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Popular culture and media have ingrained the idea of an “apocalypse” in the minds of those who consume media.  So many of our favorite television shows, movies, and books are defined as “post-apocalyptic” or “dystopian” that we as a media-consuming society often only have one idea of what an apocalypse is.  This media defines an apocalypse as some event, a plague, asteroid, or alien attack, the results in the death of most of the planet and leaves the remaining population fighting for survival while struggling to retain their humanity.  Television shows like AMC’s The Walking Dead and movies like Mad Max: Fury Road depict desolate worlds, mostly empty of people yet still full of threats, where the remaining survivors fight amongst themselves to survive.  This common formula, while not exactly a fresh idea, has been proved time and time again to be an interesting vehicle to showcase human emotion and stories, as evidenced by the massive success that these media enjoy.  However, these portrayals have done us a disservice by cementing only one idea of an apocalypse in our minds.  The texts that we have read so far this semester have all presented their own ideas and definitions of what an apocalypse could be, and in doing so have revolutionized what types of media can be considered “apocalyptic.”  In the past few weeks, I have been doing my best to distill the themes and ideas in each reading into each text’s definition of an apocalypse.  The essay and two novels we have read have not been easy texts to understand and defining the term apocalypse in terms of each text has been difficult, but in doing so I lead myself to another line of questioning.  If each text has a different, yet correct, definition of apocalypse, can these definitions be applied to the other texts we have read in class?

            Andrew Santana Kaplan’s essay “Notes Toward (Inhabiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Apocalyptic Thought” was an incredibly dense read.  It was not meant for an audience of undergraduate students, much less a biochemistry major like myself.  Although it left me with many initial questions upon my first reading, the question that stuck with me the longest was “how is Afro-Pessimism apocalyptic?”  In the onset of Kaplan’s argument, they use the term “World.”  Throughout the essay, they capitalize World in a way that is likely immediately understood by those in their field, but not by me.  Via the context and content of the essay, I came to realize that Kaplan uses the term World to define a society with assumed values and attitudes towards certain races and peoples.  They write that the common ground of the Afro-Pessimistic and contemporary Christian Paulinism “lies in their shared conviction that true justice demands the end of the World,” providing some of the first evidence into how this essay might be considered apocalyptic (Kaplan 3).  Kaplan posits that, according to Afro-Pessimistic thought, true escape from an anti-Black World requires the end of that World.  Although Kaplan is discussing social revolution in which a new assumed set of values and attitudes is adopted, their wording comes off as distinctly apocalyptic.  In this essay, Kaplan suggests a definition of apocalypse in which the society, and all of its outdated and ingrained values, ends, not the entire world.  Moving from Kaplan’s essay to Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed and Percival Everett’s American Desert, I was interested to see what kind of through lines could be drawn between each text’s ideas of what an apocalypse could be and how these definitions interacted with each other.

            The two novels we have read were easier to understand but provided equally thought provoking depictions of apocalypses.  Butler’s Wild Seed provided an immediate opportunity for me to apply Kaplan’s definition of apocalypse, seeing as the characters Anyanwu and Doro underwent several of Kaplan’s apocalypses throughout the novel.  I found that Wild Seed and Kaplan had similar depictions of apocalypses, yet on very different scales.  While Kaplan thought of upheavals on a societal scale, Doro and Anyanwu’s personal Worlds were overthrown throughout the novel.  Doro’s destruction of the settlement that Anyanwu had created for herself and her people and Doro’s subsequent realization that he might lose his only truly life-long companion were significant upheavals in their lives that radically changed their values and attitudes in the same way that Kaplan’s apocalypse would radically change society and its views on race.  Doro had never once considered making concessions to Anyanwu before his realization that she might end her own life.  His “merging” with her at the end of Wild Seed seemed to force upon him a realization that he could not live alone for the rest of his infinite life (Butler 295).    Similarly to the interaction between Kaplan’s essay and Wild Seed, I found through lines between Wild Seed and American Desert.  Ted’s dream of the philosophers Hegel and Heidegger revealed another iteration of the small-scale, personal apocalypse found in Wild Seed.  The philosophers’ conclusion that “There is no more Ted.  There is only Ted-prime” is a sign that, unconsciously, Ted knows that his previous World has ended (Everett 51).  This world is not a society or a civilization like Kaplan suggests, but another personal World like Doro’s and Anyanwu’s.  Ted’s life as a professor is over, his dwindling marriage to his wife is beginning to be turn around, and he gains a newfound confidence and wit that he never had before his death.  These are all indications that Ted is indeed a new person, Ted-prime.  Although Ted himself questions whether or not he is the same person or just an imitation of his former identity (Everett 51), he has undergone an apocalypse in Wild Seed’s other sense as well.  A thought I had not considered until reading American Desert was that Doro’s intense, world-changing realization could also be considered a kind of apocalypse.  Upon his revival, or reincarnation, Ted is most impressed by his increased capacity for love for his family more than anything else (Everett 87).  This newfound capacity was not a completely new part of Ted, more so a realization that his personal apocalypse forced him to realize.  This realization was the through line I was looking for between the readings, allowing me to apply each iteration of apocalypse to other texts and the texts we will read over the course of the semester. 

            These texts provided a lot for me to think about in the past weeks, and the questions I have been reckoning with have provided me with more than enough motivation to consume these novels faster than any fiction in recent years.  After reading through these texts and answering the questions they had originally prompted, I am excited to read the rest of the novels on the reading list.  I anticipate being able to define apocalypse in even more ways and being able to apply these new definitions to other texts in turn.  The three definitions already provided, Kaplan’s societal revolution, Butler’s personal realizations, and Everett’s death and reincarnation, have interwoven so beautifully that I am looking forward to applying these ideas to future novels, as well as being able to apply new ideas to these novels in order to deepen and change my understanding of these instances of apocalypse.

