Read: Rebecca Roanhorse, “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience” (https://www .apex-magazine.com/welcome-to-your-authentic-indian-experience/)
Writing response: Imagine Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse having lunch together.
a) What subjects do you think they would talk about?
b) What would they be able to teach each other?
c) On what subjects would they disagree?
Explain your responses clearly and in detail.
If Butler and Roanhorse have lunch together, it would be a very interesting conversation to listen to. I think they would talk about their love for the art of writing, the places where each gets most inspired to write, and what subjects their stories have in common. In the case of "Speech Sounds" and "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™", they would discuss that those stories have in common the value of communication, the great need for education, existentialism, futurism, and the mental health of people. As the conversation progresses, I'm sure the writers would disagree on the value of communication. I imagine how Butler takes the position in favor of plenty of communication, because in "Speech Sounds" she demonstrated how the lack of effective communication led people to live in a dystopian society. Therefore, her rebuttal point against Roanhorse would be that if people do not communicate what they feel, the world would be a catastrophe. In contrast, I imagine how Roanhorse takes her rebuttal point against excessive communication. Due to the fact that in "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™" she portrayed how the oversharing and over-communication of her protagonist led to catastrophe as well. However, rather than a disagreement, I think they would take those differences as teachings. They would be teaching each other how their different points of view lead to the same conclusion: communication is essential, but with a balance between lacking and oversharing.
ReplyDelete-Angelys Rivera-Hernández
02/09/22
After reading Octavia Butler’s “Speech Sounds” and Rebecca Roanhorse’s “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience “ I think they probably would talk about the power of fiction and the written word. Specifically about the fascinating short stories they both have written. They probably would discuss the similarities and differences in their story telling techniques. In my opinion, they share a liking of dark stories and shocking endings. Both have a talent for using words to create powerful images that make you feel something. They probably can talk about the inclusion of an unsettling twist that makes you cringe but at the same time makes you want to know more. I do not think there is anything to teach, rather to appreciate about each other. Rebecca Roanhorse use of the second person perspective is fascinating. It emerges the reader in the story, you are Jesse Turnblatt. In “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience “ Roanhorse shows the disgraceful appropriation of the Indian Culture. You can feel the deception of this cultural appropriation and the damage and distorted account of reality it creates. On the other hand in Octavia Butler’s work we can all appreciate her masterful and seemingly effortless way to create science fiction stories that transcend time. Specifically in “Speech Sounds” we can appreciate her exploration of violence and the loss of humanity it creates. I do not think they would disagree on any specific subject, other than their preference in writing styles. They are both science fiction authors, they both explore race, culture, and humanity in their own way. Even though they both write fiction, their work makes you question humanity and reality and the answer is sometimes disturbing. After reading both stories you may feel a little troubled and confused, which in my personal opinion, it is the mark of great work.
ReplyDelete-Miranda Martínez
-If Butler and Roanhorse were having lunch together, they would talk about many subjects that might be controversial. Some are mental health as mentioned in Butler’s story, “speech sounds”; racism, and cultural appreciation as mentioned in “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience ™ “by Roanhorse or maybe some futurism. I think they might even discuss some readers' comments on their stories. They would be able to teach each other about different writing styles. For example, Butler had a “dark” story, but a “happy” ending, meanwhile Roanhorse had a “happy” story and a “dark” ending. Something I believe one would teach the other is how to take hate and/or criticism. Even though they have some things in common they might disagree on a lot of things, but based on their work, they might disagree on what the future might look like or argue about communication. Butler portrays communication as a super important part of society, while Roanhorse portrays it as one of the main problems that lead the protagonist to lose everything.
