KINDRED
By Octavia Butler
PROLOGUE- MAKING PREDICTIONS
“I lost my arm on my last trip home. My left arm.
“And I lost about a year of my life and much of the comfort
and security I had not valued until it was gone. When the
police released Kevin, he came to the hospital and stayed
with me so that I would know I hadn’t lost him too” (Butler 9).
1. What is the tone of the first few lines of the book?
2. What do you think happened to her arm?
3. Who do you think Kevin is?
4. Why do you think the police had him?
WRITE DOWN 3 QUESTIONS YOU HAVE WHILE YOU READ
THE PROLOGUE.
IF IT IS ANSWERED LATER IN THE TEXT, WRITE DOWN THE
ANSWER.
Prologue
1. If you were Dana, what would you do
next?
THE RIVER
2. Would you have believed her if you
were Kevin?
3. What do you think pulls Dana back to
the past?
4. What do you think pulls hers back to the
future?
KINDRED
By Octavia Butler
TURN AND TALK:
We ended our last
reading session with
Dana at Rufus’ house,
having just saved him
from a fire. Why do
you think she keeps
getting pulled back to
him?
Pg 21
3
0
WHAT IS YOUR INITIAL OPINION OF
RUFUS? WHY DO YOU THINK THIS?
Quick Write pg 25
THE FIRE SECTION 2
1. What did Dana find out about Rufus and his
friend Alice?
2. Describe the setting of this section.
3. Where does Rufus send Dana? Why does he send
her there?
1. Why did Dana
hide from the men
on the horses?
THE FIRE SECTION 3
2. Why did the
men on horses
whip the man who
was in the cabin?
KINDRED
By Octavia Butler
1. Why was Alice’s mom afraid of Dana in the beginning?
2. Why does the man who got whipped not have a pass to
visit Alice and her mother?
3. Why did one of the men beat up Dana? Why do you think
he had come back to the house?
THE FIRE SECTION 4
THE FIRE SECTION 5 & 6
1. Make a list of 5 items you would put in your bag
if you were Dana. Tell why you would include
them.
2. Find textual evidence from sections 5 & 6 that
express the following emotions for Dana.
Afterwards, write 2-3 sentences analyzing the
evidence and how it expresses that emotion.
a) Scared
b) Relieved
c) Frustrated