Diverse Position Science Fiction
Bloodchild, by Octavia Butler
1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
It took me a little bit to figure out what was going on, but once I figured it out I could read the story with less confusion and rather be able to actually work through the deeper meanings behind it. I've heard of similar scenarios and stories where one species uses another to bear their offspring, but this of course happens in real life as well with some insects and perhaps even some other species. I can see where this took its inspiration, as I've learned about some insects that lay their eggs inside others and when they hatch they eat their host from the inside out much like in this story, and in fact this is how most parasites operate. Despite the clear message that humans/Terrans are not the species/race in complete power here as is pretty much the case in real life on Earth for the most part, I did not find myself angry or upset with the Tlic species even though they were using the Terrans as hosts for their offspring.
2. What connections did you makes with the story that you read? Discuss the elements of the work with which you connected.
As for connections I made to the story, I made a few, one being the connection I made in the previous answer to animals and people in real life. There is however a rather large difference, where humans in the real world can become infected or compromised by parasites, we are still for the most part the main species in power, whereas in this story, we are in fact more like livestock in a way though T'Gatoi tries to explain that is not really the case. It could be seen as a form of slavery, though it doesn't operate on quite the same level as the slavery we saw in this country before the Civil War or in other places where slavery has occurred and it still occurring for that matter. While there is a sort of peace treaty, which we also see for various reasons between groups of people in real life, there is still a clear divide where the Tlic seem to have more power or influence, in that the Terran families are almost like pets to them in a sense. I'm realizing the more I talk about this how many connections there really are to the real world.
3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
I have a pretty strong imagination, so I can picture things in my head as I read, but I also enjoy mediums where the visuals are provided for me so I don't have to over-exert my brain to not only put together the imagery in my mind but also understand the story. I also just appreciate seeing the visuals other people create and put together, so if I were to adapt or have this story adapted into another medium, I would personally like a visual one such as a short film or a graphic novel. I think visuals would really bring more life to the story since the descriptions written are pretty graphic in and of themselves, whether about some of the characters or the events unfolding. They were graphic enough to cause Gan to throw up outside, hah. In all seriousness, I can already imagine in my head how cool this would be as a graphic novel or a short film. The graphic novel could have some really cool shots and camera angles just in the drawings that could add more drama to the piece, and a short film could have that elements as well as voice acting to draw you more into the scene and a whole atmosphere you miss out on when just reading words on a page. I'm not sure I would change much of anything, I think the story just as it is could translate pretty well into these two mediums I mentioned. As I've discussed before, I love horror, so I would personally love to see the more grotesque aspects of this story put into visual and audible form.
1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
It took me a little bit to figure out what was going on, but once I figured it out I could read the story with less confusion and rather be able to actually work through the deeper meanings behind it. I've heard of similar scenarios and stories where one species uses another to bear their offspring, but this of course happens in real life as well with some insects and perhaps even some other species. I can see where this took its inspiration, as I've learned about some insects that lay their eggs inside others and when they hatch they eat their host from the inside out much like in this story, and in fact this is how most parasites operate. Despite the clear message that humans/Terrans are not the species/race in complete power here as is pretty much the case in real life on Earth for the most part, I did not find myself angry or upset with the Tlic species even though they were using the Terrans as hosts for their offspring.
2. What connections did you makes with the story that you read? Discuss the elements of the work with which you connected.
As for connections I made to the story, I made a few, one being the connection I made in the previous answer to animals and people in real life. There is however a rather large difference, where humans in the real world can become infected or compromised by parasites, we are still for the most part the main species in power, whereas in this story, we are in fact more like livestock in a way though T'Gatoi tries to explain that is not really the case. It could be seen as a form of slavery, though it doesn't operate on quite the same level as the slavery we saw in this country before the Civil War or in other places where slavery has occurred and it still occurring for that matter. While there is a sort of peace treaty, which we also see for various reasons between groups of people in real life, there is still a clear divide where the Tlic seem to have more power or influence, in that the Terran families are almost like pets to them in a sense. I'm realizing the more I talk about this how many connections there really are to the real world.
3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
I have a pretty strong imagination, so I can picture things in my head as I read, but I also enjoy mediums where the visuals are provided for me so I don't have to over-exert my brain to not only put together the imagery in my mind but also understand the story. I also just appreciate seeing the visuals other people create and put together, so if I were to adapt or have this story adapted into another medium, I would personally like a visual one such as a short film or a graphic novel. I think visuals would really bring more life to the story since the descriptions written are pretty graphic in and of themselves, whether about some of the characters or the events unfolding. They were graphic enough to cause Gan to throw up outside, hah. In all seriousness, I can already imagine in my head how cool this would be as a graphic novel or a short film. The graphic novel could have some really cool shots and camera angles just in the drawings that could add more drama to the piece, and a short film could have that elements as well as voice acting to draw you more into the scene and a whole atmosphere you miss out on when just reading words on a page. I'm not sure I would change much of anything, I think the story just as it is could translate pretty well into these two mediums I mentioned. As I've discussed before, I love horror, so I would personally love to see the more grotesque aspects of this story put into visual and audible form.
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