POTS

Parable of the Sower is a worst-case scenario of what could happen if things continued to get worse. We are already in a pretty bad situation as far as the economy goes, not to mention the ever increasing problem of global warming. Water prices are slowly increasing and in PotS they are pretty high, so that definitely is a possibility. Gas prices have most likely peaked, and are likely to lower even more as electric cars become the main form of transportation. Some see this as hopeful, a step in the right direction, but it is also possible that a dystopia similar to the one in PotS could emerge.

POTS

even though i havent finished the book yet, i can see how the parable of the sower is slowly becoming a type of future for the world. there is so much conflict like in the book. the world is getting less safe everyday. we are also tearing the planet apart, and soon there is going to be nothing left. everything is gonna cost more and the crime rate is going to go up. i could see there potentially being lots of gated communities that are very secure and that try to keep out the outside dangerous world. but hopefully it will not come to this!

P.O.T.S.

Sadly, Parable of the Sower is already becoming more than slightly realistic. There are so many parallels in our society and the "society" in the book. For example, our ecosystem is already going to pieces, money is either more or less valuable, depending on how you look at it, and the economy/government is going downhill. I think Parable of the Sower is maybe a little exaggerated, but a surprisingly accurate situation. However, I also think that humans are better at creating structure than the book implies, and I don't think the world would break into quite that many pieces if this ever actually happened.

I think that there are very many similarities in the Parable of the Sower and today's society. In the P.O.T.S the cost of food water and gas is all very high and many people cannot afford it. Many people are using drugs and dying on the streets. In today's society the cost of gas mainly is getting higher, but i think the thing that is most similar about then and today is the government and the relationship between the authorities and the people. In P.O.T.S the cops are barely ever called for help in bad situations because they would take your money and almost everything you have and in the end not really help at all. The relationship between them and the people is hostile and many people hate and even are afraid of police or any person higher up in the government. They only do whats best for them. I think it is not as extreme right now but very much a like.

Parable of the Sower

In the story 'Parable of the Sower' by Octavia Butler, the author does relate many things that are happening in our society in a more gruesome and intense way.
In her book, Butler describes many things that are happening in our lives such as rape, the use of drugs, greed, money, the hard job that the government has, pollution and global warming. Butler describes these things very well but on a higher level of intensity. As we read the book we notice that many of the things in her story are already happening in our society, such as the economy collapse,and the gradually increasing space between the rich and the middle,and lower calsses.The issues are getting worse and Ithink that this could happen in our future. It is already happening in some poorer countries in Africa, where women get raped all the time, they have to pay a lot or walk very far to get food and water, their government isn't helping the people, there is lots disease and poverty.
Butler is describing these horrible things in Parable of the Sower, and we realize that but like Lauren we think about how we could help ourselves and others if that occurred.

Jennifer Usner's Post

I think that poverty, homelessness, hunger, and violence today could turn out like Parable Of The Sower if we don't fix how we live today. If we don't fix these things they will get out of hand and may turn out like Octavia Butler described in the book. For a kid like me reading this the question that pops into my head is, is this going to be what I might be dealing with or living like. Just trying to fix them might make us feel better about our future.

Is our worls becoming a POTS world?

In our world today, many things are contributing to the declination of society. Our economy is in a slump, making it very difficult for people who or under-qualified OR over-qualified to find work.
More people are poor, and usually poverty leads to crime such as theft. In this aspect, our world is becoming subtly more similar to a world referred to as dystopian. Better look out for those bald green people lighting each other on fire, kids.

Dystopia

In The Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler is depicting things that were issues or trends in the 1990's, but she is depicting them in a very exaggerated manner. Some of the issues she shows us are, drugs and drug addiction, fear of crime, rise of gated communities, and the growing distance between the rich and poor people. The world that Butler has created is a perfect example of a dystopia, but what caused this dystopia in the book? There was no war or anything of that sort, society simply fell apart over time.

It is possible that this could happen. Time is one of life's biggest dangers. Fear of time shows fear of change, and change isn't something that should be feared because it is a constant variable in life.

