Science fiction captures the imaginations of its readers allowing their minds to run rampant as they immerse themselves into a world beyond reality. Science fiction also allows its audience to consider the possibilities of things beyond their normal life and draw parallels to the world around them. Octavia Butler’s short story, “Bloodchild” is a prime example of a well written scientific fiction containing elements of wonder, thrill, and adventure. “Bloodchild” is about humans who take refuge on an alien planet and must and must coexist with with the native species called Tlic. To maintain peace, the humans are granted space to live in exchange for host bodies used as vessels to birth the Tlic’s offspring. The protagonist, Gan, is a male chosen …show more content…
Butler plays out a scenario where she pushes the limits of what a human can love if we will be willing to make sacrifices for it. In “Bloodchild”, the protagonist, Gan, is partially raised by T’Gatoi and expresses his love by allowing her to use him as a host for her young. Through Gan’s actions, we are able to explore the idea that love has no boundaries; humans posses the capability to love even a parasitic alien life form. He is able to love T’Gatoi deeply enough to put his life at risk to bear her offspring. Love is also explored as a driving factor for self-sacrifice. In “Bloodchild”, Gan is faced with the decision to choose whether he will be a host body or allow T’Gatoi to lay her eggs into Gan’s older sister. While Gan’s older sister has always wanted to be a host body and would gladly agree, Gan knows the burden of the responsibility and will not let her go through the suffering. Out of love, Gan is willing to sacrifice his own wellbeing to ensure the safety of his family. Although the story may be gruesome, Butler is able to express her ideas of what love could look like as well as allow the reader to question their definition of …show more content…
The relationship between the terrans and Tlics in “Bloodchild” questions how a dominating power may act toward a lesser power. The Tlic’s dominating power over the terrans can be seen as cruel, and is even thought to be enslaving by some. A real world parallel to the treatment of the humans in “Bloodchild” is similar to how the United States confined the Native Americans to reserves yet called them free. Butler also questions how much of a relationship is based on need and how much is pure civility. Both humans and Tilic need something form each other. The Tlic posses the power to exterminate or completely enslave humans, yet they decide to coexist with the humans in separate territories. Without this mutual reliance, both species have no reason to coexist.The same relationship can also be applied to how humans treat their domestic animals. There is a mutual need between domestic animals and humans because they cannot live on there own and humans need them to sustain themselves. Through bloodchild we are able to step into the shoes of a domestic animal and question if taking advantage of these lives is ethically correct. Butler asks how we act in relation to others by showing a tension filled relation ship between two
In conclusion, readers identify with the human form and use it as a vehicle for defamiliarization to show the mechanical functions they serve themselves and others. The characters in “Bloodchild” behave as part of a process and show a lack of respect for their human qualities. As they desensitize their bodies, they allow the Tlic to engage with them in an unbalanced power relationship. Then, the Tlic interact with them in a sheltering way and inhibit their thought process. Through this interaction chain, Butler effectively conveys that the way humans treat themselves will dictate how others treat them. As the afterword said, “Bloodchild” is not about slavery; it’s about the relationships humans take on because they allow themselves to be
The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton, is a science fiction novel about the struggle of mankind’s intelligence, and the dangers it may pose. The author has an extensive background in medicine and the sciences, which are incorporated into his writing and film production. This novel is noted for the use of literary devices, theme, and writing style, which will be covered in this paper.
Most people wouldn’t think before killing someone in this world, even if they were a child, or even an elderly, just so they could cure their starvation. The man and the boy are different. They aren’t like this. The man will only kill people who threaten the boys life, even if this means that it’s harder for them to get food. “I don't think you should touch him. Maybe we could give him something to eat. He stood looking off down the road. Damn, he whispered. He looked down at the old man. Perhaps he'd turn into a god and they to trees. All right, he said.” (Page 78). “No you can't. If you look at him again I'll shoot you.” (Page 31) In both of these quotes, the man and boy come across someone who they don’t know and they don’t know the ability of these people or what their intentions are. In the first quote, the boy tells the man to not touch the old man but to help him. The man contemplates it and agrees with the boy. The man does this to keep the boy from having to see the horrifying event of his own father killing someone. In the second quote, the father is threatening to shoot an unknown man because he was just looking at the boy. The man only cares about killing people if they have any chance of hurting the boy. Both of these quotes support the idea of paternal love because they show that the man risks not only his life but their starvation just to make sure no one hurts the boy. When there isn’t much food left,
In every story, there is a protagonist and an antagonist, good and evil, love and hatred, one the antithesis of the other. To preserve children’s innocence, literature usually emphasizes on the notion that love is insurmountable and that it is the most beautiful and powerful force the world knows of, yet Gen’s and Carmen’s love, ever glorious, never prevails. They each have dreams of a future together, “he takes Carmen’s hand and leads her out the gate at the end of the front walkway… together they… simply walk out into the capital city of the host country. Nobody knows to stop them. They are not famous and nobody cares. They go to an airport and find a flight back to Japan and they live there, together, happily and forever” in which their love is the only matter that holds significance (261). The china
Throughout the novel Kindred, Butler compared and contrasted modern African Americans with African Americans that were slaves in the novel. Some of the many ways she compares them are through education, work ethic, and their personal feelings about and/or how they handle their own slavery.
