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== Journal entry 10 == Today we worked on the plot draft number three we also worked on our first paper drafts. == Journal entry #9 == Today we focused on revising different parts foe our article sections. We also went over our paper proposals and revised our thesis statements.

Journal #8

Today we had to write the first drafts for Wild seed the professor assigned us to different groups to work on different parts of the article. we also were able to reflect on the paper proposals.

Journal #7

The professor prepared us on how to write a proposal paper. The professor assigned us to different groups and had us go over some of the important ideas of the stories.We have to make sure that we have a thesis sentence and a clear understanding of what we want to write about.

Research assignment #5

"Skin dreaming" Stacy Alamino

• Bodily transgressions
• Unity with Nature vs body (you cannot read a body while in animal form)
• Animality and reproduction (sharing of origins between humans and other primates)
• Romance separates from nature
• Survival of the fittest
• Cyborg vs human body
• Ecofeminism (freeing herself of body into nature)
• Social darwinism
• Nature vs dumping ground.

"Linda Hogan and Octavia Butler evoke the body precisely in this way: They rewrite the body as liminal, indeterminate space that disrupts the opposition between nature and culture, object and subject." 126 Alamino. Stacy Alamino explains how both writers Hogan and Butler created characters that can both be compared to nature and culture as well as state of physiological response to change.

Research assignment #4

L. Timmel Duchamp

• Political and social struggle (activist)
• Powerful black women
• feminist struggles
• difference good vs evil
• ordinary humans vs Immortals and spirits
• Childbearing and domination
• Horrors of slavery, sovereign individualism
• escape and political freedom
• men vs women

"Gender oppression, feminists like myself realized, is too complicated to be seen as a simple matter of men existing power over women, and new ways of conceputlizing not only the complexities of political and social oppression but also personal agency and political freedom are needed." Duchamp basically explains in this quote the power that men had over women and Butler shows that power through the character she created Doro. He breeds people and makes women have his children but he also believes that it makes women weak.

Rebecca J. Holden

• African- American culture/ tradition
• Madonna and child (Virgin and child-Black savages)
• Race and gender/identities
• Powerful African American women (feminist representation)
• relations of society
• cyborg and human
• Discrimination and sexualities
• History and human culture

" Anyanwus ability to change shapes, to become outwardly a woman, man, black, white, animal, liberalizes the multiplicity that exist with in people, practically those whose backgrounds encompass multi narratives of identity." Holden explains Anyanwus character as a shape shifter, and each time she take shape of another human or animal she can then perceive the world from different point of view. Holden also talks about Butlers creation of different identities is in her characters is fantastic because we can compeare it to real life.

Research assignment #3

Connections, Links, and Extended Networks:

• psionic
• Creatures of super race- Doro breeds people
• Wild Seed- Anyamwu
• Breeder with agenda (Doro Kills and eats humans because they taste good)
• Looking for companion/Immortal
• Anyamwu healer (Doro needs her genes)
• Love = changes/struggles
• Black protagonists
• West African history
• Middle passage (Slavery in America)
• New genesis (Super humans vs regular humans)

" Imagine new ways of thinking about people and power." Butler created the characters based on power, authority and where people could be considered equal especially men and women. Thats why she created the immortal characters they had the power of living forever. Govan, Sandra Y. “Links, and Extended Networks: Patterns in Octavia Butler’s Science Fiction,” Black American Literature Forum 18.2 (summer 1984): 82-87.

Octavia Butler and the Black Science-Fiction Heroine:

• White, male, sexist and racist environment
• Strong black female protagonist
• Male- Dominated- compromise, negotiate, survivors
• Goal is Freedom
• Fight with in the power structure to change the power structure. (ex Doro he changes on the end)

"These novels are about survival and power, about black women who must face tremendous societal constraints." According to Ruth Salvaggio Butler created a strong immortal character like Anyamwu to show that it was really hard for women to survive. Women were treated very badly and society viewed them differently. Salvagio, R. "Octavia Butler and The Science Fiction Heroine." Black American Literature Forum 18.2 (Summer 1984): 78-84.

Homage to Tradition:

• Historical (Slave narrative)
• Fantasy, injecting since fiction into historical narrative specifically related to the African-American experience.
• Africa as cultural background (Cultural kinship networks)
• Anyanwus maternal side as cultural legacy

" Butlers Wild Seed and Kendred are rich texts which nearly define the junction where the historical novel, the slave narrative, and science fiction meet." Govans main focus is on how Butler compares both novels to the history around the civil war, the struggle and the experience of being African-American during that period. Govana, Sandra Y. "Homage to Tradition: Octavia Butler Renovates the Historical Novel." Melus 13. 1/2 (Spring-Summer 1986) 79-96.

== Journal 6 == Today we reviewed possible sections for articles. Also we picked readings for research assignment number 5 and wen over the instructions for essay. We went over 1970's and 1980's contributions on feminist thought. The definitions of cyborg which is part man and part robot and how it represents diversity as well as multiply points of view according to Dana Harway and Holden.

