Nixon, Rob. Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor. Harvard University Press, 2011. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt2jbsgw. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

This article introduces the concept of “slow violence,” described as the gradual and often times invisible environmental deteriation that unjustly  impacts marginalized communities.  Nixon’s also offers explanations of narrative forms capable of making slow violence visible. Furthermore, Nixon’s critique can be contrasted with the more urgent and immediate dystopian frameworks in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, which depicts environmental collapse in a more immediate and fatal manner. 

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 19 Nov. 2024.

Stillman explores the critical dystopian nature of Butler’s Parable of the Sower and its sequel, focusing on their intertwined ideas between dystopian critiques and utopian possibilities. He examines Butler’s emphasis on human adaptability, community building, and Earthseed as a guiding philosophy for life. This article sheds light on Butler’s portrayal of systemic collapse and its transformational potential. Stillman’s analysis emphasizes the differences in addressing climate change:, slow-burn or dramatized depiction of societal collapse and the potential for renewal.

“FRAGMENTED AND BEWILDERING:” THE NEW RISK SOCIETY IN JENNY OFFILL’S WEATHER. https://doi.org/10.12795/ren.2022.i26.11.

This article examines how Offill’s Weather shows the concept of living in a “risk society” dominated by climate anxiety, uncertainty, and fragmentation. It talks about  how Offill’s fragmented writing  style captures the personal as well as psychological dimensions of climate change, aligning with Nixon’s concept of slow violence. This  piece emphasizes Offill’s focus on the mundane and intimate, portraying ecological crisis as a background character rather than a foreground protagonist. The article is instrumental in exploring how Offill’s approach challenges traditional dystopian frameworks.

Miller, Jim. “Post-Apocalyptic Hoping: Octavia Butler’s Dystopian/Utopian Vision.” Science-Fiction Studies, vol. 25, no. 2, 1998, pp. 336–360.

In this writing, Miller analyzes the tension between dystopian despair and utopian hope in Butler’s Parable of the Sower, focusing on how her perspective combines a critique of societal failures with an emphasis on resilience and building. His ideas of Butler’s treatment of community and adaptability offers a  perspective for understanding her work as a critical dystopia, where the dystopian setting is used to envision transformative possibilities for a future. This article highlights the contrasting narrative strategies  by both authors to address environmental and societal crises.

Smith, Stephanie A. “Octavia Butler: A Retrospective.” Feminist Studies, vol. 33, no. 2, 2007, pp. 385–393. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20459148. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Smith provides a comprehensive perspective  of Butler’s work, emphasizing her contributions to feminist and speculative fiction. She emphasise Butler’s idea  of power dynamics, adaptability, and survival, with a focus on the ability to reimagine social structures in the face of crisis. This contextualizes Butler’s Parable of the Sower within broader discussions of speculative fiction as a tool for addressing systemic inequalities and collapse. 

Caputi, Jane. “Facing Change.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, vol. 11, no. 2 (42), 2000, pp. 175–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43308439. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

This passage talks about patriarchy and gender politics, female divine power and the revolution of consciousness that Jane Caputi shows through the connection between Oya from African ancestry (a deity from the Yoruba religion, this deity ca be seen as a goddess of winds, storms and fires. She can also be seen as a figure that represents change) and Lauren. This connection between the two shows the evolving force of the strength and vulnerability it takes for Lauren to make her change in the community she is building. This passage also talks about Butlers visions showcasing past and present realities in terms of things like white supremacist, the gap between the rich and poor, corrupt police, enslavement of women etc. Caputi talks about Butler’s work having a lot of historical and issues but emphasizes gender politics critiquing the concept of male gods or societies that are of male supremacy and instead focusing on Butler’s work representing the female as the all might and powerful.

Chelsea M. Frazier. “Troubling Ecology: Wangechi Mutu, Octavia Butler, and Black Feminist Interventions in Environmentalism.” Critical Ethnic Studies, vol. 2, no. 1, 2016, pp. 40–72. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5749/jcritethnstud.2.1.0040. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

This passage speaks on environmentalism, political theory and black feminist discourses within the novel parable of the Sower. Frazier starts off critiquing an argument saying Butler’s work is a comparison with the tradition of U.S environmentalism but Frazier believes thinking that way sort of reduces her work when instead Butler’s work should show the different societal structures. She talks about different theories that can be connected to butlers work like pointing out antebellum slavery within the dystopia future Butler creates and how it can be tied to black feminist showing the system of oppression that black women experience. Frazier believes the novel speaks more volumes and shouldn’t be looked at as simply environmental studies within a mainstream tradition but instead should be showcased as a way to look at the underlying structures within capitalism, racial identities and societal structures.

Henderson, Carol E. “FREEDOM TO SELF-CREATE: IDENTITY AND THE POLITICS OF MOVEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN AMERICAN FICTION.” Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 46, no. 4, 2000, pp. 998–1003. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26286181. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

As in the title this journal talks about freedom and self-creation but through this idea of “open journey” in African American literature. This concept basically means a spiritual journey, a process of seeking independence or in this case having the character in a novel find their own identity or freedom in the context of African American literature. Henderson talks about Butler showing this through her work being able to have the main character show how the future can be reimagined highlighting the role of Lauren and her journey to become a person independent on her own thoughts and morals. Self-empowerment and spiritual renewal is talked about a lot connecting it to the idea of an “open journey” representing an evolving processes and transformation.

