Dana's life has been pretty normal up until her 26th birthday when she is suddenly sent back in time. How does Dana's gender affect her power both in the present time and her travels to the past? Who is more in control--Rufus or Dana? Is it Rufus' flaws, or some other force that manipulates Dana's travels? Is she more of an outsider in the present or in her slave past? Does Kevin struggle more with jealousy and suspicion or with illusion and reality when his wife disappears for periods of time? Start blogging about the theme connections to Othello.
16 comments:
*MooneyJhenry2*
Kindred hits a lot, if not all of the themes form Othello. I think that in the present time Dana's power is the same as that of her husband Kevin, but in the past her power is significantly reduced. She can't speak as openly in the past as her husband can. I think that neither Dana nor Rufus have more control than the other. It's not that Rufus can control Dana's appearances, but rather that she is summoned whenever he is in danger. Rufus could manipulate a situation to be able to control Dana, but he has to be truely in danger. His father also states that his son is stupid, so he wouldn't be smart enough to know how to summon Dana on demand. Dana seems to be more of an outsider in her present world with Kevin. The two are seen as a strange and unusual couple, but in the past Dana fits in as a slave and Kevin fits in as a slave-owner. Dana may feel like more of an outsider in the past because it isn't her own time period, but she fits in. Where in her present time, she is viewed as strange. I think that kevin struggles more with illusion and reality more than jealousy and suspision when Dana disappears. When Dana returns from her travels it only seems like a short time to Kevin, but it seems longer for Dana. This phenomenon may be an example of illusion, but the reality may be that the times are the same. I haven't read far enough to confirm this, but it may be a posibility. I predict that the time differences are connected to the fact that Dana travels into different parts of Rufus's life. A day may pass in Dana's present day, Where a year will pass in Rufus's time. The times may not be connected proportianally.
A theme that i find that can compare to the story Othello is "Outsider". Kindred the book that im reading talks about how Danawho is African American and her husband Kevin who is white gets married. Dana feels dizzy and the she wakes uo and finds herself in another world that takes place in the past which slavery still existed. Dana ends up becoming a slave herself. But she hasn't experience how slavery life is all about but she has no chance but to be one.Othello who is the main character talks about how an African American falls in love with a ducks daughter and wins her love over so many mens she never agreed to marry.
harbortahenry2
This book is not what i expected it to be at all. Its plot line is very intriguing and well-written. So far the novel follows the main character, Dana, who oddly enough has the ability to travel back in time and help her ancestor, Rufus get out of some unfortunate and potentially life threatening events. Throughout the novel Dana is faced with choices and events that can alter her future altogether. This is definitely a book that I enjoy reading and I'm excited to find out what happens at the end.
*MooneyJhenry2*
The Theme of the outsider is almost immediatly established at the beginning of "The Storm". Dana clearly states that, "The time, the year was right, but the house just wasn't familiar enough. I felt as though I were losing my place here in my own time. Rufus's time was a sharper, stronger reality. The work was harder, the smells and tastes were stronger, the danger was greater, the pain was worse...Rufus's time demanded things of me that have never been demanded before, and it could easily kill me if I did not meet its demands. That was a stark, powerful reality that the conveniences and luxuries of this house, of now, could not touch." This is an important quote that reveals the reality that Dana is becoming more and more of an outsider in her own time. Dana is becoming so used to the past life that she is slowly detaching herself. She begins to think that life in the past is life lived to the extreme. She describes every kind of sense as enhanced compared to her own time. What were once her modern appliances she now calls luxuries and conviences. This clearly shows that Dana is separating herself from her own time period (possibly unwillingly) and becoming more and more of an outsider.
Could Dana's tragic flaw be that she wants to save everyone, when in reality she can't? She is trying to protect her husband Kevin from going to the past with her, she's saving Rufus from life threatening situations, and she tried to save Weylin from his heart attack, but she couldn't. She also couldn't protect Kevin from getting left in the past. This whole idea also connects to illusion vesus reality. The book makes Dana out to be a life-saving hero, but in reality she is just an ordinary person caught in a dillema.
qoute above is from *mooneyJhenry2*
*MooneyJhenry2*
Throughout the book, Dana has been comparing Kevin to Weylin. She notes how there eyes are similar and how Kevin developed an accent like Weylin and Rufus. I think that there is illusion within these passages. The illusion is that Kevin is a loving person that will always be there for Dana, but in reality, he is having second thoughts about being with her. This could be a posibilty.
