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Olesya

Butler strikingly creates tension in the passage through the growing threats and danger Dana face as her encounter with the man progressed. Their interaction started going downhill, from Dana getting slapped for indignance and being 'ill-mannered', which transcended to emotionally abusive, fear-striking threats and retalliation, to a mad chase and ultimately a series of punches thrown at Dana. Dana's struggle to be free from the man invokes extreme fear in the reader. The impending danger if Dana failed to flee, against the possibility of a successful escape brought the passage immense suspense and tension ove Dana's fate.

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Calista

Q1: How does Butler effectively create tension in this passage?

Butler changes her focus from dialogue to actions through the passage.

In the first half of paragraphs, all the characters portrayed show their emotions through their dialogue and words. Although there is already hostility present when the young man interacts with Dana, it escalates as Dana uses violence.

In the other half of the paragraphs, Dana’s actions hints at how panicked she is, and creates tension as the outcome of her actions are uncertain to the reader. When she is held down by the young white man, an option is presented for her to attack him, however, she herself is hesitant, and the tension rises as the reader doesn’t know whether she will survive.

Q2: Select one other moment in which Butler strikingly creates tension in one part

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Yunqi (14)

Q1: Butler effectively creates tension in this passage by highlighting how Dana getting back to the present requires her to face the brutal reality of violence of slavery, and it could ultimately compromise her safety entirely if she does not defend herself in time. The quote ‘My chance was gone, and i’d done nothing.’ Despite having an opportune moment to get away, she ultimately succumbed to her soft heart, which shows how she would not survive if she could not time travel in time and revolves around the central tension of the sickening survival instinct needed to prevent the slavery in Maryland, which Dana lacks.

Q2: One other moment in which Butler strikingly creates tension in other parts of the novel was when Rufus hits Dana for the first time after she pleaded for him not to sell Sam. The quote ‘It was a first, and so unexpected’ and ‘breaking of an unspoken agreement between us’ suggests that Rufus' action made Dana conflicted and betrayed as she owes her suffering and trauma but also her life and responsibility to Rufus as a descendant. The tension forces Dana to decide between her complex feelings or her responsibility as his savior.

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grace

Q1. Butler strategically utilizes narrative junctures to ratchet up suspense throughout the passage. Dana's pursuit by the relentless man culminates in a thwarted attempt at refuge at Alice's house. This denial of sanctuary instills uncertainty and unease in the reader concerning Dana's fate. The tension escalates further with a sudden shift in events. The excerpt, "He caught me, pulled me backward and threw me onto the ground. He would have kicked me but I rolled aside and jumped to my feet," portrays a transformation from escape to a violent assault. The contrasting actions of the characters heighten the reader's anticipation and anxiety for Dana's well-being. Notably, the passage reaches its peak tension when Dana contemplates her ability to stop her attacker: "I knew I could stop him, cripple him." The subsequent phrase, "His eyes.", introduces a moment of pregnant pause, signifying a critical juncture in the narrative. Butler's use of suspenseful language underscores the gravity of the situation, leaving the reader to apprehensively await Dana's next move.

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nicolle (26)

Q1. Butler effectively create tension progressively through Dana’s fear as she attempts escape from the white man. This is evident in, ‘Terror gave me speed and agility I never knew I had.’ The use of hyperbole exaggerates the intensity of her fear. While the use of personification highlights the great impact of terror influencing Dana’s abilities, This creates tension between Dana and the white man as she runs away for her dear life, suggesting her immense fear of being caught.

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Sophie

Q1: Mounting tension is effectively conveyed by Butler through the use of critical turning points throughout the passage. In the passage, Dana is chased relentlessly by the man. She was about to seek refuge in Alice’s house, only to be met with her escape being barred, inevitably evoking a sense of uncertainty and uneasiness in the reader towards the fate of Dana. This is further amplified by a sudden turn of events. ‘He caught me, pulled me backward and threw me onto the ground. He would have kicked me but i rolled aside and jumped to my feet’ provides further strain on the atmosphere as the mere act of escaping evolves into fear inducing attempts to hit and assault Dana, while she struggles to get away. The conflicting acts of each individual conveys anticipation and anxiety for Dana’s fate. However, this feeling of tension reaches the peak when ‘I knew i could stop him, cripple him’, ‘His eyes.’ , suggesting the passage has reached a critical point. The choice of suspenseful diction highlights the severity and importance of the situation, evoking apprehension and anticipation for Dana’s next steps, which will ultimately decide her fate of whether she will be sold into slavery.