Miller, Jim. “Post-Apocalyptic Hoping: Octavia Butler’s Dystopian/Utopian Vision.” Science Fiction Studies, vol. 25, no. 2, 1998, pp. 336–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4240705. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

This journal focuses on the postmodern science fiction of a feminist utopian and dystopian writing that Jim Miller believes Butler to be an essential part of. Miller refers to many other writers like Jane Donawerth, Carol Kolmerten and Donna Haraway who support the ideas of feminist politics and feminist thought comparing it to Butlers work in Parable of the Sower. He talks about how her writing engages with a feminist utopia because through Butler’s work, she can provide people with a reimagining of a future lead by a black woman and that allows us to see the possibilities of a future that has no limitations. He also talks about Butlers unique position being that she is an African American woman she is able to challenge the many assumptions on race, gender and power.

Usoro, Rebecca. “Article ~ Emerging Gender Perspectives of the African Americans in Octavia Butler’s Fledgling and Parable of the Sower.” AKSU Journal of English, AKSU Journal of English, 15 Dec. 2023, aksujournalofenglish.org.ng/utuenikang/23/12/emerging-gender-perspectives-of-the-african-americans-in-octavia-butlers-fledgling-and-parable-of-the-sower/.

This article talks about racism, sexism and discrimination within the novel parable of the Sower. It talks about how her novel can be looked at as a tool to acknowledge societal problems and how we as readers can critique and explore this idea. The main idea represented in this article is Butler’s work having a sense of this afro futuristic feminist theory and how the role of a black women in past, present and future is challenged. In Butlers work we can see that black women are not being represented in a way they are confined but instead able to make their own choices and lead which we can see through the main character Lauren.  There is an empowerment towards black women and sort of heroism role that Butler showcases in her work Parable of the Sower. Butler challenged the idea that black women can be more than what society perceives them to be through this novel and she shapes the structure of this future dystopia novel through these ideas.

How does Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide represent the interplay of human and non-human agency in shaping ecological and social dynamics within the Anthropocene?

• White, Laura A. “Novel Vision: Seeing the Sunderbans through Amitav Ghosh’s ‘The Hungry Tide.’” Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, vol. 20, no. 3, 2013, pp. 513–31. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44087261. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024

  Laura White discusses how Ghosh focuses on the power stories hold to shape human relationships with the nonhuman world. White analyzes Ghosh’s representation of the Sunderbans. Ghosh uses his writing to share new ideas about environmental and human challenges, combining storytelling with important discussions about nature and people.
• Chakrabarti, Ranjan. “Local People and the Global Tiger: An Environmental History of the Sundarbans.” Global Environment, vol. 2, no. 3, 2009, pp. 72–95. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43201488. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

  This book examines the complex relationships between the locals called the Sundarbans and the protection of the Bengal Tiger. Chakrabarti’s work provides a useful historical and ecological context for understanding how Ghosh portrays the Sundarbans as a space where human and non-human forces continuously influence one another.
• S Lekha Subasini, Dr. A Vanitha. Unraveling the tapestry of diverse Indian realities: A study of Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide. Int J Appl Res 2024;10(5):104-108. DOI: 10.22271/allresearch.2024.v10.i5b.11734

This study focuses on the dynamic relationship between human and nonhuman forces. The article might look at how Ghosh shows the Sundarbans as a place where stories, history, and nature come together, demonstrating the difficulties of living in a fragile environment.

• Umadevi, V. “INTRICACIES OF MYTH AND CULTURE IN THE HUNGRY TIDE: A STUDY ON ISLAND LITERATURE.” LITERARY ENDEAVOUR: 282. https://literaryendeavour.org/special-issues/SE-Jul-2018.pdf#page=295

• Jones, Brandon. “A Postcolonial Utopia for the Anthropocene: Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide and Climate-Induced Migration.” Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 64, no. 4, 2018, pp. 639–58. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26627102. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

  Jones’s article discusses how climate change forces people to migrate, showing how human actions and the environment are closely linked. These changes affect both the communities living in the Sundarbans and the area’s natural balance. The story highlights how both people and nature are vulnerable to environmental changes and the lasting effects of colonialism.

Hampton, Gregory J. “MIGRATION AND CAPITAL OF THE BODY: OCTAVIA BUTLER’S ‘PARABLE OF THE SOWER.’” CLA Journal, vol. 49, no. 1, 2005, pp. 56–73. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44325296. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

In Gregory J. Hampton’s essay, he focuses on the idea of migration and body by focusing on how the body interacts with migration. Through “Parable of the Sower” Gregory analyzes how the character sin the book deal with migration through physical and mental changes. He discusses the exploitation of women’s bodies as well and I want to include that in my paper. As we see the way women were used/treated in “Parable of the Sower” and what it means for Lauren to disguise as a man. He also hones in on the idea of Laurens hyper empathy and how this affects her in migration.

