https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu Thoughts on the philosophy of life and death in the novel. en-us 2020-12-01 03:25:01 UTC 2025-11-13 09:55:02 UTC hello@padlet.com destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978430881 Anyanwu embraces the dolphin world, comparing its peacefulness to the horrors of human society. The text reads, “ . . . but only in her true woman-shape could she remember being seriously hurt by males - men” (Butler 90). This suggests that abuse is a human phenomenon. Here is a world where such cruelty does not exist. Anyanwu also notices that there are, “No slavers with brands and chains here” (90). Slavery is a human creation, one that does not exist anywhere else in nature. Humans are, then, freaks of nature, given to cruel acts that violate nature's laws. ]]> 2020-12-02 02:56:11 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978430881 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978450215 Dolphins are known for their intelligence, being one of the most intelligent species in the world. Octavia Butler's use of dolphins instead of another creature suggests she is making a clear connection between dolphins and humans as two similarly reasonable species. Therefore, the dolphin's better way of life can be assumed to be possible for humans to attain as well. ]]> 2020-12-02 03:07:16 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978450215 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978459884 Anyanwu's life as a dolphin seems to give her hope for a future in which humans can also create a peaceful society. Though dolphins symbolize hope, they do not appear to symbolize freedom since Anyanwu is not satisfied with simply living out the rest of her immortality as a dolphin. Though she is free in her dolphin body, she is not free in her true body, meaning true freedom is not achieved. Escaping capture may be a temporary fix but true freedom comes when someone is able to exist freely as themself. ]]> 2020-12-02 03:12:55 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978459884 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978473505 Anyanwu's dolphin body is compared to the human body when it is stated, “Her dolphin body was wonderfully agile. She seemed to fly through the air, plunging back smoothly and leaping again without strain or weariness. This was the best body she had ever shaped for herself” (90). The dolphin body is "agile," energized, and unrestrained. She is even almost able to fly, suggesting a partial sense of freedom as she is physically free. ]]> 2020-12-02 03:21:06 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978473505 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978474565 The human body, on the other hand, is defined by its susceptibility to "weariness" and is burdened by physical restraints (90). Unlike dolphin bodies, human bodies are at risk of enslavement at the hands of other human bodies. The human body is weighed down by the heavy burdens of the human world and is not free. ]]> 2020-12-02 03:21:46 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978474565 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978494331 What makes a person human? Is it just a species or is there more to it? Doro wonders, “What was he . . . that he could have anything at all but an end?” (191). Doro isn't really sure what he is but he doesn't seem to believe he is human anymore. His reasoning seems to be that his inability to die has caused him to lose his humanity. Therefore, death is an essential part of what makes someone human. If a person cannot die, what are they? When speaking of how her people will carry on without her, Anyanwu tells Doro, “‘Live or die as best they can . . . Everything truly alive dies sooner or later’” (291). Anyanwu reinforces this idea that death defines humanity. If one cannot die, are they even alive at all? ]]> 2020-12-02 03:34:49 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978494331 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978508491 Doro asks Anyanwu, “‘What will I be when there is nothing left but hunger and feeding?’” (295). Here, there is an implication that part of what makes someone human is their ability to think beyond their basic needs, to express deep emotions, and exhibit higher levels of reasoning. What does a human become when they are empty of everything that makes them human? Are they more like a regular animal? Or are they something far more capable of cruelty? ]]> 2020-12-02 03:43:56 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978508491 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978536730 Anyanwu tells Doro about her son's father and his experience on a slave ship, stating, “‘Only part of him survived. He was mad most of the time, but he was docile’” (225). Though his body survived, his spirit seems to have died. The nature of slavery is soul-crushing, killing him on the inside but leaving his body to suffer. Is he both alive and dead at the same time? Are you really alive if your spirit is dead or is a body enough? In Doro's case, he is dead in body and alive in spirit. However, he still does not appear truly alive. Then, does one need both body and spirit to be alive?]]> 2020-12-02 04:03:43 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978536730 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978547741 Doro is essentially trapped by life. For him, life is the curse and death would be a blessing. Throughout the novel, life and death are essentially neutral, being neither good nor bad. However, they can be warped to be so. For Doro, life has become a prison which could be escaped through death. Therefore, death can be a kind of freedom. ]]> 2020-12-02 04:11:44 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978547741 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978555977 The concept of death as a human right is further explored when Anyanwu asks, “‘What is the good of living on and on and having nothing?’” and the text responds, “And she was wrong. She could live on and on and have nothing. She would. He would see to it” (240-241).  The revelation here is that even death can be taken away from you. Death is also a right. ]]> 2020-12-02 04:17:40 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978555977 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978560906 When Anyanwu meets Thomas, it is states, “This was a man sick in a dozen ways - the remnants of a man. Healer that she was, creator of medicines and poisons, binder of broken bones, comforter - could she take the remnants here and build them into a man again?” (171). Here, life and death are too similar to discern from one another. Anyanwu is said to be a "creator" of both "medicines and poisons," suggesting she is has the ability to both heal and harm others. In order to create life, a death must occur. Just as Anyanwu must change every part of herself to shapeshift, Thomas must suffer a kind of living death in order to be reshaped and built anew. The transition that such gifted people must go through resembles a death that can result in a rebirth. Life and death, then, are not so different as one can die in life or be born from death. ]]> 2020-12-02 04:21:30 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978560906 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978572404 Doro believes his form of slavery to somehow be superior as he remarks, “‘Waste! . . . But those ships carry slaves for sale. My people are only for my own use’” (73). To this, Anyanwu responds,  “‘Shall I be glad that your slaves will not be wasted?  . . . Or shall I fear the uses you will find for them?’” (73). Doro has a twisted view of life and death in which life is useful and death is wasteful. For Doro, human life has value through service but ceases to have value when it loses this ability to serve. Basically, a person is only as good as what they can do for him. Their identity beyond that purpose doesn't matter. If life is useful, is a person’s life meant to be lived at all or is it meant to be used and drained by others as Doro seems to believe? ]]> 2020-12-02 04:30:21 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978572404 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978582100 Anyanwu is more empathetic than Doro, still holding onto her humanity. Doro's philosophy of life and death is problematic to her since it regards human life as something to be used, exploited, and drained for the use of others. However, Anyanwu starts to exhibit a similar way of thinking as she becomes jaded by immense loss. Regarding Anyanwu’s children, it is stated that, “. . . Anyanwu found herself wondering how long they would last” (264). Anyanwu has started to speak of her own children like objects, viewing their lives as ones that can only last so long before they are used up and worn out. Has Anyanwu also started to lose her humanity? As time goes on, could she become like Doro? ]]> 2020-12-02 04:37:44 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978582100 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978592584 Butler, Octavia E. Wild Seed. Grand Central Publishing, 1980. ]]> 2020-12-02 04:45:46 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978592584 destroyarose https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978594413 Some information on dolphins and their intelligence if you are interested:
https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/how-intelligent-are-whales-and-dolphins/#:~:text=Dolphins%20demonstrate%20the%20ability%20to,%2C%20grief%2C%20joy%20and%20playfulness.]]> 2020-12-02 04:47:15 UTC https://padlet.com/destroyarose/6ohmtklcncnlijqu/wish/978594413