Week 12: Bloodchild
1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
At first, it took me a while to set myself into this new world of alien-worm-creatures (Tlic) and humans (Terrans) living together, especially after the narrator described the body of the character T'Gatoi. "Were the aliens invading Earth? Is that a parallel dimension?". Those were questions I asked myself. But the story unfolds quickly enough for me to understand how the world in Bloodchild worked and how the story was going to unfold. I didn't really feel disgusted at the graphic "childbirth" scene, it kinda helped me understand what were the rules in the universe of this short story. In fact, I felt like the story escalated too quickly. Which I understand, in part, due to it being a short story, but I definitely feel like there could be some more time invested in the dynamic between the main character Gan and T'Gatoi, it would've probably made me feel more empathic with their struggle towards the end of the story. At the end of it, I actually wanted to know more about how the story would unfold because the whole societal dynamics seemed very interesting to me and I could definitely make some connections between what happened in the story and what happens in our real-world society.
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?
I think it was an interesting approach to some themes of class-struggle, where one group has power over the other, but it's clear that the power dynamic in this story is pretty normalized in the society that they live in. The reproduction systems of the Tlic, using humans as hosts for their "worm-babies", even the rules about letting adult women bear their own children by having the Tlic only impregnate men, those seem very ingrained in the society depicted. Of course, considering the reactions of characters such as Qui and Gan, I could see that it was still some sort of taboo, almost feeling like the condition for Terrans to live and assimilate to Tlic society without being enslaved or slaughtered was for them to offer themselves as hosts for Tlic babies. It's like T'Gatoi says herself, "These are adult things". This power dynamic is made very clear: the Tlic dominate the Terrans. I think this power dynamic could be a reference to class and racial dynamics we have in our current society, especially the latter. I can see the power the Tlic have over the Terrans as the oppression over black people by white people throughout history, especially with the idea that the Tlic "need" the Terrans for reproduction, but they still have a clear superiority over them. The Terrans are considered hosts, objects. And yes, one could argue that there were emotional and familial connections between T'Gatoi and Gan's family but, to me, it is a symptom of an unequal society, where the oppressors and oppressed are rather used to the dynamic that they deem it as normal (T'Gatoi still uses the family as hosts for her children). I believe that Octavia Butler uses this fictional setting as an allegory to something that happens within our society's racial dynamics, it is very nuanced and complicated. When you try to put yourself into the story's universe, the problem is not crystal clear, but the parallel between fiction and reality can be made.
3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you choose; what changes would you make?
I think this could be a very interesting one-off comic book story. It would be a good fit for the graphic (rather gore-ey) "childbirth" scene. Because it happens so abruptly, it would be pretty impactful on the reader. I think I would also make some changes in the pacing of the story, and build a bit more on the rules of the society the characters live in, expand on some more Tlic-Terran relationships. I think a comic book format could illustrate those without making the story much longer.
4. Are there elements of this work that you would consider afro-futurist?
Honestly, I don't think I would have seen afro-futurist elements in this story if I hadn't known we were talking about afro-futurism beforehand. However, given our context, I can see the parallel that Butler makes between the Tlic and Terran relations with racial relations, even slavery, perhaps. However, I think that these themes are not very clear and could be interpreted in other ways.
At first, it took me a while to set myself into this new world of alien-worm-creatures (Tlic) and humans (Terrans) living together, especially after the narrator described the body of the character T'Gatoi. "Were the aliens invading Earth? Is that a parallel dimension?". Those were questions I asked myself. But the story unfolds quickly enough for me to understand how the world in Bloodchild worked and how the story was going to unfold. I didn't really feel disgusted at the graphic "childbirth" scene, it kinda helped me understand what were the rules in the universe of this short story. In fact, I felt like the story escalated too quickly. Which I understand, in part, due to it being a short story, but I definitely feel like there could be some more time invested in the dynamic between the main character Gan and T'Gatoi, it would've probably made me feel more empathic with their struggle towards the end of the story. At the end of it, I actually wanted to know more about how the story would unfold because the whole societal dynamics seemed very interesting to me and I could definitely make some connections between what happened in the story and what happens in our real-world society.
2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?
I think it was an interesting approach to some themes of class-struggle, where one group has power over the other, but it's clear that the power dynamic in this story is pretty normalized in the society that they live in. The reproduction systems of the Tlic, using humans as hosts for their "worm-babies", even the rules about letting adult women bear their own children by having the Tlic only impregnate men, those seem very ingrained in the society depicted. Of course, considering the reactions of characters such as Qui and Gan, I could see that it was still some sort of taboo, almost feeling like the condition for Terrans to live and assimilate to Tlic society without being enslaved or slaughtered was for them to offer themselves as hosts for Tlic babies. It's like T'Gatoi says herself, "These are adult things". This power dynamic is made very clear: the Tlic dominate the Terrans. I think this power dynamic could be a reference to class and racial dynamics we have in our current society, especially the latter. I can see the power the Tlic have over the Terrans as the oppression over black people by white people throughout history, especially with the idea that the Tlic "need" the Terrans for reproduction, but they still have a clear superiority over them. The Terrans are considered hosts, objects. And yes, one could argue that there were emotional and familial connections between T'Gatoi and Gan's family but, to me, it is a symptom of an unequal society, where the oppressors and oppressed are rather used to the dynamic that they deem it as normal (T'Gatoi still uses the family as hosts for her children). I believe that Octavia Butler uses this fictional setting as an allegory to something that happens within our society's racial dynamics, it is very nuanced and complicated. When you try to put yourself into the story's universe, the problem is not crystal clear, but the parallel between fiction and reality can be made.
3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you choose; what changes would you make?
I think this could be a very interesting one-off comic book story. It would be a good fit for the graphic (rather gore-ey) "childbirth" scene. Because it happens so abruptly, it would be pretty impactful on the reader. I think I would also make some changes in the pacing of the story, and build a bit more on the rules of the society the characters live in, expand on some more Tlic-Terran relationships. I think a comic book format could illustrate those without making the story much longer.
4. Are there elements of this work that you would consider afro-futurist?
Honestly, I don't think I would have seen afro-futurist elements in this story if I hadn't known we were talking about afro-futurism beforehand. However, given our context, I can see the parallel that Butler makes between the Tlic and Terran relations with racial relations, even slavery, perhaps. However, I think that these themes are not very clear and could be interpreted in other ways.
Your interpretation is very thorough! And "Bloodchild" would make a cool comic book. I also appreciate the points you made about story structure and about how the story is an allegory for our society's racial dynamics.
ReplyDeleteI like the mentioning of the class-struggle and power dynamic. It really illustrates a world that is entirely possible if humans find alien life on another planet. Honestly I believe that the Afro-Futurism themes weren't as prominent as I would have thought. Good job nice.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the story seemed to escalate too quickly. I really like how the author casually described the alien and the world from the eyes of someone who had grown up in it and I would have liked to "chill" in that world a little longer before everything is upended. It seems like a world that goes so far beyond the boundaries of the story and I would have loved to see it expanded more.
ReplyDelete