Author: Marie Naudus

For this blog post, my aim is to logically weave together both my AI Inspire and Butler Trouble papers while responding to feedback and reflecting on what I have learned over the course of the semester. My AI Inspire paper was a little unclear; it was rushed. I am going to slow down, unpack, and explain my thinking while relating AI to the oankali. On my Butler Trouble paper Dr. McCoy responded, “when oankali do surveillance, it is an act of care.” This phase inspired me– what are the benefits of both contrast surveillance and AI and how can they be used for good, especially since we do not really have a choice of where our information is being spread in this political climate.  

Naturally, I want to use my 1,500-2,000 words to talk about something I am passionate about– education. In less than two weeks I am going to graduate with a degree in English Adolescent Education (7-12). Next fall, I am going to start my master’s degree in literacy education. I will pull individuals who have fallen below grade level in reading and/or writing and work on skills needed to be successful in comprehension in and out of the classroom. Why is this relevant? Because it is not as easy as saying “hey, this student needs help,” in fact, there is an entire legal process. By law, every student is entitled to the least restrictive learning environment (LRE) and taking a student without an IEP out of the classroom to do extra/individual work violates that right. Let’s backtrack. After Brown v. The Board of Education ruled that African American children are entitled to equal educational opportunities, parents of children with disabilities started suing school districts, claiming their children did not have protected educational rights. Of course, they won and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed in 1965; this provided resources to aid in quality education for students with disabilities. Ten years later the concept of an individualized learning plan (IEP) was introduced. IEPs are legal documents based on student performance and behavior data, drafted by school counselors, parents, students, and teachers, to place supports to help the student successfully complete the academic school year. A key component of IEPs are measurable and attainable goals; for example, if a student is struggling with reading comprehension a goal would read as “After given a simple written sentence, student will match the sentence to the picture for a total of three sentences with 80% accuracy across a two week period.” Typically, the document will say something along the lines of “individual reading instruction, 2×30 minutes a week,” to indicate exactly what skills are being worked on and for how long. Another section has to do with classwork/homework modifications and accommodations. This may say something like “only 60% of daily math homework needs to be completed,” or “student only needs to handwrite half of class notes and will be given printed copies.” I know that this seems long winded but I promise I am going somewhere with this. 

Now, knowing that IEPs are based solely on data and that chatbots are trained to answer questions/produce work based on given data sets data sets, comes my idea: training an AI to be a personal special education teacher. This is not an entirely new concept, as I mentioned in my AI Inspire paper, some people already use chatbots for personalized accommodations. In the article  “AI super uses have found the ultimate work hacks” Becca Chambers, an AI advocate says, “I’ve figured out a way to mask my neurodivergence… It’s like having an accommodation that’s inexpensive and easy to use.” This got me thinking about how AI can be used for good and play a more concrete role in specialized education. I am not exactly sure how this would work, but in the beginning of the semester I learned a lot about training AI from class readings. Essentially, the user feeds it a data set and it will start to produce answers that are either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The computer will eventually (somehow) learn what answers are acceptable/correct and build upon those to continue to please the user. For the sake of this far fetched theory, let’s say that our student is considered for special education in 1st grade. After writing an initial IEP you could feed it into AI. As the year goes on, the teacher would continue to upload all of the student’s work and assignments to the AI. In theory, the chatbot would be able to track the student’s progress, strengths, and weaknesses. Now, remember I am an English Education with a 2018 Macbook so I am no technological genius, but I imagine that you would be able to ask the personalized AI how to modify an assignment to fit said student’s needs. Let’s say there is a math worksheet with word problems, maybe the chatbot could expand on the problems by adding more visual space and details while also flagging ones that may require skills the student does not yet have. Please be patient. I will connect special education to Xenogenesis shortly. 

