Short questions?

Do you see see the Parable of the Sower as a anology for purgatory?

What flaws if any do you have with Luaren and Earthseed?

Do you see any parallels between this book and today’s society?

Will this book makes Baughman’s list of books that make him go hot damn?

On Keith's death

I've been thinking a lot about Keith. Although he seemed pretty predisposed to being a horrible person, his death speaks to the different levels of horrible that people are capable of being outside of the neighborhoods. Although Keith maims someone will a gun to take their stuff (likely fatally), he comes from a place of wanting to provide for himself and his family. The way that Keith's body is found is to suggest that he pissed off someone who was on a new level of a horrible person. Because of the useless police investigation, I am still left wondering so much about the details of Keith's death and more so why there is a lack of them. Is it at all surprising that Keith was killed the way that he was? Was he destined to reach the level of horrible that drug cartels are capable of? Was he destined to paint his head and light himself on fire? Or, alternatively, was Keith's death a freak accident, and was he onto the right idea about how to make more money for his neighborhood?

Lauren

I actually had something to mention from the conversation we had on Tuesday. We talked about how we view Lauren as a character herself. And I found a passage in the beginning of the novel to really speak to her personality and character a lot. It is on page 7, where she talks about her fathers God and how it is different from her God. For one, I thought it was interesting the amount of God and religion is mentioned in this novel. Knowing that Lauren believes in a God, but not the same one her father did, confused and intrigued me. I can relate to this on some level due to my upbringing and religion, but I won’t get too much into that, other than the fact that I can understand not believing in the same things your parents/family do. Aside from that, this paragraph at the beinning of chapter two shows who Lauren is and a big part of her personality. This shows her individuality, her need to separate herself from others, her curiosity, and her reblousness. On another note though, this passage shows how she is scared to rebel as well. She does not believe in the same thing as her father and yet continues to pretend and act like she does, therefore showing how she is still hesitant and in fear of the outside and everything else she does not know. All of these things are then built upon through out the book but I noticed them all within this paragraph alone.

Me VS We

Throughout the course of the novel our main character and her family members and friends are consistently confronted with the factors of choosing between themselves and the group. There is the instance of Cory finally admitting that she cares more for Keith than she does Lauren. There is the instance of Harry deciding whether or not to leave Lauren after she reveals her empathy to the two survivors of the cul-de-sac fire. When does ‘we’ become ‘me’ and when are instances where one must unite? In the beginning of Chapter 17 

“Embrace diversity.

Unite-

Or be divided,

Robbed

Ruled,

Killed

By those that see you as prey.

Embrace diversity or be destroyed.” (Butler 541, Digital copy.)

Is it possible to survive alone in this dystopia? Or do all loners end up like Keith or his victim that is hiking to Alaska? When would an instance of division instead of unity be the best course of action?

That escalated quickly

At the end of the 2026 sections is dramatic irony. Lauren's initial conclusion on Wyatt Talcott and his fate is that "he may not live much longer" and what makes it ironic is the fact that the cul-de-sac gets raided in July of the next year (149). It's probably safe to assume that Wyatt lived longer than everyone else. This sudden onslaught of carnage should be as surprising to the reader as it was for Lauren as she lived through the moment. At this point in the story, the reader should have some kind of emotional connection to most of the characters who die and, if not the characters, then the cul-de-sac they all lived on which was, in a way, a character. At this point in the book, it may be that this destruction of the cul-de-sac is the turning point in the story, hopefully. What else could possibly go wrong?

Let’s talk about the Sower

I went to pick up my book when it hit me that Lauren is the sower of Earthseed that the title references, and in a sense one could read this book as a religious text.

I went down a deep rabbit hole of thought and managested in my mind appeared the complicated idea of comparison to this book, (the life of Lauren), to something like the gospels of the New Testament, (which is the story of a Jesus through the eyes of his disciples).

It then became obvious that this book is actually structured as a religious text, each new chapter with verses and titles. I don’t quite know how to articulate the way this book makes me feel but it’s disturbing to me for maybe a reason I can’t put my finger on.

Yet it is pleasing to see a that group of people has found peace with one other in spite of the hell that surrounds the. The group is diverse in age, race, and backgroun, but they share the common religious beliefs of Earthseed, and follow its creator, the Sower of a Earthseed Lauren. I thought it was nice that despite the horrors nested in between the first and last page of the book, the final scene ends somewhat peacefully with the community of Acorn established and the group finely having a chance to rest.

The World of Parable of the Sower

In Parable of the Sower, civilized life appears to be breaking down completely; people kill one another for food or clothing, or sometimes only for sport. My reactions to the book were as follows:

Dogs, beasts or pets?

When I came across the passage about dogs on page 40, reading how Lauren describes them in their different roles in society really got me thinking. Specifically when she said "Rich people still keep dogs, either because they like them or because they use them to guard estates..." (Butler 40). In my head I was picturing the classic "Beware Of Dog" signs that people put on their gates and doors, but then y mind jumped to a certain movie. I am sure we all know this movie and will know what I am talking about once I say the same, The Hunger Games. In The Hunger Games there are wild vicious dogs that are sent after Katniss and Peta. In Hunger Games the districts do not own dogs as pets, but the Capitol (where the rich people are) does have dogs that are domesticated (if I am remembering correctly). I thought this might be a stretch of a connection, but it seemed worth sharing anyway.

