I really enjoyed the story “Speech Sounds,” but I was totally not expecting the point it left me with. It might not have anything to do with the actual story, but I really felt like Butler was asking us a question with the character of Obsidian, who is so determined to do the right thing in a very dangerous society. I think she is asking us whether, given this kind of desperate situation, would we do the right thing, even though doing so could very possibly cost us our lives? Or do we sit idly by and protect ourselves?
It is a very interesting question to me. This kind of situation has been asked of me in a high school Holocaust class, which required me to be a prisoner in a Nazi camp (not that I am equating this society with a Nazi prison camp. It is just a very similar, but real life application of this question). Would I protect a member of my family if a Nazi was beating them, even though it could very possibly mean my death? I don’t think it is possible to give a definitely true answer until we are faced with that situation in real life.
But I also think that it is an interesting question to pose to the characters in this particular story. Obsidian has already proven that he would not protect his own life, but would try to save the victim. But what would Rye do? I think at the beginning of this story she very possibly would protect her own life. She took herself completely out of the situation on the bus, which could have resulted in a huge brawl, and she didn’t join the situation with the woman until Obsidian told her to see if the woman could be saved. Even then, she didn’t become involved really until the man had shot Obsidian and was about to turn the gun on her.
However, I think that Rye’s opinion on the question changes as soon as she finds out that the children can speak. She had been on the verge of leaving them behind to fend for themselves, but then the little girl cries out to keep Rye from taking the woman. Rye recognizes what these children could mean for both her and the society they live in. They could possibly be an indication that the epidemic that has burdened them for so many years is finally on the way out, and they prove that it is possible to teach the young children in the society language. These children give Rye a real purpose in her life. She now has someone to teach again, and I think that Rye would have protected them and that hope they gave her with her life if need be.
(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 15)
You raise many excellent questions about "Speech Sounds" in this post. Would it be fair to say that Rye has a more balanced perspective about the current state of affairs than Obsidian does? It seems as though Rye only involves herself in situations that could escalate to violence when absolutely necessary. Whereas Obsidian's response to dystopia is to continue to perform the role of police officer, Rye's response seems to be that of logic and reasoning, relating to her former career as a history professor. It appears that Rye is able to remain alive because she uses her mind before she uses her fists. Butler's larger point seems to be that violence arises from a breakdown in communication. We also see at the end of the story that language and communication are the best hope for future survival, as Rye finds the children whose ability to use language has remained intact.
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