This semester I had the privilege of reading Butler’s Xenogenesis Trilogy (And, no, I am not being sarcastic here. I enjoyed most of it). The three books follow Lilith, her life in a post world war/mass destruction oankali society, and her construct children as they try and navigate a new way of life. The oankali are alien gene traders. It is imperative to their survival that they continue to study and trade new beings. Their species is vastly different from humanity, and even at this point in the semester I am struggling to grasp it. However, something I understand is that they rely on data. They are constantly touching, tasting, and absorbing objects to learn their chemical composition. With this data they are able to reproduce beings and/or modify existing beings for the better. An example of this comes from the cancer scene in Dawn. Cancer runs in Lilith’s family, and if Earth was not destroyed by the human contradiction (hierarchy), she would have been diagnosed at a later stage of her life. Luckily for Lilith, the oankali have such a deep understanding of human genetics at this point. They are able to alter her genes and “delete” the cancer. For the sake of this paper I am not going to go into the issue of consent here, but I do want to acknowledge it. Readers see this again with Jodahs, Tomas, and Jesusa when Jodahs alters their genetics to get rid of their tumors. The oankali are able to read and correct disorders and diseases in humankind– they are healers. Given someone’s DNA they can read, evaluate, and correct. 

If oankali were real, I think they would make great special education teachers. Why? Data. I mean, sure they have the ability to eradicate learning disabilities once and for all, but let’s say that they choose to work with them instead of against them. Erasing learning disabilities could be potentially harmful. Doing so would erase diversity and potentially hinder creativity (I want to note that although it is not scientifically proven, it is theorized that people with certain learning disabilities are more creative than their neurotypical peers). Adam Levine, Carly Simon, Chris Robinson, Solange Knowles, are all musicians who have a learning disability. Oankali would naturally have the tools to create the most equitable learning environment. I assume that they would be able to perfectly tailor each assignment to each and every individual students’ needs. In fact, I think that they would redefine our schools as we know them. Students who do not succeed in a typical classroom would not be singled out as the oankali would be able to create personalized learning for everyone. 

This semester has been a rollercoaster. Starting the course I was an AI lover. I used it to help me with all different tasks. I used it to help me come up with ideas for lesson plans. During my student teaching I had a hard time coming up with age appropriate activities for 7th graders. I often found myself telling ChatGPT the premise and asking for “7th grade age appropriate classroom activities.” I also used it to translate MRI and lab reports. Over the last fourteen months I have had countless x-rays, four MRIs, and three full metabolic work-ups. Everytime I received a test result I would copy and paste it into ChatGPT asking for an explanation. For the record, it was very helpful. Lastly, I used AI to help me find sources. Instead of combing through databases I would ask for scholarly articles containing specific words. This typically worked as I was able to get access for most of the articles it recommended with my Geneseo login. When I started this class and learned about the environmental impacts I immediately stopped using AI. I could not believe how bad it was. I was oblivious to the water, energy, and biases it used. I downloaded an eco-friendly browser on my laptop and even tried to stop watching TikToks that were AI generated in an effort to boycott it. It is nearly impossible to completely avoid AI but I think as long as I make a conscious effort I can say that I have saved a little bit of water. With all of this being said, I think the best thing I can do is to channel my inner Lilith and continue to act in good faith on behalf of the future of humanity. 

Octavia Butler’s science fiction novel, Dawn, takes readers into a seemingly foreign world embedded with issues that mirror problems on Earth. Butler’s fiction artfully emphasizes scripts (as Dr. McCoy calls them) that run in the human mind. One of the major scripts/ plot points in the novel is that the Oankali are always watching; the humans have no privacy. For this post, I want to focus on the idea of surveillance. I think that now, more than ever, we must have conversations about the lack of privacy we are experiencing. Can Lilith and the Oankali help us understand our own world?

During the early pages of Dawn, readers start to understand that Lilith is always being watched. Lilith first suspects this when she is paired with Sharad; she is fairly sure it was some kind of experiment to see how they interact. Yet, there is no confirmation as there are no typical cameras. While meeting Jdahya for the first time her suspicions are confirmed. Lilith asks Jdahya about Sharad but it does not know. Suddenly, her questions are answered by an anonymous voice, “Why should one more anonymous voice telling her everything was fine reassure her?” (Butler). So what does this mean for Lilith? She begins to understand that privacy is a concept of the past. She will no longer be able to keep secrets. I think that this raises questions about autonomy, do we have the rights to our bodies if we are constantly being watched? 

