thesis statement for the book kindred

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Answered By: Amanda Roper Last Updated: Sep 03, 2020     Views: 2463

This is a great topic and you have a lot to work with here. To begin, I'm going into our American Literature guide and typing Octavia Butler AND Kindred in the Search Brenau Discovery box. There are several results, one result on the first page, The Freedom to Remember: Narrative, Slavery, and Gender in contemporary Black Women's Fiction seems like a great fit for this topic.

For articles I go back to the American Literature LibGuide and click on the yellow articles tab at the top. I'm going to choose a database that will have appropriate resources; let's try Academic Search Complete, Once you click on Academic Search Complete, you'll be asked to login with your Brenau username and password.

I'm going to start out by doing a general search on Kindred and Octavia Butler. In the search bar I type Kindred AND Octavia Butler. This yields 37 results. On the left hand side of the screen is a bar that allows us to limit the search. I clicked on full-text and academic journal. This takes us down to 18 articles, which is a very manageable number!

When I scan the titles I notice that many of the articles discuss time-travel, race, and gender. When you say "lack of education of others," I assume that means racism and prejudice and those topics are discussed as well. Race and gender are both very big topics to address in a research paper. I'd recommend searching for a way to make that thesis statement slightly more specific. For example, if you were to write about Dana's relation to her own body that could embrace race, gender, and the prejudice of others in a more focused way. The article cited below may be useful to you and it is in the results list:

Bast, Florian. "No.": The Narrative Theorizing of Embodied Agency in Octavia Butler's "Kindred." Extrapolation. vol. 53, no. 2, Aug. 2012, pp. 151-181. EBSCO host , doi:10.3828/extr.2012.8.

This article ties together your idea that 1970's Dana has a difficult time adjusting to the 1800's Antebellum South:

Yaszek, Lisa. "A Grim Fantasy": Remaking American History in Octavia Butler's Kindred." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society , vol. 28, no. 4, Summer2003, p. 1053. EBSCO host ,  https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&authtype=ip,shib&db=a9h&AN=10447972&site=ehost-live&custid=bre1 .

Both of those articles are in the search results list using the search terms I used.

The book and two articles should get you started on uncovering some great sources for your paper. Let me know if you'd like more information!

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“Kindred” by Octavia E. Butler Literature Analysis Essay (Book Review)

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The issue of racial inequality and prejudices has been one of the most bothering and important problems of the modern world for centuries. It has touched millions of destinies of people with different backgrounds and of various races and cultures. Over time most of the prejudices and judgments towards the people of color have been eliminated, yet this issue still remains a question of high importance today.

The novel called “Kindred” written by Octavia E. Butler in 1979 touches the problem of racial discrimination and brings out its most awful sides. The author of the novel intended to show the contrast between the past of the relationships between the races and their modern status. Octavia E. Butler’s skilful writing is focused on the horrible history of slavery on the territory of the United States, it shows the scary experiences that African-Americans bad been put through daily in the past through the eyes of an African-American woman living in the 70’s.

The contemporary readers of “Kindred” get to see much more perspective of this issue than the ones of 1979 because some significant changes happened in the world’s and the American society in aspects related to the attitude towards races and backgrounds of people since that time.

Octavia E. Butler grew up during the frustrating times of racial discrimination in a racially-mixed society in Pasadena, California. She first showed her interest towards science-fiction writing at the age of twelve years. “Kindred” is based on a fictional story, yet the novel cannot be called science-fiction as it lacks scientific explanations of the reasons of the mysterious events happening to the main characters that are necessary in science-fiction.

Octavia E. Butler employs the elements of fiction in order to create a conflict that would not be possible under normal circumstances. The main character of the novel, named Dana, is being pulled to the past and visits the beginning of 1900s. She gets to observe and participate in the life of slaves and their owners and discovers that some of the people she interacts with, both slaves and slave owners, are her ancestors. “Kindred” leaves its readers with the most striking and shocking experience of witnessing the painful and merciless realities of slavery. The author spent a lot of effort researching the history of that time in order to make her descriptions very precise and detailed so that they have the strongest effect on the reader.

