User:Bentley0207/sandbox

Summary:
Isiah Lavender lll gives a rather interesting take on Butler's The Evening and the Morning and the Night with Digging Deep. By including examples of little-known information on the treatment of African Americans, Lavender compares the people that have DGD in the story to African Americans in America both in the past and today. Comparing the treatment of the DGD sufferers, such as locking them away in institutions that in some cases allow the patients to 'finish themselves off', labeling them as 'other' and alienating them, Lavender also compares the DGD trait of self-mutilation to the idea of black on black crime. By speaking of Alan's comment on sterilization, he includes true examples of unwarranted sterilization amongst black women in the south between 1950 and 1961. Lavender even compares the medical necklace DGD sufferers have to wear to the automatic judgement based on skin color African Americans often face daily

Quotes:
"with this notion in mind, the idea of DGD attacking DGD mirrors the problem of black-on-black violence that emerged during the Regan era" ( Line 3-4, page 72)

"Not surprisingly, thirty-one states had eugenic laws on the books at one time, and African American women, particularly in the South, had well-grounded fears of sterilization by the predominately white medical establishment." (Line 19-22 page 68)

"Lynn experiences moments of intolerance from the healthy student body, although she had no "particular hope" for the future from going to school. (37) The minute she enters a "public space", her "body becomes marked with meaning" because people "fail to see a shared humanity" (Alsutany 107) (Line 32-37 page 73)

Summary:
Sandra Govan gives an endearing piece about Octavia Butler's Speech Sounds, going into detail about the complexity of both the story and the author. Describing both the details of the way of life in Los Angles' in the 80's as well as the effects of losing speech and general literacy tactics on the widespread population. Going into detail about the basis for the story, a friend dying of Multiple Myeloma,which is a terminal form of cancer. Govan also speaks on how the fight scene on the bus came from Butler's experiences of riding the bus to hold weekly visits with her terminal friend. Adding to consideration Butler's devout religious duties as a baptist, also commenting on how she doesn't miss a chance to incorporate these values into her stories. Govan also goes into detail on why the characters in Butler's Speech Sounds react the way they do within the new society, citing academic essays on left brain/ right brain usage and how each affects human thought and behavior.

Quotes:
"During the 1980s, a friend of hers was hospitalized, dying slowly of multiple myeloma - an incurable cancer. Butler visited her friend weekly, riding the bus through LA to the hospital because she would not risk driving with dyslexia." (Line 32-22. Page 116)

'Nor does Butler, steeped in the Baptist church and biblical tale, neglect a nod to religion" (line 40 - page 118)

"He stipulates that "In 97% of right-handed people, language is controlled by the left hemisphere [while] left-handers  have a more even distribution of language in both hemispheres" (line 18-20 page 123)

Summary:
Maria Troy speaks about the loss of speech and literacy in general plaguing a not so futuristic Los Angeles and how society crumbles and copes afterward. Citing aphasia, the disease Butler based this story on she speaks about how society has fallen into a primitive state, reverting to overly aggressive forms of survival and communication due to the disease that has spread - causing widespread illiteracy. Troy also speaks about Butler's characters fight for survival as well as the two main characters Rye and Obsidian who find one another for the brief time - with Rye inadvertently causing his demise soon after. She also speaks of how people who survive in that time barter and trade for food and necessities as the concept of money has fallen to the past as well as all major forms of organization from the government to the police department and everything in between. The writer also speaks about the differences Butler and most writers make when writing short stories versus writing novels.

Quotes:
"Speech Sounds", a dystopian science - fiction story, centers on one important theme that can easily serve as a starting-point for discussion in the classroom: communication - or more specifically, lack of verbal communication and its relation to violence and social disorder, social breakdown" (last paragraph - page one)

"These traits of aphasia are an integral part of "Speech Sounds" and they are highlighted, for instance, when Obsidian wants Rye to show him on the map where she would like for him to drive" (page 4 - line 13 - 16)

"Butler's 'Speech Sounds' pays tribute to the power of words. (page 8 - line 1)

Summary:
This short story revolves around the main character, Lynn and how she deals with the genetic disease passed down to her by her parents -Duryea-Gode Disease or DGD for short. The disease causes the sufferer to have insidious episodes which cause them to tear at and in some cases, eat their mutilated flesh. At the age of fifteen, she attempts suicide, tired of the embarrassment and isolation due to her disease. Shortly thereafter, she has to face the tragedy of her father killing and skinning her mother - then turning on himself. Shortly coming to terms with the sudden loss of both parents - both of which carriers of the same genetic disease she accepts the scholarship to attend college and uses it as an excuse to ignore the emotion turmoil. Devoting all her energy to her studies as well as reminding her new roommates about house maintenance and chores.