Hallie Edic

Beth McCoy

ENGL 327 Black Apocalyptic Fiction

Essay One

One of the biggest struggles in the book was the idea of the apocalypse as a whole. What is an apocalypse and how does it relate to this novel? Within the first week of class, we discussed the idea that an apocalypse is not always the stereotypical end-of-the-world, fires blazing, zombies running rampant, dark and dingy atmosphere that most people assume, but, rather, it could be the end of one’s own personal idea of life. The most interesting idea in Wild Seed, to me, was how it was related to an apocalyptic novel and what exactly the apocalypse was. Wild Seed, though many would not think so at first glance, is an apocalyptic novel. After seeing this idea put into practice by Butler, it makes it easier for us as an audience to challenge our thoughts about what apocalyptic fiction really is. Heading into the rest of the course, I hope to be able to better grasp what constitutes an apocalyptic novel and continue challenging the basic idea of what this fiction entails. It will also be intriguing to see the diversity of apocalypses in the views of so many different authors throughout the course.

Though people generally consider an apocalypse to be the end of the entire world, Kaplan explains, “Afro-pessimism’s apocalyptic thought is not reducible to its demand for the end of the World” (81). It is almost as though the apocalypse is a spectrum, ranging from something as small as an individual’s world to as large as, maybe even, the universe. Kaplan also writes, “Though the apocalyptic is commonly associated with the end of the World, etymologically, it primarily means to un-cover, which is precisely how Paul uses it. For Paul, apo-kalupsis names the un-veiling of the messianic event and the passing figure of this World” (81). How, then, does this relate to Butler’s world. Though Paul’s ideas are more rooted in the idea of the Messiah and, in that sense, religion, there is a large event in Butler’s work that constitutes as the “un-veiling” of a large, inescapable event: The realization that Anyanwu will never be able to completely get rid of Doro. This occurs in the third book of the novel following Anyanwu’s initial escape from Doro and her formation of her own town. As soon as he finds her and her new home, she has an inkling that things will begin to go arry, as they always have in Doro’s other civilizations. Anyanwu even thinks, “He had settlements everywhere, families everywhere. She had only one, and he was taking it… She could live on and on and have nothing. He would see to it” (Butler 241). If the sexual assault of daughter and the death of her son were not enough to show her how blatantly awful Doro’s reign over her town was, his senseless killing of Susan, one of her closest friends, was enough to lead her to suicide. Doro’s intervention into her town, which had done remarkably better than any of his had in the centuries he had been cultivating them and stealing people to repopulate, would be the end of her world as she knew it– her own personal apocalypse. Her only reprievement from Doro’s grasp was the sweet release of death. This realization was a great unveiling to Anyanwu. She knew, in that moment when he killed Susan, that she would never know peace, for they were the only two immortal beings in the world. She would have to deal with Doro and his horrible ways of life for the rest of her time on Earth. To relate this to Kaplan and Paul’s arguments, it almost seems as though Doro is the Messiah (though not in a good way) coming to stake claims on Anyanwu’s city and threatening the end to the city (and Anyanwu’s world) as they know it. This interpretation of an apocalypse is one that is more on a personal scale, unlike the general idea of an apocalypse. The entire world is not ending, but, rather, Anyanwu’s personal life. Really, though, Anyanwu’s apocalypse could, arguably, have started the moment she met Doro. Though she did not understand exactly what she was getting into when she met him, it was clear, even then, that there was no escaping Doro anymore. Anyanwu had lived for hundreds of years being undetected by Doro, but now that he had her scent, she was his, whether she liked it or not. Any feeling of choice or decision was merely a facade to convince Anyanwu to come with him willingly. Doro says, “You belong with me, with the people I’m gathering. We are people you can be part of– people you need not frighten or bribe into letting you live” (Butler 23). Doro appealed to Anyawu’s desire to live a peaceful life, but later to her desire to have children she did not need to bury. Doro’s discovery of Anyanwu was the end of her life as she knew it– the beginning of her own personal apocalypse. She had gone from constantly watching her back, killing only for protection, and only really needing to watch out for herself and her kinsmen to being enslaved by an immortal being with no idea what it meant to be human anymore. There was no escape for her once the apocalypse began with even her greatest escape being short-lived compared to her lengthy time on Earth. The question Kaplan ends his essay with stands in the eyes of Anyanwu, “do I die with Blackness, or do I remain invested in the katechontic- power- of- the- anti- Black- World?” (85). Essentially, does Anyanwu die with her honor, at her own will or does she fall victim to Doro’s eventual wrath and destruction of the world as a whole. Not only that, but a katechon has been believed to hold back the dealings of the antiChrist in religious texts. When the katechon is removed, the antiChrist is able to fully manifest. It seems as though in Butler’s story, Anyanwu would be the katechon and Doro would be the antichrist. Isaac, Doro’s son, had told Anwayu before he died that she needed to “live so that [she] could save the human part of [Doro]” (Butler 295). Anyanwu explains to Doro, “But [Isaac] was wrong. I cannot save it. It is already dead” (Butler 295). Isaac believed the only thing keeping alive what little humanity Doro had left was Anyanwu, but Anyanwu explains that she is too late. Doro argues, though, that she is the only reason he still feels any human emotion and promises to be better as long as she does not end her life and leave him alone. In a way, Anyanwu is Doro’s world, and her death would be an apocalypse of his own. Had Anyanwu gone through with her plan to commit suicide, thus removing the katechon from the equation, Doro could have become much worse than before and completely destroyed the rest of humanity and the world as it was, disrupting the normal ways of life more than he already had. In many ways, Butler’s novel relates directly to Kaplan’s explanation of the Black messianic beliefs in Afro-Pessimism’s apocalyptic thought.

Thinking about these ideas in the context of Wild Seed will help me, as well as the rest of my peers, understand how this thought can be applied to literature and how we can deduce these findings in our other works. Most notably, for me, I want to see how each author, again, reveals their own ideas about apocalypses and where each one falls on the spectrum.

