Apocalypse and Post-Apocalypse

     "The Star" by H.G. Wells and "Speech Sounds" by Octavia Butler both tell the story of death and destruction. In "Speech Sounds" the catalyst was a disease where in "The Star" the focus is on a celestial object hurtling towards the Earth. Both stories involve elements that are beyond our control and both stories end with a glimmer of hope.
     "The Star" is about the helplessness the human race would experience if a comet came close enough to do damage to the Earth. The story is one that is told over and over in science fiction. Arthur C. Clarke's novels "The Hammer of God" and "Rendezvous with Rama" both deal with asteroid impacts. Clarke was so concerned with the threat of asteroid impacts that he proposed a system of interlinked satellites called spaceguard to warn of near-earth objects before they could damage human civilization. I think that the appeal of stories about death from space are due to a few things. I think one reason for its appeal is due to our fear of helplessness in the face of utter destruction. In Well's time there was absolutely no defense against objects from space. In the present, chances for defense are a little greater. Regardless, if a massive object were to come close to the Earth we would very likely be as helpless as the people of 1897. I think that the other reason for why these stories are so appealing are due to the egocentric nature of human beings. No one likes the idea of the world still being here after they die. We would rather like to think that the day after we die a giant asteroid comes around and ends the world with us. However the truth is the day after we die some guy's alarm clock is going off and he's going to work. The world just keeps turning.
     "Speech Sounds" is less about the destruction of mankind due to a celestial force and more about the barbarism of mankind finally leading it into a degenerative state, In the story a disease has robbed everyone of the power of speech causing them to become degenerate and aggressive, However, by the end of the story there is hope for humanity in the form of two children who have the power of speech and are not as aggressive as the rest of the human population. The story is about the nature of mankind at present and whether or not we will ever move beyond our natural aggressive tendencies.