`` Kindred, She Challenges Humanity, And Racism - 1364 Words

In Octavia Butler’s novel, Kindred, she challenges humanity, moralities, and racism. By sending Dana through time, it highlighted the similarities and differences between characters and symbolic meanings. The theme of this novel is answering the question to â€Å"what if† a black woman, raised with rights, had to endure slavery? What tactics would she use in order to survive? Many people cannot imagine the agonies slavery has caused, not only to blacks, but everyone including loss of freedom, family, loved ones and self. The interracial couples in the novel, Dana and Kevin; Alice and Rufus, symbolize a larger issue of segregation that divides of our nation. The antagonist, Rufus, changed throughout his life as Dana tried to teach him†¦show more content†¦Correspondingly, this became a problem for everyone in Rufus’s life as in Douglass’s life as a former slave as well. Rufus’s actions were the main cause of hardships that even people he cared about had been hurt or dead. Dana had tried to prevent this from happening, but Rufus had failed to conform given being raised in his time period. Equally important, it is genially accepted that race and slavery changed history which has lead to a divided nation that remains affected today. Throughout the 19th century, there were many racial injustices that continued after Rufus accepted his father’s place. In the case of Rufus, he had to accept that Dana was educated, thus, not being able to control her. In short, he decided to manipulate and threaten the lives of others to gain control of Dana since he knew she would be more compliant. As a slaveholder, he had deprived the people he owned of their rights to education since whites were the only ones worthy at the time. As expert Baldwin suggested, â€Å"In this long battle, a battle by no means finished†¦the white man’s motive was the protection of his identity; the black man was motivated by the need to establish an identity† (73). In order for Rufus to protect himself, he took away many rights from his slaves. Nonetheless, this is why Dana began to teach others how toShow MoreRelatedOverview. Octavia Butler’S Kindred Focuses On The Perspective1731 Words   |  7 PagesOverview Octavia Butler’s Kindred focuses on the perspective of a black female within two drastically different societies ranging from the ideals of colonialism to a society of change and acceptance. Butler utilizes Dana’s position in society to portray the cruelty of slavery and the power that society can have on the ideals and morals of individuals, such as the developing character of Rufus. Throughout the book, the issue of slavery is addressed through a multitude of different themes that spanRead MoreAn Analysis of Terrorism Essay9824 Words   |  40 Pagesit is imperative not to underestimate the power and catalytic force of this new enemy. It is a shadowy force without identifiable territorial boundaries, but one that has the charismatic power to unite disparate allies in many nations and to clone kindred warriors with its fervent ideological mission and focused hatred toward America and its allies. We have begun to appreciate the extent to which this complex, expertly choreographed terrorist attack was the end product of extensive planning, training