Morrison and Butler have created, in the Oankali and in the citizens of Haven, societies which hold a paradoxical reverence for life. They present two imagined utopian societies, micro chasms of today's society, whose conflicts bring out the undeniable nature of man, showing us that it is not only 'human' nature, but is just 'nature:' Intrinsic to everything alive, even the Oankali. In these societies' attempts at preserving one life, however, they ultimately destroy another. Both these works carry a literary and cultural importance. This significance comes from their function as a sort of 'looking glass,' a fairly unbiased glimpse into today's world. There is much to learn from these miniature societies about ourselves and society as a whole, if we are willing.

In Paradise, we come to know about the young town of Haven. Once the citizens of Ruby, Oklahoma, Haven's founders were pioneers on exodus in the late 1800s to establish their own promised land, their paradise. This group of founding fathers sought a place all their own; where even freed slaves could live without the intolerance and hate of whites, own their own homes and businesses, flourish and prosper without regulation

The paradox mentioned before essentially comes down to two questions. How can the Oankali truly value life if they are willing to destroy it? How can the people of Haven truly value tolerance and non-violence if they themselves cannot tolerate those who are not like them and resort to murder to protect their own, twisted idea of paradise?

We believe that our country is the best country in the world and that our beliefs are the most correct. We believe we have certain rights that cannot be taken away--freedom to say what we want, worship where we want, freedom to educate and empower ourselves. But how can we say we value those things when we can go to another country and take those very things away from its people in order to establish freedom and democracy? Is it because those rights are American rights only and not human rights? What if those people don't want to be 'helped?' This is a paradox that has plagued American history--Vietnam, Bosnia, even American Indians, to an extent. I think the issues raised in Paradise and Dawn can help us answer some of these questions, and help us think of the idea of utopia in a more philosophical sense; like the idea of the unattainable goal--the goal that keeps us from stagnating. It helps us better ourselves; helps us keep trying, learning, and living.

Patricia Best, the resident genealogist, brings to the surface some of the more disturbing facts in Haven's short history. To the extent that Haven is free of whites, there is no racism. However, the people have found many ways to racially discriminate without the presence of whites. The nine original families, who eventually became the seven original families, are essentially Haven's ruling aristocracy. Also, we learn, there is racial discrimination among the blacks themselves. The most desirable features--darkest skin, etc.--are characteristics of what Patricia calls 8 Rocks. The lighter skinned blacks are looked down upon by the genetically superior 8 Rocks, and anything can and will be done to ensure quality in the genetic line, including incest. Patricia's father married a light skinned woman and was basically shunned by the town, as Patricia herself has never really been fully accepted. So she marries an 8 Rock for the benefit of her children, but then learns of incest in the family history. No matter what she does, she cannot help improve the family tree.

Anthropologists use the term 'ethnocentrism,' to describe the belief that one's own culture is right and that all others are wrong in comparison. Morrison and Butler would want us to rid ourselves of the notion of ethnocentrism and learn to see other cultures on their own terms, not ours.

Another aspect of society commented on in these works, I believe, is our attempt to 'Americanize' or 'civilize' other peoples and countries. We cannot/should not want to force our way of life on others, for to do so would be to 'genetically modify' the previously existing culture, much as the Oankali genetically modified the humans by forcing their own societal systems upon them. The town of Haven was Americanized itself by new technology

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Approximate Word count = 2102
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)