Close to home

Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower strikes a note that our other readings have not. The setting is not some vague, distant future like Brave New World or Caves of Steel, nor is it a clear fabrication of the past, like Herland Or Utopia. Instead, Butler gives us concrete dates, beginning in July 2024. The vision of a world where communities must wall themselves for safety, the primary use of petroleum is arson, and so much else seems all too real for a book set to begin just five years from now.

Space! Or No?

My question for the day comes from the debate between Lauren and her father, applied to a modern-day debate. Is it feasible to think about starting to colonize other planets with over population continuing to occur? Or is it better (an more cost efficient) to find new ways to create a comfier, healthier way of life on Earth without making any of the populace uncomfortable or putting them in a ‘bad position’ (this could mean a number of bad things depending on which scope you’re viewing from).

Dogs

pill friends - wearing my dead dog's skin

i want to kill or to be killed
i pet my dog as i slit his throat
i skin him whole and i wear his furs
to school for looks now i feel good

i want to kill or to be killed
my dog licks me as he sinks into my meat
good boy he wears my tattered skin
to church for looks now they all know
i trust in hell

The parasitic relationship that humans have with dogs in this dystopian world has me thinking about the overwhelming lack of companionship and warmth is present within dystopian dogs. When we are unable to care for the things in life that give us comfort, such as cleanliness, dogs, and even a stable source of water, they become terrifying or their potential use is completely transformative. Dogs become something to fear, something to kill, and something to wear.

Bonus points for this song mentioning church, and school, for that matter, which both seem to be incredibly valuable to the neighborhood. Looking dirty and wearing filthy dead dog skins is a safe bet in not getting beat up. "I trust in hell" speaks to both the complicated relationship this book has with God and the state of affairs, playing on the term "In God We Trust," the motto of a state that seems to now have no concern for the livelihood of most people within in. 

credits

What Makes a Utopia?

While reading, I found myself thinking about the objectives and purposes of the worlds presented within the Utopia's we've seen. In Brave New World, people are decanted and bred for specific roles, and they are clean, safe, and sterile within their boundaries. The overwhelming drive behind their world is to live for pleasure and order. In The Caves of Steel, their New York City is run by a desire to live collectively and sustainably within their own bubble, however limited or dangerous that may be. Parable of the Sower, however, seems rooted in necessity, poverty, and survival. Lauren brings forth a lot of philosophical questions that not only reveal her current utopia, but one that she envisions for the future.

So, do Utopias stem from the thoughts and idealisms of the few or of the many? And what does the author reveal by the subtle (or unsubtle) forces at play within their world-building, as I mentioned above? So far we've been privy to Lauren's construction of an Earthseed philosophy that dithers on change. How is change important to Utopia - both in the ones we've seen (as used as contrasts to something bad or lesser) and the one(s) we strive for in our own reality?

https://sites.google.com/a/depauw.edu/the-parable-of-the-sower/_/rsrc/1472852703182/earthseed/strong__caring_hands_by_Rin_Uzuki.jpg?height=257&width=320

"Important things buried in the yard"

Parable of the Sower is very similar to Frank Hubert's Dune in that the story being told is from the past and the blurb before each chapter is from something in the present setting. The ending will probably be the beginning of a catastrophic event that eventually causes Lauren to grow up, mature, and preach her 'religion' that she is creating in the confines of this cul-de-sac she's in. Keith is a little shit, not going to lie, because he can't see the forest for the trees, or in this case, the borders of the cul-de-sac for the Earth. This story is a unique utopian story because it focuses on two things that weren't focused on before, like how, as Prof MB said best, utopian ideas come from individual people, and the other thing focused on is religion. The shift in perspective in general is a breath of fresh air.

Water, Water Everywhere nor Any Drop to Drink

Water is an essential part of human existence, yet it’s a rarity in this society. Lauren’s father wants an expensive baptismal even though he can’t afford it (11). The astronaut’s trip to Mars is considered a waste of time when the people on Earth are lacking such an important resource (15). Water has become more expensive than gasoline. Being dirty is fashionable because “If you’re clean… people think you’re showing off” (16). The neighborhood won’t bother calling the fire department when Amy Dunn starts a fire because no one can afford the expense (28). No one believes the radio report of an incoming storm (41).

The lack of water represents a lack of genuine, fulfilling life in Lauren’s society. Everyone is poor and miserable without this necessity. Lauren’s desires to leave reflect the desperation for water, or, symbolically, life. She reads survival books as she plans to leave home in the hope of finding, or creating, new life because her society is dying. “Nothing is going to save us,” she says. “If we don’t save ourselves, we’re dead” (51). Indeed, the authority figures aren’t doing much to provide life/water to society.

Earthseed

Lauren's development of Earthseed in contrast to the religion of her family is very interesting. Lauren's father seems to have a fairly traditional and structured approach when it comes to their world. He is a character that clearly strives for stability and order. At the beginning of this story Lauren, along with others, is getting baptized which is a very traditional practice. From this, we start to see how Lauren begins to pull back from the ideas of her family. Throughout this reading, it became clear that Lauren is a character who prioritizes actions so it makes sense that her religion would be one that is based on change instead of absolutes. This sense of urgency is illustrated by her thoughts of impending doom she longs to prepare for. This contrast between Lauren and her family could be due, in part, to unshared experiences. For example, Cory remembers and misses the view of city lights whereas Lauren has no recollection of city lights so instead she favors the stars.

https://godischange.org/earthseed/

The Role Space

One thought that stuck with me throughout my reading was the role of space in this particular future. Is space a potential solution to problems on earth? If so who would benefit from this solution? What portion of the population would these efforts actually help? Or is it more likely that space functions as a distraction and prevents progress that could have a greater effect?