Makayla Garrison 

Beth McCoy 

September 26, 2022

Essay 1

When a person acts with honesty and commitment towards another person or an issue, is considered that that person is acting in good faith and is believed to be doing a good thing for all the right reasons. When a person acts in ways that are deceptive, dishonest and insulting, it is believed that that person is acting in bad faith. I have questioned whether or not good face and bad faith have direct impacts on one another. Like for example, if oneself acts a majority of time in bad faith, could they ever turn their life around and practice good faith? I believe that once influenced by a meaningful person, anything could change. I do also believe that a person can continuously go back and forth between good faith and bad faith. I don’t necessarily believe an individual can be strictly one of the other.  It is important to recognize in each and every individual that weather it’d be intentional or unintentional, good faith and bad faith actions are bound to happen. Octavia Butler’s novel Wild Seed and Percival Everett’s novel American Desert both experience bad faith characters who become influenced by good faith characters and start to reveal how the interactions of both faiths carry along a story. Characters in both of the novels are continuously met with situations where  bad faith and good faith actions are to be thought deeply about before making a final decision. 

Octavia Butler’s novel Wild Seed greets us with Doro. Doro Goes about his life 1 and control, taking form of various individuals bodies to continue throughout the story, and has faced with multiple decisions where he chooses bad faith. He often does a lot of things to benefit himself in the long run but at first, he seems intentional and that his actions have positive meanings. Doro Knows how strong and powerful Anyanwu is and how much he could use her in the future so he tries to convine her that he can give her what she wants, “ If you come with me, I think someday, I can show you children you will never have to bury” and “ if you live, they should live. It is the fault of their fathers that they died. Let me give you children who will live” (24). Doro Seems to be promising Anyanwu  in good faith that he can give her what she wants and what she deserves but in reality it is bad face because he is really just looking to make more children like him that seemingly never die. Is continually brought to our attention throughout the novel that Doro  really just wants to increase his power in any way possible, and no matter how many vessels, or other bodies, he has to take over to do so. But another question that was a constant thought in my mind throughout reading, was if this was Doro acting in bad faith or if it was the only thing he knew and was used to and he used it to survive? I think in this case as well as even in real life, those acting in bad faith might not completely understand that what they’re doing is considered wrong. 

Another side to considering good faith and bad faith is to look at experiences in one’s life that could have caused oneself to act more in one faith or another.  For example in Percival Everett’s novel American Desert, Ted Street went through an experience almost unimaginable.  In the beginning of the story we learned that Ted was in a severely traumatic accident that killed him almost instantly. Then miraculously at his funeral he sits up in his coffin end is almost perfectly alive unaware that to everyone else he was deceased. Had learned pretty quickly that since his accident nothing really make sense but one thing he is sure of is that seemingly his five senses have all peaked enormously and are more attentive than the average. He can also somehow look back into another individuals memories and know more about them than any stranger should. For example Ted and his family went home during the funeral to kind of get away from all of the chaos. During this his daughter Emily ran out of the house and into the swamp of reporters and news teams stationed outside the house. Ted told Barbie Becker From Channel 5 news, that he would do an interview with her to discuss his situation if she could get his daughter back home because he was worried about her. He said, “Our daughter ran from the house and we would like her return home” and Barbie Becker from channel 5 news responded with “ If you help me, she said Softly. Give me an exclusive interview and I’ll see what I can do” (76).  Ted later comes into contact with the news reporters hand and he gets a flash from her life which he later exposes while they’re doing the exclusive interview with him and she sees that as bad faith in him. Exposing her on live air, when Ted really just sees it as telling the truth and getting it out there. 

Both of these experiences showed aspects of bad faith in the eyes of some and good faith in the eyes of others. Both instances were heavily impacted  due to events that change the person’s view of life and their future. I think my question still stands and still will be something I think about as I continue to read more books throughout this class, that good faith in bad face often bounce off of each other and are almost always going to happen simultaneously within oneself.

Katherine Lyons 

Dr. Beth McCoy

Black Apocalyptic Fiction

20 September 2022

The word Apocalyptic could have many different meanings to individuals. Many people when hearing this word may think of zombies or the whole world incinerating, but there is a much deeper meaning to the word. Although the apocalyptic genre focuses more on supernatural events and fiction, the meanings behind the events give you a better understanding of an internal apocalypse and a worldly apocalypse. The novels and articles discussed in class were all apocalyptic events but also all had very different reasons as to why they needed an end to the world.

In Andrew Santana Kaplan’s Notes Toward (Inhabiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Apocalyptic Thought, the author explains how the world is unredeemable because of all of the barbarity and racism in the world. This was the type of world that many came into so it is all they know, most people are raised with these biases and violent thoughts about others. The author is explaining how there is no way to fix this way of being, this mindset is already spread across the world so would there be any way of fixing this turmoil? Or would the only way to fix it be to end it? In this article there was not a big combustible event that would cause the world to come to an end, it was just the mental and physical state of our world that caused this question to arise. The reason needed for an apocalypse was a worldly issue, the racial discrimination and toxic mindsets of people will only continue on and perhaps get worse. So the only solution that the author seemed fit for this worldly trouble was for it all to just come to an end. 

Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed also explored the ideas of apocalyptic events but in a supernatural idea of sense. Although this was a worldly apocalypse the author focused more on how this affected the individual characters in the story rather than the whole world. Anyanwu and Doro are both immortal with special abilities that are non-human-like but this leads to them sharing a connection. Doro has the most dangerous ability which gives him all the power in situations so he can control whom he wants to. Although this is a worldwide issue the author chose to focus on how this is affecting Doro and Anyanmu, this allows the reader to understand the individual effects events like these have on people. In the novel Doro and Anyanwu eventually and inevitably find love for each other, but this takes a toll on both of their worlds. Doro continues his iniquitous ways of killing and harming others which were what abilities he was given, Anyanwu on the other hand was not. This leads her to threaten her own life which shows the readers the more humane side of Doro. In both scenarios, Doro could end up with an individual apocalypse, either losing his sole reason for existence or the woman that he loves. In many ways, this story covers many aspects of apocalypses and can give readers better insight into what an apocalypse is.

