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The Role Of Slavery In Octavia E Butler's Kindred

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What is a slave? The word slave in the dictionary is as stated; a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them. Many have heard of the term slave before, but seldom are acquainted with the brutality and horrors slaves suffered in the past and still sometimes now. The book Kindred, written by Octavia E Butler, the film Roots, Incidents in the life of a slave girl, and the diary of a slave expose just a few of the gruesome and appalling ways slaves were treated. Not only do they show the mechanical inhumanity, but the emotional expedition slaves overcame and overcome on an everyday basis.

For Dana in the novel, Kindred slavery was an uncharted part in her life. As a free black woman growing up in the 1970s married to Kevin, a white male Dana had never been faced to face with slavery until she discovers herself in the midst of everything. One moment, Dana was speaking with Kevin in the protection of their own home and the next moment she was scrambling at the battle cry of an adolescent boy drowning in a nearby river. After rescuing the boy while his mother struck Dana she turns and catches sight of a white …show more content…

Anita Ross journals throughout many years of the endeavors she faced. Anita's journey began with her describing the pain she felt about being the property of another and the dismaying thought in the back of her mind she will remain oppressed forever. As Anita's journal progresses, she becomes a fugitive slave. Finally, Anita is taken to a “free state” and her chances of being captured have decreased. Anita describes her happiness for being free after many years of being the property of another. Anita's determination in herself is what gave her the strength to rise each day and

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Analyzing Character Development: Dana Octavia Butler’s novel, Kindred, provides a unique look into slavery in the antebellum South through the eyes of Edana Franklin, a black woman living in the late 20th century, who is suddenly sent through time to the early 19th century where she is suddenly faced with the task of protecting her ancestor, Rufus, from many dangers in order to ensure her existence in the present. Dana begins her adventure with no knowledge of how or why she has been given this responsibility and, as a result, must adapt to her new and unfamiliar surroundings. As the novel progresses, the reader sees Dana’s internal battle with herself as she decides whether or not Rufus is worth saving, or if she should let Rufus die

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In the story “Kindred” by Octavia Butler the slaves hardly fought back. The book showed that the slave owners as a whole weren't the entire problem, society was. No matter how much the slaves fought against it in their personal lives it was still widely accepted and enforced. The slaves had virtually no rights and were seen as sub human even when they were freed. Every part of society was against them and fighting back did much more harm than good.

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People that owned slaves were mostly planters, yeoman, and whites. A slave is a person who is legal property of another and is forced to obey and that 's exactly what slaves did, they obeyed every command. Slaves were used for a lot of things in the 1800s. Slave women were usually used for cooking, cleaning, and helped with planter’s children.

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In Octavia E. Butler’s novel Kindred, Dana battles an external conflict of time traveling to the past, and experiencing what it was like to be a slave. Dana ultimately resolves this conflict by killing her ancestor named Rufus to return to her present time; however, this choice also illustrates her true character as both scared but brave. Dana’s decision to kill Rufus because she did not want to live in a time where slavery and racism occurred also reveals the universal theme that racism was very common in the past, and it still occurs till this day. When traveling to the past Dana struggles with an external conflict of racism and slavery.

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Situations are defined by choices. Small actions in one moment of time alter the future of what happens forever. In Kindred by Octavia Butler Dana, the main character, is a black women born in 1976, who time travels back to the early 1800’s in order to save her relative, Rufus, a white boy who is the son of the owner of the plantation. Along the way she also meets her other relative, Alice, a slave born free, but enslaved since she helped her husband run away. Alice is owned by Rufus, who is convinced that he is in love with her.

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Racist and sexist stereotypes are depicted in the short story, Kindred. Kindred, is about an interracial couple living in California during the 1970s. Dana and Kevin are happily married, when Dana suddenly time travels back to the antebellum south during the time of slavery. Dana is an educated black woman, in the 70s it is normal for a black woman to have higher roles in society, but it is not

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Dana Franklin is a strong, independent woman who has made a name for herself as a published author. She is beginning a new marriage with a white man Kevin , an unusual relationship in 1976, but even more unacceptable in 1819. Suddenly, at a time when she is most happy unpacking in her new home, she is pulled by the force of Rufus Weylin into the past to save his life. Dana then faces the horrors of living as a slave and being an object of Rufus’ obsessive need for her. Dana, learns that she has the strength and the courage to face the worst the South can throw at her.

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Embodied Agency In Octavia Butler's Kindred

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This analysis of agency would be useful for a person pushing for more freedom of expression or freedom of speech. All in all, Bast’s successfully supports his perspective of agency through his evaluation of Kindred, and the comparison of the human instinct of expression to Dana’s want to create change with her time traveling powers constructs a powerful parallel between the novel and Bast’s article. The novel Kindred, however, serves to create an important message about society on its own, as well. Octavia Butler’s Kindred is a science-fiction novel that depicts the life experiences of a young black woman named Dana, who is given the task of traveling back in time to the era of slavery to save her ancestors, but is unjustly oppressed and has most, if not all, of her rights stripped away from her simply due to her race and gender. As a result, the most prominent overarching theme of the novel is the inequality of power and social status given to people of varying gender and race, and the struggle that those people must go through to gain as much freedom and equality as possible.

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Literature is a precious art form to many and important for various reasons. Literacy helps improve grammar, provides entertainment, educates people and provides inspiration. It is specifically useful for educating people on racial discrimination as many classic works contain racism. Both To Kill a Mockingbird and The Butler are great at expanding people’s knowledge on racism. Although they have two entirely different plots, they both depict how little people value an African-American’s opinion, characters challenging racism and the acceptance of blatant racism.

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When somebody doesn 't do the right they get hit with a whip till they do what is told. Slavery is nothing like doing chores for your parents it 's worse you can 't take a break until you are done you have to keep working until they tell you when your done, and you barely get paid for it. • B. Background information: There has been a lot of injustice in society in slavery like beating up up someone when they don 't do the right thing for the job. slavery isn 't there choice they have to do it for them not for

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