BIBLE REFERENCES
Ryan: “The book
ends with a parable from the Bible which suggests that Lauren and Earthseed
will succeed. Although there is no concrete evidence that they succeed, I
believe that the group has enough drive to create a community that is livable
in the circumstances dealt.”
Dana: “I loved the
connection to the Bible at the end of the book. Where the seeds landed in
the good ground, they grew; just like how the group landed on the good land and
they decided to make it home. After reading the end I realized that the
world in the book was still lost and in danger. There still was no turn
around in the future.”
Chad: “As I was
reading this I wondered why Butler titled the book Parable of the Sower. Further investigation revealed that this is
also the title of one Jesus’s parables. In this particular parable a sower
drops a seed among rocks and thorns, and yet despite the adverse conditions the
seed grows and is able to bear a plethora of fruit. The parallels between this
parable and Butler’s novel are apparent. Therefore the very title presages the
fate of Earthseed which will only continue to proliferate as the novel
progresses and more people are persuaded by Lauren’s ideas.”
Christian: “Is it
immoral to kill? If so, why does God command it so many times in the Bible,
David and Goliath, Joshua and Jericho, Samson with jawbone of an ass? In the
Old Testament, there are a lot of actions with the death penalty attached. If a
person carries out these sentences, is he violating the 6th commandment? I
believe there has to be a difference between killing as used throughout the
Bible, and the killing referred to in [the 6th commandment]‘thou
shalt not kill.’…the Hebrew word ‘ratsach,’ used for ‘kill’ in the 6th commandment…means
‘murder’ rather than ‘kill.’…Kill: ‘to deprive of life in any manner;
cause the death of; slay.’ Murder: ... ‘committed with malice
aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation…” …what does it
mean to ‘kill’? Taken most literally, this would forbid killing animals for
food or even plants for food. That seems implausible, however, because the
Hebrew Scriptures contain extensive descriptions about how to properly go about
killing for food... More significantly is the fact that there are many examples
in the Old Testament of God commanding the Hebrews to kill their enemies — why
would God do that if this were a violation of one of the Commandments? Thus,
many translate the original Hebrew word ratsach as ‘murder’ instead of ‘kill.’ …In
fact, many Jews regard [other translations]… of the text as ‘kill’ to be
immoral in and of itself, both because it falsifies the words of God and
because there are times when one has an obligation to kill.”
EARTHSEED
Jacob: “A lot of
Earthseed reminded me of the philosopher Heraclitus… This Heraclitus quote, ‘everything
is in flux and nothing abides / everything flows and nothing stays fixed /
everything is constantly changing and nothing stays the same,’ sounds very
similar to several Earthseed poems.”
Kasey: “I still
think Lauren is the only one who will practice her Earthseed religion and
believe in it. Nobody else seemed like they seriously were intrigued enough to
just stop believing their religion and switch.”
Chad: “Parable of the Sower concluded in
much the way I envisioned; with Lauren and her modest group locating a remote
sanctuary from which the idea of Earthseed can disseminate further…. What was
most satisfying to me in the conclusion was how Lauren devised a ceremony in
which everyone could mourn for the dead. This felt to me most appropriate
because it embodied a new beginning for not only the group, but perhaps the
world (considering the advent of Earthseed)….”
Michael W.: “The
people in the group are also beginning to accept the ideas of Earthseed. This
is something that I wasn’t sure was going to happen, as many people cannot look
past the religions that already exist.”
Nicole: “Earthseed
is often questioned and challenged by the people Lauren is traveling with. Her
ideas seem too simple to Bankole and possibly complex to another…. I see
Earthseed as a safe haven, all over the world people pray to their God to make
them feel better about a situation or give them forgiveness. I know for me as a
child I would often ask myself, how can God let terrible things happen in the
world? How can he just sit back and watch people suffer and die? Earthseed on
the other hand does not see God as a person but more as a force… this idea is
easier to swallow. Morals are challenged throughout the entire story, is it
okay to steal from the dead? Is it okay to kill? …is it okay to throw away your
morals as long as it helps you survive? The group refuses to kill humans for
food or any other reason besides self defense. Their main goal is to survive,
though they will only go as far and killing to save one another and stripping
the dead. As a reader you hear about scavengers killing people and stealing, Lauren
and the rest see this as wrong. As readers living in 2013 we see killing at all
as a sin. So the question is, when does it become okay to kill, or to take what
is not yours? How desperate do you have to be?”