An additional text that covers the different aspects of apocalyptic events is Percival Everett’s American Dessert. In this novel, there is an individual apocalypse where Ted’s world comes to an end but he is given another chance to make things right in his life. While the novel shows the personal effects that this event has on the characters it also focuses on how this affects the world as a whole. The readers can see how this event causes a domino effect of many horrendous circumstances for the world and the protagonists. While Ted was able to find his true self during this apocalypse the rest of the world was in shambles and this had a horrible effect on the mental state of others. The author makes the readers question whether or not this apocalypse was necessary, while the world broke out into complete mayhem over Ted’s resurrection he was able to find himself and start over mentally. Although it was not Ted who intentionally caused the apocalypse he is seen as the one to blame, causing so much chaos that he is not able to think about and come to terms with being alive. This novel lets the readers interpret the apocalypse in their way, whether they believe that this was or was not necessary or if they believe this is a worldly apocalypse rather than an individual one. 

All of these texts follow the general standards of apocalyptic fiction; there is still room for interpretation of what apocalyptic is. The standard definition of the genre is a literary genre that foretells supernaturally inspired cataclysmic events that will transpire at the end of the world. While this is the dictionary definition of the word, readers can make their interpretation and have their understanding of the word. These readings touched upon all different types of apocalyptic events whether they happened to many people or just one, which can help better understand different types of apocalyptic readings. Readers can only define apocalyptic literature after having read it; one definition of the genre will not be able to speak for all novels. There are too many different ways that this genre can be executed to just be able to define it under one word. In some cases like the Kaplan article, an apocalypse seems necessary in the situation, whereas in Wild Seed the apocalypse was horrific and unnecessary. Therefore, there can not be one definition set to the term because not all pieces of literature can meet its criteria. 

Reading different pieces of literature from the apocalyptic genre can give readers a better understanding of what the term means and what the genre is. While putting a set definition to the term can be difficult after being exposed to so many different kinds of apocalyptic literature, this could help readers be able to have their own definition of the term. 

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.”

Marisa Greaney

McCoy

26 September 2022

Essay 1

When initially registering for classes this semester, I looked over the list of English courses almost constantly.  I had narrowed down the seemingly endless list of choices to only two or three.  After mulling it over and experimenting with other configurations for my schedule, I had ultimately picked the one I wanted to take based on the name, ‘Black Apocalyptic Fiction’ seemed to stand out the most, and my excitement for the upcoming semester only grew.  In the summer leading up to the current semester, there was many conversations among friends and coworkers as to what is in store for us in the near future.  While some had chosen not to pursue a higher education, most of us had discussed the classes we are going to take in the upcoming semester.   

When having these discussions, the mention of the course name ‘Black Apocalyptic Fiction’ was not only mentioned quite a few times but had also piqued the interest of some of my friends and coworkers.  Most had similar reactions such as mentioning how interesting that sounds or why can’t their school offer such interesting courses and my college is so boring.  Many asked what the course materials are or what is being read in the class, and I could only answer with a simple “I’m not too sure” or “if I’m honest I cannot really tell you”.  While thinking about it one night after a long day at work, I had thought to myself “what does this course have in store?”.  While thinking to myself, I thought of what most people would think of as ‘The Apocalypse’ and concluded it to be some sort of devastating event that could be seen as the end of humanity and even life itself on our planet.  During this, my mind started to race as to what kind of apocalyptic stories we could be reading throughout the semester, my mind instantly wondered to the many, many apocalyptic medias I’ve consumed throughout my lifetime, my excitement for this course only growing. 

When the course content was released to us on a Thursday in July, I was on a field trip for the summer camp I worked at.  This could not have come at a better time, since this was the longest trip of the camp season, and we were on the bus back home.  I had thought that now was the perfect time to review the course materials.  While initially reading through, I did not gather all the information about what the ‘apocalypse’ part of this course was, as I was more interested in reading the grading policy and the assignment list before tuning my attention back into the bus full of campers I was supposed to be monitoring.  That had been the first and only time I went through the course materials before the start of the new semester.   

            My first introduction with the ‘apocalypse’ that we are to become familiar with throughout the semester was within the Andrew Santana Kaplan article Notes Toward (Inhabiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Apocalyptic Thought. Santana Kaplan explains in his work that the meaning of apocalypse is the end of worlds, similarly to what we think of when we hear the word.  Although he expands on this idea and goes further to define the concept as that, the ending of a world, but alongside the revelation of errors within said world.  In simpler terms, Andre Santana Kaplan describes the apocalypse as the ending of a world, while also realizing the mistakes the world, or the person or people inhabiting that world, has made to get to this apocalyptic point.  The term ‘world’ in these definitions does not necessarily mean the planet in which we are living or the setting in which a story takes place in a work of fiction, it instead means a personal world, something akin to moving to a new place and leaving your old world behind. 

Within Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed, we see not only one, but two examples of this definition of apocalypse.  The novel includes the ends of two separate worlds, one being that of Doro, and the other being that of Anyanwu.  Towards the end of the novel, Doro has the revelation that the way he has been living his extremely long life, had been harmful to those around him such as his children.  In this realization Doro’s own personal world starts to change not only by itself but with his own effort if he wants to keep Anyanwu in his life.  On the other hand, the personal world of Anyanwu ended with the meeting of Doro, who showed her many things and ultimately changed how she would continue to live her immortal life. 

            Based off both the novel and the Santana Kaplan Article, we can gather that there is more than one definition for ‘the apocalypse’.  In your typical media consumed by the masses, the apocalypse or an apocalyptic event is one of extreme world ending abilities and the definition of the word that I speculate that we would be using throughout the remainder of the “Black Apocalyptic Fiction” course is the one that was explained in the words of Andrew Santana Kaplan, and given to us in Butlers Wild Seed as an example.  Another example of Santana Kaplans definition of the apocalypse is present in Percival Everett’s novel American Desert, where the life of an ordinary man is ended (quite literally) and his world changes from the one he used to know, to this new and unfamiliar one after his strange resurrection from the dead.   

