Question: How does Butler’s portrayal of Earthseed in Parable of the Sower defy traditional religious narratives by redefining divinity as “change,” and how does this redefinition affect concepts of resilience and community within a dystopian context?

As I searched for sources, I looked at the Jstor database and the Hunter Onesearch library database. I typed in keywords like “Parable,” “Sower,” and “Parable of the Sower,” along with religion and dystopia. I typed part of my question into the search option and got some results. However, that did not work too well for the MLA database because my options there were quite limited, and either I didn’t use the right keywords, or the database didn’t have what I was specifically looking for. I found it helpful to type keywords that I could use to describe my main thesis/argument because I had more articles to work with that way. I also tried to search under the names of critics we read about in class (i.e, Canavan).  

Govan, Sandra Y. “Homage to Tradition: Octavia Butler Renovates the Historical Novel.” Contemporary Literary Criticism, vol. 230, 2007, pp. 1–131.

Melzer, Patricia. “‘All That You Touch You Change’: Utopian Desire and the Concept of Change in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.” Femspec (Cleveland, Ohio), vol. 3, no. 2, 2002, pp. 31-.

Yaszek, Lisa. “Afrofuturism, Science Fiction, and the History of the Future.” Socialism and Democracy, vol. 20, no. 3, 2006, pp. 41–60, https://doi.org/10.1080/08854300600950236.

Phillips, Jerry. “The Intuition of the Future: Utopia and Catastrophe in Octavia Butler’s ‘Parable of the Sower.’” NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction, vol. 35, no. 2/3, 2002, pp. 299–311. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1346188. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

STILLMAN, PETER G. “Dystopian Critiques, Utopian Possibilities, and Human Purposes in Octavia Butler’s Parables.” Utopian Studies, vol. 14, no. 1, 2003, pp. 15–35. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20718544. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

Dubey, Madhu. “Folk and Urban Communities in African-American Women’s Fiction: Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.” Studies in American Fiction, vol. 27, no. 1, 1999, pp. 103–28, https://doi.org/10.1353/saf.1999.0017.

Andreolle, Donna Spalding. “Utopias of Old, Solutions for the New Millennium: A Comparative Study of Christian Fundamentalism in M.K. Wren’s A Gift Upon the Shore and Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.” Utopian Studies, vol. 12, no. 2, 2001, pp. 114–23.

Allen, Marlene D. “Octavia Butler’s ‘Parable’ Novels and the ‘Boomerang’ of African American History.” Callaloo, vol. 32, no. 4, 2009, pp. 1353–65, https://doi.org/10.1353/cal.0.0541.

Agusti, CE. “The Relationship Between Community and Subjectivity in Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.” Extrapolation, vol. 46, no. 3, 2005, pp. 351–59, https://doi.org/10.3828/extr.2005.46.3.7.

Ruffin, Kimberly T. “Parable of a 21st Century Religion: Octavia Butler’s Afrofuturistic Bridge between Science and Religion.” Obsidian III, vol. 6/7, 2005, pp. 87–104. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44511664. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

Canavan, G., 6, J., Hairston, A., 17, J., Kadue, K., 12, N., Kemp, S., 14, N., Maginity, J., Jacobs, G., & 3, N. (2014, June 9). “there’s nothing new / under the Sun, / but there are new suns”: Recovering octavia E. butler’s lost parables. Los Angeles Review of Books. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/theres-nothing-new-sun-new-suns-recovering-octavia-e-butlers-lost-parables/

Question: How does Octavia Butler emphasize the “everyday Anthropocene” in the Parable Of The Sower?

Feist, Ella. “Analysing the Disproportionate Impact of Climate Disaster on Social Minorities as Represented in Climate Fiction: Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Paolo Bacigalupi’s the Water Knife.” Journal of Intersectional Social Justice, Access Academia, 31 Aug. 2023, jisj.pubpub.org/pub/iqf31op5.

Davidson, Joe. “Fear of a Black Planet: Climate Apocalypse, Anthropocene Futures and Black Social Thought.” Journal Sage Pub, 2021, https://journals-sagepub-com.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/doi/full/10.1177/13684310211067980

Miller, Jim. “Post-Apocalyptic Hoping: Octavia Butler’s Dystopian/Utopian Vision.” JSTOR, 1998, www.jstor.org/stable/4240705.

