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Comparing Speech Sounds By Octavia Butler And Walter Van Tilburg Clark

747 Words3 Pages

Science Fiction Comparison When people’s lives are stripped away, and communication is lost, is the time when people prize companionship and affection the most. They crave to go back to the way their lives were before and something that was small before the destruction of their livelihood, is now what they depend on for their happiness. Both Rye and Dr. Jenkins experience longing for their pasts and they do anything to satisfy their nostalgia. In “Speech Sounds” and “The Portable Phonograph”, Octavia Butler and Walter Van Tilburg Clark describes the greed that the characters face, that causes destruction with both symbolism and the similarities of the characters. In “Speech Sounds” the main item that is envied for is communication. Since …show more content…

Rye was once a teacher, which makes her even more jealous of Obsidian when she discovers he can speak and read. She automatically loathes him because she cannot do the things she once did. This is significant because communication is something she longs for is ripped away from her and is given to someone else. Her ability to speak, read and write is a connection to her past, but she cannot go back to the way things once were. The symbolism of communication is related to “The Portable Phonograph” because the phonograph is the object that is envied as well. The phonograph represents Dr. Jenkin’s need for friends and company. With almost no form of communication or entertainment in this society, the group almost seems to worship the phonograph as, that is all they have. The use of the phonograph is only done at a special occasion, which for Dr. …show more content…

Jenkins are similar in the way that they both crave interaction with other people. Both of their worlds are torn apart and being with others is the only thing that can bring peace. Rye senses an instant connection with Obsidian, even though she is jealous of him since he can read and write, and she cannot. “learn to accept the state-of-nature conditions under which we live; these conditions are not something from which Butler’s characters can reliably escape” (Curtis 413). Rye learns to make the best of her situation when she decides to take those children with her, knowing she cannot bring her children back to life. She tries to make a bad situation better and gives hope for a better future. Dr. Jenkins does not care as much about the phonograph as much as he does about the company that comes along with it. He enjoys the people that visit him because that does not happen much in this society, and the phonograph is a way of bringing them together for something. This is significant to his character because he is lonely and a bit of interaction with these people could mean the world to him. Both character miss things from their pasts, and though they cannot go back to the way things once were, they savor the moments that bring them the joy they once

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