Kindred

      Do you have a goal you want to accomplish? Kindred is a novel written by Octavia Butler. It's main character is a woman named Dana. She travels back in time to save her ancestor from many challenges, like slavery, constant beatings, and deadly deceases. A message that Octavia Butler was trying to get by in "Kindred" is to fight for your rights and goals, and to not let any barriers get in your way.
      I am going to give evidence from Kindred that showcases Butler's message. To prove my point, here is an exert from page 260, "he brought up the fist of his free hand to punch me once, and again as the patroller had done so long ago. I pulled the knife free from him somehow, raised it, and brought it down again into his back." This quote shows that Dana wouldn't let Rufus take away her rights, at any cost, and defended herself. This shows how hegemony effected Rufus making him think that raping Dana was okay, but Dana resisted it and stopped Rufus. Another exert from Kindred is on page 43, "I grasped it with both hands and brought it down as hard as I could on his head." This shows how Dana defended herself from the patroller that was trying to rape her. This is showing social condition, because the patroller thought it was fine to rape Dana, because she was black. This paragraph shows how Dana fought for her rights and didn't let barriers get in her way.
      An example from other people who fought for what they believed in is when Nat Turner refused to be treated any lower than a white man. so he and other slaves revolted and killed their masters. This shows how Nat Turner resisted his social condition and trying to free himself from his oppression. Another example is when Cesar Chavez spoke out against the mistreatment of migrant farmworkers. This shows Cesar Chavez resisting his conditions and getting better respect for himself and all of the migrant farmworkers. As you can see you can even find Butler's message in the real world.
      Now I am going to give personal experiences that I have had that connects with my thesis. An experience i have had is When I had a difficult time understanding a class, but kept practicing and studying and I passed the class. This shows that I had agency to preserver and keep trying to pass the class. Another experience is when one of my friends got singled out, because of his race, so I spoke out against it. This shows that I wouldn't let barriers effect someone else's life. This reveals how the message of Kindred can be seen in my life.
      Now that you've read my essay, you will agree with me that one of Octavia Butler's messages, is to fight for your rights. You should fight for what you believe in, and not give up on your goals. "Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was." -Richard L. Evan