As a reader, I felt trapped. My initial reaction was hatred and disgust for the Oankali. How could anyone be okay with this? However, in the next chapter, Butler tells us how surveillance can be used for good. The Oankali were able to detect Lilith’s cancer and successfully remove it. At this point I started to side with the Oankali– they are heroes after all. Consent is a huge issue here. I want to keep my focus on surveillance. As the novel progresses I found myself swinging back and forth between liking and disliking the Oankali. I think this is what Butler wanted; she shows the pros and cons of surveillance while leaving the final consensus up to the reader. Another example of a lack of privacy comes later in the novel. Joseph claims that he does not want to have sex with Nikanj, yet Nikanj insists otherwise. Although Joseph’s mind does not want it, his body does. Nikanj knows this and forces Joseph to do it anyway. Again, I want to acknowledge the consent issue without diving into it. I think we are conditioned to think that the Oankali know best. Joseph initially did not want this, but it brought him a lot of pleasure; this made it a little easier for readers to look past the issue at hand.

I did some research on cookies; as in “accept all cookies.” Almost every website a user visits poses the cookie question– will you accept all the cookies with the promise of the website running smoother, or will you reject them and potentially have it lag? Most users, afraid of slow internet speed, willingly accept. But wait, what are cookies? Will rejecting them cause the website to lag? In short, no. Here is what I’ve learned: there are essential and non-essential cookies. To start, a cookie is a file that collects data. The websites store these files on your computer. This file tracks and remembers information about you and your preferences. Essential cookies enhance a virtual experience; they remember your username and password, keep track of your shopping cart items, and remember your language preferences. Non-essential cookies track and collect a user’s data for their benefit. With this knowledge, they can alter their website to maximize functionality and venue as well as tailor advertisements to each user. Cookies can be a good thing– they can make the internet easier and a more enjoyable experience. Most people use cookies daily. I use cookies when I open my Geneseo Gmail account. If I did not let it “remember me” I would have to type in my username, password, and authentication code every single time I logged in. 

I think that understanding Dawn can help us comprehend our lack of surveillance and privacy. I think that a lack of privacy is inevitable, we might as well embrace some of the benefits. On the ship, Lilith has accepted that she is always under surveillance. She can use this knowledge to her benefit. She can talk in the open and know that she is being heard. She understands that if her life is in danger an Oankali will save her. Yes, she has lost a lot, but she gains a sense of security. Cookies can be similar– they guarantee ease but at what cost? Given the state of our country now we are very similar to the humans on the ship. We have no secrets. We cannot hide anything. As a reader in 2025, I think that the ship can be compared to a modern website. The ship’s “cookies” are so advanced that they understand exactly what is going on in the human mind. A few weeks ago I was telling my track coach that I got Tayogo headphones for Christmas. They are waterproof and have both Bluetooth and MP3 player modes. While we stood talking about my new headphones, his iPhone was in his pocket. That night I got a text from him. He had seen 3 advertisements on different social media platforms for Tayogo headphones since our earlier conversation. I think what might be the most astonishing is that this wasn’t even over text. A full in-person conversation that his phone has heard. Big Brother is always watching.

AI, artificial intelligence, has been a hot topic as of late. With the rise in popularity comes an infinite number of questions– is it safe? Is it trustworthy? Accurate? Does using AI count as cheating? Where is the line drawn? I cannot answer all of those questions. However, I can shed light on some benefits of appropriately using AI. While there are plenty of reasons to boycott these platforms, AI has been shown to increase productivity and creativity. Chatbots can act as a helpful tool in developing accommodations and modifications. Outside of specialized instruction, AI can aid in lesson planning and teaching. I started my research with Danielle Abril’s The Washington Post: AI super users have found the ultimate work hacks. The more I read about super users, the more specific questions I felt the need to explore, ultimately concluding that AI can be used for good in both the workplace and classroom. 

Danielle Abril’s article, “AI super uses have found the ultimate work hacks,” focuses on the benefits of AI in the workspace. Lisa Ross, vice-president of corporate training company Avenue, claims to use AI for almost everything “to create content using specific frameworks, to prepare for tough conversations, to help with project and strategic planning, and to determine impact” (Abril). They are not the only pro-AI candidate Abril spoke to. Others use the chatbot to aid in transcripts and job interviews. Kanika Khurana said that she could train a chatbot to summarize her dictated thoughts into an appropriate document for corporate (Abril). With this newfound free time, AI users can be more creative in their work and personal lives. So, what does this mean on a larger scale? People are saving time on menial tasks; devoting that energy to more impactful work. AI users can give more time to more meaningful tasks, which could hopefully have a financial gain. Ultimately, they can develop their work at a pace faster than we can comprehend. Extra time can be spent on creativity; people can work on new and improved creations for our ever-changing demands. Instead of bringing work home, the super users can use the rest of their work for themselves. 

