User:Lagccstudent/sandbox

Entry #10
May 22, 2015

In this weeks class, we divided into pairs and worked on another section. This time I worked on Revision of the Vampire figure with my partner. Using Dr. X's suggestion to paraphrase selected quotes, we added some more content to an already mostly satisfactory section. We copied and pasted our new drafts to our team's sandbox. After that, we were given someone else's draft to edit and offer our suggestions to improve. The constant revolving of information has not only helped to improve on our article, but also helped me understand the novel and its literary criticism more.

Even though I've been writing things like essays since grade school, it is still incredibly difficult to write concisely. Writing is an art form that requires constant revision and polishing. Even after writing what I thought was a good essay, on second reading I find multiple errors, inconsistencies, and awkward phrasing. It's honestly a bit frustrating.

I also need to mention that there were more cookies, because it's the habit now.

Entry #9
May 15, 2015

Joy Sanchez-Taylor visited our class, and we had a thoroughly informative and interesting discussion on some of Butler's themes in the novel. We discussed how race is constructed in both a biological and social way, as well as how Butler revised traditional vampire figures. It is definitely clearer to me how transgressive Butler is in her concepts of hybridity and non-traditional sexual relationships.

Afterwards, we split into teams to construct topic sentences for each of the themes. Again, we formed new teams based on the voting we did for last week. In these groups we began constructing new sections of Fledgling's Wiki Article. My team was assigned the sections of Reception, Difference as a Means to Survival, and Revision of the Vampire Figure. I worked with my partner to start the Reception section. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Combining multiple perspectives into a cohesive and harmonious paragraph was challenging, especially with so many sources to choose from and so many ideas to sift through.

At least we had more cookies!

Entry #8
May 8, 2015

We began by dividing into groups to prepare a presentation of the articles of literary criticism we were assigned to for Research Assignment #5. We were allotted some time to determine some main ideas and themes in the article and formulate answers to the questions that our Professor included for our presentation. I would say that my team's presentation went very well. We talked about Shori's hybridity and alternate sexual relationships as representing newness as well as how Butler challenges the "tragic mulatta" stereotype. This was all to prepare for the upcoming construction of another section in Butler's biography. We got more cookies today which I would say was probably the best part of class. The second part of class involved us voting on what themes we thought were most important for us to mention. We filled out a form that rating themes in order of importance. We then got into different themes to complete research assignment #6, where we determined what was important in the critical reviews we were assigned. A very productive day.

Entry #7
May 1, 2015

We began today's class with an extra credit activity in which we divided into groups of two and competed to paraphrase some sentences in a given amount of time. It takes me some time to formulate my words and thoughts together, so I had a bit of difficulty. It was fun, though.

We then used the questions we answered for Research Assignment #4 to work on #5. Using the articles assigned to us, we had to pick out some relevant themes that were mentioned.

Before adding our contributions to Octavia Butler's Biography, we voted on whether we should keep or remove certain sections from the current article. I wanted to get rid of both sections, but it was agreed that some of the interview section should be kept.

Finally, we copied and pasted our hard work onto the actual Wikipedia biography. Each member of my team (Team 3) took turns to post our sections of her "Writing Career." It was exciting to see our work on the actual page.

Entry #6
April 24, 2015

Today, we gathered into groups; as teams 2 and 3, to collaboratively edit our drafts. With our Professor as the leader, we took turns reading out loud our own written sections. We corrected several grammatical mistakes and discussed how to add Wikipedia-style references in place of the parenthetical citations in our drafts. After replacing them, we copied and pasted our revised versions onto the course sandbox. We are moving closer to our final goal of a finished, actual Wikipedia article! I really wished Octavia Butler was alive to perhaps read the hard work we have done.

Entry #5
April 17, 2015

We continued working on our assigned section of Octavia's biography. As we were assigned to chronologize and summarize her work, I added a final piece in the 90's section and helped my fellow group member with her decade. Using Google Docs again, we needed to use our professor's valuable feedback to revise and edit our previous week's work. This process has provided me with a lot of insight as to the immense amount of work and dedication needed to create a thorough and respectable Wikipedia article. This includes careful use of paraphrase and direct quoting, close attention to detail and writing style, and meticulous checking of secondary sources and citations. It is amazing how so many people of different walks of life can create a cohesive and unified project.

