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Kindred is a neo-slave narrative, which is a fictitious work emulating the slave narrative. One of the advantages to this genre is that it can use third-person omniscient narration, thereby relaying the thoughts and feelings of all persons involved rather than just being limited to the first person point of view used in the autobiographical slave narrative. For this discussion post, address this prompt:
How do we see Rufus becoming more and more like a man of his time (and, to some extent, like his father)? Use quotations that illustrate the repeated idea in the slave narratives that slavery corrupts the (Christian) enslavers and their children, especially sons.
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Butler adds an interesting perspective on race relations today by showing how an interracial couple in the 1970s might respond in different ways to the norms in antebellum slave-holding America. Despite knowing everything that they know about the future, Dana and Kevin struggle with their places in society when they go back in time. Find examples in the text where these characters highlight how difficult it is to maintain their sense of self in this antebellum world. Explain how they respond to these challenges.
Note: Kindred revisits subjects brought up in most of the slave narratives that we’ve read, including how to track down a freedom seeker (referred to at the time as a runaway slave or fugitive) and different types of punishments enslaved Africans were subject to. Here are some links to provide more information on these facets:
Runaway slave advertisements in Maryland
Go to this link: http://slavery2.msa.maryland.gov/pages/Search.aspx
Select Advanced Search. Then select “Runaway ads” under Record Type and select a specific county. In some cases, you cannot see a picture of the ad, but you should be able to see a brief description. You will need to click Details or Open Pop Up to find out if a link to the ad is available.
