ENGL1102 Notes
2/27/2012
Discussion of Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler and “There will come Soft Rain” by Sara Teasdale
· Parable of the Sower
o Interesting that the plot seemed cyclical
§ Acorn was becoming similar to Lauren’s original home
o Some things were different
§ In Acorn Lauren is basically the leader
§ She has more power to spread Earthseed
§ Seemed a lot more sustainable than the original community
· Could be tough though because they are isolated
§ Not ignorant of the problems in the outside world
· Everyone there has experienced how tough it is in the real world
o Bankole said that it seemed like the world had gone back 200 years
§ Shows the reader that the future might be just like the past
§ We have to make good choices in order to make the world a better place
o Ended with a lot of unfinished business
§ Probably not just because she wants to sell lots of copies of the sequel
· Defies expectation of a nice, happy ending
· Puts the reader in the characters shoes because we don’t know how things will turn out
· Such a chaotic reality would be very difficult to wrap up in a nice way
· Similar to the anxiety created throughout the book
· Kept with the diary format of the novel
· “There will come Soft Rain”
o Soft and delicate language
o Strong imagery
o States that nature is apathetic and doesn’t care about humanity
o Written before the Nuclear Age
§ Published soon after the Sedition Act was passed
o Simple rhyming couplets
§ Even kept the same happy, rhyming couplets when war was discussed
o Lots of alliteration and repetition
o Seems like a song
o All of this says that nature will go one happily whether humans exist or not.
o Shows that humans did a lot but it didn’t really have an effect on nature
o Seems to be telling humans that they need to adapt
§ Need to stop violence and connect with nature
o Spring is usually a rebirth, but not in this case
o Tempts the reader to skim through it
§ Possibly how it managed to get published
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