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?