her outlook on the world.

Molten eyes scanned across the sea of London's busiest street in the shopping district. The browns and grays of the everyday peoples gave way to the occasional colorful attire of the rich clientele. The smell of sweets and cooked meats mingles with that of perfumes and incense.

In the 20th century, the average home life in rural Oklahoma was full of hard workers in the pursuit of the picture-perfect home surrounded by plentiful land. The sun rose over the land, signaling the commencement of the day ahead. The farmer had already been awake since before the sun broke the horizon, preparing his little equipment and his animals for his land’s work. The farmer’s wife was in the kitchen, cooking her husband a warm breakfast as a sign of her gratitude. Their children woke and soon were running into the kitchen, bellies growling. After gobbling up the breakfast, they ran outside to play and do chores of their own. The rest of the farmer’s wife’s day was spent cleaning, cooking, and looking after the kids until the sun went down and it was time for bed. Set in this time, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, holds contrasting female characters. Some characters show the defiance of the gender roles at the time, while others adhere to them. In some instances, a female character can surpass the expectations set upon her by the patriarchal society in which they live she lives, setting her free to use a voice she never was allowed.

The book, Orchards by Holly Thompson, captures the responses from the characters in the book when devastation comes upon them. Orchards shows how people respond to suffering and how they try to cope with it. Kana, the main character, has to deal with the deaths of her two classmates. Kana and her family personally know both of these girls, so they are suffering the most. The grief of Kana’s community ties them together and allows their bond to grow stronger. People outside the community blame Kana and the other eighth grade girls, making her very frustrated. She instead blames others to make her feel better, but that changes. This reaction shows the reader that Kana is a very impulsive character.

Although it is often not thought of, the experiences from the past greatly influence the future. The tragic story; Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is an excellent example of this as it exemlplifies a mentally retarded man's journey from being mentally disabled to becoming a genius. Charlie, the protagonist and narrator of the story, gradually gains intelligence from a rather unethical surgery and writes progress reports as a way forProfessor Nemur and Dr. Strauss to overlook his progress in the experiment. These reports are important, as they show Charlie's growth from a middle-aged retarded man, to a genius who constantly craves knowledge, and as he narrates his life, he provides the reader with his past experiences and how they have made him the person he is in his every day life.

The Parable of the Sower, painted in 1557 during the northern Renaissance by Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, is from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and is one of the earliest signed artworks from Bruegel (Timken Museum). The painting is approximately 29 inches high and 40.5 inches wide. The size of the painting draws the viewer into its vividly detailed landscape. The medium of this painting is oil on panel, which helps to highlight the colors and details that the artist included. In the painting, the foreground is darker than the background because of the light source coming from the sun, producing a divine and heavenly feeling. The brushstrokes in this piece are not noticeable; they all blend in to form the landscape. This

At this point, the narrator finally discovers what the realities of life are. She also discovers deep within herself the reason for her feelings toward her parents at the funeral of Steve Gauley.

“God is Power—infinite, irresistible, inexorable, indifferent. And yet, God is Pliable—trickster, teacher, chaos, clay. God exists to be shaped. God is Change.” (Butler 25). In Parable of the Sower Octavia Butler introduces the concept of religion through her characters specifically Lauren. In a society that is crumbling, religion is seemed to be the only thing striving. The idea that although society could be falling apart many of the characters either cling to their beliefs, or shy away from them. Laurens creation of “Earthseed” proves that in a failing society, the concept of religion somehow still survives.

Lauren was talking about her father and says, : “I love him. He’s the best person I know, and I care what he thinks. I wish I didn’t, but I do.” (Butler 24) This reveals that the relationship that Lauren has with her father is very strong and she says that she wishes that she didn't care that much for her father she wishes she didn't care so much for her dad because the more that you care for a person the easier it is for you to get hurt. She still feels the care for him because no matter what he's always going to be his dad. Growing up her father was her role model and she did what he told her was right. The relationship that they had was something that allowed her to feel the love that he was giving her it also allows her to have a role

According to Aristotle's Poetics, a tragic hero is a character of relatively high standing with respectable qualities who meets downfall by way of a flaw or erroneous event. Chinua Achebe's Okonkwo and Sophocle's Creon are two characters who can be considered tragic heroes, their immeasurable pride being one of the prime factors contributing to their misfortune. The difference lies in the impact of this flaw on their lives; the actions they take or avoid and the mindsets that they adopt vary, as do the consequences of their decisions. From the events in Things Fall Apart and Antigone, Okonkwo and Creon both demonstrate considerable amounts of pride which have a double-edged effect on their lives. In addition, their hubris impacts the perspective that their societies have of them.