Nilges, Mathias. “‘We Need the Stars’: Change, Community, and the Absent Father in Octavia Butler’s ‘Parable of the Sower’ and ‘Parable of the Talents.’” Callaloo, vol. 32, no. 4, 2009, pp. 1332–52. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27743152. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

In Mathias Nilges essay, he discusses the forming of Lauren’s community and what it means. I really want to utilize this quote in his essay, “Lauren never claims that embracing change will provide for a utopian alternative that stands opposed to present problems. Instead, she realizes that the present problem is that embracing change is necessary in order to formulate an individual and collective existence that corresponds to the world surrounding them.” I can use this to reflect on Lauren’s leadership skills and compare her ways to that of her fathers. This essay also focuses on how the absent father/how the lack of patriarchal role, has an effect on Lauren and how she forms her community. They discuss the law of the father and apply it to how this affects Lauren and how Laurens view on it changes throughout.

Streeby, Shelley. “Speculative Writing, Art, and World-Making in the Wake of Octavia E. Butler as Feminist Theory.” Feminist Studies, vol. 46, no. 2, 2020, pp. 510–33. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.15767/feministstudies.46.2.0510. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

In Shelley Streeby’s essay, she views speculative writing through a feminist perspective. She analyzes “Parable of the Sower’ through a feminist lens and discusses what it means to for Lauren to be the one leading Earthseed. She discusses how “Parable of the Sower” defies traditional notions of gender and race through a different perspective of storytelling. This essay will aid in my writing as I use it to discuss what it means to have Lauren lead and build a community.

Texter, Douglas W. “Of Gifted Children and Gated Communities: Paul Theroux’s O-Zone and Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Sower.” Utopian Studies, vol. 19, no. 3, 2008, pp. 457–84. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20719921. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

In Douglas Texter’s essay, he discusses “Parable of the Sower” and its themes in social division and community. Douglas Texter discusses the idea of a gated community in “Parable of the Sower” and the false sense of security it provides. Texter argues that the gifted communities represents the moral and social failures of those who protect and shield themselves at the cost of others suffering. We see this through Robledo and how they are sectioned off from the outside. Yet in the end, the community fell apart when chaos erupted and their utopian was challenged. I will use this in my paper to discuss the already established community and how it compares to the new community Lauren forms.

Federmayer, Éva. “Migrants and Disaster Subcultures in the Late Anthropocene: An Ecocritical Reading of Octavia Butler’s Parable Novels.” Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies (HJEAS), vol. 23, no. 2, 2017, pp. 347–70. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26894884. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

In Eva Federmayer’s paper, she discusses the idea of a disintegrating society through an eco critical approach. She discusses the actions of humans and its impact on the anthropocene as well. Eva Federmayer acknowledges “Parable of the Sower” through the ideas of migration, disaster, and capitalism. I can use this and her ideas of surviving through disaster with themes of migration in my paper to further discuss Lauren leading people away from chaos and migrating to build a better community.

Research Question:

How do Lauren’s experiences with other survivors in Parable of the Sower challenge/reinforce the concept of individualism vs collectivism in the context of a post-apocalyptic world?

Annotated Bibliography (I will be adding more sources; it’s a work in progress)

ANDRÉOLLE, 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. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20718319. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

In this source, Donna talks about the Parable of the Sower and another novel and how they survive their crises, focusing on the religious aspect. I will use this source to support my claim that Lauren goes against the stereotypical way of survival which portrays her as individualistic.

Ballard, Rebecca McWilliams Ojala, et al. “Collectivism as Adaptation in Climate Fiction.” ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, July 2023,

This source supports the idea of using Earth seed to survive and spread around and portrays the collectivist point of view by putting together a community of people in order to look out for each other and survive.

Clausen, Daniel D. “Cli-Fi Georgic and Grassroots Mutual Aid in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.” Western American Literature, vol. 56, no. 3–4, Jan. 2021, pp. 269–86. https://doi.org/10.1353/wal.2021.0040. https://engl252fa24.commons.gc.cuny.edu/clausen-cli-fi-georgic/

Much like Donna’s source, I will be using this source to support that Lauren is individualistic by going against the patriarchal ways of survival and finding new ways to survive. However, this can be used to argue that she reinforces the concept of being a collectivist because she relies on the relationships of people she meets to survive.

Jones, Tiffany. “Challenging Ignorance and Individualism: Self-Reliance in Parable of the Sower.” Tiffany’s Takeover, 2024, https://tiffanystakeover.home.blog/challenging-ignorance-and-individualism-self-reliance-in-parable-of-the-sower/. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

While Tiffany’s paper is not a peer-reviewed source, I agree with many points she makes regarding how Lauren represents an individualistic concept and the community she creates challenges by relying on Lauren for survival. This community results in fear rather than calmness in their journey, which is the opposite of what Lauren preaches with Earth Seed.