Ethan History as Fiction

(Title unrelated)  In Kindred, written by Octavia Butler, we follow Dana, a black writer, throughout the early 1800s and late 1900s as she is forced to experience history literally firsthand. During this extremely eventful period of her life, Dana faces physical, mental, and ethical challenges, a raw, unfiltered view of history, and ultimately she changes the way she views the world. The exact means of Dana’s time travel is left unquestioned and unanswered. This is because the reason has no importance; Butler never explains it because it would only distract from the point of the convention. The purpose of the incorporation of time travel is to attempt to answer a hypothetical question, while also pushing a compelling point about American history. Anyone can sit down and read a history book about slavery, however it is impossible to convey the reality of the full extent of it. Butler knows that not just any reader can relate to a slave; the life of an enslaved person is so drastic...

  In Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed, we see the atonists trying to take down Jes Grew with any means possible. This varies from directly assassinating important figures (like Abdul Hamid), to using the ultimate weapon: the Talking Android. The concept of a Talking Android is that of taking down a movement from within, injecting an imposter into the midst of change. In Mumbo Jumbo, the role of the Talking Android is ultimately played by Hubert Safecracker Gould, a white man who dresses in blackface and tries to copy black speech in his speaking and poetry. In the climactic scene, Gould, apparently an up and coming poet, presents himself upon other renowned black artists. He performs a slightly bizarre poem, attempting to appropriate black slang, and his attempt is met with mixed reactions, but he does manage to gain the support of a few people, like Hank Rollings, a Guianese art critic.  Now onto the real world significance of the Talking Android: Obviously life has changed in the...

  **This blog is a followup to my previous one, so if you are really interested, I would suggest reading it** When I left off with my previous blog, I concluded that Mother, even early in the book, went though an extensive transformation just from the appearance of this baby in her yard, while Father remains disapproving, displeased, and more or less unchanged. Mother was growing away from Father, and Father, seemingly stuck in the past with his “conservative” ideals, was either unaware, didn’t care enough, or didn’t know what to do. Now having finished reading the book, these trends have very obviously carried on to the end of the story. It’s actually a little surreal how different of characters they are, as if Doctorow said to himself “How can I make the most out of their differences and force them apart.” (Ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I don’t think it’s that crazy).  Looking back at it, Mother and Father can be simplified down to dynamic vs static charact...

The introduction of Ragtime presents the reader with a family that the book apparently centers around. They are portrayed as almost boring, run-of-the-mill, literally nameless; they are essentially the ‘average American family’. However, very quickly we learn that this family has some quirks that separate them from the average family. Naturally, Father is a purveyor of patriotic products and a part of Peary’s polar passage ( 😂 ). To Mother, Father is a virtuous, diligent man, but her view on him changes when he embarks on his voyage (more on this later). There is also Mother’s Younger Brother, who is quite the character (that I will not be delving into). And finally, the Mother. Prior to Father’s departure to the North Pole, she is the stereotypical housewife. She respects Father, who she sees as a hardworking caring man, and she seems to be content, but nothing more. All of this changes in a very drastic way, however. Mother’s life takes a radical turn when she finds a live baby buri...