The time travel leaves the main characters physically and emotionally injured. Dana states that “there isn’t any safe way to almost kill yourself” (Butler, 1). The dramatic events happening to Dana and her white husband Kevin serve artistic and educational purposes for the readers of “Kindred”. Surprisingly, the characters are not trying to change or influence the past, like the main heroes of many other time travel novels do (Walton, par. 4).

Putting her characters through sufferings and tortures Octavia E. Butler vividly demonstrates the contrast between the two epochs. While in the Antebellum South African-Americans are treated as property of white people, insulted, abused and hurt daily, in the 1970s the two races can marry each other and pursue various careers, but there are still strong prejudices against the inter-racial unions and Kevin’s family does not approve of his choice of a spouse.

The contemporary readers live in times with more tolerance, more freedom and better understanding and appreciation of racial equality, this is why they get to see that the modern society is still going through its stages of development and to notice its progress. To my mind, as the time passes the novel “Kindred” by Octavia E. Butler does not lose its value and importance, but obtains new perspectives and levels.

Works Cited

Butler, Octavia E. Kindred . London: Hachette, 2014. Print.

Walton, Jo. Time Travel and Slavery: Octavia Butler’s Kindred . 2009. Web.

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1. IvyPanda . "“Kindred” by Octavia E. Butler Literature Analysis." March 30, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/kindred-by-octavia-e-butler-literature-analysis/.

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Double Consciousness and Collective Trauma: The Intricate Bond between Alice and Dana

Diaspora and Power Relationships: The Complex Dynamic between Dana and Rufus

The lingering impact: past sacrifices shaping the present.

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By Octavia E. Butler

‘Kindred’ by Octavia E. Butler is, at its core, much more than just a work of historical science fiction but also harsh drilling against racial social injustice.

Article written by Victor Onuorah

Degree in Journalism from University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

With ‘ Kindred ’, readers observe how Octavia E. Butler’s masterly description and art of storytelling – with an easy, minimalistic flow of diction – make the book such an unputdownable piece of art. The book is a complete joy to read and has several takeaways and hidden lessons for readers to walk away with.

A Plunge in the Deep End

Octavia E. Butler – through ‘ Kindred ’ – dares to tackle a range of interesting topics which are considered very complicated and controversial to handle. And despite being written by a Black author, the book doesn’t show signs of pontification.

After reading ‘ Kindred ’, I’m left with one thought: It’s a brave and courageous book, and Butler must have been a brilliant writer of her time for going so deep and thorough on the themes in less than three hundred book pages.

Themes such as gender, violence, power, abuse, slavery, and marriage, among other things, are given a good amount of time in the book; and then there is the time travel aspect which in itself is as intricate as it is perplexing – and usually a stand-alone subject of thought.

Twenty-six years old young female protagonist Dana really does travel back in time on more than a few occasions to save her ancestor from potential life-threatening dangers which, for the most part, are caused by either Rufus himself or his mean father Tom.

Interestingly, it does seem as though Dana has the power to travel through time, but a more keen attention to the facts of the book suggests she doesn’t and is only able to do so because of being summoned somehow, someway into the 1800s by Rufus every time he’s in trouble.

However, Dana does have greater control over departing Rufus’ messy world and back to her own 1976 timeline, and this is usually when she feels afraid or becomes terrified for her life. Butler certainly gets readers in deep water with ‘Kindred’ but is also kind enough to salvage the story in ways that are verifiable and realistic.

The Precariousness of Racial Injustice

Butler is one of the first science fiction genre writers to unite gender, ethnicity, and race with the intricacies of time travel. And although her book ‘ Kindred ’ is mostly classified as belonging to sci-fi, interracial matters clearly top the list of important agendas discussed for the most part of the book.

In ‘ Kindred ’, Butler tries to compare life and the whole living conditions in two distinct realities – first is Dana’s present time of 1976, and second is Rufus’ era of the early 1800s. From a reader’s standpoint, it’s clear that the biggest cause of social instability in both timelines is racism – a concept to which the practice of slavery came to be born.

While policies have greatly improved interracial relationships in Dana and Kelvin’s world, it is a lot worse in Rufus’ world, and this is a major reason readers will notice a streak of political, socio-economic, and socio-psychological backwardness in Rufus’ time.

