Write a character Analysis in Parable of the Sower.
As an African American female writer, Octavia Butler provides audiences with a wealth of detail in describing her characters’ lives, presumably to help us understand the motives and actions of the protagonists (main characters) in Parable of the Sower and the decisions that they make. Rarely, however, does Butler announce the significance of these helpful bits of information; rather, she tends to scatter them like clues to a mystery for us to discover. Even less rarely does she explicitly judge her characters.
It is our job, as readers and audiences, to form our opinions of these characters and their actions. The characters of Parable of the Sower are all designed to help readers consider race, gender, class, coming of age, and other identity categories/themes in light of societal “norms” or “grand narratives” (what society tells us is “right” or “normal”).
The question/prompt that your project should answer: How does your character conform to or refute a “single story”(or how does your character conform or refute a stereotype or expectation of who he/she is or is expected to be) because of her/his life circumstances and experiences?
CREATING THE PROJECT:
1. Re-read Parable of the Sower carefully, taking notes (annotate) on all the details about your character that you can find. Having gathered the information, try to understand why it has been given to us.
2. Then, create a digital project in which you compare and contrast your character’s circumstances and his/her behavior and judge them against each other. Envision a public audience for this project (one that may not have read the novel), beyond your classroom peers and/or instructor. Here are some questions to consider (you can use these to guide each of your slides):
To what extent is your character in control of his/her circumstances?
To what extent is your character a victim of his/her social situation or his/her personal psychologies?
Why does your character make the choices that he/she does?
What do you think the consequences of his/her actions will be?
How do you feel about your character? Why?
What does your assessment of your characters’ freedom of agency imply about our own?
Book- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler’s
Process Notes are due to each draft of the project.
Directions for Process Note: In a one-page WORD DOC or on a separate slide explain the steps you took toward completion of this project. Questions to consider in your process note are:
How did you brainstorm/plan/decide your topic for this project?
Why did you choose the digital platform you did for this project?
What resources did you use to understand/complete the assignment from our class?
What resources did you use to understand/complete the project outside of our class either at MEC and/or at home? (i.e. the Writing Center, Library, a sibling’s help, etc.)
What challenges did you have in understanding and/or completing this project?
If you did have challenges, what steps did you take to overcome them?
What resources/information/help may have helped you succeed in this project?
Did you enjoy this assignment? Why or why not?
For your final project note: what did you change between draft 1 and the final draft? Why?