ReplyDelete-Amanda D. Mendez Rodriguez 02/09/2022
If the writers Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse gather together for a coffee, what would they talk about? If they did not knew each other previously, they would start with asking each other who they are and their beginnings in literature. Followed by a summary of their short stories, “Speech Sounds” by Butler, and "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience" by Roanhorse. Although both stories are different, they have similar subjects. Social communication, education, violence, futurism and identity are just some topics that are presented between their stories. There is no better study these two writers can take than knowing each other’s points of view. “Speech Sounds” by Butler, states that good communication avoids misunderstanding and in extreme cases violence. However, in Roanhorse story “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience”, over sharing with another individual can cause too many problems. Without a doubt, the conversation between Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse would be quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteLuis Merced Cotto 09/02/2022
As many have mentioned before, if Butler and Roanhorse had lunch together, their shared love for fiction and writing would probably be the main topic of discussion. Specifically, I believe they would share techniques with each other. Ways they’ve taken the real world and brushed it over with fictional paint.
ReplyDeleteBoth of their stories have common themes as well. This leads me to believe they would agree on futurism, the importance of communication, and possibly even education. Though on different degrees. For example, Butler portrayed in her writing a world where people lost their ability to communicate; meanwhile, Roanhorse’s story shows a world where oversharing leads to further pain. But these differences could also serve as learning experiences for both of them. Butler could explain her values, and Roanhorse can teach her opposing values.
- Adrian Jimenez
If the fascinating science fiction writers Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse had lunch, the conversations would be full of memories, laughs, and good topics. I imagine fiction being the main subject of their conversations. They would talk about achievements, inspirations, favorite stories, ideas for future writing, and teach writing techniques.
ReplyDeleteEven though they would have a lot in common, they would disagree with the message they want to transmit to the reader through their writings. For example, as discussed in class, they may have different points of view regarding the concept of communication. Butler in “Speech Sounds” presents the message of how important spoken communication is. On the contrary, Roanhorse in “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience” expresses that by sharing too much information you can harm yourself.
-Amanda Quiñones 02/09/2022
If Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse were to eat lunch together I believe they would have a very insightful and meaningful conversation. Both women are clearly passionate about writing and telling stories. I think they would share their thoughts and what encourages them to write. I can imagine them also talking about social issues and social behavior. I think both of them are very observant of other people and I can see them talking about what they think the people around them are like and how they would react in certain scenarios. They would also enjoy talking about education and how it affects the way people communicate with one another. Octavia Butler could teach Rebecca Roanhorse how communication is essential and that we need to learn how to communicate properly in order to not get in trouble because of our words. Roanhorse could teach Butler how to be your most authentic self while sticking true to who you are. While learning about each other they might disagree on the ways each of them portrays the future. While Butler might see the future with hopefulness and second chances, Roanhorse sees it more as discouraging and losing oneself in the midst of all the trouble we go through in life.
ReplyDelete- Ismary Negrón Fernández
One unusual afternoon, Octavia Butler was on her desk editing her next best-selling book to, hopefully, send her final copy to her editor tomorrow morning. As she stood up to get her daily afternoon coffee for inspiration, she heard a sudden and mysterious knock on her door. Curious and intrigued, she approached and opened her door to reveal some sort of portal. Like any other writer looking for adventures to write about, she went through it. She found herself sitting in an Italian restaurant in front of a woman, she seemed to know and recognize, yet had never seen her before in her life. The woman was Rebecca Roanhorse, who was also interrupted from her usual writer’s routine. Suddenly, an enlightening voice explained they were destined to come upon each other to exchange ideas, stories, and experiences. Without question or hesitation, they agreed to fulfill, what seemed to be, a divine task.
ReplyDeleteAs they dined, they discussed their appreciation for speculative fiction and its effectiveness in achieving the audience’s self-reflection. They also discussed a particular similarity between both of their works: dystopian societies and their specific effects on humankind. Although each story narrates a distinct point of origin and/or root of the problem, collective (linguistic and communication difficulties leads to violence in “Speech Sounds”) vs. individual problems (identity in “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience”), they agreed on society’s probable and foreseeable demise and their depiction on their respective stories.