A Transgenerational Lesson for Posterity

Despite a torturous description of a world where one race dominated over the other – followed by a subsequent sufficing of actions that are abusive as they are dehumanizing, for posterity, the most important take away from Butler’s groundbreaking book ‘ Kindred ’ is the need for all of the human race to stand together in unity, and recognize that we are first of all humans – before we are Black or white.

How good a book is ‘ Kindred ’ for readers?

‘ Kindred ’ is an award-winning novel and considered perhaps the greatest work of prolific writer Octavia E. Butler. This makes it worthwhile for readers – especially if you love books about time travel, family, and interracial marriages.

What lesson can be gleaned from Butler’s book ‘ Kindred ’?

Unity is a strong message subtly passed across by Butler to her readers. There’s a call to unite and bury differences in others to attain a more progressive human society.

How long does it take the average reader to start and finish the novel ‘ Kindred ’?

‘ Kindred ’ is a book with less than three hundred pages, so it shouldn’t take more than a few hours reading a day for the average person.

Kindred Review

Book Title: Kindred

Book Description: 'Kindred' by Octavia E. Butler is a bold and unifying novel exploring the depth of human division and the potential beauty of unity.

Book Author: Octavia E. Butler

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: HarperCollins Publishers

Date published: June 26, 1979

ISBN: 978-0-06-075440-8

Number Of Pages: 261

• Transitioning

Kindred Review: We Were Humans First, Before We Became Black or White

‘ Kindred ‘ by Octavia E. Butler is a courageous book that dares to unite all people – irrespective of skin color, ethnicity, and gender. The book does so by showing readers the height of humanity’s disunity and how unpretty it could be, and then hints at the beauty and progress a united human race can become. It’s an award-winning book with several appraisals from top publishers and authors. It’s a book to not miss out on.

• Courageous narrative
• Promotes unity
• Easily readable
• Replete with violent scenes
• Slightly vague climax
• Not fact-based

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A Rhetorical Approach to Octavia Butler's "Kindred"

• Student Research
• Presentation
• Tseng, Samantha
• Stone, Brian
• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
• slave experience
• 2018-09-05T22:38:52Z
• http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/205972
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Teachers' Guide: Kindred

• Pre-reading
• The Prologue & The River
• The Fall 1-4
• The Fall 5-8
• The Fight 1-10
• The Fight 11-16
• The Rope & The Epilogue
• Final Writing Assessment Options

Supplemental Texts, Resources & Assessments

Pre-reading:.

Octavia Butler's novel Kindred is a tremendously engaging text for students; the narrative structure and ethical dilemmas make a close reading of the novel, through multiple critical lenses, very accessible to students. In order to build on traditional Formalist and Reader Response textual analysis,¹ students can be encouraged to examine Kindred for its postmodern structural experimentation; to consider the novel's contribution to the slave narrative genre (even though the work is fiction)²; or to examine the text through the lens of Postcolonial Theory. ¹ There are several excellent text books for introducing literary theory into the high school classroom: see the supplemental texts list. ² Robert Crossley's critical essay, included in the study guide on page 265, is an excellent resource for students, which discusses the novel as part of the slave narrative genre.

Day 1: Suggested pre-reading homework journal:*

Part 1: Incorporating ideas from the section "Theme, Model, and Vision," explain the difference between theme and message. How is fiction realistic? What does it mean to use a reading "lens" or "filter" according to your homework reading? Part 2: Incorporating ideas from the section "A Dark Vision of Literature," explain what happened to our happy ending. How is the human condition represented in literature? Define Modernism and identify writers (whom you have read) that "fit" into this definition—be sure to explain your reasoning.

• What kinds of experiments have writers of fiction in the 20th century carried out? Why?
• What is the value of literary experiment?
• The answers to the above conceptual questions are not simple, but considering these larger concepts about the postmodern literary period will support class discussions throughout the reading and analysis of the novel; for example, how this late 20th century novel contributes to the slave narrative genre and engages its readers in a critical conversation about race, justice, humanity, and history.

*Sections of this essay would also be a very good pre-reading selection.

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.3 Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.

Day 2: Kindred , "The Prologue" & "The River"

• What is the purpose of Butler's literary experiment?
• Why is she writing a first-person slave narrative in the late 20th century? What "lens" is she using?
• What does she want her 21st century readers to think about and consider?  If she only wanted us to think about the atrocities of slavery, then there would be no need to have her protagonist travel back and forth through time.

