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who is dana in kindred

by Ruth Lubowitz Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Dana is the narrator and heroine of the novel. A young black woman writer living in the end of the twentieth century, she finds herself plunged into the antebellum South of the nineteenth century, an alien world in which she must struggle to establish an identity and to maintain her freedom.

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What kind of character is Dana Franklin?

Dana (Edana) Franklin Character Analysis. The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Dana is a black woman from 1979 California who gets pulled back in time to Antebellum Maryland to save the life of her white ancestor, Rufus Weylin. Dana is a strong, resourceful, intelligent woman, as well as a writer like her white husband Kevin.

What kind of character is Dana in the hate you give?

The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive." The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Dana is a black woman from 1979 California who gets pulled back in time to Antebellum Maryland to save the life of her white ancestor, Rufus Weylin.

What kind of character is Dana in the scarlet ibis?

Dana is a strong, resourceful, intelligent woman, as well as a writer like her white husband Kevin. Dana learns how to adapt to the oppression of the Antebellum (pre-Civil War) era, but always retains her sense of self and autonomy despite Rufus’s attempts to force her to become a true slave.

What is Dana's role in the novel?

Dana is the narrator and heroine of the novel. A young black woman writer living in the end of the twentieth century, she finds herself plunged into the antebellum South of the nineteenth century, an alien world in which she must struggle to establish an identity and to maintain her freedom. Dana must also battle her conscience.

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What happens to Dana in Kindred?

Dana travels back to 1976 after a man attacks her in the woods. Once back, she and Kevin figure out that she goes back in time whenever Rufus needs his life saved and she comes back to 1976 whenever she thinks her life's in danger. Dana continues travelling back in time.

What does Dana represent in Kindred?

Dana represents a more modern, open minded society and believes that her survival and the fight for her life would be better than living a life of slavery and condemnation, while Alice was raised in a society that supports and allows racism and slavery and in turn took her own life, representing the idea that death was ...

How is Dana a hero in Kindred?

Dana is the protagonist who, through her connection to her ancestor, Rufus, travels to the past to save his life various times. As a direct contrast to the “white savior” trope in which a white person saves a nonwhite person from harm, Dana becomes the Black savior.

How is Dana related to Rufus?

Dana has known Rufus since childhood and often comes to his rescue. She also knows that he is her direct ancestor- she couldn't exist without him. Dana cares deeply for the boy and wants to see him become a better man than his father. Rufus comes to depend on Dana, and count on her as his closest friend.

What does Dana sacrifice in Kindred?

Dana sacrifices with her arm which is an important for a writer as well as slaves sacrifices with their skin, bones and souls for better future. As we see from the very beginning of Kindred, Dana wonders about the possibility of getting truth through observation whether visual or imaginative .

Why was Dana whipped in Kindred?

Answer and Explanation: Tom Weylin whips Dana after he catches her reading. He forbade her from reading after he came across her looking at a book in his library.

How does Dana lose her arm kindred?

Answer and Explanation: Dana's loses her arm in traveling back to the future because Rufus has a hold of her wrist.

Is Dana a reliable narrator?

In some ways, Dana is an unreliable narrator. Her own narration clearly foreshadows events that she never sees coming, an obliviousness that Butler creates intentionally. Butler wants us to understand that when it comes to Rufus, Dana has a blind spot.

What was Dana like in the beginning of kindred?

Dana begins her story as your average twenty-six year-old woman living in 1976. She doesn't make much money and she's used to living in crummy apartments, but that's about as tough as it gets for her. Things get a whole lot tougher though when she travels back to 1815 Maryland.

Who is the antagonist in Kindred?

The main antagonist in Kindred is Rufus Weylin who calls Dana from the future to save his life when he is just a little boy. His obsessive behavior over the years that follow make him a danger not just to his slaves, but also to Dana.

Who Does Carrie Marry in Kindred?

NigelCarrie eventually marries Nigel and has three sons, including Jude.

What event inspires Dana to run away from Rufus?

But in the end, Alice goes to Rufus. A few days later, Alice hands Dana some papers she found in Rufus' bag. The papers are Dana's letters to Kevin, meaning that Rufus never mailed them. Dana decides to run away from the plantation when she finds out.

What are some symbols in Kindred?