BANKOLE’S LAND
Jacob: “Although
I wasn’t expecting Bankole’s land to be everything they may have
expected it to be, I did not expect it to be completely destroyed. They
survived all they survived only for a place where they might, if their lucky,
be able to survive…
Gabby: “…I couldn’t
feel completely hopeless, because of course Lauren in no way gave up. She
immediately thought that the group could stay there, grow food and become a
community. She convinced everyone that they could stay safe with dogs and
night watches, and make money by selling food… I’m almost happy that the book
ended this way, not as I had hoped… this book proved to be what it always
seemed to be, real. Octavia Butler only wrote what she thought could be, not
what others wanted to be. She wrote of all the harsh truths, that could in fact
exist, if we let the world go on as it is...”
Rebecca: “I was
expecting rolling, lush hills, with houses and opportunities to work and start
a normal life. I guess something more like a ‘normal’ community. I was not
expecting what it actually was like. I was astonished to say the least. And I
was even more surprised that they decided to stay there and start a community
called Acorn.”
Andrew: “I was
a little let down at the end of the book, but only a little…. The group finally
turns things around again and [they] have a plan for their community and Butler
ends the book with Bankole saying that he doesn’t think they will succeed there
and Lauren telling him that they have work to do…”
Kaitlyn: “Personally,
I hated the ending of this book. We don’t know of anything definite that
happens to anyone. The only thing we do know is that Jill died. Knowing that
they went to Bankole’s land and are planning to start their Earthseed
community, isn’t enough for me…. there were many questioning parts in the book.
For example, when seeing a couple together like Bankole and Lauren, is that
something that is normal in this dystopia? Are there more people outside of the
Earthseed group that have Lauren's sharing? And whatever did happen to Curtis?”
Jenny: “While I was
reading the book, I kept asking myself, how far have they come? Will anyone
else die? My question was answered when Jill was killed, but at least she died
saving a little girl’s life. I was surprised to learn that other people have
hyperempathy and I found it ironic that the two little girls, Emery and Mora,
found Lauren…. I also wondered, does Lauren actually like Bankole? Or did she
feel left out because everyone else had a partner. The fact that Lauren had a
little family by the end of the book made me hopeful that Earthseed and
Lauren’s dreams will come true…. Personally, I think that Earthseed with
flourish and it was a smart decision to stay at Bankole’s house.”
DECLINE OF CERTAIN
AUTHORITIES
Chad: One subject
addressed in this section of the book that I found particularly provocative was
the complete apathy of the authorities (that is the police)…. it seems that
even the authorities have devolved into marauding bands likely to bring you
harm rather than provide any meaningful assistance. I think after reading this
section the feeling [of] impotence Lauren and her group must have had really
crystallized in my mind.”
MORAL OF THE STORY
Alex: “Why did
Butler write this novel? That is one of the reoccurring questions we have tried
to answer in class…. I have come up with a theory that developed because I
believe that this is the direction that Butler sees the world going and this
novel is her way of telling the audience to pay attention to the world and what
we are doing to it. Though this dystopia seems unlikely to us now, it is always
a possibility. Since we have not reached the point where resources are low [enough]
we don’t know how we will react to it if it was to happen. I believe that the
reoccurring theme of community is Butler’s way of telling us that in disaster
we need to stick together and help others to survive. If we don’t stick
together we will end up like the people on the road who try to travel alone and
end up meeting terrible fates. But if we do stick together we can power through
bad situations and make it to a better place.”
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