Initially inspired by the “AI super uses have found the ultimate work hacks” reading, I wanted to dive deeper into what AI can do in terms of accommodations and modifications. Becca Chambers said, “I’ve figured out a way to mask my neurodivergence… It’s like having an accommodation that’s inexpensive and easy to use.” During my student teaching, I had a lot of hands-on experience with IEPs and 504s. I saw firsthand what it meant to tailor an assignment to meet students’ specific needs. After creating each assignment, I would think to myself how I could edit this to reach the needs of an individual? AI could be a helpful tool in this situation. Essentially, all IEPs and 504s are based on data collected throughout the past school year. That same data could be input into a chatbot, training it to automatically change a given assignment to fit into an IEP/504. In theory, a school would have to hire some kind of tech company to individualize chatbots per each student and their needs. This would have to happen yearly, or the school would need training to eventually do this on their own. I think that it could be a huge time saver and ultimately help both students and educators a tremendous amount. I do not think that AI is capable of replacing special education teachers. However, I think that a chatbot can be used to enhance their work.

As a future teacher, this got me thinking– what can AI be used for in a general education setting? I found an article by Jen Roberts on eduTopia titled “Proactively Limiting the Use of AI in the Classroom,” where she talks about using AI for lessons while also discouraging the use of it. She takes her readers through a three-step process she uses in her classroom to ensure that AI is used effectively and appropriately. First, she shows her familiarity with chatbots, “I want students to know that I am familiar with the process and outputs of an AI chatbot. I mention the things AI has helped me with lately” (Roberts). In my classroom, I would show students how I use Grammarly, showing that AI is more than generative AI. According to Roberts, step two shows them that “generative AI can be inaccurate and unreliable.” After a class reading, the class asked ChatGPT for a summary– the summary had major flaws. It is more beneficial to show the flaws of AI rather than ignoring the topic as a whole. To me, this kind of openness is vital for a productive classroom. The last step is grading an AI-generated paper. Roberts gave her students two essays with the same prompt, one was written by a student and the other by a chatbot. Students were put in groups and asked to grade both papers. It became clear that one was AI-generated. This exercise highlighted the inaccuracy of AI and discouraged students from using it while also allowing them to see a rubric/how their work will be graded.  

Before the start of the semester, I was pretty unfamiliar with the world of AI. I have used Grammarly and ChatGBT, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn’t know about different kinds of AI, the thousands of different platforms, how to train an AI, or the environmental impacts. Simply put, I was ignorant. To me, it was just like looking something up, but better. I used to ask it for help with modifications of classwork or medical advice. After all of the readings we have done, I think I have scraped the surface of what artificial intelligence is. I think that AI can be a great tool for everyone: office workers, teachers, and students.

After the first few weeks of class we have talked a decent amount about thresholds; specifically what it means in terms of Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved in conversation with Dante’s writing. Threshold, as defined by Merriam-Webster, “a gate, door, end, boundary. The place or point of entering or beginning.” Beloved in itself serves as a threshold between Morrison’s imagination and the reality of the story of Margaret Garner. I think that, thus far, most of the plot can be seen as a threshold between freedom and imprisonment. Are Sethe and Denver really free if they are essentially homebound to 124 Bluestone Road? The house may be viewed as a personal Hell for the characters living there. It is also noteworthy to look at the similarities between Beloved and Dante’s work. It may be possible that Paul D and Beloved act as a guide through Hell for Sethe as Virgil is Dante’s guide. As discussed in class, what is Morrison trying to say about the trauma of being enslaved and the state of 124?

First, I am thinking about the novel as a whole as a threshold from our in class conversation on January 27. The Mervyn Rothstein article “Toni Morrison, In Her New Novel, Defends Women” helps contextualize the inspiration behind Beloved. Margaret Garner tries to kill all her children to save them from slavery, however, only one who actually passes away. Likewise, Sethe attempts to murder all of her children; she successfully kills her third child, Beloved. A Morrison quote from the piece says the following: “Now I didn’t do any more research at all about that story, I did a lot of research about everything else in the book- Cincinnati, and abolitionists, and the underground railroad- but I refused to find out anything else about Margaret Garner. I really wanted to invent her life. I think this is where the threshold piece can be mentioned.” The novel seems to be this in between the story of Margaret Garner and fiction. So many parts of the story remain the same– the setting, giving birth on the journey to freedom, and the number of deceased children. Yet, similarities aside, Beloved has an abundance of change and fictional elements that make it hard to classify as fiction or nonfiction. I think that this may be a large-scale move to emphasize all of the plot thresholds readers will find as the book progresses. 

