Octavia E. Butler - Earthseed, Book 1 -… [360]

“But, Dad, that’s like…like ignoring a fire in the living room because we’re all in the kitchen, and, besides, house fires are too scary to talk about.” — , Octavia E. Butler - Earthseed, Book 1 -…, 360

Note

The whole debate between Lauren and her father turns on this analogy, and it’s a good one because it’s homely and airtight at once: the danger doesn’t go away by being unspeakable, and the stigma attached to naming it is itself part of the trap. The stammered ‘like…like’ keeps it in a teenager’s voice rather than a preacher’s, so the argument wins its force from being awkward rather than polished.