Senior Seminar in Literature
The Slavery Vision within Octavia Butler’s “Dawn” and “Kindred”
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
English
Minor
Business Administration
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Carrie Jerrell, PhD., Andrew Black, PhD.
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
In this paper, I will examine both Butler’s Dawn and Kindred under the circumstances of slavery, racism, and the captivity of human beings. I focus on how Butler presents these issues in concern in an underlying manner, in which she limits the perspective of both of the protagonists to emphasize restriction and control. The restricted form of Butler’s works is significant when referring to how the story is told: the readers are not allowed to shift between characters’ perspectives in Dawn, a third-person limited perspective, whereas in Kindred, it solely focuses on Dana and her disbelief at the time-traveling events that occur. This control is seemingly relative to the master/slave trope that will continuously appear throughout the essay, as well as the readers sensing the slave/incarcerated experience because of Butler’s limited perspectives and controlled lives of the protagonists within the two novels. Through a deep analysis of language within the novels, specifically, the form and style, Butler’s vision of limitation and control will be recognized and resembled as the master/slave perspective.
Fall Scholars Week 2022 Event
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Other Scholars Week Event
ENG 548: Senior Seminar in Literature
The Slavery Vision within Octavia Butler’s “Dawn” and “Kindred”
In this paper, I will examine both Butler’s Dawn and Kindred under the circumstances of slavery, racism, and the captivity of human beings. I focus on how Butler presents these issues in concern in an underlying manner, in which she limits the perspective of both of the protagonists to emphasize restriction and control. The restricted form of Butler’s works is significant when referring to how the story is told: the readers are not allowed to shift between characters’ perspectives in Dawn, a third-person limited perspective, whereas in Kindred, it solely focuses on Dana and her disbelief at the time-traveling events that occur. This control is seemingly relative to the master/slave trope that will continuously appear throughout the essay, as well as the readers sensing the slave/incarcerated experience because of Butler’s limited perspectives and controlled lives of the protagonists within the two novels. Through a deep analysis of language within the novels, specifically, the form and style, Butler’s vision of limitation and control will be recognized and resembled as the master/slave perspective.