Dawn

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1987

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Introduction

Teacher Introduction

Dawn

Genre: Fiction; science fiction; post-apocalyptic
Originally Published: 1987
Reading Level/Interest: college/adult
Structure/Length: 25 chapters; approximately 286 pages; approximately 9 hours and 21 minutes on audio
Protagonist/Central Conflict: The novel features Lilith Iyapo, a woman who awakens 250 years after a nuclear war has annihilated humanity to find she has been rescued by the Oankali, an alien species. Lilith is chosen to lead the humans who will repopulate Earth, but the central conflict emerges from her struggle with the Oankali’s intervention, the loss of human autonomy, and the complexities of coexistence with another species.
Potential Sensitivity Issues: Sexual content; violence; sexual assault; themes of colonization and genetic manipulation; post-apocalyptic setting

Octavia E. Butler, Author

Bio: Born 1947; died 2006; American science fiction author; recognized for her unique blending of science fiction with elements of African-American spiritualism and history; first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Fellowship or “Genius Grant”
Other Works: Kindred (1979); Parable of the Sower (1993); Parable of the Talents (1998); Wild Seed (1980)
Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novelette (1985); Nebula Award for Best Novel (1985); City College of New York’s Langston Hughes Medal (2005)

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CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

Otherness
The Role of Women and People of Color in a New Human Society
Freedom

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

Develop an understanding of the social, cultural, and historical contexts regarding othering that impact Lilith.
Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Otherness, The Role of Women and People of Color in a New Human Society, and Freedom.
Plan, design, and share a training manual for Lilith to use with the next group of humans to be Awakened aboard the ship.
Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Otherness, hope, and other topics.