Research Question:

How do Lauren’s hyperempathy and Earthseed explore themes of community? Specifically, how does Lauren’s hyperempathy help her form a community based on shared values and mutual aid? How does Lauren’s democratic pluralism through Earthseed differ from other modes of organization in the novel such as Reverend Olamina’s model in Robledo before the disaster (Robeldo’s destruction), the hordes of pyro addicts, and Olivar?

Research Process:

1. Identify Keywords: hyperempathy, Earthseed, Mutual Aid, Pyro addicts/Paints/”Ro” Addicts, Anarchy, Community, Robledo, Olivar
2. Before researching using specific keywords such as Robledo and Olivar, I first did a more general search about communities in Parable of the Sower. By doing this, I was able to see how different writers refer to different organizations. For example, when I read some sources, I noted that the pyro addicts are referred to as “paints” because of their painted faces. This allowed me to find more sources about the Pyro addicts since I was able to identify another keyword to use. Also, I found that the pyro addicts could be associated with the word “anarchy” since there are no laws to follow outside of the walled community. Overall, doing a more general search, helped me find more sources easier since it allowed me to find more keywords to use while researching.

**Most of my research was done with Google Scholar. I sorted the sources by date (2013-2023)**

Sources:

• Blazan, Sladja. “ ‘Something Beyond Pain’: Race, Gender, and Hyperempathy in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.” Gender Forum, 2022, pp. 34-52, http://genderforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Final_Complete-_Issue82.pdf#page=37
• Newbie, Billie Rose. “The Ever-Present Dystopia, the Non-Present Utopia, and the Thirdspace: The Role of Contrasting Coteries in 20th-Century Dystopian Literature and Parable of the Sower.” Scholar Works, 23 April 2021, pp. 1-24, https://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=honors_theses
• Milanese, Elena. “ ‘Home as it was or home as it should have been’: Constitutional Rights in Butler’s not so Fictional World.” Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, 28 October 2019, pp. 1-88, http://dspace.unive.it/bitstream/handle/10579/15851/854274-1230211.pdf?sequence=2
• Reid-X, Mercedes Alayna. “Octavia E. Butler’s Earthseed and the God of Change.” Virtual Commons, 18 August 2022, pp. 1-28, https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1563&context=honors_proj 
• Clausen, Daniel D. “Cli-Fi Georgic and Grassroots Mutual Aid in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.” Western American Literature, 2021, pp. 269–286, https://doi.org/10.1353/wal.2021.0040 
• James, Lisa. “ ‘To shape God, Shape Self’: The Political Manipulation of the Human Body and Reclamation of Space in Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.” Malmö University, 2018, pp. 1-39, https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1483641/FULLTEXT01.pdf 

**I still plan on looking for more potential sources by looking for more keywords I can use. I am aiming to have at least 8 sources**