            Based off the events of American Desert, the events of Wild Seed and the content of Andrew Santana Kaplan’s article, one can speculate that the upcoming course content would contain the ending of one’s personal world.  Something I have come to expect based on what has been discussed and reviewed for class is a further understanding of a personal apocalypse, as I have some to call it.  Another thing I am looking for in this course is trying to figure out what constitutes a personal apocalypse other than just a personal world ending revelation, or a fated event that was shown to us in Butler’s Wild Seed and Everett’s American Desert. 

Nicholas Parks

Professor McCoy

26 September 2022

Essay 1

The idea of good faith and bad faith are used to describe the different interactions among peoples. Acting in good faith can be seen as honesty and trust in commitment. On the other hand, acting in bad faith can look like deceptive behavior and dishonesty. Although good and bad faith have semi-distinct guidelines on what behavior equates to either good or bad faith, it is often hard to determine whether someone is precisely acting in one way or another. What I am trying to figure out is the connection between good and bad faith actors in connection to the apocalyptic setting and experience. More specifically, how do some of these characters, whether acting in good or bad faith, actually help produce an apocalyptic setting, intentionally or not. The novels, Wild Seed, and American Desert, both have their distinct apocalyptic settings and are riddled with their unique good and bad faith actors. Although more reading throughout the semester will help me form a meaningful connection between good and bad faith actors and the apocalyptic setting, Wild Seed and American Desert will help provide the basis moving forward.

The main antagonist in Wild Seed, Doro, is often portrayed as someone who constantly acts in bad faith. He is first introduced as slave trader, looking to bring people to North America for his own benefit. Doro is portrayed as arrogant and charming, and at first glance is seemingly acting in good faith but at a deeper level it becomes more complicated. When looking to convince Anyanwu to come with him to the new world he says, “You belong with me, the people I’m gathering” and “we are people you can be a part of (Butler 23). It is true that Doro is more like Anyanwu than most of the people in Anyanwu’s community, but that does not mean she is destined to be a part of his life. We find out further in the book that Doro’s intentions are focused on using Anyanwu as a vessel to grow his kin and through that, his power. It is also known that Doro has been finding people to send to North American and all over for a very long time now. Due to this, it is not easy to write off Doro in this scene as someone purely acting in bad faith. This lifestyle may be all Doro knows and is now comfortable with. Doro may deep down not truly believe that he is doing something wrong and thus it is harder to say he is a bad faith actor.

An apocalyptic setting can be generally touted as a hellish environment, with little or no hope. The opposite of an apocalyptic setting for Anyanwu was a life where she could “settle with a tribe around her and stay within the tribe for as long as she could” (Butler 210). This life that Anyanwu wanted was turned upside down by the death of her most beloved family members, that she feels is due to Doro’s meddling. By the end of Book Two, Anyanwu’s daughter, Nweke, and her husband, Isaac, had died (Butler 208). Anyanwu is incredibly distraught and notes that she “found virtue in nothing that had to do with him”, referring to Doro (Butler 211). Anyanwu evidently feels as if Doro is to blame for all of the death and he has caused her to be at her lowest point. I believe in this situation Doro is not clearly the bad faith actor. We see that he is not okay at all with what has happened and is looking for closure. Isaac had requested that Doro and Anyanwu make peace as he was lying on his deathbed, and when Anyanwu brought this up, Doro said, “we’ll have peace” (Butler 209). As well, Anyanwu noted that Nweke and Isaac should have a funeral and Doro responded by nodding (Butler 208). This shows a conflicting set of emotions among the accused and perpetrator.

The death of Anyanwu’s family and aftermath was hard for me to navigate for several reasons. One reason was the conflict in my mind between whether Doro was acting in good faith or bad faith, and second reason being how this connects to the apocalyptic setting. It reads as if Doro is genuinely trying to help Anyanwu and help amend the situation. If he is trying to amend the situation, then it means he knows he was acting in bad faith but is now choosing to act in good faith. If Doro is just trying to help, then he doesn’t believe he was acting in bad faith. It is tricky because this whole conflict takes place at the end of Book Two and we dive deep into the emotions and views of Anyanwu. There is not much dialogue towards the end from Doro that help clears up his current stance. We get the view from Anyanwu that she needs to escape his grasps when its said, “how long would she have to hide in the sea before Doro stops hunting her” (Butler 209). In connection to the apocalyptic setting, this conflict shows how good and bad faith actors might not truly know the hellish life they have created for others. As I stated, it is clear that Doro feels some type of remorse for what has happened, but it is not clear that he truly knows the life he has imposed on Anyanwu. This brings up the idea that it is hard to stop someone like Doro, as he might not know he is creating an apocalyptic hellscape in the first place.

The connection between an apocalyptic setting and good and bad faith is something that can be deeply investigated in American Desert, especially through the character Big Daddy. Big Daddy, a cliché for alt-right Christian cultist leader, reminds me of Doro in terms of some of the questions I had previously posed. Bid Daddy as a child was ridiculed and beat by his father and classmates on a daily basis for much of his early life and was taught that God never loved him (Everett 130). This led Big Daddy to take an extreme stance on God and form a cultist like group out in the hot desert. What’s interesting about Bid Daddy is that he believes everything he does is for God and that he is a soldier of God (Everett 132). Whether Bid Daddy knows it or not, this assumes responsibility for some of the very questionable things he is doing. An example of this is when he makes the point that he does not have sex for pleasure, but he has sex because it will “comfort his frightened sheep” (Everett 132).  This makes it very hard to pinpoint whether he is acting in good or bad faith. From his perspective he is acting in the best of faith, literally and figuratively, so he doesn’t actually realize the craziness that he is ensuing. As with Doro, it made me think that a bad faith actor is extremely dangerous if they believe they are acting in good faith. This is important because Doro and Big Daddy both created dangerous apocalyptic environments and I question whether they even know.

