Summary Of Kindred By Octavia Butler

Character’s relationships with power change a lot over the course of Octavia Butler’s Kindred. One of the most important character changes in the book is Kevin Franklin and Dana’s relationship, and how is changed after living in the 1800’s. Kevin is introduced in the book as Dana’s middle aged husband who she met while working in a “slave market”. Both of them are inspiring writers looking to make a life out of their passion. Before both Kevin and Dana are sent back into slavery time their relationship is very normal. Their marriage is very stable, although they go through different problems surrounding power. Kevin is very dominant towards Dana and at times believes he is better than her. Kevin constantly asks Dana to type out drafts of his

Have you ever thought about what it would be like not to be free? What would it be like not to be able to make choices? What would it be like not to be able to do what you want? It's scary to think about not being free, but even in the world today some people don't even have basic human freedoms. Lois Lowry shows us in her books The Giver and Gathering Blue what it would be like not to have freedom and how important it is that we have it.

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

Rufus Weylin; a character first perceived as a young, curious and innocent boy, turns in to an over-obsessive and miserable tyrant. In Octavia Butler 's novel _Kindred_, the book revolves around the horrors of slavery in the United States in the early eighteen hundreds. White characters are given absolute power and control over black characters, and treat them like animals, making them live a long life of misery and unhappiness. As _Kindred_ unfolds, it becomes clear that Rufus turns in to a stereotypical slave owner and abuser. With every trip that Dana makes back to Rufus, there is a clear distinction of changes in his personality. He becomes more evil, over-obsessive and cruel as he gets older. In fact, he becomes very much like his

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 the state of Maryland, free colored people were required to have an Identification called free papers. Slaves would use this as a means of escape. This was high risk for both parties, as being caught would result in punishment. The author Douglas claims he did not resemble anyone with a free card but had a friend with a sailor pass just as effective as a free paper, which he used in his escape.

Blackmon provides many stories in his book about what the slaves to forced laborers went through and how they felt about the new so called “freedom” they gained. The Black Americans prior to the Emancipation Proclamation have never seen the slightest clue to what freedom could even feel like. “Some of the old slaves said they too weren’t sure what “freedom” really was”

“Free Black people still faced danger. Many appeared in court to ask for a Certificate of Freedom. The claimant had to prove that he/she was born free or had been previously freed. If the court was satisfied, it would

Nowadays, blacks are considered men. However, in the 1700’s, blacks were slaves, thought of as dogs, and unjustly mistreated on behalf of segregation. Patrick Henry addresses the segregation preceding the civil war where he develops the speech “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death.” Patrick Henry, a speaker of St. John’s Church, Richmond, Virginia writes a speech on March 23rd, 1775 announcing his intolerance for the crude treatments bestowed upon blacks. He claims the issue is more important to him than any other man, and the magnitude of the issue slips the mind of the white leaders.

Our world today is filled with unnecessary oppression. Slavery is one common form of human oppression, but there are numerous other forms as well. War, death, hunger, and sadness caused the elders in the society of The Giver to force each citizen to live extremely structured, controlled lives. That structure and control effected each person’s ability to live unique, private, and free lives. The elders in The Giver wanted all the citizens in the community to be undifferentiated for their own safety, so they greatly censored all citizens. Lack of freedom to pursue individual happiness is, indeed, a form of oppression not only faced by fictional book characters, but also by twenty-first century Americans. American society is changing so rapidly that we as independent Americans must decide whether safety, or freedom, is more important.

“It is the law of love that rules mankind. Had violence, hate ruled us we should have become extinct long ago. And yet the tragedy of it is that so-called civilized man and nations conduct themselves as if the basis of society was violence,”(Gandhi). In this quote Gandhi says the main reasons of love and hate are mankind. As well that both control and destroy a human. However, in the end the human chooses the one they will follow. In the outstanding novel Kindred by Octavia Butler. The protagonist, Dana, faces many love and hate situations as she travels back and forth in time. Accordingly, she begins to question whom is to blame for the love and hate crimes. Love and hate are influenced by mankind, both can be controlled and the pair are conscious decisions.

Butler’s work majorly discuss problems of race, gender and power relations along with self-determination that she transfers from the human society within communities of the aliens, as well as vampires. On the contrary this essay, would present the in depth evaluation of separate forms as well as reasons about oppression, towards that protagonist within Fledgling has been exposed. On the contrary, this would show in which manner protagonist has been empowered along with therefore, showing resistance, change as well as future of equality (Stewart).

In 1862, Abraham Lincoln stated, “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free.” This freedom would take form in the lack of guilt and blame for the mistreatment of others. But, what if the already free masters and slave owners are not burdened with guilt and do not care for or recognize the mistreatment they lavish? The freedom of slaves was a cause fought for many decades, and was finally resolved with the passing of the 13th amendment in 1865. This technicality of freedom symbolized a new beginning and the start of the African American citizenship in the United States. But, it is established that the word “free” does not necessarily correlate with successful or equal. The aftermath of slavery can be viewed in some instances to be just as harsh as slavery itself. Therefore, the question arises; how free is free?

The poet describes his interpretation of what freedom really means in relation to african americans following slavery. The speaker then continues to stress how important freedom is as a basic human right by stating that “needful to man as air, usable as earth”(2-3). Which suggests that freedom should be a right provided to all, and that it being usable means it is practical and beneficial in different ways. The conflict between the idea of freedom and politicians is also dramaticized. The speaker goes on to imply that politicians only address this issue for the benefit of their own agenda.

It seems as if freedom is obtained by everyone besides ourselves. It is human to envy someone else’s circumstances as an escape from one’s own troubles. No matter how fortunate or unfortunate one’s situation truly is, freedom is something only others can possess. Throughout O Pioneers!, it seems as if “the grass always is greener on the other side”. For most of the characters, they see freedom as something that does exist, but not something they ever possess. It is no coincidence that each character’s idea of what freedom represents greatly differs from their own circumstances. To me, freedom does not have one concrete definition; instead, it is an escape from one’s own life, no matter what that life may be. For example, it can be argued that Carl and Alexandra both possess freedom. Carl is not tied to land and is thus free from the responsibility that comes with owning property. On the other, Alexandra has to be responsible for her land, but it has given her prosperity and authority over circumstance. Neither of these characters, however, see themselves as free. When Alexandra tells Carl that "I'd rather have had your freedom than my land, Carl suggests that his situation is far less desirable than it seems: “We are all alike; we have no ties, we know nobody, we own nothing.” (pg. 64). It is obvious that Carl’s and Alexandra’s definitions of freedom are widely different. For some, freedom means security and wealth. While for others, freedom represents the latitude of choice. The definition of freedom is one that differs from individual to individual. While many people desire freedom, and most have an idea of what freedom means to them, it rarely matches one’s own conditions. In my own life, I have felt this. Students at Breck often feel restricted by their responsibility and the challenges of school; to them, this is not their idea of freedom. However, many people in less fortunate circumstances probably think that