Prologue: The purpose of a prologue is to provide necessary backstory for the novel which cannot be told in any other way. Often, it serves to provide a general background or to set the stage for the drama to come. En Medias Res: In medias res is Latin for "into the middle of things." It usually describes a narrative that begins, not at the beginning of a story, but somewhere in the middle—usually at some crucial point in the action. Given the above literary terms and their definitions answer the following questions: What is the purpose of this prologue, be specific? What effect does the use of en medias res have on the audience, as the story begins?

• how you think the character is feeling
• the qualities or personality traits the character is displaying that make her/him deal with the given situation in a particular way
• the circumstances that are affecting her or his actions
• what seems to be motivating this character
• how the character reacts to other characters and the key conflicts in the scene

"Before me was a wide tranquil river, and near the middle of that river was a child splashing, screaming…"(13). Try to capture what you think is going on in Dana's mind based on how Butler has characterized her thus far. Subtext what she could be thinking and feeling that Butler has not given us? If you're stuck go through the list above regarding what should come through in your subtexting.

"'What the devil's going on here?' A man's voice, angry and demanding"(14). Who is this man? What is he doing here? What do you think the man is feeling? Thinking? How will he deal with the given situation? How might he react to the other characters in the scene?

"He spun around to face me. 'What the hell…how did you get over there?' he whispered" (14). What could be going on in Kevin's mind and what might he be feeling? How would he deal with the given situation?  How would the circumstances affect his actions? What might motivate his actions/decisions? How would he react to Dana in the scene?

"'Oh, no…' I shook my head slowly. 'All that couldn't have happened in just seconds.' He said nothing" (16). Now, choose to write from either Dana or Kevin's perspective in this situation. This occurrence is unbelievable what is the character, you are writing as, feeling? Thinking? What does s/he believe happened? Does s/he believe the other person's story? Why or why not? Be sure your writing is grounded in what Butler has provided us with thus far in the narrative: context, plot, characterization. Circle One : Dana or Kevin

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. MA.3.A. Demonstrate understanding of the concept of point of view by writing short narratives, poems, essays, speeches, or reflections from one's own or a particular character's point of view (e.g., the hero, anti–hero, a minor character). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Day 3: Kindred , "Fire" (computer lab time)

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9 Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech, King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"), including how they address related themes and concepts. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of World Literature.

Day 4: Kindred , "The Fall" 1-4

• The book calls Kevin and Dana "kindred" spirits (57); how is the way they see the world similar? How does this connect to the title of the work?
• How is the following quote ironic and why is it significant to the plot's development? "' People don't learn everything about the times that came before them,' I said. 'Why should they?' "(63).
• Foreshadowing is used extensively in these sections; how will "The Fall" end? What are the clues (you may paraphrase, but include page numbers)? Continue to analyze the narrative structure; what is the effect of the structure on the characters, and thus the readers.
• How does Sarah's situation represent one of the many paradoxes that exists in slavery?(76)
• How is the following quote ironic, as well as an example of the key difference between Kevin and Dana in 1819? " I hate to think of you playing the part of a slave at all "(79).

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

Day 5: Kindred , "The Fall" 5-8

• What is the theme of "The Fall" (look back at your pre-reading journal)? Theme is what controls all the expressive choices a writer makes in a story—what to put in, what to leave out, how to decide on the angle of vision, narrative structure, tone. The theme itself responds to the writer's vision of life; this vision is based on the writer's "filter" for reality (social group, class, race, sex society, etc.). The filter acts as a schema or "lens" through which the writer sees and writes about the world.(Clayton)
• What lens is Butler asking the reader to look through in the following passage? "'You might be able to go through this whole experience as an observer,' I said. 'I can understand that because most of the time, I'm still an observer. It's protection. It's nineteen seventy-six shielding and cushioning eighteen nineteen for me. But now and then, like with the kids' game, I can't maintain the distance. I'm drawn all the way into eighteen nineteen, and I don't know what to do. I ought to be doing something though. I know that'…'Just started to teach Nigel to read and write,' I said. 'Nothing more subversive than that'"(101).
• Which events make Dana's reality more "real" for the reader?

