Tag Archives: octavia

Journal Entry 6

“Your children will know us, Lilith. You never will.” –  Kahguyaht   (Page 111)

When Kahguyaht said “you never will” It is implying that Lilith will never truly understand the Onakali (aliens) both physically nor mentally.  Lilith does not have the sensory organs which the aliens posses.  Their organs let them experience unimaginable sensations which we would never be able to experience nor understand. In a way it’s as trying to envision the 4th dimension.  The 4th dimension is not something you can see, hear or touch.  It is a something we cannot experience because we are bounded to own 3 dimension body and world. Scientist have an idea of what this phenomena is but, no one could truly understand the 4th dimension.

When it stated ” Your children will know us” it is implying that Lilith’s children will be genetically tampered with which will allow them to have sensory organs that are similar to the aliens.  This is foreshadowing what will be of humans in the future. They will be a hybrid creature with traits of both alien and human.  In a sense, the pureness of a human will be lost.  When Kahguyaht stated this, Lilith said nothin.  She has accepted her people’s faith and is no longer going against the aliens.  Then again she never had a choice.  It’s either agree with the aliens or be but back into suspended animation until she agrees.

Throughout the entire novel, humans never had to option to leave to Earth without being experimented on and genetically altered first.  The Onakali believe that tampering with the humans will increase their chance for survival.  The Onakali’s intensions are positive, but in doing so, it ripped the freedom right out of humanity.

-Henry Aguilar

Reading Journal #5- 3/27/14- Dawn

Octavia Butler’s novel Dawn is a very terrifying outlook on what could happen to the human race.  “Humanicide” is becoming more of a threat as destructive technologies keep advancing, and more countries are gaining access to nuclear weapons.  What stood out for me was the social commentary Butler added to her writing.  This novel was published in 1987 during the midst of the Cold War.  The not so subtle hint at total nuclear devastation spoke measures back then, and it resonates even stronger now and in the near future.  The actions of the Oankali mirrored the atrocities committed during the times of slavery in the United States.  The Oankali treated the humans disgustingly, ignoring cries for clothes and depriving them of their culture.  This novel holds a lot of reflection on the past and present times.