IGED 210, Dystopian Fiction

Spring 2014

Dr. Howe

Paper 4

DUE: 
Final drafts are due Wednesday, April 16 by 11:59 PM via Blackboard. 

Instructions: 
Select one of the following essay topics and write a 3-4-page essay that develops a thoughtful thesis on the question(s) posed.  Please use a 12-point Times New Roman font (or equivalent), double-space your work, and format your essay according to MLA guidelines—we will review these in class.  Additionally, please include at least 3 brief quotations from the novel per page.  For an essay this size, I strongly recommend against block quotations.

1.      

The environment of Parable of the Sower is unique among the novels we have read this term, as it is post-apocalyptic in nature.  That is, in the novel we find a breakdown of nearly all traditional institutions that organize our  society, rather than institutions—as sinister and controlling as they may be—operating as was the case in 1984 and Feed.  How does this expression of life among the ruins of civilization develop the basic concepts dystopian narrative that we have been discussing this term? 

2.      

Write an essay that analyzes the significance of Lauren’s hyper-empathy.   Why is this condition noteworthy in her world?  And what might it have to do with the religion that she creates throughout the novel? 

3.      

Though the environment of Parable of the Sower is perhaps more distant from our own, assume that the novel is meant to serve as a mirror showing us the more sinister side of our current experience.  What does the novel tell us about contemporary life in the US?

4.      

Parable of the Sower
is likely the bleakest of the novels we will read this semester, yet at the same time it contains a strong theme of spirituality.  Is the conclusion of the novel entirely bleak, or does Lauren’s optimism—and perhaps the optimism of others—give us hope?  What is Butler’s point here?  And what does this say about America? 

5.      

Write an essay that analyzes the tenets of Lauren’s new religion, Earthseed.  What is the basic lesson of this creed—for the characters of the novel and for us as readers, as well? 

6.      

How do Lauren’s sexuality and gender affect the progress of the book?  Is her coming of age story unique in any way? 

7.      

What kind of leader is Lauren?  And what kind of leader do you imagine her to become should Acorn survive (and even proper)?

8.      

How might we read Parable of the Sower as a comment on the experience of poverty or racism in America?  

9.      

The first-half of the novel makes numerous comments on suburban living and the rise of gated communities.  What does this life behind walls (what has been called privatopia ) tell us about our own experience today?  While your essay will need to deal with broader themes of the novel and class, be certain to comment upon the specifics of space and architecture as described by Lauren.

10.  

Choose a secondary character (i.e., someone other than Lauren) and argue that she or he is in fact the most important character in the novel.  Why is this so?