Furthermore, they shifted their conversation towards differences and disagreements with their writing techniques. Specifically, they focused on the topic of point of view in their respective stories. Octavia Butler’s “Speech Sounds” was written from a third-person point of view, whilst Rebecca Roanhorse’s “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience” was written from a second-person point of view. Therefore, they debated over their effectiveness on the audience’s attention, understanding, and impact. Almost at the end of the meal, they decided to share a few tips and lessons. Since the portal that brought them together seemed to defy the laws of time, they introduced and explored each other’s eras. They discussed the changing and challenging times they lived in. They also compared their relative current circumstances, particular worldwide problems, and technological advancements.
When they finished sharing their career-boosting lessons, the authors shook hands and bid each other farewell. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Butler” expressed Rebecca Roanhorse with glee. “Indeed, Ms. Roanho-”
Abruptly, Pennélope Alers woke up from her nap, inspired by her bizarre and unique dream. She stood from her couch and ran to grab her laptop from the sofa. She was now ready to complete the INGL 3103-106 assignment.
- Pennélope Alers López
2/9/2022
If Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse gather together to have lunch, I believe they would have an amazing time while sharing their love for writing fiction. I think they would start a meaningful conversation about the stories both have written and what uplifts them to write. They would be fascinated to talk about subjects like futurism, education, mental health, and racism. Also, they could discuss the similarities and differences in their writing techniques. Roanhorse in “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience” portrays the shocking exploitation of Indian culture. In her story, we can perceive the deception of cultural appropriation. On the other hand, we can all cherish Butler's remarkable ability to construct science fiction stories that transcend time. We can appreciate her examination of violence and the loss of humanity it causes in "Speech Sounds." Both could disagree on what the future might look like or debate about communication. Butler views communication as a critical component of civilization, but Roanhorse portrays it as one of the major issues that leads to the protagonist to lose everything.
ReplyDelete- Marisabel Cordero Méndez
DeleteImagining a scenario where Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse have sat down to have a full conversation, subjects that would be of their interest could include education and literature since they are both writers. Also, topics that could be brought up along the conversation could be: violence, communication, mental health, identity, cultural appreciation, and authenticity. All of them featured in their written stories, "Speech Sounds" and "Great American Indian". They would be comparing themes and perspectives from each other’s works. As for what would they learn from each other, I would assume this could happen as they continue their conversation, comparing their work, their writing styles, different grammatical person (2nd versus 3rd person) among other interesting points and themes they could use for their future written stories. On the other hand, Butler could teach the importance of communication, whereas Roanhorse could discuss the idea of the role of identity in society, in exchange. In summary they could compare and contrast their respective futurism points of views. Continuing with their conversation, it is to be expected that there would be some topics on which their perspectives may differ. I could picture them having a disagreement over the importance of communication. Afterall, Butler’s story lacks from communication. Meanwhile, Roanhorse’s overshares it. Regardless, in both scenarios, an extreme approach to the concept of communication causes a problem. A final potential point of debate could have to do with the tone and person that each used to write their corresponding story: Butler prefers the 3rd person, while Roanhorse uses the 2nd. It is safe to state that they differ in both writing styles and topics of interests for main idea. It's hard to decide if they would appreciate their differences or instead stand their ground on their preferences.
ReplyDelete- Kendra Santana
If the writers Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse were to have lunch together, they would obviously talk about their work as writers. We’ve read their stories “"Speech Sounds" and "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience”, these are centered around futurism, communication, and education. I’m sure that their conversation would be about these topics. Because both authors are trying to educate their readers about their topics of interest, I think that they would teach each other about the reasons behind their stories. Butler would talk about educating younger generations about the importance of proper communication and Roanhorse would talk about the effects that cultural appropriation has had on the Indian community.
ReplyDeleteFinally, they would probably disagree on the topic of communication. Butler would argue that the biggest threat with communication would be the lack of it, and that sharing our feelings and stories with others is key for maintaining healthy relationships. She would argue that this is even what is keeping our society from falling apart. In the other hand, Roanhorse would argue that the biggest threat with communication is that many people can overshare their personal information with the wrong people; and what they thought would be a healthy and trusting relationship can turn out to be the opposite. But with this said, I think they would find a middle ground in which they conclude that communication should never reach any of both extremes.
