By: Aariz Ihsan, Ian Delpha, Samuel Richardson, Colden Grossman and Danielle D’Aiuto
Octavia Butler’s fiction short story “Bloodchild”, explores the themes of power dynamics, sacrifice, and the quest for a livable habitat in an alien world. The narrative unfolds on a planet where humans coexist with insect-like beings called Tlics. These Tlics have established a relationship with humans for generations, but this arrangement comes at a price: the insertion of Tlic eggs into human bodies. That ensures peace over the planet. “Bloodchild” explores and illuminates the relationship between these two species. The short story delves into the emotional complications of the relationship between species. Bloodchild tells the tale of Gan, a boy from Earth, and his relationship with T’Gatoi, a female Tlic who acts as his protector and is responsible for implanting Tlic eggs inside him. Gan has emotions about this arrangement. He understands that it’s necessary for the survival of his people but grapples with the physical and emotional implications of carrying Tlic eggs. Gan, later in the story, has to make the decision whether himself or his sister shall undergo this process.
“Bloodchild” illustrates the compromises individuals and societies are willing to make to thrive in a challenging and unfamiliar environment. It also explores themes of choice and personal agency as Gan faces a decision concerning his future and that of his people. Bloodchild ultimately is a fictional story that can help us understand real-world issues, one of them being the educational system. In the story, it is made clear there is conflict between both parties as the Terrans have invaded the homeworld of the Tlic in order to escape the tyranny of their own people. This resulted in a bitter conflict between the two groups until an agreement was eventually made in order to create a more peaceful society, but this agreement also constructed the societal norms that dictate the relationship between both groups of people. In the agreement, the Terrans were expected to; devote one offspring to the reproduction of Terrans and one to the reproduction of Tlic through the process of implantation, were barred from utilizing certain technology such as guns or motor vehicles, and were required to stay in a space known as the Preserve. Implantation is the reproductive process of the Tlic in which a host animal is injected by the ovipositor of a Tlic with eggs which are harbored within the body until they become larvae. At this stage, they must be “surgically” removed from the body of their host before the host is completely consumed. The Tlic are also expected to not use the Terrans like a commodity but more as a prized possession, which was a privilege to own. If all of these requirements are met, the Terrans are allowed to inhabit the Preserve, where they would be safe from inhumane actions such as being separated from their family.
The new societal expectations set forth by this new agreement allowed for the birth of a more collaborative relationship between the two groups rather than one based on competition and dictatorship. Although this tended to be the norm, there were moments that may have challenged the new relationship, one being the case of Lomas. Lomas was a Terran who was implanted with the eggs of T’Khotgif, but when he needed the eggs to be removed, his Tlic wasn’t present to perform the surgery. T’Gatoi was required to perform an emergency surgery requiring Gan’s aid in order to do so. Gan wasn’t aptly informed of how the removal of eggs actually happened and was filled with horror and disgust when he witnessed it. Due to the absence of his Tlic, Lomas felt lost and scared as he possessed little control over his own situation. Likely, this reflects the sentiments of students in a learning environment where “ungrading” doesn’t exist. More accurately, it embodies the fear of receiving a poor letter grade and is only compounded by the fear of how one poor letter grade would affect the future. “The debate over how education should be handled is a lengthy, complex scholarly conversation that has stood for a hundred years” (Stommel). It has long been defined by the fret of a student to maintain a certain letter grade rather than engaging in the educational process of the class. A recent movement known as “ungrading” has sought to move away from a number defining a student, and towards the engagement in the course as a definition of the student’s progress. This helps to resolve one major issue in the educational system, the friction created between students and teachers, forming their relationship into more of a collaborative one rather than a competing one
To further unpack Stommel’s educational proposal, ungrading is an educational approach that challenges the traditional grading systems. Instead of assigning grades based on standard assessment, ungrading focuses on feedback, exploration, reflection and a better understanding of a student’s progress. When Stommel refers to the benefits of ungrading, he is not suggesting that every student should get an “A” or just having everyone earn the same grade at the end of the year. Stommel recognizes that there are many different ways grades can be influenced by factors that are out of a student’s control such as race, gender, or wealth of parents. These differences may cause a shift in perspective between a professor and student on various subject matter within a course. The subjective opinion of one should not have an effect on the success of another, which is explored in the system of “ungrading”. Professors have always debated on what the most effective ways to score students are and there has been an increase in moving away from standardized tests, especially since many colleges no longer require scores, such as SATs, to be sent in or considered for a decision.
