Foreignness and the Other Quotes in Speaker for the Dead

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Until Quim finally screamed at him to shut up about that servant of the devil or he'd ask the Bishop to conduct an exorcism because Olhado was obviously possessed… (12.69)

Possession here is a metaphor for turning into the stranger—accepting the other makes you the other. So Miro and Ouanda have become piggies by thinking of the piggies as human. You can be possessed by difference and change—which is actually a kind of comforting thought if, like Ender, you want to stop being who you were. The Exorcist as growth experience, with less blood and a romantic soundtrack.

Quote #5

"We've always tried to play along with it, and act as if we believe it."

"How condescending of you," said Ender…

"You're cultural supremacists to the core. You'll perform your Questionable Activities to help out the poor little piggies, but there isn't a chance in the world you'll notice when they have something to teach you." (14.78-80)

Ender says Miro and Ouanda are condescending because they don't treat the piggies as equals, but isn't Ender pretty condescending himself? He's always lecturing people and handing down wisdom. Maybe it's just not condescending as long as you're the star of the book?

Quote #6

"Renegades. Those who have denied their own people, and claimed the enemy as their own…."

"The way you define it," said Ender, "the piggies are also human. That's why you're a renegade." (14.127, 134)

Foreignness is a function of how you define community or how you see yourself. Miro and Ouanda have decided that the piggies are part of their community, which makes them outlaws to those who define the community differently. As Shmoop discussed in elsewhere in the "Themes" section, individuals in Speaker are often defined by their communities, rather than the other way around.