I realize that I take for granted the vast amount of knowledge resulting from the collaboration of so many hard-working individuals involved in a single wikipedia article. I remember many professors and colleagues condemning Wikipedia as an unreliable and disreputable source. While Wikipedia is vastly different from scholarly articles and other secondary sources, it has it's own unique offering to knowledge and research—that is, as long as the articles are properly sourced and backed up.

We also had more cookies.

Entry #4
March 27, 2015

In today's class we were informed on how to write Wikipedia articles properly. There are a lot of do's and don'ts. What struck me most is to avoid "peacock" and "weasel" words. We learned the difference between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, and were warned about plagiarism. One form of plagiarism that I never heard of is called "close paraphrasing," in which someone too closely re-frames someone else's work, and there are too many similarities. I am definitely noting to self to avoid doing that.

We then divided up into groups to write our assigned sections for Octavia's biography. I was assigned as Team #3's leader. Assigned separate time periods in her career, we each had to write summaries of her notable works using various secondary sources. We arranged a date to submit our final edits and left with a substantial amount of work completed. And then we had more cookies. Thanks, professor.

Entry #3
March 20th, 2015

We began class with reading and annotating articles that discussed Octavia Butler's contributions to literature as well as the notable themes in her works. We also took a look at some encyclopedia entries and made note on what details were significant in each entry. Some entries stressed the importance that Butler was the "first" in several areas; others emphasized her various accolades and accomplishments, and still others noted her unconventional ideas. I was very impressed with how ground-breaking and intrepid Octavia has shown herself to be. She is studied and researched by numerous organizations and scholars.

Like last week, we completed another research assignment where we posted suggestions under the "Talk" page of Octavia Butler. This time we focused on important themes and contributions in her works. We each took what we found in our assigned articles and added our findings after discussing and sharing ideas. There were many complex and involved themes involved in Butler's work, which I found a little overwhelming and daunting. It was ultimately very informative and will certainly be on my mind as I continue reading Fledgling. Also, we had some thin mint cookies, courtesy of Mozucat.

Entry #2
March 13th, 2015

Today's class was very busy indeed. We discussed what Wikipedia is and how it can be helpful. The overview of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources was of great importance. Primary sources are original source materials. Secondary sources are things concerning the primary source that were created after the primary source. Tertiary sources, like Wikipedia, can be articles, entries, essays, and other things that use and reference secondary sources. We also discussed the content of Octavia Butler's novel Fledgling, and what themes we might expect from it. As it is a work of vampire literature, we took a survey of what we expect to be possible themes in Butler's work. Some of the included themes were violence, sexuality, mortality/immortality, and horror.

In the second part of the group, we split into groups and worked on ways to edit Octavia's Wikipedia Entry. I really liked using Google Docs to simultaneously contribute my input along with the members of my team. We added details in Butler's biography that were not mentioned in the article but seemed significant, as well as corrected and critiqued the sources that were used. We offered these contributions under Octavia Butler's Talk Page and signed our names underneath it. It was exciting to see our input published on such a significant source of online information. Wow!

Entry #1
March 6th, 2015

Today was the first day of class. We covered a lot of ground:


 * Created a user account
 * Created a user page
 * Took a quiz on the basics of Wikipedia
 * Learned how to create references and cite articles under our user sandboxes

While there were a few small hang-ups, today was mostly a success. I really feel that I have learned a lot today that will potentially be of great value in my academic future. Learning the format - all the tags and jargon - of Wikipedia was a bit confusing. While I have learned the basics, it is likely that I will fumble in the future. What's really frightening is that Wikipedia is like writing on a dry erase board with a permanent marker - every action you take is permanent! I suppose that means I have to be extremely careful with my input because all traces will be seen. Anyway, it's very exciting to have the opportunity to edit an actual Wikipedia article and leave my trace in internet history. Wow!

Summary
Govan proclaims that Fledgling has "something for everyone." The novel appeals to Butler's "tripartite" audience, or those interested in African American, Science Fiction, and feminist topics. She also mentions that the novel does not rely on the supernatural or gothic elements that are typical of the vampire genre. Instead, the appeal of the novel revolves around Shori's intense story, which grabs the reader due to her fierce determination to survive and learn about her identity and people. Also notable is how Butler portrays Vampires not as extraterrestrial or supernatural beings, but as a species that coexist along with humans on the same planet. Govan also takes notice of Shori's ability to be rational and clear-minded when facing emotionally-charged subjects. Govan doesn't delve on the many themes that are explored, but indicates that the nature of the storyline touches upon many of Butler's usual topics--community, family, mutuality, ethics, and female relationships--while intriguing the reader with sex, romance, and mystery.

