Bloodchild Assessment
1.) What is your reaction to the text you just read?
My reaction is a rather strange mix of empathy and visceral disgust. I feel pain for the protagonist, Gan, as he has been raised his whole life mislead about his fate as a host to the parasitic eggs that his family friend and partner, T’Gatoi. Personally, nothing strikes more terror into my heart than insects and the thought of being infested by parasitic insects such as the botfly (which I believe is an inspiration butler draws from). However, there does seem to be an emotional, symbiotic bond between Gan and T’Gatoi that can’t be denied. While Gan admits that he wants to protect Hoa from the same fate when he considers suicide over being infested, he almost admits that he wants “to keep [T’Gatoi] for [him]self”. However, I am also aware of the narcotic effect of that the sterile eggs produce in humans, or Terrans as they’re referred to. That effect makes me wonder how much of this love is a byproduct of being given the eggs, and raised to believe that this fate is honorable. I am aware that Octavia Butler means for this story to be interpreted as one of love, but the details and background within the story just make it difficult for me to believe such.
2.) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect?
There is a very strong human, female experience that’s not so hidden within the subtext of the story. The description of the implantation is disturbingly similar to a description of human sex, as if it were described by an alien species observing it. Gan’s struggle also reminds me of the experiences many women experience growing up: being told about how wonderful adult relationships are like as a child, and being show this perfect fantasy through children’s movies. Ultimately, we only to grow up and realize just how complicated the adult world really is, and it does feel like one of betrayal at times for showing a false reality, at least to me. This is only layered by Gan’s feeling of betrayal with T’Gatoi for not telling him the implantation process. To add, Gan’s implantation argument only reminds me of the many “Don’t you want to have kids?” question I heard many times in my adolescence. I think one of the strongest point in the story for me is instead of hiding the reality from kids, to show them what life really is like. Children are much more intelligent than people generally give them credit for, and I’m aware that exposure to realities such as relationships early in a normal life instead of a fantasy one is generally encouraged by professionals.
3.) What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
Personally, I think a comic book or graphic novel adaptation would be an effective one for this medium. However, I think it would be much harder to interweave the backstory with the current actions effectively in a more visual medium compared to a written one. The story might have to be told chronologically for the audience to fully understand what is happening. However, I that a comic medium would be a great way to preserve as much of the content of the original story while also presenting it visually, which would give both the gory and intimate scene a greater impact. The greatest difficulty I see in preserving the inner monologue of Gan, which would have to be modified in some way or cut in order to have it function as a comic.
My reaction is a rather strange mix of empathy and visceral disgust. I feel pain for the protagonist, Gan, as he has been raised his whole life mislead about his fate as a host to the parasitic eggs that his family friend and partner, T’Gatoi. Personally, nothing strikes more terror into my heart than insects and the thought of being infested by parasitic insects such as the botfly (which I believe is an inspiration butler draws from). However, there does seem to be an emotional, symbiotic bond between Gan and T’Gatoi that can’t be denied. While Gan admits that he wants to protect Hoa from the same fate when he considers suicide over being infested, he almost admits that he wants “to keep [T’Gatoi] for [him]self”. However, I am also aware of the narcotic effect of that the sterile eggs produce in humans, or Terrans as they’re referred to. That effect makes me wonder how much of this love is a byproduct of being given the eggs, and raised to believe that this fate is honorable. I am aware that Octavia Butler means for this story to be interpreted as one of love, but the details and background within the story just make it difficult for me to believe such.
2.) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect?
There is a very strong human, female experience that’s not so hidden within the subtext of the story. The description of the implantation is disturbingly similar to a description of human sex, as if it were described by an alien species observing it. Gan’s struggle also reminds me of the experiences many women experience growing up: being told about how wonderful adult relationships are like as a child, and being show this perfect fantasy through children’s movies. Ultimately, we only to grow up and realize just how complicated the adult world really is, and it does feel like one of betrayal at times for showing a false reality, at least to me. This is only layered by Gan’s feeling of betrayal with T’Gatoi for not telling him the implantation process. To add, Gan’s implantation argument only reminds me of the many “Don’t you want to have kids?” question I heard many times in my adolescence. I think one of the strongest point in the story for me is instead of hiding the reality from kids, to show them what life really is like. Children are much more intelligent than people generally give them credit for, and I’m aware that exposure to realities such as relationships early in a normal life instead of a fantasy one is generally encouraged by professionals.
3.) What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
Personally, I think a comic book or graphic novel adaptation would be an effective one for this medium. However, I think it would be much harder to interweave the backstory with the current actions effectively in a more visual medium compared to a written one. The story might have to be told chronologically for the audience to fully understand what is happening. However, I that a comic medium would be a great way to preserve as much of the content of the original story while also presenting it visually, which would give both the gory and intimate scene a greater impact. The greatest difficulty I see in preserving the inner monologue of Gan, which would have to be modified in some way or cut in order to have it function as a comic.
Comments
Post a Comment