2. Butler also strikingly conveys tension through the breaking resolve of the whipped man. Initially, the man had withstood the beating with a gasp and “took several blows with no outcry”, invoking the buildup of doubtful anticipation and fearful hesitation in the reader as to whether the man will be able to take the beatings. However, as the beating escalates ”he began to moan-low gut wrenching sounds torn from him against his will” builds an atmosphere of painful dread paired with terror and frightfulness in the breaking of the man’s resolve, leading the reader to imagine the amount of suffering the man is put through. Therefore a sense of uncertainty, anxiety and fear is conveyed, especially in through such cruel treatment that comes off as unfamiliar and absolutely unacceptable to the reader

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katie

Q1: Butler effectively create tension between the man and Dana through the vivid description of the fight between them, showing us the conflict between them. ‘When I tried to scramble away, he pushed me back’ suggests the tension between the man and Dana as Dana tried to get away from the man, but he forcefully stopped her from doing so and brought her back down. This created tension through the conflict that they had with each other, as Dana desired to escape, however, the man was a barrier that could not allow her to do so, as he constantly tried to chase and stop her from freedom. ‘heard him start after me’ is another evidence of the man disallowing Dana to get away from him. The man’s constant questioning in the start also adds on to the conflict they seem to have with each other. The man was suspicious of Dana as she looked so much like Alice’s mother but he has never seen Dana before, hence demanding answers from Dana by bombarding her with questions Dana herself was unable to answer, as she was a time traveller. The consistent questioning shows how suspicious the man was to Dana, such that had to interrogate her on the spot, further emphasising the tension between them.

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Q1. Butler powerfully creates tension in this passage by using short paragraphing for moment of suspense happening between each action of both the man’s and Dana’s. Short paragraphing also helps to slow down the reader’s reading speed to focus on the details written inside the text, as well as to present their actions and Dana’s thoughts precisely and allowing the readers to have time to predict what would happen next. From line 10th 26 shows the intensity of the scene

(Jace)

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Calah (2)

Q1: How does Butler effectively create tension in this passage?

Butler effectively creates tension by escalating the situation incrementally, raising the stakes and the element of danger.

Butler also effectively creates tension by creating conflict between and within the characters.

Q2: Select another moment where Butler strikingly creates tension.

Butler creates tension in the moment where Dana witnesses a man getting whipped for the first time.

Q3: How does Butler create tension in this selected moment?

Butler creates tension by detailing the man’s increasingly agonising suffering, presenting a moment of danger, helplessness and fear.

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q2: another striking moment in octavia butler's "kindred" where tension is strikingly created is when Dana realizes she is back in the antebellum South and must protect Rufus

butler uses foreshadowing, where dana’s awareness of the brutality of slavery and her own position as a black woman in the past foreshadows the potential threats she may face, intensifying the tension as she navigates the hostile environment. it adds to the tension knowing that dana is aware that she will end up as a slave, and how she stands up for herself repeatedly despite being discriminated for being a black woman.

butler also strikingly creates tension through Dana's internal conflict. She is torn between her instinct to survive and her moral obligation to help Rufus, who she knows will grow up to be a ruthless slave owner. This inner turmoil creates a sense of urgency and adds complexity to the situation, as Dana grapples with the consequences of her actions. she is constantly in a dilemma, knowing that her actions will lead to dire consequences.

-suzanne

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Q1: Butler effectively creates tension in this passage through Dana’s conscience stopping her from taking the necessary actions in order to survive .

-marabelle

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Q1: Butler effectively creates tension in this passage through the emphasis on Dana’s constant state of fear and uneasiness. This is evident in “give him more agony than he was giving me”, when Dana was in a state of internal conflict between defending herself and hurting the man, or not violently assaulting her perpetrator. This is further highlighted by “I had to do it! But I couldn’t…” as it emphasises that Dana was in a position that perfectly gave her the ability to run away from her perpetrator, and hurt him to a larger extent than he was to her, but she did not initiate, as she was naive to feel for the man, and naive to not defend herself, putting her emotional conscience’s needs before her physical.

Q2: Butler strikingly creates tension in the novel through the existing racial and gender-based prejudice between white men and black people. This is evident in the novel when Kevin’s sister does not approve of Dana in their marriage, for the sake of her skin colour. This conveys the constant inability of white people being able to get along with black people, refusing to accept them into their family, even if it meant rejecting their family member’s spouse. The constant judgment expressed by white people to black people emphasises the dominance of white people’s opinions over black people, and white people refusing to accept black people who were regarded inferior or previously “slaves”, disallowing marriage and friendship between the two races

-sarah mae (22)

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elizabeth lee(5):

Q1: butler strikingly creates tension through ideations and hints at slavery through the words of the white man, such as the phrase “i wonder what you’re worth” suggesting that he considering how much dana was worth despite not knowing her well. This foreshadows a sense of dread and fear of the future for dana thus creating a palpable tension of what some misfortunes dana possibly could face soon creating suspense for the readers to want to know what happens to Dana in the future.

Q2:butler strikingly creates tension through interracial relations between the characters which are considered a taboo and something looked down upon as black people are supposedly inferior to white people at that time thus when relationships between white and blacks beyond slave and master are formed tension is created due to the exploration of something that went against the norms at that time

m1:when rufus lied to dana about sending the mail to kevin because he did not want her leaving his side for her husband. “i looked at him again and let myself understand. it was the single minded love of him.” this suggests that even dana couldn’t comprehend such a concept that a white man like rufus could feel love for a black woman like dana in a non-romantic way.

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M1: Select one other moment in which Butler strikingly creates tension

Q2: How does Butler create tension in this selected moment?

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Q1: How does Butler effectively create tension in this passage?