My Creative Writing Corner

  What does strength mean to Lauren Oya Olamina? Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower is a post-apocalyptic science fiction story that makes political and social criticism of climate change . It was published in 1993 and chronicles Lauren Olamina's fight for freedom. Lauren Oya Olamina, the protagonist, defines strength as the ability to persevere in the face of adversity. In this post, I will argue that Lauren finds new hope and strength in establishing her own form of religion (Earthseed) and embraces change as a result of the ongoing destruction and turmoil in the world, as witnessed throughout the novel. In the first chapter, Lauren quotes the following verse from her religion's book: This is the  core principle of Earthseed,  that "God is transformational." Lauren recognizes that change is unavoidable, that it is frequently damaging, and believes that she has the ability to "sculpt God." This perspective of change is her strength.

 How did Antoinette's life change? For protagonist Antoinette in Wide Sargasso Sea, her life changing is attributable to the emancipation of slavery. In this post I will assert that the passing of the Emancipation Act led to Antoinette questioning her identity.  The novel is set in   nineteenth  century  Jamaica,  a time in which racial tension was at it's highest. As a 21st century Caribbean reader, it was interesting to see another perspective on the aftermath of  Emancipation.  After emancipation, slave  owners were no longer at the top of the metaphorical food  chain,  and the blacks were free. How does this affect Antoinette?   Antoinette  and her mother  experienced  downward mobility in both social and financial  status. They  were not accepted by white society in  Jamaica or  by black individuals. Due to their ethnicity ( they were creole women), beauty and povert...