MooneyJhenry2
Could Kevin's transformation in the past be a symbol for something?
MooneyJhenry2
I think that Kevin's new accent and similarity to Weylin symbolizes a change in his perspective. In their own time, Dana and Kevin would have to face oppression to be together (due to the fact that they're an interracial couple in the 70's). But Kevin and Dana face through that to be together. But after being in the past for so long, Kevin's mind may have been tainted. After being in a time where everyday he is reminded that blacks and whites can't be together, he may have adopted that way of thinking. His mind may have been changed to think that it is wrong. If this is the case, then he abandoned his love because he adapted to the past culture. Yet after returning to the present he tells Dana that he wants to be alone to get used to things. This can mean one of two things. One, that he doesn't want to be around Dana, or two, that he is trying to re-establish his old mindframe that it's okay to be with a black woman.
The theme that i am studing for is about manipulation and exaltation. There's many quotes that i can find that relates to Manipulation and exaltation. In that story Kindred, Dana who is the main character is thje opposite of bing manipulated by others, she's strong,brave,indepedtent, and also bright. She very careful with what she do,say,and think.
In Kindred there's alot to do with the theme Manipulation and exploitation. There's many quotes that i find that relates to that theme, like theres also a symbol like "Whipping" It symbolize anger,depression,pain,fear,jealousy, and gender. Because when Dana got hit from getting caught reading books, when she was told not to. So yeah that what i think.
I'm actually a little surprised on how Rufus "turned" on Dana towards the end of the book. This twist was definitely unexpected. He proved to be just as how whites had been depicted throughout the story. I feel that this is caused by his loss of innocence. When he was younger and "innocent" he was nice and very respectful of Dana for the simple reason that he was not yet exposed to the true essence of reality and how things worked in those days. He tried for so long to prove to Dana that he was trustworthy and a good person, just to throw it all away because of a mere superiority complex. Somehow i believe that, that was his most tragic flaw; his ego & his tendency to revert to being hard-headed.
HarbortAhenry2
From beginning to end, Rufus' attitude towards Dana changes and so it's hard to understand where his loyalty lies. This leads me to the question does Rufus have any loyalty whatsoever towards Dana?
uluavelhenry2
This book had me changing different moods and thoughts through out the whole book. This is because, both Rufus and Dana changed. Rufus is personality changed alot as he was growing older, because he has different actions toward Dana. He acts nice toward her, then all of a sudden he gets her whooped by his father and also edward. As for gender and power, men actually has power over women in the past. For example, Rufus had total control over Alice (maybe not her pride). Tom Weylin also had power over Dana of course and the rest of the other slaves. Additionally, i also feel that Rufus has power over Dana coming to the past and back home. This is because, when he's in trouble... Dana automaically comes to the past & helps him. Anf i think this is the power he has over Dana. Dana's power in this story is, her sometimes going home on her own. All she has to do is hurt herself when neccessary and gets back to present at once. Rufus and Dana actually needed each other, because Rufus needs her help and skills, and Dana just needed him in order for her to be alive. These are all the ideas that has me thinking that, gender and power comes in.
harbortahenry2
The ending of the book has an assortment of events and twists to the plot. One of the events being that Rufus tries to take advantage of Dana on two different occasions, after Alice's death. I honestly had no idea that, that was going to occur as the book left no indication or any type of foreshadow to somehow clue the reader in on what was going to happen. I feel that Rufus had turned into a completely horrible person. He was a spoiled brat who always got what he wanted and when he didn't he went to extreme lengths to make sure his wants/needs were met. Rufus attempting to take advantage of Dana is an example of this. In a way, Rufus is selfish. He never considers how others will feel because to himself, it's always about him. His view on life seems to be that he wants what he wants and he's gonna get it no matter what the cost and if people don't like it or accept it, then too bad. That's a terrible trait to have and I completely am convinced that his selfishness is his tragic flaw. Eventually, he gets killed in the act of trying to achieve what he wants and that is a result of his selfish demeanor.
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