Morrison seems to use 124 Bluestone Road as a threshold between freedom and imprisonment. In class there was mention of enslavement being the equivalent of Hell, which would make freedom equal to Heaven. Baby Suggs, Sethe, and Denver are stuck, both literally and metaphorically, at 124. In a literal sense, Baby Suggs cannot move because of her agreement with the Bodwins. She gets the house in exchange for some work, “In return for some laundry, some seamstress work, a little canning and so on, they would permit her to stay there” (Morrison 171). The home seems to be a personal Purgatory, or Hell, for the members who live inside it. Sethe is metaphorically attached to 124. She does not want to leave because she cannot leave the spirit of Beloved. The house is haunted by the ghost of her daughter. Leaving her behind would not only be leaving her child but also her sense of pride that came with saving her from a life of enslavement. Denver, by default, is also stuck in the house. She is too ashamed to leave after one of her classmates told her what happened to her sister. Since all three women are tied to the house for one reason or another, this proposes the question of freedom. Are they really free? Half free? I may be overstepping my boundaries here, but could Morrison be trying to shed light on the iniquity of the three-fifths compromise. Baby Suggs, Sethe, and Denver are technically free but are inherently connected to 124.The threshold of freedom could be compared to how, in the eyes of the law, they are counted as three-fifths of a person. Not fully a citizen, but citizen enough to count for a partial say. Another quote from Rothstein’s article that questions the legality of both Margaret Garner and Sethe’s actions is a quote from 

Something else that I am thinking about is the significance of Dante to Morrison, and how it can be brought into conversation with Beloved. Virgil acts as a guide for Dante through Hell. Morrison makes it hard to pinpoint one character to act as a guide but both Paul D and Beloved seem to take on that role. Paul D forces Sethe to remember painful parts of her past; reliving it is like a personal Hell. He reminds her of all the hardships at Sweet Home and the trauma she went through. Paul D is able to answer some questions about Halle but not without a painful response. Sethe learns that Halle saw her whole attack; when her milk was stolen. He was hiding in the barn all along. Halle was traumatized after and became unable to go about his day to day life. Paul D gives readers the powerful image of the butter all over Halle’s face. Sethe cannot seem to get this painful image out of her head and will return back to it multiple times as the story progresses. In the sense of forcing Sethe to remember all that she has been through, Paul D puts her in a lot of pain. She has to relive her own Hell to remember the details he demands. Another character who acts as a guide is Beloved. Beloved seems to guide Sethe in all the wrong directions. She demands all of her time, care, and attention. It appears as Beloved only cares about two things: Sethe and herself. From choking Sethe in the clearing to making her late for work, Beloved seems to be getting in the way of Sethe’s ability to think clearly. Sethe is so enthralled with Beloved that she fails to realize she is spiraling out of control. With the glimmer of hope that Beloved will follow a similar path to Dante, I am optimistic to keep reading to find the Morrison equivalent of the star that Dante sees on his journey through Hell. What is next for Sethe, Beloved, and Denver? Will they escape the trauma of 124? After years of grief and isolation will they be able to work back into the community and gain a sense of belonging? 

With all of this being said, what is Morrison trying to say about the trauma of enslavement? I think that a major point is that it is generational; it affects everyone. Sethe and Paul D are able to form a close relationship even after years apart because of what they had been through together. Most of the people in town have been through similar experiences and form close bonds trying to help each other out. Baby Suggs and Sethe are not the only members of 124 who are affected by Sweet Home. Beloved ultimately lost her life to slavery while Denver lives with the trauma of it all. Denver is so afraid of the judgment of the outside world that she chooses not to hear and isolate herself in the home. Moving forward with the rest of the class I am thinkING about how Beloved will play into the other Morrison novels. I have not read the other two so I will not have as much awareness of the situation. This means a closer read, looking forward to learning something new. 

After the first month of class I can confidently say I have learned a lot about the word “apocalypse.” From what started on the first day of class as our personal understanding of the term, to working through Andrew Santana Kaplan’s article “Notes Towards (Inhibiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Thought”, and then Wild Seed by Octavia Butler, and the first two books of Percival Everett’s American Desert I have been able to expand on my previous knowledge. No, an apocalypse is not necessarily, as Isaac described it, a “desaturated world” but a much deeper word that can be used in a number of contexts. Here, I will be trying to explore my own ideas while working through the class text thus far. 

