This is the view taken by Salvaggio (1984), who observes that "Butler places her heroines in worlds filled with racial and sexual obstacles, forcing her characters to survive and eventually overcome these societal barriers to their independence. Sometimes her black heroines are paired with white men who challenge their abilities; sometimes they are paired with powerful black men who threaten their very autonomy and existence. And always, the society in which they live constantly reminds them of barriers to their independence." (Salvaggio, 78) This is to make the case that Butler's use of time travel is as a way of reminding Dana not just of her past but of the way that these dynamics remain relevant to the present, even where the conditions of her life have allowed her to assume otherwise. As other black women continued to live lives of inequality and subjugation even late into the 20th century, Dana's previous state of blissful ignorance to the real travails of her ancestors would help to personalize these struggles for her.
Certainly, she has herself freely admitted in the text of the book that she generally wished to avoid any explicit awareness of the suffering which came before her. For instance, in one passage she remarks on reading one of Kevin's World War II books. As she explains it, "stories of beatings, starvation, filth, disease, torture,...
Kindred The study of history is invaluable in gaining an understanding of the events and forces, which shaped the psyche of entire nations, cultures, and races. The past, therefore, shapes the present and is likely to continue shaping the future as well, unless past issues that negatively affect the present are changed. Indeed, it is this understanding of human psychology that has led to the psychiatric profession using techniques of regression
SCIENCE FICTION & FEMINISM Sci-Fi & Feminism Origins & Evolution of Science Fiction As with most things including literature, science fiction has progressed and changed a lot over the years. Many works of science fiction were simply rough copies and following the altready-established patterns of prior authors. However, there has always been authors and creators that push the envelope and forge new questions and storylines that have not been realized or conceptualized before.
Twelfth Night Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night is an Elizabethan situation comedy. Each character has a problem to solve, and each one finds a different way to attempt to solve it. For most of the characters their difficulties revolve around members of the opposite sex. By the time the play has been completed, it is the female characters who have accomplished their goals to the satisfaction of all the parties involved. Olivia,
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