For me, this has been the most interesting book in class so far. I am excited to see how the plot pans out because I can’t even begin to guess at the Oankali’s true motives. There have been a few themes throughout the first 100 pages but I think one that is most prevalent is this idea of imprisonment. We know now that the humans have been captive for a long time while the alien race fixes earth to make it inhabitable again. Once Lilith is Awoken for good, she is given a false sense of freedom. She is made to feel like a part of the family, all the while she is just a pet. After learning (and often guessing) about the Oankali’s intentions she begins to feel like one of earth’s animals who, once endangered, was captivated, breed, modified and otherwise controlled entirely by another species. Their intentions to preserve a species seem good, and given how gently the Oankali treat humans, their intentions seem decent too. But despite this, she is still just a well-treated prisoner and we have yet to see what this “trade” is that they keep referring to. We shall see where this theme leads us. All I know is what I will be doing this summer… finishing this series!

Octavia Butler’s Dawn creates a very interesting future for humans. The alien race of the Okanli people have saved the human race from destruction and are now preparing them to be released one day back on earth. I believe it is very interesting that the humans will be released onto earth with no tools so they can start all over again. It makes you wonder if it was possible for humans to have had been reintroduced to earth before. One question i would have liked Lilith to have asked if the engineering of human genes and re-population of earth had happened before.

In Octavia Butler’s Dawn, it is interesting to see how the character of Lilith jumps back and forth with her perception of the creatures that hold her captive.  Overall she has a complete discomfort with the creature; just the sight alone is too much for her at times.  There is this one moment where she is figuring out whether it is a male or female, and then as soon as she figures that out she says at least she doesn’t have to deal with the discomfort of referring to the creature as “It” and could now call it “Him”.  Another interesting part is when she tries to figure out if one of her old cell mate is still alive.  The creature confirms that her old cell mate is still alive but right after Lilith questions why she should even believe anything the creature says.  This is very interesting because it is one of the truest statements.  Why should any person being held against their will believe a word there captive says?  Throughout their conversation the creature is notoriously shady and only shedding light on the parts of the conversation and history that they choice to reveal.  For Lilith, this is a very hard situation to take in. 

After reading the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, it was interesting to see how animals played such a large role in the society of that world.  In the world of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, status is having a real animal.  The issue of having a real animal versus an android animal plays very heavily in the interactions of many people throughout the book.  This is interesting because in our world there are many times we hear of an animal on verge of extinction and hardly anything is being done about it.  This novel in a way provides a glimpse into what may happen in terms of animals and their future.  The novel also presents an idea that people only want what they can’t have.  Only till the point of the animals dying off and there being so few of them, does a person care about the animals.  The people in the story aren’t buying the animals for the right reasons to keep them alive but merely buying them to advance their status.  With such a view like that, it’s no wonder the animals have died off and android animals are being made to replace them. 

So far I have a very conflicted outlook on this novel. Upon reading the first 100 pages you see a human named Lilith being helped by individuals that have kept her captive for two years. After being “freed” she becomes apart of a huge experiment. So far the book is interesting, however I’m still a little skeptic of the outcome. Although she is no longer physically captive she still is not completely freed. Lilith is now cured thanks to the aliens with limited facial features, but they continue to use her to help other humans with survival skills they believe are necessary for the world(earth) to come. I still don’t quite understand why they freed her or what their true intentions. So far I’m left clueless to what Lilith outcome maybe. Although they have cured her they fail to help her with any concerns she have about her family. I can’t wait to see how this ends.