Mr.

Bender; MYP4 Honors English, Period 6 2 May 2013 Word Count: 722 Symbiosis in Slavery Today, society grimaces at the word and thought of slavery, and is seeing more and more movies, books, and recognition of slavery day by day. When society hears about slavery, there is an automatic picture and definition which comes to mind, however, in the book Kindred by Octavia Butler, the main character, Dana travels back in time to the early-1800s, the time of slavery. Dana, as an African-American, is thrown into that time, and from her years of schooling and reading, already has her mind made up on slavery, it is an inhumane relationship from one man to another. She has heard the stories of runaway slaves, punishments, the Underground Railroad, and much more. Yet, in the book Kindred, Octavia Butler portrays the seemingly inhumane relationship between slave master and slave as one that is extremely complicated, and not anywhere near the history book definition, and including a huge dependence on the other for survival. I sat still, breathed deeply, calming myself, believing him. I did believe him. I wasnt even as surprised as I should have been. I had already accepted the fact that I had moved through time. Now I knew I was farther from home than I had thought. And now I knew why Rufuss father used his whip on niggers as well as horses. (27) When Dana becomes to believe the fact that she is going through time travel, and she is in the time of slavery, she almost freaks out, and in her mind she is using the history book information to look through how she will live through this nightmare. This quote also portrays the fact that Dana is still not believing the time travel story, but this being the second time she

went back in time, and her seeing the connection between her and Rufus as relatives, it was all beginning to come together. And you dont call me Master either...The boy gripped my arm. Yes! he whispered. Youll get into trouble if you dont, if Daddy hears you.(30) Another point when Octavia Butler begins to paint the image of the complicated relationship between master and slave is actually before Rufus begins to act like Danas master, it is when he was less than 10 years old. This quote depicts the fact that the master is in it for the good of the slave, and they dont want the slave to be hurt, yet Rufus uses the same way to influence Dana as any slave master, a threat. In this case, Rufus did not directly threaten Dana, yet he implied the upcoming actions if she disobeyed his request. When Rufus father Tom begins acquainted with Dana, he also begins to treat her like the other slaves, that he holds back and is more kind, which he receives back. Rufus caught me easily and held me, cursing me, hurting me. You take your whipping! he hissed. The more you fight, the more hell hurt you. (176) This quote is one that clearly depicts the complexity of the relationship between master and slave, where it seems though Rufus just wants Dana to be whipped, however he is clearly attempting to convince her that the less she resists, the less extreme the punishment is. This same concept is seen throughout the remainder of the book, and even though these images of slaves have been permanently imprinted in our minds, the master is always on the lookout for the slave, and vice versa, because if one side of the relationship leaves, the other fails. The master depends on the slave for money, and the slave depends on the master not to be separated from his friends and family.

Throughout the book Kindred, there are many examples emphasising the complexity of slavery and how the relationship between master and slave is extremely different than almost everyone knows. Kindred is a book that gives the reader an opinion on slavery that no history book has or ever will write about, and will probably be regarded as racist for calling slavery symbiotic. Symbiosis is now not only between creatures, it can clearly be seen in many more scenarios, and thanks to Octavia Butler, it can be seen in slavery through the book Kindred.