Quotations
"An extremely well-crafted science fiction story, the novel engages us and is exciting because it invokes and riffs upon vampire myth and legend while wearing a number of masks—murder mystery, crime novel, coming-of-age, innocence-to-experience, initiation, quest tale, and outsider/survivor novel."

". Butler goes her own way, creating, as she customarily does, an entirely credible community with individuals motivated by some of those universal human attributes that drive us all—love, hate, fear, family, hunger, pride, and prejudice."

"Shori’s terrible predicament and the losses she suffers, allow Butler to direct our attention subtly to the themes and issues interwoven into her best tales— power, community, kin, mutuality, education, ethics, values, moral and immoral behaviors, and relationships among women as well as relationships between men and women."

Themes

 * Revision of the vampire figure
 * Agency
 * Morality

MLA Citation
Govan, Sandra Y. "Fledgling.(Book Review)." Obsidian III 6.2 (2005): 40-43. Web.

Research Assignment #4
1.	On page 27, Strong argues that Fledgling “invites readers to imagine blackness as a signifier of humanness.” Why is it unusual for readers to imagine blackness as human?

It may be difficult for readers to view blackness as human because of the messages we are given as a society to view black people as less than human. US history also rests upon a foundation built upon the slavery of blacks.

'''2.	On page 28, Strong comments on Butler’s narrative strategies: Why is Butler slow in revealing Shori’s mixed species and color? Why is it important for the reader to think of Shori as an individual before she is marked as hybrid or black?'''

Butler writes the beginning in a form similar to legal storytelling, which has proven to be successful in the courtroom. This gradual revealing of information allows people to learn about Shori as an individual without immediately affixing social identifiers. Her blackness and hybridity may create automatic bias in the reader.

'''3.	Pages 29-30: What are the characteristics that Shori shares with Ina? With humans? Do humans and Ina focus on her similarities to them or on her differences?'''

Shori shares with both humans and vampires what are called “high-order traits.” These include morality, intelligence, and personality. With Ina, she shares their propensity for blood and polyamorous relationships. She looks more like a human, however, and has a similar sense of shame. Humans and Ina tend to ignore their similarities with her and focus on how different she is from them.

'''4.	On page 29, Strong explains that because Shori’s brown skin comes from her human genes, the notion of “blackness” then comes to stand for her humanity, her hybridity, and her difference from other Ina. Explain how “blackness” is both Shori’s asset and her liability.''' '''

Shori’s “blackness” can be seen as an asset because it has allowed her to survive the attacks and hardships that has led to the death of her family. Her dark skin helps her tolerate sunlight which makes her more adaptable to circumstances. Simultaneously, her “blackness” is a threat to her because of sentiments within the Ina community against genetic experimentation Her dark skin also makes her more easily visible to targets.

5.	Page 31: How does Milo Silk’s suggestion that Shori be examined by a human physician reveal him as a speciesist?

Milo is a speciesist because he seems to see Shori as unlike him in a biologically inferior way. He sees her as not even in the same species and it is compared to asking a human to be seen by a veterinarian instead of a doctor.

'''6.	Pages 31-32: What narrative type is the “tragic mulatta”? What is the “one drop rule”? Does Shori allow herself to be reduced to a tragic mulatta or defined by her brown skin?''' The “tragic mulatta” is a narrative type that portrays a black character as disconnected and unable to fit into society. The one-drop rule seems to say that as soon as a person is identified as black, he/she is immediately dropped down a level on the scale. Shori defies the “tragic mulatta” stereotype by placing the responsibility of her misfortunes on the attitudes of others rather than on her skin color, and refuses to let others tell her own story.

'''7.	Page 32: According to Strong, Ina like Milo and Katherine consider “domination, exploitation, and ruthlessness” as key to Ina identity. What does it mean that Shori is not marked by these characteristics? Does Strong argue that Ina difference from humans is mostly biological or does she argue that it is mostly social?'''

The characteristics marked by Milo and Katherine represent a discriminatory way of looking at other groups of people as inferior. Shori is kinder, more understanding, and less judgmental; she represents a more forward-thinking attitude that encourages social progress. Strong disagrees that Ina and humans are vastly different in a biological sense and asserts that it is merely socialized attitudes that separate the two.