Our environment could easily change to be like Butlers. Look at the fall of the roman empire, there was really no war or any big, life changing events, the roman empire just kind of collapsed over time. Things in the past show us that anything is possible. The world could spiral down over time. Time is our biggest enemy, even if we don't see it as one.

Parable of the Sower Perfectly depicts a classic dystopia. The world in which Lauren lives is an imaginary futuristic world where fear and danger are abundant. Many of the aspects in the book are an intensified interpretation or parallel of reality. It is apparent that because of this paralleling, that Butler was trying to give the reader a blunt glimpse of both our present and how it will become our future. This is clear because of Butler’s use of the same issues that we people faced in America in the late 1990's until now like the use of designer drugs (pyro-drug/ ecstasy), decelerating literacy rates and lack of employment. Also, one of the most present issues in historical, modern and futuristic America is the demand for drinkable water which, like all of these problems, show the reader, how, if we don’t change our future will unfurl.

What in our world shows us Parable of the Sower as a possible future?

The condition of our planet, our economy, and our populations' mindset right now share similarities with the possible, not too distant future of the United States in Parable of the Sower. The natural state of our planet is disintegrating (i.e. the Gulf Oil Spill, constant ecosystem destruction to make room for industry, and all the trash buried in landfills every day). We are using our resources and changing the condition of Earth so rapidly that our world and we are unable to adjust. Also, with the value of money so low, it is hard for people to gain necessities. It is impossible for people in poverty to afford healthy foods, and get medical attention when it is vital. Big corporations are overpowering smaller local businesses, putting the control of many workers’ and their families into the hands of one giant corporation (similar to KSF in the novel). Also, many people in America are unable to imagine a world where the resources, people, and concepts they rely on are no longer dependable. We have so many material goods and such structured-scheduled lives that we get buried in small details and are unable to, or chose not to think about the possibility of change. All of these aspects of our world right now apply to people in Parable of the Sower. For example, water and food become extremely hard to get because of inflation, lack of resources, and the disrupted cycle of the weather. The people who are able to find temporary shelter behind their community walls try to block out the chaos and murder occurring around them and trying to live the lives they lead in the past.

What in our world shows us Parable of the Sower as a possible future?

The world that Butler creates in Parable of a Sower is a straightforward dystopia. There are already elements of our modern day life that show very similar characteristics to elements of Butler's world. For example gas mirrors water in Parable of a Sower because water is priced higher then any other resource in that world and only those with power control it. This is almost exactly what is happening with oil in modern day society. If I were to add one more thing I would talk about the violence and tensions between nations because in Parable of a Sower nations no longer help each other. Nations, if you can even call them that, are self centered and usually based around gaining money and power. This is not unlike most of the world now, except nations still give aid to others, depending on the circumstances.

What in our world shows us Parable of the Sower as a possible future

One of the most important things to remember or to actually know, is that the world in Parable of the Sower reflects problems already happening in this world. What Octavia Butler does is exaggerate these problems to a scary and troubling extent. I think that to write a very believable story about a dystopian world, she used problems people already know or have heard about, and turn them into something that gives people the illusion that that is how the problem could get worse. Some of the elements that Octavia used to create a dystopia are: Crime, theft, drugs, lack of education for some people, gated communities, guards, violence, society that is falling apart, and homelessness on the poverty-stricken streets.

In the book Parable of a Sower the world is falling apart rapidly. There is a crumbling economy, constant battles with drugs, dangerous places, as well as many other things. The world today is similar to the novel for many reasons. The most obvious reason is the deplorable economy. Both Parable of the Sower and the real world have an economy that needs improvement .Drugs are a constant struggle in the world right now and some people turn to them because of the current standing of the world. I wouldn't say that the real world is a dystopia like Parable of the Sower, but it depends on the way one looks at the world to determine that. There are better places than others in the Parable of the Sower world, as well as the substantial world. It really depends on where one is and what they make out of the life they're given.

What in our world shows us Parable of the Sower as a possible future?

There are many elements in Octavia Butler's novel that mirror things that are already happening in this world. What are they, according to you? Respond in no more than a paragraph.