A Harsh Critique on Hierarchy and Difference
Octavia Butler’s trilogy Lilith’s Brood contains a myriad of characters who would be marked as “different” in contemporary American society, whether it is because of their race, gender, sex, or species. Their differences are often the catalyst for conflict between others who see themselves as more normal and, therefore, better and higher ranked in the human hierarchy. Butler’s disdain for human hierarchical tendencies is clear in Lilith’s Brood as she often calls human intelligence and hierarchy “the human contradiction”. Using the protagonists Lilith, Akin, and Jodahs, Butler criticizes the misconceptions formulated about race, sex, and gender and, through their interactions with others, underlines the illogical harassment that often derives from the fear of what we do not yet understand.
Because of her sex and gender, resisters found it easy to thrust Lilith into the role of a scapegoat. Because the resistors essentially only “want someone to focus their frustration on”, they lash out on the one person who is most visibly different, from her physical characteristics to her enhanced abilities (147). They never really stop to try and understand why Lilith chooses to, in their eyes, betray humankind. Lilith learns that, in order to eventually return to Earth, she has no choice but to be the mediator between humans and the Oankali. Unfortunately, the humans abhor Lilith for choosing this position. They see her power and believe that “she was not human, or not human enough” (180). Their fear and uneasiness has them cast Lilith as an obvious “other”. Lilith’s physical differences, coupled with the humans’ resentment towards Lilith’s status as the “mother” of the group, fuel the growing...
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...erous to humans as a whole. Although João’s body accepts Jodahs, his mind stops him from total acceptance, resulting silent hatred during the day but acceptance at night. Jodahs is not male and yet becomes a victim to homophobia due to lack of understanding. Jodahs illustrates the struggles of an intersex and demonstrates the isolation one feels as a victim of difference.
Octavia Butler’s Lilith’s Brood has characters Lilith, Akin, and Jodahs who are all different in some way. The intolerance they face paints humans as beings who are incapable of appropriately handling difference. Their responses to these different people are a clear allusion to the injustices others have faced in the past. Through these characters, Butler criticizes the human predisposition to mark and oppress those who are different and implores humans to become more accepting and understanding
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
Bisexuality is a sexual identity that lies in the middle of heterosexuality and homosexuality; it is neither one nor the other, but both. It is similar to Melissa Solomon’s argument of the lesbian bardo. The word bardo refers to “an ‘in between’ state” (202). During her road trip, Jolene appears to be in Solomon’s period of deep uncertainty because she struggles to identify as either heterosexual or lesbian. There is a part in the novel where Jolene fantasizes about the female model in her art class: “I wanted to go up and bury my face between her legs for the afternoon” (Lopez 218). However, once there, Jolene admits that she wouldn’t have known what to do once she reached that point. She starts by asserting a dominant lesbian role in her lesbian fantasy, but then becomes submissive because she doesn’t know how to control the situation. She needs the power and dominance of men to radiate onto her in order to feel like she is in control. There is this constant tension between constituting a specific gender, and sexual role. Jolene’s uncertain nature creates a problematic idea of traveling west and being a middle class woman on the road because she struggles to master the male gendered road with independence and
Much discrimination and misogyny still permeate our social stratosphere, but while reading written words one cannot help but to be placed in the author’s shoes, and therefore accept their words as our own. Cain writes, “Many of the texts written by women during this time reflect the idea that there are natural differences between the sexes. Usually a female narrator…privately addresses a mainly female audience about issues that might seem mainly to concern women” (825). Because the text is written in a female voice, the reading adapts themselves to that voice, and gives credit to the
In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the character of Janie Crawford experiences severe ideological conflicts with her grandmother, and the effects of these conflicts are far-reaching indeed. Hurston’s novel of manners, noted for its exploration of the black female experience, fully shows how a conflict with one’s elders can alter one’s self image. In the case of Janie and Nanny, it is Janie’s perception of men that is altered, as well as her perception of self. The conflict between the two women is largely generational in nature, and appears heart-breakingly inevitable.