== Journal 5 == Today we have learned how to summarize in bluet points. We also learned how researcher on the LAGCC library website in order to find secondary sources. We then printed the articles and broke them down with the most important main ideas. Also we have learned about the difference between citing on paper and on the computer. If you want to quote the whole book is has to be in italics (big thing) and for quoting inside of the book have to be with quotation marks (little things). Print is underline and on the computer is italic.

Research Assignment #2

Vampires, Aliens and Demons. Elizabeth A Lynn.

• Fight for survival and Independence
• Human vs Mutant
• Good vs Evil
• Endurance vs weakness
• Control vs Freedom
• realism vs Imagination

" Her writing is stoccato rather then lyrical her use of history as backdrop to the struggle of her immortal protagonists provides a texture of realism that an imagine future no matter how plausible, would have difficult achieving the novel is often grin but never casually brutal." I picked this quote because I thought it was important how the Author of the article Elizabeth A Lynn explains Butlers writing. She explains how her writing has a historic backround and also provides authenticity.

Pfeiffer

• American History (early years of slavery)
• Male vs Female not so much white vs black
• Doro fearless takes the lives of other in order to survive
• Anyanwu healing shapeshifter who protects her people
• Middle passage of slave trade
• Immortality
• love vs change

" They seem made for each other-each is immortal and each is heroically wise because immortality." This quote makes a lot of sense because since both Doro and Anyanwu are immortals they can actually learn to love each other instead of living in lonely lives. Each character is looking for love that would never die just like the both of them.

Michael Bishop

• Human conflicts
• Desire vs being aware
• Doro evil spirit, Satanic. Inhuman a snake
• Anyanwu healer, wild seed
• Bloodlines (seed village) people with different abilities
• Death vs survival
• Love vs threath

" It also touches on the tension between our innate longings for power, or proximity to power, and the revulsion we inevitably feel at its abuse" Both character want power but Doro is the one that gets the power over Anyanwu. The out come is that Anyanwu is discussed by Doro later but has to obey because he threaten her. So with power or with out power there are many obstacles.

Wild Seed Chapter 11

Doro created many different settlements across Canada, New York, Mexico, Kentucky and Brazil. Doro has not seem Anyanwu for over a century but he tracks her down finally and decides to pay her a visit. To Doros suprise Anyanwu created her own little village. As he walks over to her house he comes across a young deformed boy. Doro later learns that the boy is Anyanwu son who has the same healing abilities. As the boy walks him inside he finally comes face to face with Anyawu. Doro learns that Anyanwu took a shape of a man and was married to a woman who had the abilities to see the after life. As they both sit to talk Anyanwu tries to figure out what is Doros purpose for coming. Is he gonna take her life? or is he gonna take the life of her son?. Anyanwu makes her self clear and tells Doro that he can't take her son and make him into an animal like the rest of his people. While Doro tries to convince Anyanwu they really not that different and neither are his people. As they both try to figure out the out come of the situation Anyanwu thinks she maybe able to seduce Doro before he seduces her.

Wild Seed Chapter 7-10

Doro returns home after many years, he notice what nice life Isaac had made for himself and Anyanwu. Anyanwu beard children for Isaac as well as for Doro despite her hatred for him. Doro returned home to see his doughter Nweke who is in the middle of transitioning. Doro senses her agony and so he came back to witness her change. Nweke is a teenage girl and Doro is not her real father but a man named Thomas who Doro Killed after breading with Anyanwu. Nweke is spacial to Doro and so he took her in as his own. During one night of Nwekes transition she attacks her mother and almost kills her. As Isaac and Doro rush to the room they notice Anyanwu on the floor Isaac instant reaction is to protect his wife and he kills Nweke. Isaac saves his wife but puts too much strain on his old heart. Doro Tell Anyawu she needs to help Isaac or else he will die and she does for the time being. Isaac passes away days later and tells his wife she must promise him to make peace with Doro in order to stay alive. Doro on the other hand has different plans for Anyanwu she had served her time and now he must take her life. As they put Isaac and Nwekes bodies to rest Doro noticed Anyanwu is nowhere in site. Doro begins to worry while Anyanwu flies free.

== Journal entry 4 == Today we learned about wikiproject novels. We learned how to edit novels on Wikipedia and the things that they should consist of. Lead, Plot, Characters, Themes, Style, Background, Publication history, Reception, Adaptations. We also criticized "wild Seed' that was already up on Wikipedia.

Orson Scott Card

Reading and reviewing the article written by Orson he explains how much he likes Butlers SF writing style. Orson mentioned that you need to be familiar with reading Sf novel. According to Orson Butler mentions see village but she does not tell the reader right away what a seed village is. Butler has the readers guessing on what she means by seed village and that's one of the things that makes a great Sf writer. Sf readers will see terms written in a novel to be literal as for a non experienced Sf reader will look at it metaphorically. So it is very important for the writer to keep the reader interested like Butler does. Orson believed that Octavia's work was great because she was able to create characters in different time frame and she was able to connect it to her life struggles during that time. Orson loved the mystery that Butler created, He love her opening scene in the book and how it describes good and bad. The novel gives the idea of around what time frame the novel takes place. Butlers careful choose while picking the words seed village and how it could mean so many different things to the reader. Orson is absolutely fractionated with Butlers novel and say she delivers all the information in order for the reader to understand the story.

