Parable of the Sower in the EFL Classroom : Ecofeminism, Empathy, and Environmental Narratives

Abstract: In this essay, Parable of the Sower (1993) by Octavia E. Butler will be analyzed. The analysis investigates how the novel can enable discussions about empathy in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Empathy and its related notions are examined from an ecofeminist point of view in combination with research that investigates narrative empathy from a cognitive literary theory perspective. This essay does not advocate for specific ways of working with empathy but rather seeks to illustrate in what ways it could be discussed by students and to further encourage the development of their own thoughts on the matter. The findings show that the novel contains multiple aspects that can serve as a basis for discussions about empathy as well as working with climate change and gender perspectives in the EFL classroom.