The theme of identity in Butler’s story  Bloodchild resonated with me the most. The most striking example of this is in Bloodbath, the main character Gan’s identity is rooted in his role as “host” for the Tilc eggs. In the beginning of the story he feels proud about his role but as he starts to see the physical and emotional toll of the carrying process. At the end of the story, Gan’s identity is based on sacrifice, control over his destiny and submission to the aspects of his life that are out of control. In my own life, I relate to Gan’s sacrifice and submission to his fate. While not on that large of a scale I believe my sacrifices that I’ve made to get where I am today like the endless hours of studying and working have helped me achieve a lot but submission to my destiny has helped me achieve peace of mind. When I stopped worrying and trying to fix things that I don’t have control over, I felt happier.

In Ports of Madness, the characters’ actions and personalities are ones that are found in many parts of my life. For example, Constantine is a friend who only wants the best for her friend Toutina but, she doesn’t help her in the right way. Toutina needed a friend that would recognize her depression and mental struggle caused by her husband being absent. Constantine would see Toutina switch personalities and have monologues but she thought it would pass so she didn’t take action. This aspect of Ports of Madness resonated with me a lot because it’s a reminder to always look out for your friends and family even if they tell you they're ok. Also, having a moral compass of doing what’s best for your loved one on whether they’re against it or not sometimes is important. 

The text is different from my personal experience because it highlights the idea of having a loved one with mental health issues. I personally don’t have a loved one who deals with mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder or anxiety so I can’t relate to Constantine’s experience in trying to be there for Toutina through her struggles. The text affected me by making me more aware of my loved ones and constantly being there for them so that they don’t feel alone and depressed like Toutina in Ports of Madness. The worldviews presented in the text are different from my own worldviews because. In the story, “ Constantine was the only one who had not broken off contact with she whom others now only called the madwoman (Diome).” From this we can see that their community wasn’t being welcoming or trying to help Toutina while she was struggling with her mental health issues. Instead they called her a madwoman and shined her from the community. This is very different from my lived experience. When someone has mental health issues and is clearly struggling with daily tasks and needs they aren’t shunned or treated badly. Instead, they get the help they need whether it’s pills, therapy, or treatment for their mental health issues.

The theme of identity was thoroughly explored in Ports of Madness. Identity appears in the form of Toutinas love for her husband. ”Toutina had suggested arrangements, a little time management maybe—for navigating life together, she said, was the greatest adventure of all. But, inflexible, the globetrotter had brusquely retorted: “Why do you want to change me, at my age? I’ve always been the way I am, and I’m not changing now. You’ll have to love me as I am. I want to stay free’” (Diome). She loved him so much that she would constantly change her identity into the places he would travel to distract her from the fact that her husband was always gone. She felt sad because he didn’t want a life where he would be with her all the time. Instead, he wanted to be free to adventure and travel by himself. Toutina didn’t want to be holding him so she accepted his dream to travel the world. After he declined her request it would be safe to assume that she would be mad but instead, she kept on loving him and I think that’s part of the reason people thought she was a madwoman.

I believe that in both Ports of Madness and One Thing both characters needed to do more Self Care. Marie-Jeanne wasn’t doing any Self care because she was so worried and stressed about her husband’s condition. So, she forgot about herself and if she would have made some time to meditate or any calming activity I’m sure some of the stress would’ve been relieved from her. Also, Toutina in Ports of Madness was so sad about her husband leaving her that she started spiraling out of control and switching into a new personality all the time. I’m sure she could’ve gotten a bit better had she taken time to ground herself and stop thinking about the man for once.

This video emphasizes the importance of letting go of people, things and especially what you don’t have control over. I think that the theme of letting go was prominent in both Ports of Madness and Blood Child because, in ports of madness Toutina needed to let go of her attachment to her husband who clearly didn’t want or respect her enough to stay. In Blood Child the theme of letting go was important because Gan had to let go of his anger and accept his destiny while maintaining control over what he could.