Find a quote …It can be a statement that you have already thought a bit about or something new, but you need to choose a quote that you feel in some way speaks to this section of the book and its purpose.  Perhaps it takes up an interesting issue or dilemma that has followed a character throughout the book thus far, be sure to use supporting evidence. Answer a question …There are pressing ethical questions that are raised in Kindred ; choose one that has not yet been answered.  Fully analyze and explore a question that has been on your mind about the book.  Be sure to support your analysis and exploration with evidence from the book. Take up an issue …This book is overflowing with issues that overwhelmingly affect the reader historically, culturally, and socially.  Discuss an issue that interests you as it relates to this section of the book, again support your analysis and exploration with evidence from the book.

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.4 .Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of World Literature.

Day 6: Kindred , "The Fight" 1-10

• What are Kevin and Dana's families' reactions to their decision to get married?
• Why does Dana's Aunt accept her desire to marry Kevin?
• How has 1819 permanently left its mark on Dana?
• What realization does Dana have when she regains consciousness on her bathroom floor?
• Explain why Dana is so disoriented—"It was real"(115), "Nothing was real"(116)
• What is Dana's ethical dilemma as she is drawn back to Rufus this time?
• Who is Isaac and why is he fighting with Rufus?
• How much time has passed and where is Kevin?
• What will happen to Alice now that she and Isaac are runaways?
• What are the key differences between what Rufus wants in 1825 and what Dana and Kevin have in 1976?
• How does Rufus try to justify attempting to rape Alice?
• Rufus has leverage to control Dana now and he's not afraid to use it, what is it?
• Why is the marriage ceremony between Nigel and Carrie significant?
• Dana says that Tom Weylin "wasn’t a monster…[he was] just an ordinary man who sometimes did the monstrous things his society said were legal and proper"(134).
• Why does Dana make this distinction? What bigger statement about society is Butler making?
• What happened to Luke? What does this incident teach Dana?
• Why does Weylin essentially own Dana at this point? Explain.
• How can the conversation Dana and Rufus have about history be part of Butler's purpose? "No it isn’t," I said. "That book wasn’t even written until a century after slavery was abolished." "Then why the hell are they still complaining about it?"(140-141).
• Why is Rufus "blackmailing" Dana? Is this manipulation apparent in his personality earlier in the book?
• How do you feel about Dana's attitude toward Sarah's "acceptance" of begin a slave (145)?
• How is Rufus’ purchase of Alice another paradox of slavery?
• Dana has deluded herself into thinking she has some sort of control over Rufus, when does she realize that she has none? Explain.
• Who was the father of some of Sarah's children? How does this impact Dana's earlier judgments and attitude toward Sarah?
• What is Rufus "buying" from Nigel (155)?
• When Dana has to explain to Alice that she is now a slave there are several role reversals, what are they? Explain.

Day 7: Kindred , "The Fight" 11-16

• Read through the thought questions to get started.
• Think about similar experiences these women have had.
• Think about what freedom means to both of them, but keep in mind that their knowledge of freedom is very different.
• Think about the similarities and differences in their relationships with other characters in the novel.
• Why is Rufus' statement "But I'm not going to give up what I can have"(163), so important?  What does it show you about him in general?
• Rufus threatens Dana with an ultimatum regarding Alice, what is it?
• What is Dana's moral dilemma?
• Psychologically and philosophically why wouldn't Dana go to Rufus?
• Why won't Alice run again? What are her other options?
• What finally makes Dana decide to run?
• Dana has an important realization when she says, "I crept away from the Weylin house, moving through the darkness with even less confidence than I had felt when I fled to Alice's house months before. Years before. I hadn't known quite as well then what there was to fear…"(171).
• Who betrays Dana and why?
• After Dana is captured she is unable to go home, why?
• Again, Butler seems to reverse Dana and Alice's roles; she makes them seem so similar, how does she do this?
• Why does Dana compare her failed attempt to runaway to Harriet Tubman (177)? What does she realize?
• Even Liza seems to think Dana and Alice are interchangeable, hurt one to hurt the other, why is this important?
• Why does Tom Weylin write to Kevin?
• Explain the difference between what Dana "gives" Rufus and what Alice "gives" Rufus (180).
• How does Dana describe Rufus' view of her?
• Explain the following quote "Slavery was a long slow process of dulling"(183).
• How old is Kevin?
• How does Alice show her strength when Kevin comes? a. Why doesn't she acknowledge Dana’s "good-bye"?
• How does Rufus' reaction to Dana and Kevin leaving bring us back to another moment in the book? Why would Butler do this?
• At this point who is the bigger monster, Rufus or Tom Weylin?
• Dana and Alice have seemed to become the same woman to Rufus, how and why?