The characters of Doro and Bid Daddy present a question that will force me to look at every new book I read throughout the semester and compare these actors accordingly. The question presented and something I’m trying to figure out is the complexity of labeling someone as a good and bad faith actor. From my perspective it is simpler to label a character as a good or bad faith actor, but it’s whether the character themselves are able to accurately understand what kind of actor they are. This disillusionment, I believe, is what led Doro and Bid Daddy to surround themselves in an apocalyptic environment at the expense of others. The dispute between me and character is, so far, at the forefront of the apocalyptic fiction I have read and will be something in my mind as I continue reading.

Kathleen McCarey

Beth McCoy

September 26, 2022

Essay 1

When first registering for a class called Black Apocalyptic Fiction, I was met with some hesitation. I am an anxious person, and I feared that possibly the subjects of the novels that were required in such a class would be too intense for me to handle. Having grown up in an era where my peers were obsessed with The Walking Dead or movies like Zombieland, the word “apocalyptic” always brings forth to mind images of half-dead creatures, bloody bodies, and eerie settings that work to make the audience uneasy. Of course, in my mind, anything apocalyptic had to fall into the category of horror. Despite my worry that this class was not for me, I pushed aside my hesitation and registered anyway. The course readings thus far, to my delight, are not ones that I would categorize as being in the horror genre. While American Desert does revolve around a character who is neither alive or dead, it is enough for my faint heart to handle. The works that I have completed in the class, Andrew Santana Kaplan’s “Notes Toward (Inhabiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Apocalyptic Thought” as well as Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed, have caused me to question my own understanding of what apocalyptic fiction truly is. The Santana Kaplan article and Butler’s Wild Seed have caused me to rethink and evaluate how I view and interpret apocalyptic fiction and what can be categorized as such.

Andrew Santana Kaplan’s work, “Notes Toward (Inhabiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Apocalyptic Thought”, provided me with a new level of understanding of the word “apocalypse” and its relation to Afro-Pessimism, an idea I was not at first familiar with. I found this article difficult to work through and I frequently had to reread and lookup words. I struggled through this article, read it again, and struggled a bit more. Luckily, class discussion the following day provided some relief when I heard my peers shared the same experience. The Santana Kaplan article left me trying to figure out numerous elements of the idea of the apocalypse. Before enrolling in Black Apocalyptic Fiction, my understanding of the word apocalypse was merely the end of the world. Santana Kaplan notes that despite how the word apocalypse is used interchangeably with the destruction of the world, the word itself means to “uncover” and how for the apostle, Paul, “apo-kalupsis names the unveiling of the messianic event and the passing figure of this world” (81). Santana Kaplan goes on to explain how the crucial element of the apocalypse is the revelation, “which shows that the world needs to end because it is cast in error” (81). While I worked through this article, I came to understand that the Afro-Pessimistic approach to the apocalypse revolved around the idea that in order for the effects of chattel slavery to be rectified, the world would need to end. The article also presented the idea of the “katechon”, or how Dr. McCoy explained it in class, the restraining force on the antichrist. This was yet another layer that developed my understanding of what exactly a class on Black Apocalyptic Fiction would entail and what relation the apocalypse had on the texts that would be discussed in class. The Andrew Santana Kaplan article granted me with starting blocks that I could use while growing my understanding of what exactly apocalyptic fiction looks like and its relation to the Black experience.

The article, “Notes Toward (Inhabiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Apocalyptic Thought”, was especially helpful in examining Octavia Butler’s novel, Wild Seed, through the lens of Black Apocalyptic Fiction and its relation to the apocalypse as a whole. The setting of Wild Seed, which is not a barren wasteland or zombie infested city, does not resemble my original understanding of an apocalyptic world. I was left to figure out how Anyanwu’s seventeenth-century village in Africa, and later nineteenth century America, could be seen as an apocalyptic world. However, my understanding of the apocalypse was flawed. A world that needed ending did not have to be the physical world, it could be an individual’s personal world, their life. I was constantly rethinking how I understood the apocalypse through my reading of Wild Seed. The character of Doro, a being able to inhabit bodies, as well as Anywanu, another character possessing powers who is not exactly human, provided me with a way to work through how an apocalypse could be individual. Doro’s creation story in itself is apocalyptic, having died and then being resurrected. Butler sets the scene by writing how “he was thirteen when the full agony of transition hit him” and how “his body had died, and for the first time, he had transferred to the living human body nearest him” (189). This human body was his mother’s. Doro ultimately killed every living person in his village, destroying the world he had grown up in. His body had died, his people had died, and the world in which he was so familiar with was now destroyed. To rectify the emotional damage he caused, Doro led the rest of his life building an army, a family, of people to surround himself with and to create his own world. However, Doro created this new world through the death and misery of others. Anywanu, unhappy with the killing of innocent people, acts as the driving force against Doro’s mission. When reading Wild Seed with the ideas presented in the Santana Kaplan article, Anyanwu would act as the katechon. Anywanu, however, faces her own apocalypse when her world ends as well. In the final scene of the novel, after Anywanu has finally agreed to spend her eternity with Doro, relinquishes the final piece of her identity before Doro: her name. Butler writes how “she became Emma Anyanwu. ‘It will give people something to call me that they can pronounce’” (298). In this moment, Anywanwu finally opens up to the possibility of a new life by allowing herself to connect with others, not shielding herself from the companionship of new individuals. Anyanwu strips away her protective walls and comes to be known by a European name as a way to set up roots in America and restart her life. If I read Wild Seed without reading the Santana Kaplan article prior, I would not have been able to explain how Wild Seed could fit into the genre of apocalyptic fiction. 

After reading “Notes Toward (Inhabiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Apocalyptic Thought” and Wild Seed, I am left trying to figure out how the other novels in this class will shape my understanding of what apocalyptic literature can look like. These texts have already equipped me with key terms and ideas that I will be able to transfer to my critical reading of the novels that follow. At this point in the class, I am curious to see if the rest of the fiction that I read in Black Apocalyptic Fiction will depict apocalyptic moments seen in Wild Seed or if I will be reunited with my original images of how I understood the apocalypse to look like. Regardless, I know that my definition of what I see as apocalyptic fiction will continue to mold and grow, leaving me with a drastically different interpretation than the one that I entered the class with.