The book follows Dana who is thrown back in time to live in a plantation during the height of slavery. The story in part explores slavery through the eye of an observer. Dana and even Kevin may have been living in the past, but they were not active members. Initially, they were just strangers who seemed to have just landed in to an ongoing play. As Dana puts it, they "were observers watching a show. We were watching history happen around us. And we were actors." (Page 98). The author creates a scenario where a woman from modern times finds herself thrust into slavery by account of her being in a period where blacks could never be anything else but slaves. The author draws a picture of two parallel times. From this parallel setting based on what Dana goes through as a slave and her experiences in the present times, readers can be able to make comparison between the two times. The reader can be able to trace how far perceptions towards women, blacks and family relations have come. The book therefore shows that even as time goes by, mankind still faces the same challenges, but takes on a reflection based on the prevailing period.
This passage marks the first of several types of love, and gives us an intuitive
There exists no power as inexplicable as that of love. Love cannot be described in a traditional fashion; it is something that must be experienced in order for one to truly grasp its full enormity. It is the one emotion that can lead human beings to perform acts they are not usually capable of and to make sacrifices with no thought of the outcome or repercussions. Though love is full of unanswered questions and indescribable emotions, one of the most mystifying aspects of love is its timeless nature. Love is the one emotion, unlike superficial sentiments such as lust or jealousy, which can survive for years, or even generations. In the novel The Gargoyle, the author, Andrew Davidson, explores the idea of eternal love between two people, a union that spans over centuries spent both together and apart. Davidson, through the use of flashbacks, intricate plot development and foreshadowing, and dynamic characterization, creates a story that challenges the reader’s preconceived notions regarding whether eternal love can survive even when time’s inevitable grasp separates the individuals in question.
Mellor, Anne. Abandonment and Lack of Proper Nurture Shape the Monster's Nature. N.p.: Copyright Methuen, Inc., 1988.
The Love Suicides at Amijima recounts the tale of two disastrous sweethearts, Jihei, a wedded unsuccessful vendor of business Osaka, and Koharu, a wonderful mistress for whom he has gotten a lethally exceptional affection fascination, and from whom his adoration is responded, however an affection which can never be satisfied because of his marriage and family and her obligated status as a paid courtesan. He tries to control his overwhelming energetic affection for Koharu; in fact some portion of him wishes simply to satisfy what society expects of him as a husband and father. Torn between the two restricting universes of obligation (giri) and enthusiastic private craving (ninjo), Jihei is constrained again and again to reject his home and family. Like some other human
The 2001 film, Planet of the Apes represents a dystopian world. A dystopian world describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanising and as unpleasant as possible. In the film Planet of the Apes, the world is ruled by humanoid apes who can speak the human language and who treat human beings as their slaves. The world has been represented so that the roles of humans and apes have been reversed in the film, the apes have taken over the superior role in the world whereas the humans have been downgraded to the, as referred to, as the 'dirty animals '. This juxtaposition is thought provoking; it makes us think about how we treat animals and those we see as lesser human in our world and
Butler, Octavia E. "Bloodchild." Bloodchild and Other Stories. New York: Seven Stories Press, 1996. 1-32. Kenan, Randall. "
Butler effectively places the Oankali biology, culture, and way of life as the norm, through Lilith 's need, as well as the other 's, to accept them in order to survive, in turn constructing the humans as the marginal demographic. Butler 's decision to make humans abnormal helps the reader call into question what we deem as human characteristics and human nature, because we begin to see how we both align and separate ourselves from each other based upon biology and
As readers, we identify with the human form and the learn of the mechanical function we serve to ourselves and others. The characters in “Bloodchild” behave as part of a process and show a lack of respect for their human qualities. As they desensitize their bodies, they allow the Tlic to engage with them in an unbalanced power relationship. The Tlic then interact with humans in a sheltering way and inhibit their thought process. Butler effectively conveys a notion that the way we treat ourselves dictates how others treat us. As the afterword said, “Bloodchild” is not about slavery; it’s about the relationships we take on because we allow ourselves to be
In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison explores the paradoxical nature of love both as a dangerous presence that promises suffering and a life-giving force that gives the strength to proceed; through the experiences of the run-away slave Sethe. The dangerous aspect of love is revealed through the comments of Paul D and Ella regarding the motherly love of Sethe towards her children. Sethe's deep attachment to her children is deemed dangerous due to their social environment which evidently promises that the loved one of a slave will be hurt. On the other hand, love is portrayed as a sustaining force that allows Sethe to move on with her life. All the devastating experiences Sethe endures do not matter due to the fact that she must live for her children. Although dangerous, Sethe's love finally emerges as the prevalent force that allows her to leave the past behind and move on with her life.