Kindred By Octavia Butler
5 pages double spaced
Slavery. “I hate to think of you playing the part of a slave at all” (79). Is Dana a twentieth century slave, or does she experience victimization without becoming a victim? In a reversal of the traditional slave narrative, she anticipates time travel, gathering her materials ahead of time for a journey back to the plantation. What reasons—abstract and concrete—does she have for spending so much time in a hostile environment? Why does Kevin spend an even longer amount of time in the past? What role does gender play in Dana’s interactions— both in the present and the past? Use quotes from the book as evidence for your argument.