Pre-class thoughts

When I scrolled through the course catalog trying to find a 300-level literature class to take, Black Apocalyptic Fiction immediately caught my eye. Maybe it was the fiction part of the course title that made me stop short in my search and click on the class. Or maybe it was the science-fiction and dystopian implications, I associate with the apocalypse. Or it could even just be the word Black. As a student of color, I find myself looking for representation and diversity within the classes I take. I prefer to read more relatable material––either in the sense of the authors or the characters. Material that I can truly immerse myself into because there is representation of my culture or cultures I have grown up around. So regardless of what initially caught my attention about Black Apocalyptic Fiction, I found myself immediately signing up for the class. The anticipation to get into the classroom, fueled by discussions, was palpable. I vaguely remember having a conversation with a friend about this class and one of the first things they asked was, “what is Black apocalyptic fiction?” I was taken aback by that question since I never contemplated what it might mean or entail. I just knew it was a class I had to take. Even after looking at the syllabus and acquiring all of the books, I still had a very small idea of what to expect that first day. And after attending the first period, I found that the answer to my friend’s question––that quickly became my own question––wouldn’t be answered in the first period or the second; it wouldn’t even be answered in the weeks to come because to understand the connection between apocalypse and this course, I must first understand the term apocalypse.

Apocalypse: The start and the continuation of…

I can’t possibly tell you where apocalypse comes from; when it was first used; what its origin is, but I can tell you its associations. In Biblical terms, the apocalypse is the destruction of the world. It is the end. But I am not a very Biblical person, so this wasn’t my first encounter with apocalypse/apocalypticism. I have always been rooted in media––television shows, movies, and books. When I think of apocalypse within the media, I naturally turn to zombies or a dystopian world. I think about how zombies are bringing about the end of the world for humans, but at the same time, I think about how a dystopian society is built through the near-apocalyptic circumstances of the world before. But with all of these terms and examples of an apocalypse, I still couldn’t fathom its meaning within the course. Would the books be about the end of a world? Would they point to a character/characters needing to escape from the destruction of everything? I don’t think I got a true grasp on the concept of apocalypse until after reading (and discussing) Andrew Santana Kaplan’s “Notes Toward (Inhabiting) the Black Messianic in Afro-Pessimism’s Apocalyptic Thought.” In this article, Kaplan defines the apocalypse as a revelation of why “the World needs to end [since] it is cast in error.” In other words, with the destruction of the world comes an understanding of how fallacious the world has become. How important it is that this world ends to make room for what one may consider a better world––or an improved way of living. But as we––the class––continued to discuss Kaplan’s ideas of apocalypse, it became clear that even that definition could be tweaked some more––especially when applying it to the course material. 

I have come to realize that apocalypse––for the most part in this class––has a fluid definition; an ever-changing definition. One that is more abstract than concrete and can always be improved upon––can always be added to. Apocalypse might be an uncovering of something, but it isn’t just the end of the world because that implies that there is only one world––but who can say, especially when looking at the context of fictional reads, that there is only one world; that everything the characters know is all there is to know. So for all intents and purposes, an apocalypse has become the end of a world. Whether that is on a large scale or a more personal level, whether that be the actual destruction of life, or whether that be just the end of a way of living, I cannot say. That is what I am figuring out now, how the many definitions––the many differences––of apocalypse apply to the course materials we have read and the materials we have yet to even start.

Wild Seed’s Apocalypse?

When I first started Olivia Butler’s Wild Seed, I imagined that the characters would be on the verge of the end. That the world would be in chaos and dismay. That there would be shut down stores, people scavenging for survival, and panic thick in the air. But after reading the first few pages, I could tell that that wasn’t the case. I guess it was just easier to float toward this view of an apocalypse since it was the common depiction of apocalypses in media. Even after finishing Wild Seed, I spent a lot of time, trying to connect it to both Kaplan’s ideology of apocalypse and the multi–definition of apocalypse discussed in the class, and that is when I realized why an apocalypse can be the end of something even if it isn’t the end of the world. There are many small moments that take place in Wild Seed that can either be the build-up to the destruction of something or the actual destruction of something––but I find myself still trying to decipher between the two. 

Wild Seed presents me with many different examples of an apocalypse. Doro’s apocalypse––the end of his world––comes rather early in his life, but the reader isn’t made aware of that until towards the end of book two. While going through his transition, Doro accidentally killed his mother and father, along with most of his village. “He killed and killed and killed” until the Egyptians had “attacked the village,” but by that time, Doro had watched his uncontrollable power kill most of the people he had once loved––and even the ones he didn’t love but still considered his kinship. He had watched his world around him erupt in disorder and eventually he had watched it burn. While it wasn’t the end of everything known, it was the end of everything he had once known. It was the end of the way he had lived and the end of his family––his parents that shielded him from the whispers of the village. It was the destruction of his innocence––fueling his need to create settlements for people like him to not only come into their powers but to feel comfortable around their brethren––something he never felt. For Doro, this was an apocalypse because it concluded the life he once lived and began the next life. 

Unlike Doro, Anyanwu’s apocalypse spanned the entire book. I would say that when Doro coerces (threatens) Anywanyu into moving away from her home, her family, and the life she has known, it marks the beginning of the end for her. She is quickly taken away from the life she had built and lived in for more than three hundred years and plunged into a completely different environment. She watched as her beliefs and ideologies were twisted to fit the vision Doro had created. All of the “abominations” she had once considered beneath her she found herself bending to; she married Isaac even though she had called Doro her husband, she eventually took the form of both a white man and a white woman, and she even wore the body of a man and conceived children as such. All of these things she told Doro she would never do, she found herself doing the more she lived and the longer she was on the run from him. This is her apocalypse––the end of the way she once lived; the end of the way she once believed. Keeping in true fashion with Kaplan’s revelation during an apocalypse, Anyanwu is spurred into this ending and changes because she knows that she won’t survive in the world with Doro if she doesn’t adapt. She knows that even if she runs for the rest of her immortal life, she’d never truly be able to survive because Doro wouldn’t allow it. So in order to stay alive, she does the only thing she can, she allows the version of her from that village in Africa to die so that she can flourish in this new world.