One of Stommel’s alternatives to our current system is contract grading. “Contract Grading” is an archetype of the new idea of “ungrading” in which a professor lays out specific expectations of the student which clearly define the grade a student will receive dependent on the completion of the aforementioned expectations. This allows students to directly affect the letter grade they will receive without the stress of one largely weighted assessment ruining their average. The Tlic and Terrans’ arrangement is set up so that both parties are aware of what is expected from each other and must fulfill their part of the arrangement so that both species can continue to live peacefully in coexistence. This agreement, as previously stated, required the Terrans to bear the offspring of the next generation, prohibited the possession of firearms and/or motor vehicles, and required Terrans to remain within the bounds of the Preserve while the Tlic were only required to treat the Terrans humanely. Under his research, Stommel suggests, “Grading contracts convey expectations about what is required for each potential grade. Students work toward the grade they want to achieve, and the goalposts don’t unexpectedly shift,”(Stommel). This further expresses the previous idea that students, under this system, are able to have greater control over their own outcome or success, dually causing a decrease in unneeded stress. This is traced back to “Bloodchild”, in which the format of the Tlic/Terran contract is similar to what an agreement under contract grading would look like as the professor, or Tlic, is given more power in the way of determining the expectations and the outcome of the student or Terran, is determined by their ability to fulfill the requirements.
In biology, mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit. For example, bees and flowers are two different species however they fit their roles and benefit each other whether it’s pollination for the flower. In a sense this is applicable to humankind, although we’re the same species, we have different roles in society and we have to find ways to work together. In the educational system professors and students have two different roles, however they’re able to benefit from each other. Students can gain valuable knowledge and grades from professors and professors can gain insight from students and make valuable connections with them. To make the two different roles closer, a system of grading has to be established. Students ultimately need grades and how they get them is a system itself. There are benefits and drawbacks to the system of ungrading. This process of ungrading and the concept of it in the school environment is something that has been brought up in question for a long time. Many professors have started to implement this way of teaching and are determining if this style is something that they want to stick with. Students have shown the ideas of risks and rewards through this in many ways. Having students not receive grades for the work they are doing allows them to get less caught up on that and more on the learning process and seeing if they really comprehend the material. Having students put too much of a worry on grades can stray them from their actual learning. This usually leads to the student forgetting the material right after they are needed to use it. Although, the system of no grades can also be a bad thing for students. Some may see that since they aren’t being graded, they put less work and effort into knowing it won’t matter to their grades. This is a tough style of teaching and can either be very beneficial or very bad for the students’ growth and should be felt out to learn if it is the right fit for the right class.
It is important to create a safe and inclusive space for students and faculty. By doing so we move up the scale towards subjectivity, human relationships, and care to assure successful student and faculty performance. Grades provide a benchmark for how well a student is doing in school, but they don’t determine your value or what you can achieve. They only represent one part of your skills and hard work in a certain situation. The way we grade can affect power dynamics in the student-teacher relationship, creating a hierarchy based on academic performance. Although Gan and T’Gatoi’s relationship is not based on the education system they do face a power hierarchy. Tlic are viewed as the dominant between the two. Like teachers, the Tlic control and set rules for the Terrans. Gan struggles with this similarly to students who receive lower grades might suffer from stress or anxiety compared to those who excel and feel empowered. It’s crucial for educators to foster an inclusive environment that values diverse strengths and supports all students, regardless of grades. An ungrading approach will foster a collaborative and supportive relationship between the two. It encourages open communication, reduces the pressure associated with traditional grading, and allows a focus on understanding and improvement rather than just performance. This approach promotes a deeper engagement with the subject matter and encourages students to take risks and learn from their mistakes without the fear of grading consequences. There are various ways to show your skills and qualities beyond grades. The reason for the set of established laws between the Tlic and Terrans is to minimize the unbalance of power dynamics between the two species. This allows for successful performance between the two and the safe, inclusive coexistence that promotes growth rather than hindrance by both parties.