8.	Page 33: How are Milo and his supporters like the Nazis?

Milo is like a Nazi because of his ideas of purity and pride within the Ina community are very similar to Nazi ideology. He sees Shori as a contaminant to the Ina race and seeks to eliminate her and her entire community, which is also not much different from Nazi agenda to exterminate those that were considered inferior.

'''9.	On pages 34-35, Strong compares Shori to the figure of the cyborg, a being that is made up of two tightly coupled, seemingly different systems (in the case of the cyborg, the artificial and the biological). How does the image of the cyborg represent a break from tradition?'''

The idea of cyborgs breaks from tradition because cyborgs fuse together two systems that are considered fundamentally different into a new, single system. This abolishes the idea that Ina and humans (or blacks and whites) are really that different and welcomes harmony and intermixing between two groups.

'''10.	Page 36: Strong notes that Shori represents a departure from the mostly male, violent, and predatory figure of the vampire as she “lacks or defers…power,” and that it is this less-than powerful image what makes her appealing to the humans in the novel. Why is this so?'''

Shori’s mutual dependency on her symbionts makes her much more appealing to them rather than a domineering male vampire that exploits his victims. Shori has a strong moral sense and seeks to treat humans in a more equal and compassionate way.

'''11.	Page 37 (and 40): How do the “hybrid sexual relations” of the Ina unnerve certain readers? Why was Fledgling considered “kiddie porn” by certain readers? How is Wright’s discomfort at Shori’s sexuality meant to be the voice of a certain type of reader?'''

Ina engage in sexual relationships that do not distinguish familial from romantic love, nor do they recognize the heterosexual/homosexual binary. This may make some readers uncomfortable because these practices challenge the sexual and social norms of society. Readers considered Fledgling to be “kiddie porn” because they are seeing the outward characteristics of Shori – her young, child-like appearance—rather than who she actually is. Wright may represent the voice of “bi-phobia,” as he is unsettled by Shori engaging in sexual relationships with both men and women. This voice refuses to look outside sexual categorization.

12.	Pages 37-38: How does biology complicate the seemingly mutually beneficial partnership between humans and Ina?

Ina venom complicates the relationship between Ina and humans as it makes humans addicted. This implies that while Ina can chose their symbionts, humans may not have as much free will. This disrupts the balance of power.

13.	Page 39: Compare the human-Ina relationship to that of slaves and masters.

Ina are pretty much in charge of their human symbionts. The human symbionts can be seen as “enslaved” to their Ina due to their being “bound” to them. Their venom also renders bound symbionts unable to make completely free choices. This discrepancy in power and lack of choice can be compared to the master-slave power dynamic.

My Impression of Octavia Butler
On first impression, Octavia Butler's life seemed to be not-so-extraordinary. As an African American female growing up during racial discrimination and segregation, her feelings of loneliness and insecurity were nothing out of the norm. However, it is her fierce tenacity and "positive obsession" to write - despite all odds stacked against her - that illuminates an inner strength and passion that can be nothing short of extraordinary.

In Butler's autobiographical article, "Positive Obsession," the plain and direct style of language seems to be deliberate. Detailing mostly factual information in a concrete and un-flowery way, I am guessing this article's style differs much from that of the Science Fiction and Fantasy novels she is known for. As Octavia states in her Afterword, she believed her life to be dull and not worth writing about. Getting up in the early hours of the morning to write before work, Butler had an intense and obsessive dedication to writing. Life for her seemed to be a continuous loop of writing and rejection slips. Yet this positive obsession of hers enabled her to push on through repeated discouragement.

Octavia's childhood was no less dreary. Her awkwardly tall stature, introverted demeanor, and penchant for reading and writing often labeled her as an outcast by her peers. She was raised by a puritanical aunt who insisted that "Negroes can't be writers" (98). Nevertheless, she received encouragement from teachers, mentors, and small awards. Butler's mother was her biggest champion, encouraging her since early age to pursue her dream of writing.

A very poignant moment was when Octavia stares into the night sky and is amazed at the stars and how they exist outside of her human-being-dominated world. Her obsession with writing was a way to explore her mind and imagination, which go far beyond the scope of the life laid out in her autobiography. As the first black female science-fiction writer, she was a groundbreaking artist that transcended the constraints of gender and race, and made remarkable contributions.

Citation Practice
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

"Birth of a Writer"