49 pages • 1 hour read
Octavia E. ButlerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Much of Octavia Butler’s speculative fiction is an example of Afrofuturism. Though “Speech Sounds” does not refer to race, what lessons might the story have for the future of modern society about racism and other forms of inequality?
Although the illness has rendered Rye illiterate, she has learned to “read” people and situations in other ways. How does the story offer an alternative definition of literacy? What does “Speech Sounds” reveal about the importance of noticing and accurately decoding nonverbal cues?
The post-pandemic world in which Rye lives is violent, brutal, and subject to rampant lawlessness. How does Obsidian’s character model a different way of living that goes beyond survival?
Butler writes in the third-person limited perspective, which keeps the narration close to Rye. How does this choice function on a meta level, demonstrating the themes within the story itself? How might the story have been different with a first-person or a third-person omniscient narrator?
When Rye learns that the two children can speak, her hope for the future of humanity is restored. What does the story suggest about achieving a more just society? What is the role of the youth in this vision?
The dangers of the postapocalyptic world are harsh and, in some ways, more terrifying for a woman than a man. How has Rye’s gender affected her struggle to survive? Does Rye’s and Obsidian’s gender difference have any bearing on how they choose to live their lives? If so, how?
Following a global pandemic, the transportation system has completely fallen apart. Gasoline, bus transport, and functioning cars are rare. How might the limitations of transportation function as a metaphor for the stagnancy of social development in the world of “Speech Sounds”? What parallels could you draw to this effect?
Obsidian risks his safety to help others whenever he can. What is the significance of sacrifice and compassion in a world where this is in short supply? How might Obsidian’s example have inspired Rye in her short time with him?
“Speech Sounds” falls into the popular category of dystopian fiction. What about the world Butler builds is dystopian? What might this dysfunction teach readers about the world as it is today?
The virus seriously impairs everyone’s ability to use language and sometimes causes paralysis and intellectual impairment. How well do you think Butler handles the issue of disability and representation of people with disabilities? Why do you think this?
By Octavia E. Butler
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