Speech Sounds

These prompts can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before or after reading the story.

Pre-Reading “Icebreaker”

In Christina Dalcher’s 2018 novel, Vox (see Paired Texts below), the US government decrees that females can only speak 100 words per day; shortly thereafter, girls are no longer taught reading and writing.

Imagine that for whatever reason (gender, skin color, class), your government allows you to use only 100 words each day to express yourself and your needs. What do you think you would expend that small language allowance on? When you had no more words left for the day (spoken or written), how would you express yourself? After enduring weeks, months, even years of this oppression, what would your prevailing feelings be towards those who had no limit on their speech?

Teaching Suggestion: After students write their responses or discuss this icebreaker question in pairs, prompt them to think about speech and power, including political power. How can a democracy function when one group refuses to let another be heard? Although the US government was originally founded upon the ideal of giving power to the people, the political voices of women and Black people were effectively silenced for over a century. Point out to students that Octavia Butler—a Black woman—was born before the US Civil Rights movement, and she published “Speech Sounds” in 1983. Encourage students to keep this context in mind while reading the story and to consider what the story is saying about speech, communication, and “justice for all.”

• In this Interview with Christina Dalcher, France 24 journalist Eve Jackson talks with the author of Vox about the power to speak up and the dangers of “cancel culture.”

Post-Reading Analysis

At the end of “Speech Sounds,” Rye chooses to take responsibility for the two children and their future. Why does she do so, after initially deciding to leave them on their own? After responding to this question, imagine what Rye’s life will be like a year later, and write down your thoughts in a brief paragraph. Take into consideration what the story seems to say about the relationship between communication, compassion, and a just society. A year after the final moments of “Speech Sounds,” is Rye’s society more or less just? Detail a rationale for your response.

Teaching Suggestion: While “Speech Sounds” clearly underscores how essential speech and communication are to the functioning of a society, students may not readily see how the story upholds compassion as a critical feature of social justice. Note, for example, that Rye prides herself on having been a teacher, but through her brief encounter with Obsidian, she learns the value of being a protector, as well. Ask students to think about how the virus in the story has created inequalities and what role compassion could play in mitigating those inequalities. A year after the end of the story, is Rye living in a community of those who care for one another, or is she living alone with the children amid ongoing hostilities?

• In an Interview published by the University of Chicago Law School, philosopher Martha Nussbaum discusses her book Political Emotions: Why Love Matters for Justice (2013), which explores the ways emotions—particularly love and compassion—can be politically productive and foster the growth of a just society.