SymbolsWhips. In Kindred, whips symbolize the white man's power and capacity for violence. The men who wield whips in the novel are men to be feared. ... Birthdays. Birthdays stand for the cruel cycle of slavery. ... Maps. In antebellum Maryland, maps stand for the possibility of freedom.

What are the main themes of kindred?

ThemesViolence.Race.Slavery.Gender.Family.Marriage.Education.Power.

What is the one weapon Dana has that Alice didn t?

Because she wields the knife, Dana is able to have her own control over their relationship. As a result, she chooses to terminate her relationship with Rufus by killing him.

How does Dana lose her arm kindred?

Answer and Explanation: Dana's loses her arm in traveling back to the future because Rufus has a hold of her wrist.

Who is Dana in the book?

Kevin Franklin. The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Dana is a black woman from 1979 California who gets pulled back in time to Antebellum Maryland to save the life of her white ancestor, Rufus Weylin. Dana is a strong, resourceful, intelligent woman, as well as a writer like her white husband Kevin.

Who is Dana in The Antebellum?

Dana is a strong, resourceful, intelligent woman, as well as a writer like her white husband Kevin. Dana learns how to adapt to the oppression of the Antebellum (pre-Civil War) era, but always retains her sense of self and autonomy despite Rufus’s attempts to force her to become a true slave.

What does Dana hear Rufus screaming?

All the way in the cookhouse, Dana can hear Rufus scream as the doctor sets his broken leg. Carrie runs into the... (full context)

How does Dana change the subject?

Dana changes the subject by asking how many slaves the Weylin family owns. Rufus tells her... (full context)

What does Dana ask Rufus about Baltimore?

Dana asks Rufus if they are close to Baltimore now. Rufus tells her that they are... (full context)

What does Dana do to Alice's unconscious mother?

Dana starts to help Alice’s unconscious mother, assuring Alice that her mother is not dead. Alice... (full context)

Where do Dana and Rufus creep out of?

Dana and Rufus creep out of the Weylin house and into the yard. Dana finds the... (full context)

Who is Kevin in Dana?

Dana’s husband and Rufus’s foil. Kevin is a relatively progressive white man who married a black woman despite the objections of his family. As a time traveler to the South, he frees slaves. Despite his progressive thinking, however, Kevin likes to be in control and sulks when he suspects his wife may be enjoying her time with Rufus. Because it does not affect him personally, Kevin is blind to much of the injustice around him.

Who flirts with Dana in The Field Hand?

The field hand who flirts with Dana, despite her warnings about Rufus ’s jealousy. Rufus sells Sam, separating him from his family, as punishment for exchanging a few innocent words with Dana.

Why does Weylin sell Luke?

Weylin sells Luke simply because he tires of his sass, a decision that frightens Dana and show that no one is safe from the cruelty and arbitrary whims of whites. Luke’s fate demonstrates the ultimate ineffectiveness of passive resistance.

What does Dana do to save Rufus?

To save the future existence of her family, Dana must repeatedly save the life of Rufus, the man who fathered one of her ancestors. Although Rufus enslaves her and abuses her, Dana cares for him. When she time travels, Dana must struggle to maintain her identity as a strong, intelligent, free black woman in a world in which women ...

Who is Rufus Weylin?

Rufus Weylin. The inconsistent, power-drunk slave owner and the father of one of Dana’s ancestors. Rufus rapes and enslaves Alice and attempts to rape and enslave Dana. He longs to be loved but expects to always get his way, using coercion and violence if he is denied. Read an in-depth analysis of Rufus Weylin.

Who is Sarah in The Cook?

The cook. Sarah is a slave who loves Rufus in spite of herself. The sale of her sons scares Sarah into submission. Unwilling to lose her daughter, she complies with Rufus’s demands and performs her physically draining work without complaint. Sarah is mother to Carrie and grandmother to Nigel.

Who is Sarah's mute daughter?

Sarah’s mute daughter and Nigel’s mother. Carrie helps everyone and doesn’t make waves. Because she chooses not to interact with whites, and because she is mute, Carrie succeeds in keeping a low profile. She takes a practical view of Dana’s role on the plantation and stands beside Dana when other slaves abuse her.

Who is Sarah's daughter?

A slave on the Weylin estate, Carrie is Sarah ’s daughter and the only child Sarah has left (as the others have been sold). Carrie is deaf and mute, but finds other ways to assert… read analysis of Carrie

Who is Rufus' servant?