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Day 8: Kindred , "The Storm"

Activity: Enlarging the Lens Step 1: For this assignment, each student selects 3 short passages from "The Storm" and lists them by page number in their journal. After each page number ask the students to summarize what happens in the section, include key events, actions and details. Step 2: Now, choose one of the three sections and complete the following enlarging the lens journal. Explain why this is an important part of the story. Respond personally to this passage. Select several words or phrases in the passage and explain which emotions the words evoke; then continue to explain your personal reactions and/or associations to the material? Reflect more broadly, on the cultural connotations the words/phrases may carry, as well as on what this passage tells us about people or the world in general? Make broad, general connections here (hint, hint, Butler's purpose?). Create a symbol or image in pencil, pen, marker, whatever, which shows the meaning you have assigned to the page. Then explain why you chose the symbol/image you did.

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of World Literature.

Day 9: Kindred , "The Rope" and "The Epilogue"

• Who does Kevin get to bandage Dana's wounds a. Why won't suicide work to bring her home again?
• How long has it been in 1976? a. How long has it been in 1831?
• Kevin wants Dana to let Rufus die, why can't she?
• Why is the following quote important?: "You know someday, you're going to have to stop dragging that thing around with you and come back to life"(244).
• How is the following quote part of Butler's purpose?: "'I'm not a horse or a sack of wheat. If I have to seem to be property, if I have to accept limits on my freedom for Rufus's sake, then he also has to accept limits—on his behavior toward me. He has to leave me control of my own life to make living look better to me than killing and dying'… 'If your black ancestors had felt that way, you wouldn't be here'"(246).
• Why did Alice commit suicide? a. Why did Rufus "trick" Alice? Think Critically! b. What does Dana demand from him?
• Look up catharsis . When does the process of writing become cathartic for Dana? a. How could this moment also be part of Butler's purpose?
• What does Rufus want Dana to do now that Alice is gone?
• How does Alice's death make Dana's situation more dangerous? a. How does Rufus reveal the way he sees Alice and Dana?
• What is the one weapon Dana has that Alice didn't?
• What does the Epilogue leaving your thinking about?

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Day 10: Final writing assessment options for Kindred

Step 1: In the final journal have students reflect on Achebe's quote and the role of the writer in society. Step 2: Summative expository writing prompt: explain how the purpose of Butler's novel fits into Achebe description of the writer's role.

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of World Literature.

Step 1: Have students journal about an ancestor or relative they would "go back" and meet if they could. Step 2: Homework: What facts can you discover about this ancestor or relative that you could build a story around? If the person is still alive can you get in contact with her or him to learn some details? If the person is deceased do you have other relatives you can talk to in order to get the information you need? Ask questions that are curious. Sometimes people don't believe that they have lived through or seen anything "important." This is part of your challenge. Step 3: The next task is to tell a family story from that person's first-person narrative voice. This assignment may seem difficult at first because of the person's historical or physical distance from the writer; however, fiction is often based on fact. This could be a story that was told to you long ago or one that is told to you solely for this project. The topic of this story ought to have something to do with your family history. Here, strive to capture the storyteller's voice . Often this is what is lost over time, and this is one of the most important aspects of the story. Think about why first person family narratives are both engaging and important? Butler is allowing her fictional character to tell a first-person slave narrative, which is a first-person family narrative.

• Create a voice that is seemingly from the time period (yes, you must go back in time) and the narrator's actions/statements/ thoughts must be reasonable and convincing (this voice should not sound like YOU) .
• Fully describe the story's setting/time period , and the story should be organized (conflict, complication, climax, resolution) and well-told (that means clearly understood by your audience).
• Fully develop the narrator and character(s) ; the actions/ thoughts/statements of the narrator and character(s) must be reasonably accounted for; create a good sense of who the narrator and character(s) are.
• The story should make sense and there should be little confusion as to why you are choosing this part of your family history to tell .

