Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler started off with Lauren having a “reoccurring dream” that she doesn’t get into detail about, she proceeds to state that her and her birthday was coming up to initiate that although they have a close birthday they do not have a close bond. “I’ll try to please him” (3), this statement is to show . As I continued to read I began to understand that throughout the chapters Lauren is explaining her perspective about society, life, family members etc. “I’m learning to fly, to levitate myself. No one is teaching me. I’m just learning on my own, little by little, dream lesson by dream lesson. Not a very subtle image, but a persistent one. Ive had many lessons, and I’m better at flying than I used to be. I trust my ability more now, but I’m still afraid. I can’t quite control my directions yet.” (4). When reading this piece from chapter 1 I feel as if Lauren is expressing her understanding of life and how she takes it day by day. In order to progress in life you have to learn from what position you are placed in and over time you’ll understand and grow.
As a young girl who is about to turn 15 life can seem a bit complex and dramatic leading to the individual seeking for independence and freedom. In chapter two Lauren states that she no longer follows her fathers cultural practices and states that they once had a church but happened to always get robbed, vandalized or invaded and eventually someone burned it down while seven people were asleep. If I am being very transparent, when I read that section I automatically came to the conclusion that they were not privileged or favored to have protection over their church. I also view Lauren as an outgoing teen because she is very observant and critical when it comes down to having an opinion, in the sense that she fully develops an idea before taking any action towards it.
When reading and understanding Lauren’s perception of society and people I began to understand that climate change can be viewed in many aspects. For these few chapters I’ve read, I compared climate change to Lauren as any obstacle that she faced because of the time, situations she was placed in. Something she had no control or way or avoiding but yet had to take action and structure herself because of what is happening around her.