Before taking this class I was guilty of the single lens “zombie apocalypse” definition of apocalypse. I thought that the term was only applicable to the show The Walking Dead or video games that my twin brother played in middle school. I was privileged enough to grow up in an area where using the word in any other context would have gone right over my head. Last spring, when I was signing up for classes I was looking for a 300 level class that sounded interesting and fit my practice schedule. This one fit, I was intrigued by the title, and found comfort in the Toni Morrison part of the class description. Honestly, this is my first upper level English class and I was terrified. I didn’t really know how the words “black” and “apocalyptic” related to fiction but I was willing to find out. 

Starting off with by far the most difficult piece I have read, the Santana Kaplan article. I was nervous for this paper because I was afraid that I still would not grasp the concepts even after a second read. Fortunately, I did understand more; going back to it post Wild Seed I was able to apply it to the book and work through Doro to understand some of the main points of “Notes Towards (Inhibiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Thought.” I think that the main idea of Santana Kaplan is that in order to end racism the current state of the world must be completely demolished. Racism is rooted in the structure of our society. In the Bible Paul calls for the messiah to come for the final judgment and destroy the world of sin. Similarly, for this ever present anti-blackness to end we need to forget everything we know and rewrite society. The only way this can happen is through a tragic event that will forcibly end our world. 

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler helped me to deepen my understanding of the word “apocalypse.” Shifting from the definition of the world from Santana Kaplan’s piece, Wild Seed is a good way to apply the framework previously presented. The story emphasizes that an end to injustice calls for an end of the world as we know it. By having Doro and Anyanwu live for so long, Butler is able to use their characters to show how the world has changed and why it needs to end. Doro adjusted to the new world in a sort of bad faith whereas Anyanwu adjusted using good faith practices. Doro consistently kills for both himself and pleasure. He manipulates others for personal gain. In the beginning of book one, he thinks that he tricks Anyanwu into following him into one of his own breeding communities. Doro has seen the world go through a lot and has shifted his body and morals to remain in power. In terms of “Notes Towards (Inhibiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Thought” Doro is a katechon: In order for Doro’s inhuman actions to end, he needs to die. A small-scale apocalypse within his breeding communities and other establishments. Anyanwu also changes who she is in order to fit into the cruel, ever changing world. She seems to do so as honestly as she can, demonstrating good faith. I think that she shows readers how to educate themselves in order to move forward even in a world similar to Doro’s. 

Moving on, Percival Everett’s American Desert again helped me apply the apocalyptic thinking presented by Santna Kaplan. Ted was living a pretty average American lifestyle before he attempted to die by suicide. He was an English professor with a wife and two kids. On his way to do so he was hit by a UPS truck and decapitated. Ted was miraculously given a second chance at life; he comes back to fix all of the damage of his past and challenge cult leaders. He had an affair with a student which ultimately led to his downfall. On the third day after his death at his funeral he sits up, gets out of his coffin and comes back to life. The whole scene is a satirical spin on the biblical story of Jesus’ death and resurrection .In the bible Jesus comes back to earth to save people from sin and it seems that Ted is going to try to do the same with Big Daddy’s cult. As seen in both the Barbie Becker scene and the Cynthia  part it is clear that Ted can see the truth in people. He can see the lies that Barbie told her husband and Cynthia’s past life pre Big Daddy. Returning to “apocalypse,” I think Ted represents the messianic apocalypse that Paul talks about. Ted has come back to save the world from sin and lies. In this case, as far as books one and two, I think that Big Daddy and other leaders act as the katechon. Big Daddy uses Christinaity to guilt people into his structured society where he controls and oppresses people through fear. 

Going forward, with the remainder of this class I want to try and learn more about apocalyptic thinking and how it can be applied to literature and the world around me. I have a better understanding of the term as far as class but I think I want to try and learn about it in a real life situation and see how my thought process has changed since the end of August. I am excited to keep reading and working in the class and see how it applies to “Notes Towards (Inhibiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Thought.”