CCSS.ELA-W.9-10.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. MA.3.A. Demonstrate understanding of the concept of point of view by writing short narratives, poems, essays, speeches, or reflections from one's own or a particular character's point of view (e.g., the hero, anti-hero, a minor character).

Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents . 2nd ed. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 2009. Print. Butler, Octavia E. Kindred . Boston: Beacon, 2004. Print. Gillespie, Tim. Doing Literary Criticism: Helping Students Engage with Challenging Texts . Portland, ME: Stenhouse, 2010. Print. Hooks, Bell. Black Looks: Race and Representation . Boston, MA: South End, 1992. Print. "Introduction: On Fiction." Introduction. The Heath Introduction to Fiction . Ed. John Jacob. Clayton. 5th ed. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1996. 27-32. Print. Schade Eckert, Lisa. How Does It Mean? Engaging Reluctant Readers Through Literary Theory . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2006. Print.

Day 3: The Fire - Discovering Artifacts Certificate of Freedom of Harriet Bolling, Petersburg, Virginia, 1851. "Free Blacks in the Antebellum Period." African American Odyssey. The Library of Congress, 21 Mar. 2008. Web. 21 July 2013. ‹ memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/aopart2.html ›.

Patrol Regulations for the Town of Tarborough "Patrol Regulations for the Town of Tarborough." Documenting the American South. University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004. Web. 21 July 2013. ‹ http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/tarboro/tarboro.html ›.

Slave pass for Benjamin McDaniel to travel from Montpellier to New Market, Shenandoah County, Virginia, June 1, 1843. "Slave Pass for Benjamin McDaniel." NYPL Digital. New York Public Library, 25 Mar. 2011. Web. 21 July 2013. ‹ http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1 ›.

Mount Harmon Plantation originated as a land grant of 350 acres to Godfrey Harmon by Caecilium Calvert the second Lord Baltimore, in 1651. It prospered as a tobacco plantation during the 17th and 18th centuries, growing and exporting tobacco to the British Isles. "National Scenic Byways Program: Mount Harmon Plantation at World's End." #64015: Mount Harmon Plantation at World's End. National Deparment of Transportation: Federal Highway Administration, n.d. Web. 21 July 2013. ‹ http://library.byways.org/assets/64015 ›.

"Bible Pages." Barnett Family Genealogy. WordPress.com, 2008. Web. 21 July 2013. ‹ http://vycurry.wordpress.com/bible-pages/ ›.

"The State of Maryland, from the Best Authorities by Samuel Lewis. W. Barker Sculp. Engraved for Carey's American Edition of Guthrie's Geography Improved." David Rumsey Map Collections: Cartography Associates. Cartography Associates, 2010. Web. 21 July 2013. ‹ http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~129~10016:The-State-of-Maryland,-from-the-bes ›.

Family History Project I will tell you something about stories… They aren't just for entertainment, Don't be fooled. —Leslie Marmon Silko My history is bound up in their history and the generations and the generations that follow should know where they came from to know better who they are. —Jewish Immigrant, Minnie Miller This project invites you to learn the stories of your own family—immediate and extended. This is one way that our history becomes real, full of shape and voice. The idea is to more fully realize how our history is about the people who lived it versus events that get written down in history books. There is a partnership that is often overlooked.

Place your family history on poster board or paper—we will hang these in the class for all of us to read. I encourage you to go back as far as you can on all sides of your family (it makes the project more interesting for you and our class). Create an historical timeline that "holds" the 1st person family narrative. It is important that the timeline designates the important people and events in your family history. Think about important locations and "artifacts" for your family. The bible in the book Kindred is a good example of an artifact that the character Dana remembers which contains the names of her ancestors: Alice Greenwood Weylin and Rufus Weylin. Take time to ask family members questions— Why is this important to our family? When was this? What else was going on in the world, society, our family when this happened? Who else knows about these events and might have more information? Include your 1st person family history narrative written in the storyteller's voice. The event it is about must be part of your timeline. Include 2-4 photographs of (or copies of—even in black and white) the people you choose to focus on, or people who are in some way connected to what you want to share (create captions for these photos to tie them into your project).

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Kindred / Literary Analysis Of The Novel Kindred By Octavia Butler

Literary Analysis Of The Novel Kindred By Octavia Butler

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