Shortly after falling into her role as housemother she meets Alan - who is also  DGD positive. They develop a friendship which blossoms into their own brand of love - leading to the promise of marriage and the question of children. When he asks her to visit his mother with him - who he hasn't seen or spoken to since he was three years old. She apprehensively agrees, taking the first steps to what would become a major decision in both of their futures.

Meeting Dr. Beatrice at the retreat Alan's mother was residing, they're informed of Lynn's special pheromones - their ability and why it's not such a good idea they procreate as a couple. Causing Alan to have an outburst of his own and raise a few important questions they need to face before marriage. At the end of their meeting with Dr. Beatrice - they leave with Lynn getting an offer to either work with Dr. Beatrice or run her own retreat - as well as having Alan question the validity of their relationship upon finding out about Lynn's special pheromones.

Quotes:
"I won't describe the ward. It's enough to say that when they brought me home, I cut my wrists." Page 1 - line 6/7 (Callallo edition)

"My father..., killed my mother, then killed himself" page 1 - line 22 (Callallo edition)

"I'm... he paused awkwardly. She and I are going to be married" Page 14 - line 15 (Callalloo edition)

Summary:
This story is about a boy and his family who is living on a Preserve I assume on a strange planet and his loss of innocence. The community they live in goes by rules that were made and put in force generations ago due to warring ancestors. The humans or Terrans as they're called in the story are depicted as a kind of second class citizen. They aren't treated as slaves but more so as human incubators for the Tlic young. The Tlic are the native creatures of the planet and seem to have dominance over the Terra
 * y have been linked to the Tlic royalty or first family.The story begins with the family and their Tlic having a shared moment in the home during which time the boy (Gan) gives the back story of how his Tlic (T'Gatoi) and his family became aligned as well as how powerful T'Gatoi's family is within the Tlic government. T'Gatoi is responsible for creating a lot of the peace treaties and safety measures that are currently in place for their lifetime, as well as joining Tlic and Terran families. Up until that day, Gan's family considered themselves very lucky to be aligned with hers. T'Gatoi is a trusted extension of their family and protects them from the rest of her kind who aren't as benevolent as she. T'Gatoi chose the youngest boy (Gan) to be the host for her young, despite his sister Hoa wanting the honor.From there the story picks up with the real - life show of exactly what the huge honor entails. A man called an N'Tlic is brought into the house and T'Gatoi has to preform an emergency c-section on him to remove the larve from his body as they'e started to feed on him. The young Gan witness' this first hand as he has to help T'Gatoi with the delivery. Definitely traumatized he escapes to the backyard and runs into his older brother who explains his own first time seeing the larve take over and kill a man. They have an argument and the older brother knocks Gan unconscious, when he wakes up the commotion inside the house has finished and he's left to face T'Gatoi as a young man armed with knowledge and truth of whats going to happen to him since he's the chosen one for the task of carrying her young. He confronts her with this newfound knowledge and she asks in turn if he'd prefer she chose his sister instead since she has always been eager for the position. Out of love for his sister he chooses to go with T'Gatoi to save Hoa the pain and torture of going through the "labor" and accept the fate of being the host himself. Carrying in his father's footsteps as his father carried T'Gatoi as a larve when he was Gan's age.Quotes:"It was an honor, my mother said, that such a person had chosen to come into the family" - page 4 line 1"I had been told all my life this was a good and necessary thing Tlge 4 line 1
 * "I had been told all my life this was a good and necessary thing Tlic and Terran did together - a kind of birth. I had believed it until now" - page 16 line 28-30
 * "Yeah. Stupid. Running inside the preserve. Running inside a cage" - page 20 line 26
 * "But you came to me... to save Hoa" - page 28 line 15

Citation Practice
Octavia Butler was shy as a child.