After the first month of class I can confidently say I have learned a lot about the word “apocalypse.” From what started on the first day of class as our personal understanding of the term, to working through Andrew Santana Kaplan’s article “Notes Towards (Inhibiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Thought”, and then Wild Seed by Octavia Butler, and the first two books of Percival Everett’s American Desert I have been able to expand on my previous knowledge. No, an apocalypse is not necessarily, as Isaac described it, a “desaturated world” but a much deeper word that can be used in a number of contexts. Here, I will be trying to explore my own ideas while working through the class text thus far. 

Before taking this class I was guilty of the single lens “zombie apocalypse” definition of apocalypse. I thought that the term was only applicable to the show The Walking Dead or video games that my twin brother played in middle school. I was privileged enough to grow up in an area where using the word in any other context would have gone right over my head. Last spring, when I was signing up for classes I was looking for a 300 level class that sounded interesting and fit my practice schedule. This one fit, I was intrigued by the title, and found comfort in the Toni Morrison part of the class description. Honestly, this is my first upper level English class and I was terrified. I didn’t really know how the words “black” and “apocalyptic” related to fiction but I was willing to find out. 

Starting off with by far the most difficult piece I have read, the Santana Kaplan article. I was nervous for this paper because I was afraid that I still would not grasp the concepts even after a second read. Fortunately, I did understand more; going back to it post Wild Seed I was able to apply it to the book and work through Doro to understand some of the main points of “Notes Towards (Inhibiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Thought.” I think that the main idea of Santana Kaplan is that in order to end racism the current state of the world must be completely demolished. Racism is rooted in the structure of our society. In the Bible Paul calls for the messiah to come for the final judgment and destroy the world of sin. Similarly, for this ever present anti-blackness to end we need to forget everything we know and rewrite society. The only way this can happen is through a tragic event that will forcibly end our world. 

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler helped me to deepen my understanding of the word “apocalypse.” Shifting from the definition of the world from Santana Kaplan’s piece, Wild Seed is a good way to apply the framework previously presented. The story emphasizes that an end to injustice calls for an end of the world as we know it. By having Doro and Anyanwu live for so long, Butler is able to use their characters to show how the world has changed and why it needs to end. Doro adjusted to the new world in a sort of bad faith whereas Anyanwu adjusted using good faith practices. Doro consistently kills for both himself and pleasure. He manipulates others for personal gain. In the beginning of book one, he thinks that he tricks Anyanwu into following him into one of his own breeding communities. Doro has seen the world go through a lot and has shifted his body and morals to remain in power. In terms of “Notes Towards (Inhibiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Thought” Doro is a katechon: In order for Doro’s inhuman actions to end, he needs to die. A small-scale apocalypse within his breeding communities and other establishments. Anyanwu also changes who she is in order to fit into the cruel, ever changing world. She seems to do so as honestly as she can, demonstrating good faith. I think that she shows readers how to educate themselves in order to move forward even in a world similar to Doro’s. 

Moving on, Percival Everett’s American Desert again helped me apply the apocalyptic thinking presented by Santna Kaplan. Ted was living a pretty average American lifestyle before he attempted to die by suicide. He was an English professor with a wife and two kids. On his way to do so he was hit by a UPS truck and decapitated. Ted was miraculously given a second chance at life; he comes back to fix all of the damage of his past and challenge cult leaders. He had an affair with a student which ultimately led to his downfall. On the third day after his death at his funeral he sits up, gets out of his coffin and comes back to life. The whole scene is a satirical spin on the biblical story of Jesus’ death and resurrection .In the bible Jesus comes back to earth to save people from sin and it seems that Ted is going to try to do the same with Big Daddy’s cult. As seen in both the Barbie Becker scene and the Cynthia  part it is clear that Ted can see the truth in people. He can see the lies that Barbie told her husband and Cynthia’s past life pre Big Daddy. Returning to “apocalypse,” I think Ted represents the messianic apocalypse that Paul talks about. Ted has come back to save the world from sin and lies. In this case, as far as books one and two, I think that Big Daddy and other leaders act as the katechon. Big Daddy uses Christinaity to guilt people into his structured society where he controls and oppresses people through fear. 

Going forward, with the remainder of this class I want to try and learn more about apocalyptic thinking and how it can be applied to literature and the world around me. I have a better understanding of the term as far as class but I think I want to try and learn about it in a real life situation and see how my thought process has changed since the end of August. I am excited to keep reading and working in the class and see how it applies to “Notes Towards (Inhibiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Thought.”