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. Soren Kierkeggard.

== Journal entry 3 == Today we reviewed how top summarize, paraphrase and quote. We learned about how the structure of an essay should look like (sandwich). P.E.E stands for Point, evidence and explanation in a paragraph (all paragraphs should have PEE). We also compared Wikipedia to an essay written on paper which only contains P.E (Point, and evidence there is no explanation). Only Facts. == Journal entry 2 == I learned today a lot of information about writing a research paper. Our main focus was how to quote and paraphrase passages as well as went over a basic understanding of what a summary is. We also went the basic understanding of Wikipedia. == journal entry 1 == What I learned today was how to you create a wikipedia account and how edit wikipedia. Also I have learned how to cite and use sandbox.

Wild seed chapter 5-6

After Okoye felt better he was send down with the rest of the slaves. Doro owned the slaves but the were treated differently then the regular slaves, they had much more freedom they just had to obey the rules. Doro convinced Okoye to marry Udenkwo and if he did not obey, then Doro would take his life. Anyanwu had many questions for Doro but he would never give her any explanations. One night during a bad storm Isaac Doros son showed his powers by lifting the ship and saving them from a disaster. Later that night Anyanwu was approached by Doros other son who's powers were to get into the mind of others. He showed her images that horrified her so she ends up taking the form of a leopard and kills him instantly. After catching a dolphin and eating the flesh Anyanwu can now take the form of a dolphin and feels free swimming with them in the sea. Doro feared and was fascinated by Anyanwus powers to the point he himself started to wonder why hasn't he killed her yet. Doros main purpose is to keep her and bread her after that he will destroy her. When they arrive to a small village Wheathey were all Doros people are settled for breeding purposes there is no escaping. Anyanwu quickly learns her reason for being there. Doro tells her she will marry Isaac and bear his children as well as his. If she refuses he will kill her and all her children. Not knowing before her eyes quickly open as she realizes she is now a slave herself.

Research Assignments 1

Octavia Butler was a science fiction writer born on June 23, 1947 originally from Pasadena California. Octavia's Father passed away when she was only 7 years old and was raised by her mother. Butler was raised during segregation time which made life very hard for her. She often worked with her mother for white folks. Octavia had no friends and was not very social often got teased by other kids so she spend most of her time in the library reading books. During that time Octavia's love for science fiction reads grew strong despite her mothers wishes. Butler one her first short story contest while working in a collage in 1965, there she earned her first 15 dollars. After graduating with an associate degree her main focus was on history, she continued to work different jobs in order to be able to support her self and follow her dreams on becoming a writer. Octavia enrolled in the university of Los Angeles shortly after and was writing short stories during an open door workshop, it was there that she impressed Harlan Ellison a science fiction writer who eventually inspired her. Butlers fame started to take off and for the next five years she worked on a series of novels. In 1984 one of her short stories won the Hugo awards followed by many more. Octavia moved to Washington in 1999 after the death of her mother, she continued writing there. Butlers health started to take a turn for the worst but she still continued to work on her stories. Octavia Butler died on February 24, 2006 at age of 58. My impression of Octavia Butler is that despite all the struggles she went through in life she managed to become a great short story writer. She seemed like a very strong woman with love for science fiction. She never gave up on her dreams despite all the rejections.

Wild Seed chapter 1-4

Wild Seed is a story of two individuals a man and a woman who seem to be living for a very long time. Doro who is a spirit that can take over any body killing anything in his path and Anyanwu who an african woman with many healing powers. Anyanwu can also transform herself into any human or animal shape. Doro who goes on a long journey to find more immortals like him, comes across Anyamwu who is living by herself in a remote area. Doro watches her for a while, then approaches her telling her he knows who she is and they both are the same in many ways. Doro works really hard on getting Anyamwu to come on this journey with him where she won't have to worry about being killed anymore and he will protect her from any harm. As they both make their journey the next day Anyamwu learns that Doro is pretty dangerous but at the same time is is intrigued by him. Anyamwu gets really worried when she sees Doros first killing and thats when she realized that maybe she made the wrong decision by leave with him. Doros plan is to breed with Anyamwu and he quickly convinces her that their children will be like them immortals and she will never have to burry another child. Anyamwu was married many times before and conceived over 40 children but the idea of having a immortal child made her interested. As the approach the ship Anyamwu learns that Doro is very powerful and he can manipulate anyone into doing things for him. While he talks to another man Daly one of Doros workers she notice a slave who ends up being her daughters son, she ask Doro if he can go on this journey with them to which he agrees and so they all board the ship.

Citation Practice

Octavia Butler was shy as a child.