Nigel. A slave on the Weylin estate, Nigel is the personal servant to Rufus and enjoys some of the advantages of living close to white people. Nigel does what he wishes despite the threat of whippings … read analysis of Nigel.

Why is Liza ostracized?

Liza is then ostracized by the other slaves, which shows the loyalty of the slave family on the plantation.

Who is Rufus Weylin?

Rufus Weylin. A white, red-headed slave owner in Antebellum Maryland, and Dana ’s ancestor. Rufus is a product of his time and culture, becoming harsher, more selfish, and crueler as the years go by and he is… read analysis of Rufus Weylin.

Who is Tom Weylin's wife?

Margaret Weylin. Tom Weylin ’s wife and Rufus ’s mother, a hysterical and high-strung woman who relieves her boredom and sense of uselessness by making the lives of her house slaves miserable. She particularly hates Dana due… read analysis of Margaret Weylin.

Who is Alice Jackson?

Alice Jackson (Greenwood) Though born a free black woman, Alice becomes a slave of the Weylin estate after the arrest of her first husband, Isaac Jackson. Rufus retains an obsessive love for Alice since childhood and forces… read analysis of Alice Jackson (Greenwood)

Who were Dana's ancestors?

Dana quickly learns that her ancestors are both white plantation owners (Rufus Weylin) and slaves (Alice Greenwood) in nineteenth-century Maryland. Alice is forced to have children by Rufus, giving birth to Hagar Weylin and creating the line that will eventually lead to Dana's birth. Dana notices the similarities between herself and Alice, realizing that Alice's life could have easily been her own if she'd been born in the nineteenth century instead of the twentieth.

Why is time travel used in Kindred?

Time travel is used in Kindred in order to address themes of family and race. When Dana travels through time, she both takes her family (her husband, Kevin) with her and appears in the past in the presence of her ancestors.

Who are Rufus Weylin's parents?

We also meet Rufus Weylin's parents, Tom Weylin and Margaret Weylin. Tom is a cruel man, quick to violence toward anyone who angers him. Dana comments that Tom "sounded like a man who worked at inspiring fear" ("The Fire," part 2). Margaret's actions are unpredictable, swinging between kindness toward those around her when she's under the influence of opium and abuse when she is not. She beats Dana the first time she meets her, assuming that Dana has "killed" Rufus when, in actuality, Dana has saved him from drowning ("The River"). This is just the first incident in a pattern of Margaret lashing out in anger against the slaves on the plantation.

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1.Kindred: Dana | SparkNotes

Url:https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/kindred/character/dana/

5 hours ago Characters Dana Dana is the narrator and heroine of the novel. A young black woman writer living in the end of the twentieth century, she finds herself plunged into the antebellum South of the nineteenth century, an alien world in which she must struggle to establish an identity and to …

2.Dana (Edana) Franklin Character Analysis in Kindred

Url:https://www.litcharts.com/lit/kindred/characters/dana-edana-franklin

27 hours ago The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Dana is a black woman from 1979 California who gets pulled back in time to Antebellum Maryland to save the life of her white ancestor, Rufus …

3.Kindred: Character List | SparkNotes

Url:https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/kindred/characters/

29 hours ago  · Identity Transformation of Dana in Kindred. “Kindred” is a science fiction novel in which Octavia Butler, the author, showcases a non-traditional perspective of the antebellum …

4.Kindred Character Analysis | LitCharts

Url:https://www.litcharts.com/lit/kindred/characters

28 hours ago Dana quickly learns that her ancestors are both white plantation owners (Rufus Weylin) and slaves (Alice Greenwood) in nineteenth-century Maryland. Alice is forced to have children by Rufus ...

5.What do we know about Dana’s family in Kindred - eNotes

Url:https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-do-we-know-about-dana-s-family-in-kindred-2082498

20 hours ago “Kindred” is a science fiction novel in which Octavia Butler, the author, showcases a non-traditional perspective of the antebellum South during the 1800s as well as the general culture …

6.Kindred Chapter 2: The Fire Summary & Analysis | LitCharts

Url:https://www.litcharts.com/lit/kindred/chapter-2-the-fire

12 hours ago How is Dana characterized in Kindred? Dana is a strong, resourceful, intelligent woman, as well as a writer like her white husband Kevin. Dana learns how to adapt to the oppression of the …

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