Feist, Ella. “Analysing the Disproportionate Impact of Climate Disaster on Social Minorities as Represented in Climate Fiction: Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Paolo Bacigalupi’s the Water Knife.” Journal of Intersectional Social Justice, Access Academia, 31 Aug. 2023, jisj.pubpub.org/pub/iqf31op5.

Rutledge, Gregory. Futurist Fiction & Fantasy: The “Racial” Establishment, 2001. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3300498

How does Parable of the Sower explore the competing models of community in a post-apocalyptic world, and how are these models shaped by dynamics of race, gender, and leadership?

1. “Crip Collectivity Beyond Neoliberalism in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower” by Jess Whatcott ( https://csalateral.org/section/cripistemologies-of-crisis/crip-collectivity-beyond-neoliberalism-octavia-butler-parable-of-the-sower-whatcott/ )

2. “Intersections of Race, Gender, and Community in Octavia Butler’s Earthseed Series” by Anna Hinton ( https://journals.macewan.ca/muse/article/download/2005/1308/3703 )

3. “Parable of a 21st Century Religion: Octavia Butler’s Vision in Parable of the Sower” ( https://www.jstor.org/stable/44511664 )

4. “We Need the Stars: Change, Community, and the Absent Father in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower” ( https://www.jstor.org/stable/27743152 )

5. “Migration and Capital of the Body: Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower” ( https://www.jstor.org/stable/44325296 )

The anthropocene seeks to explore the phenomenon of the “human era” and how it has manifested in different ways. How does the presence of capitalism and class in Parable of the Sower and other novels present the reality of the anthropocene?

In part two of Jenny Offill’s Weather, the topic of climate change becomes more apparent as we also see the relationships in Lizzie’s life being further developed.

As the book progresses, I can figure out the timeline using the addition of Catherine’s pregnancy. All throughout part two, it is revealed that Catherine is pregnant and going through the stages of pregnancy. Lizzie relates to Catherine and even gives her advice. Near the end of part two, Catherine has already given birth, showing the timeline that is established. Time moves quick in this novel just like Lizzie’s thoughts.

The thoughts of climate change and the effects of it makes its way into the book through Lizzies thoughts. The worrying of the future is more evident in part two with not only Lizzie, but also others, like a man asking, “But what’s going to happen to the American weather?” Questions like these leads Lizzie to think about the climate as well. She makes a note about how, “There are fewer and fewer birds these days.“ and, “The pros of New Zealand are that it’s beautiful, politically stable, and moderate in climate.” Lizzie compares New Zealand to where she is living now to show how the climate is already having an effect in her area. Another alarming flag that is raised about the climate is when Lizzie states, “According to the current trajectory, New York City will begin to experience dramatic, life-altering temperatures by 2047.”

Lizzie’s relationship with her husband is one that’s difficult to describe. As I’m reading, I don’t know how to feel considering I can’t tell if they truly love each other or not. Through Lizzie’s view, I feel as if there is some tension that goes unresolved. When Lizzie learns something new, she tells Ben. “This morning I was forced to learn about something called “climate departure,” and later, at bedtime, when he was half asleep, I was forced to tell Ben about it. I only believe in math, he mumbled. Show me the math, okay?” She describes telling Ben something as she “was forced to” which doesn’t seem the most loving. In addition, Ben’s response seems a bit dismissive. Ben questions whether or not Lizzie even has a real job. “You don’t really even have a job, do you?” Ben says one day when I come home early.“ This could sow that he doesn’t really trust or believe in Lizzie. When Lizzie asks Ben to do something, they have a sort of tit for tat conversation. “Can you put sheets on his bed?” “I fixed the drain.”“I made corn.” It sounds like they are one upping the other trying to justify why they shouldn’t have to do the task asked of them. The relationship between Ben and Lizzie seems to be rocky.

This book is really similar to Parable of the Sower in the sense that I can draw many connections. Both books are viewed through a woman’s point of view in a journal like style with Lauren’s thoughts being more fleshed out while Lizzies are more spontaneous and sporadic. The way Lizzie talks about Henry and Catherines relationship reminds me of how Lauren describes Harry and Zahra. In this book when someone asks, “What’s new with you guys?” to Lizzie and Ben, Ben says, “Lizzie’s become a crazy doomer.” This connects with Lauren when her parents called her that because she was preparing for the worst. In fact, both Lauren and Lizzies moral compasses are a bit skewed showing they’re not perfect. Both books explores themes of climate, responsibility , and relationships.