I believe that Doro goes through another apocalypse at the end of Wild Seed because, for someone who has lived for several lifetimes, one apocalypse wouldn’t be enough. One destruction of your world, while possible, has to be improbable in some way since you’ve seen so many things die around you. In book three, Doro finds his humanity slowly returning in the love and respect that he develops for Anyanwu, so when she tells him that she plans on dying by suicide, he is left distraught. And for Doro, this is the second apocalypse. He had never cared for someone so much that he changes himself, but somehow he does for Anyanwu. As his world shatters around him, he realizes that if he wants to be a part of Anyanwu’s life, he has to change. He realizes that his breeding and killing would only lead to more loneliness––rather than the family he was striving for. He is then faced with either continuing the life he is leading or changing his mindset and his actions. Doro decides to proceed with the idea of destroying the person he once was, and becoming the person that Anyanwu expects him to be––he no longer kills his people, and while he “could ask her cooperation…he could no longer coerce her into giving it.” Doro changed again after the ruination of the world he had dreamt of. 

Wild Seed, from my interpretation, is wrought with examples of apocalypticism in different ways. While it doesn’t demonstrate apocalypse in the traditional sense, it does demonstrate the uncovering that Kaplan talks about in his article and it showcases the end of something––the end of worlds for people, even as the world continues to exist. From this, I have learned that the end isn’t interchangeable with death, though it can be synonymous in the terms of an apocalypse. With that being said, I look forward to figuring out how an apocalypse plays a role in the other books. We have started reading American Desert by Percival Everett and in that book, I have already started to notice the implications of apocalypticism, but not in the same manner as it was presented in Wild Seed. Because if there is one thing this class has taught me so far, it is that my definition and interpretation of the term apocalypse are evolving every day. It is changing in every context and with each book we read in the class. So while I can’t answer the initial question of what apocalypse has to do with this class at this very moment, I am able to understand the different indications and presentations within books. I am also beginning to understand how to interpret and connect Kaplan’s ideas with the ideas presented in the materials being read.

King Lear by William Shakespeare, is a play about how the bad faith of others leads to tragedy in the end. Two of the main concepts demonstrated within King Lear are liquidity and swapping. Based on the Investopedia definition, liquidity is a concept in which something can be converted or transferred without losing its value. The term swapping describes the act of exchanging one thing for another.  Both terms are closely related to expulsion, which is to be denied membership in an organization or to be forced out of one’s home or situation. In King Lear, there is a trend of liquidity and swapping between many characters. It is usually coupled with acts of fraud in an attempt to gain money, status, or love, which ultimately ends in someone’s expulsion.    

The play begins with Lear seeking to give up his land and divide it between his daughters. While this exchange has to do with swapping, it also applies to liquidity. He states, “With my two daughters’ dowers digest the third” (Shakespeare 15). King Lear is stating that his two daughters will receive the land and dowry that was originally supposed to go to Cordelia. Both the land and love that belonged to Cordelia were easily transferred to Lear’s other daughters Goneril and Regan; the fluidity of such shows how liquid dowries are, as the value does not change. After not meeting her father’s expectations of love, everything Cordelia had was swapped, and with no land or love left she is expelled from her kingdom and family. As Lear declares, “nothing will come of nothing” (Shakespeare 13). Nothing shall be received without first something being given. When Cordelia does not act as Lear wishes, she loses everything and receives nothing. Her sisters received everything after embellishing their love for Lear. They knew that if they didn’t embellish their words, then they wouldn’t receive the King’s inheritance since Cordelia was his favorite daughter. They had to commit fraud for their own personal gain.

Due to King Lear’s consistent swapping of trust and love between his daughters, he gets himself thrown out of his kingdom and status. After being turned away by Goneril and Regan, Goneril claims, “‘Tis his own blame hath put himself from rest, And he must needs taste his folly” (Shakespeare 119). After swapping his love between the two daughters, Goneril and Regan turn on Lear, casting him out when he comes to them. The liquidity in which Lear placed his love led to his daughters swapping their love for scorn in turn. The daughters’ love for Lear is fluid, just as his love for them was. In each example where liquidity and swapping took place, it eventually led to someone’s expulsion. 

This is not the only instance of familial swapping in King Lear. Similarly, between Cordelia and her sisters, the status within the family between Edgar and Edmund gets swapped. Edmund came into the world expelled as he was born from wedlock, while Edgar was the legitimate son. In Edmund’s first soliloquy he declares, “Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land. Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund” (Shakespeare 29). In an attempt to take back a status he was never given, Edmund schemes and commits fraud against his brother to show him in a villainous light to their father. After fooling both his father and Edgar, Edmund gains the inheritance and status he always wanted. Edgar is expelled, leaving all the trust and love from their father transferred to Edmund. Once again, we see how love and inheritance are liquid – easily transferable with no value change. In the end, we see that no matter someone’s status, expulsion can happen to anyone. 

While analyzing King Lear, we managed to make text-to-world connections to real-life examples in another film. In King Lear, many definitions overlap each other and have significant meanings. Different definitions have different meanings depending on the context. Even if a book is from a different time, we can still find importance and relevance in its stories and the messages it teaches today. It was interesting to note how we see the same concepts illustrated in King Lear, a fictional work, can also be played out in real life as in the film, The Old Man and the Storm. An example of liquidity seen in The Old Man and the Storm is when the government tried to steal the residents’ property after the hurricane destroyed their homes and physically expelled them from their neighborhoods.  We also found it interesting to see how Shakespeare could have many connections to financial topics, and it made us wonder if other texts that do not directly discuss these topics can connect to them.