- Alondra Acevedo Ortiz
If Olivia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse had lunch together, they would most likely talk about writing and publishing stories. They could share some good experiences with editors or misunderstandings with publishing companies. Considering they create a fictional world to criticize different aspects of human behavior, I can imagine them having a deep conversation about society’s future. They would share their concerns and probably discuss some viable solutions. Although they would have similar ideas, I think they would disagree on their ideas about future generations. Taking into consideration the endings of the stories, Butler would be optimistic, while Roanhorse would imagine a dysfunctional society. After a few drinks and appetizers, they will have the confidence to give each other advice. Since “Speech Sounds” by Olivia Butler and “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience” by Rebecca Roanhorse were written with different points of view, they would provide each other with strategies to write in the second and third person. Finally, they could discuss how changing the perspective affects the reader’s understanding.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Conde
In a hypothetical scenario in which Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse were conversating, I would imagine that one of the main topics would be knowing the story of why they decided to be writers and how their experiences led them to express themselves through fiction stories. One of the topics that will be touched is education since both authors in their stories show interest in learning about society and how it is affected when education is limited in one way or another. Another of the subjects that would predominate would be the identity of people and how this is related to the communication that we have either with ourselves or with others since both writers in their stories show interests in the searching of purpose and personality. On the other hand, the ages between both writers differ quite a bit, which implies that their generations, lifestyles, and experiences were different for each one. This would certainly lead Octavia Butler to ask and learn about what our present is like from the perspective of Rebecca Roanhorse and compare it with the thoughts and ideologies of her time and how these have evolved. In addition, I believe that each one would know more about the other's way of writing, thus leading them to visualize their stories from another point of view and improve the form and style in which they express themselves.
ReplyDeleteWhen a person talks with the other for the first time, in most cases they manage to agree on many things since they manage to open up and to try to understand the way of perceiving the ideas and visions of the other person. However, the difference in generations could create a disagreement in some ways of thinking such as racism and sexism since several years ago these two issues were manifested all the time, but over the years it has greatly diminished. On the other hand, I find it very interesting how both writers approach in a different way what a person's identity is. Octavia Butler, on the one hand, presents it as if it were a life purpose or "mission," while Rebecca Roanhorse when speaks of identity, relates it to culture, ethnic groups, and authenticity. Despite this, I am sure that they would manage to establish a beautiful friendship and above all respect the thoughts, ideas, and perspective of the other, since both managed to be successful and admired by everyone, implying that they had to do something well to reach the reputation they have.
-Emmanuel Santiago
If Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse got the chance to meet each other, I think they would probably talk about their love for literature, specifically fiction. They would probably talk and teach each other about their own style of writing, their unique ways of seen things and about the different books that both of them have written. Also, I think that there is going to be a point where they will get tired of talking about books and they will just start to about their lives outside of the literature world. A point that both of them could disagree is with communication. In Octavia Butler story we see that communication is an important feature that humans need and in Rebecca Roanhorse story we see that communication, or oversharing, can cause harm to most people. At the end I think that they will come to a conclusion, that communication is important but there will be times that we just need to stay quiet or maybe they never agree with each other, who knows.
ReplyDelete-Jekxelmaniel Martínez
Both Octavia Butler and Rebecca Roanhorse seem to be interested in bringing a social criticism about topics that they may perhaps find important. Butler is worried about the importance of communication and how it affects society. On the other hand, Roanhorse seems to be interested in the importance of authenticity in society. If both authors were to have lunch together, they might perhaps talk about how they both view society. Butler might teach Roanhorse about the steps that must be taken or the decisions that shouldn’t be made for society to stay afloat and not prevail. Roanhorse can teach Butler about the steps that could help society progress. They could also teach each other about their writing styles. Nevertheless, this could also be a point of disagreement, for they might not be receptive of each other’s style. Finally, since Butler appears to be pessimistic and Roanhorse seems optimistic, they might disagree in their idea of society.
ReplyDelete-Simon Hidalgo