For, in relinquishing, a mother feels strong and liberal; and in guild she finds the motivation to right wrong. Women throughout time have been compelled to cope with the remonstrances of motherhood along with society’s anticipations Morrison’s authorship elucidates the conditions of motherhood showing how black women’s existence is warped by severing conditions of slavery. In this novel, it becomes apparent how in a patriarchal society a woman can feel guilty when choosing interests, career and self-development before motherhood. The sacrifice that has to be made by a mother is evident and natural, but equality in a relationship means shared responsibility and with that, the sacrifices are less on both part. Although motherhood can be a wonderful experience many women fear it in view of the tamming of the other and the obligation that eventually lies on the mother.
In today’s society, there are certain types of women who are born with the advantage to prosper, and others who will ultimately face challenges. Certain factors are involved when discussing what types of women are more likely to encounter difficulties throughout their life. Audre Lorde, an African-American theorist, poet, and activist, stated tat the American norm is, “usually defined as white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, Christian, and financially secure” (Lorde 19). If a woman does not identify with all of these characteristics, she is more susceptible to hardship. Bastard out of Carolina, The House on Mango Street, and The Bluest Eye discuss many of the consequences of having certain factors that are considered out of the norm.
The gender binary of Western culture dichotomizes disgendered females and males, categorizing women and men as opposing beings and excluding all other people. Former professor of Gender Studies Walter Lee Williams argues that gender binarism “ignores the great diversity of human existence,” (191) and is “an artifact of our society’s rigid sex-roles” (197). This social structure has proved detrimental to a plethora of people who fall outside the Western gender dichotomy. And while this gender-exclusive system is an unyielding element of present day North American culture, it only came to be upon European arrival to the Americas. As explained by Judith Lorber in her essay “Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender”, “gender is so pervasive in our society we assume it is bred into our genes” (356). Lorber goes on to explain that gender, like culture, is a human production that requires constant participation (358).
Ann Perkins, Jones’ character, is supposed to be an ethnically ambiguous person and in reality, Rashida is biracial (Glamour). Leslie Knope, the white protagonist of the series, frequently uses words like ‘exotic’, ‘tropical’, and ‘ethnically ambiguous’ when complimenting Ann. The ‘compliments’ also act as the only instances where race is spoken about in reference to Ann’s character. One would believe that Leslie’s constant complimenting of Ann is beneficial to viewers with a biracial identity, but there are some serious problems with Leslie’s behavior. There has been an historical and recent fascination with ‘mixed’ children. This fascination has crossed over into fetishizatoin of biracial or mixed children and people. Biracial people are seen less as people and more as a kind of spice that bell hooks mentions in her work “Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance” (21). They are something that helps liven up the blandness of the pervasive white culture. Another harmful aspect of Ann’s depiction relates to her class. In Edison’s work, she notes that “biracial individuals living in a middle- and upper-class environments are more likely to be perceived as biracial (rather than black) than those living in working- and lower-class environments” and that “‘color blind’ portrayals of middle- and upper-class Black and biracial characters support the notion that race no longer matters (at least for middle- and upper-class people)” (Edison, 302; 304). Ann’s character is a successful college-educated nurse which is not problematic until one realizes that her race is never truly discussed. This feeds into the stereotype that race does not matter and that all people in the U.S. have the same opportunities. Again, the lack of racial representation leaves one character the duty of depicting a whole group of
...present powerful characters, while females represent unimportant characters. Unaware of the influence of society’s perception of the importance of sexes, literature and culture go unchanged. Although fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty produce charming entertainment for children, their remains a didactic message that lays hidden beneath the surface; teaching future generations to be submissive to the inequalities of their gender. Feminist critic the works of former literature, highlighting sexual discriminations, and broadcasting their own versions of former works, that paints a composite image of women’s oppression (Feminist Theory and Criticism). Women of the twenty-first century serge forward investigating, and highlighting the inequalities of their race in effort to organize a better social life for women of the future (Feminist Theory and Criticism).
A BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH OCTAVIA E. BUTLER http://www.plcmc.lib.nc.us/novello/1999/listen/obutler.htm ESSAY ON OCTAVIA BUTLER http://www.towanda.com/sela/essay.htm Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis Trilogy: A Biologist’s Response by Joan Slonczewski, presented at SFRA, Cleveland, June 30, 2000 http://www2.kenyon.edu/depts/biology/slonc/books/butler1.html Xenogeneis Patterns of Octavia Butler http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/butler/butler_octavia0.html Voices from the Gaps Woman Writers of Color http://voices.cla.umn.edu/authors/OctaviaButler.html Octavia E Butler works and more. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/authors/Octavia_E_Butler.htm Online Literary Criticism Collection Octavia E. Butler http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/cgi-bin/ref/litcrit/litcrit.out.pl?au=but-616
Ha Jin is a very talented writer. He uses first person narrative, setting, and personal appeal to show his readers that cruelty and judgment against homosexuals is not needed in today’s society. He uses these three things to show that the criticism in this book is taken to an extreme. These aspects along with many others create a story that readers are not only interested in, but can relate to as well.
Throughout various mediums, queer and gender portrayals are not shown in the best light. Majority of media show clear negative connotations of homosexuals and queens while constantly being a target of discrimination and ridicule. Though as time went on many writers decided to speak up and gain awareness for queer and gender biases by incorporating messages of societal discrimination in their plays. Much of their ideals were that of how sexual/gender identity portrayal, lifestyle stigma, and preconceived notions of the homosexual community. These ideals were combined in what is called gender studies and queer literary theory. Some of these concepts and ideas of queer and gender theory can be seen throughout the play
My first reaction to Egalia’s Daughters, by Gerd Brantenberg, was something like "WHAT is this". I was immediately very confused, and had no idea what this author was writing about. In fact, I felt as though I opened the book to the middle of a story, and became turned off by the whole experience. It took about three chapters, and someone’s help, until I started to read the book understandably, with ease, and began to enjoy the world I was entering. It became very apparent that I would have to detach myself from all that I thought I knew about gender, and simply allow myself to take in the message Brantenberg was trying to convey. As soon as I began to understand what I was reading, I found myself thoroughly engaged by both the story and the sociological aspects of both the Egalian, and my societies social constructions of gender. Although I was aware, to some degree of the socialization of gender in our society, having not taken any feminist or women’s studies courses, I was not familiar with how much gender is ingrained in our culture, language, government, identities, etc. This book truly brings forth those ideals by expressing the opposite of what we know in our society to be true concerning the socialization of gender.
In the novel This Earth Of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, discrimination against social structure, race, and gender is apparent. The setting is in the Indies, or now called Indonesia. At that time, there are terms for different races in the book, which are “Native” indicating someone who is pure Indonesian, “Indo” a half European and half Indonesian, and “Pure Blood” or “European” when someone is pure European. An Indo and a Pure Blood receives more respect in society than a Native. Furthermore, European or Pure Blood is at the top of this social hierarchy, people who are European or Pure Blood receives the utmost respect in society. Differences in gender is prevalent in this novel, where most women in this book have power in their own homes, but in society is looked down upon. Female characters experiencing these are Annelies, the main character’s love interest, Nyai Ontosoroh, Annelies’ mother who is a concubine, and Magda Peters, the main character’s European teacher. Women in this novel are portrayed differently according to what race, social structure, and gender they are born in, which can be seen through Nyai Ontosoroh, Annelies, and Magda Peters.
Indisputably, roles and characteristics of opposite genders have been ubiquitous, since historical evidence proves so – dating back to when the practice of oral tradition was favored over written language. This historical evidence is especially apparent in literature from previous time periods. In these works of literature, men and women often have very different social and economic positions within society. Particular duties, or tasks, are practiced depending on the gender of these individuals. However, in the advancing world we are currently living in, these duties are beginning to intertwine in an effort to allow equal rights amongst opposite genders. This effort to break the sexist barrier, which encompasses our world, has already begun rattling the chains of politicians and the like. However, with the progressions made thus far in retaliation to sexism and unequal gender privileges, the United States of America is heading in a positive direction towards gender equality. Nonetheless, the female gender is perceived as a lesser entity in society while the male gender is dominant and controlling. The masculine individuals in literary works usually govern, or direct the feminine individuals. These characteristics are often evident in various literary works – including “Hills Like White Elephants,” and “A&P” written by Ernest Hemingway and John Updike, respectively. The slow and steady transformation from a sexist society to one that allows inferior genders to perform similar tasks, if not the same as their superior counterparts, may disturb the ideological mindset of figures with authority; however, it provides inferior genders with the opportunity to branch out socially, economically, and politically.