George Saunders: I Can Speak!™ - Study Notes

Hello! Welcome to your study guide for George Saunders's brilliant and funny short story, "I Can Speak!™". Don't worry if you found it a bit strange at first – that's part of the fun! In these notes, we'll break down everything you need to know, from the characters and themes to the clever techniques Saunders uses.

This story is more than just about a talking baby gadget; it's a sharp look at our modern world, our shopping habits, and the little voice in our head we call a conscience. Let's get started!


1. Who is George Saunders?

Think of George Saunders as a comedian who uses stories instead of a stage. He is a famous American writer known for his satirical short stories. Satire is a clever way of using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticise people's foolishness or vices, particularly in the context of politics and other topical issues.

Key things to know about him:
  • He often writes about the pressures of modern life, especially corporate culture and consumerism (our obsession with buying things).
  • His stories are often set in slightly bizarre, futuristic worlds that feel strangely familiar.
  • He is a master of creating characters who are flawed but also very human and relatable.

Did you know? Before becoming a full-time writer, George Saunders worked as a technical writer and geophysical engineer. This experience with corporate language and manuals definitely influences the hilarious and chillingly accurate way he writes about companies and their products!

Key Takeaway

George Saunders uses dark humour and satire to explore serious issues like consumerism and morality in modern America. Knowing this helps you understand the *purpose* behind the story's weirdness.


2. Plot Summary: What on Earth Happens?

Breaking down the plot helps us see the story's structure. It's a simple story about a man's bad decision.

  1. The Purchase: Our narrator, Derek, feels pressured to be a good father. He buys a high-tech gadget called I Can Speak!™ for his baby, Jimmy. The device is supposed to translate baby-talk into clear phrases.

  2. The Problem: The I Can Speak!™ device starts saying very disturbing things that have nothing to do with a baby. Phrases like "Is it? Is it? Is it nine? Oh God" and "So much blood" suggest it's retaining memories from a previous, tragic owner. This makes Derek feel incredibly guilty. He realises the product has simply been repackaged and resold.

  3. The Confrontation: Derek goes back to the store to return it. He speaks to the manager, Mrs. Faniglia. Instead of helping, she uses clever sales tactics and emotional manipulation to confuse him and make him feel like the bad guy.

  4. The "Solution": Mrs. Faniglia convinces Derek that the solution isn't to return the device, but to buy a new, expensive add-on called the Re-Phresh!™ card, which will wipe the old memories. Overwhelmed and weak, Derek agrees.

  5. The End: Derek goes home, still feeling guilty, but he tries to rationalise his decision. He chooses the easy way out, quieting the disturbing voice (and his conscience) with another purchase, rather than doing the right thing.
Key Takeaway

The plot follows a simple cycle: a problem created by consumerism is "solved" by more consumerism. The main character fails a moral test, showing how easily people can be manipulated by corporate power and their own weaknesses.


3. Character Analysis

The characters in this story are not complex, but they represent big ideas.

Derek (The Narrator)

  • Who is he? A new father who is insecure and easily influenced.
  • His Goal: To be a good parent and provide the best for his baby.
  • His Flaw: He is morally weak. He wants to do the right thing, but he's not strong enough to stand up for it. He is also quite selfish, caring more about easing his own guilt than the ethical problem of the device.
  • Why he matters: He represents the average consumer – someone with good intentions who gets trapped by clever marketing and a desire for an easy life. We see the story through his eyes, which is important because he is an unreliable narrator. He is constantly trying to justify his bad decisions to himself (and to us!).

Mrs. Faniglia

  • Who is she? The manipulative manager of the baby product store.
  • Her Goal: To sell products and prevent returns, no matter what.
  • Her Method: She uses classic high-pressure sales tactics. She deflects blame, uses confusing corporate jargon ("all sales are super-final"), and even emotionally blackmails Derek by talking about her own (probably fake) sick son.
  • Why she matters: She is the face of unethical corporate culture. She doesn't care about the customer or the moral implications of her product; she only cares about profit.

Jimmy (The Baby) & The "Voice"

  • Jimmy: He is not really a character, but a symbol. He represents innocence. He is a blank slate onto which the drama of the adults is projected.
  • The "Voice": The voice from the I Can Speak!™ device is the ghost in the machine. It represents the unseen consequences of consumerism. For every cheap, repackaged product, there might be a sad story or a victim we never see. It is also the voice of Derek's conscience, which he tries to silence.
Quick Review Box

Derek = The weak-willed consumer.
Mrs. Faniglia = The manipulative corporation.
The Voice = The hidden cost of consumerism & guilt.


4. Themes: The Big Ideas

Themes are the main ideas or messages in a story. "I Can Speak!™" is packed with them!

Consumerism and Corporate Power

This is the big one. The story is a powerful critique of a society that encourages us to buy happiness.

  • The I Can Speak!™ is a useless product that creates a problem rather than solving one.
  • The solution offered for this problem is... to buy another product (the Re-Phresh!™ card).
  • Mrs. Faniglia shows how corporations can twist language and emotions to control consumers. Think about her line: "What a man wants is a clean slate... What a man wants is a fresh start. That’s what I Can Speak!™ can do for you..." She's selling him an escape from guilt, not a baby product.
  • Analogy: It's like your phone company charging you a fee to fix a problem that their own faulty update caused.

Guilt and Moral Responsibility

Derek is trapped by his guilt. He knows reselling a faulty, tragedy-tainted product is wrong. But what does he do about it?

  • He tries to offload his responsibility by returning it.
  • When that fails, he chooses the easiest, most selfish path: he buys a quick fix to silence the problem, rather than fighting for the right thing (like demanding a proper recall or warning others).
  • The story asks us: How often do we choose the easy way out to avoid feeling guilty?

Communication vs. Miscommunication

The story is filled with irony about communication.

  • The product is called "I Can Speak!™", but it prevents real communication. Instead of learning to understand his baby's actual needs, Derek is listening to a machine's horrifying script.
  • Derek fails to communicate effectively with Mrs. Faniglia; she steamrolls him with her sales pitch.
  • The only "honest" communication is from the machine itself, telling a truth that everyone wants to ignore.
Key Takeaway

The story satirizes a world where buying things is more important than moral action, and technology, instead of connecting us, can isolate us from reality and true communication.


5. Style and Literary Techniques

How Saunders tells the story is just as important as what he says.

Satire

As we mentioned, the whole story is a satire. Saunders exaggerates the situation (a baby gadget haunted by a past life) to make a serious point about our consumer society. The ridiculous product names with trademark symbols (™) are a perfect example of this. It mimics real-life branding to show how absurd it can be.

First-Person Unreliable Narrator

We only see events from Derek's point of view. This is crucial because Derek is not telling us the objective truth; he's telling us a version that makes him look better. He constantly makes excuses for himself. For example, he says, "I am not a bad person," right before he does something morally questionable. Because we are in his head, we see his weakness up close.

Irony

Irony is when there's a contrast between what is said and what is meant, or what happens and what is expected.

  • Verbal Irony: The name "I Can Speak!™". The baby can't speak, the machine speaks nonsense, and it stops Derek from truly "listening" to his child.
  • Situational Irony: You would expect a product from a "Baby Product Megastore" to be safe and helpful. Instead, it's psychologically damaging. The place that should be about nurturing children is actually a place of cold, hard-hearted commerce.
Key Takeaway

Saunders's style (satire, first-person narration, irony) forces the reader to feel uncomfortable and question the world being presented. He doesn't just tell you consumerism is bad; he makes you experience the absurdity of it through Derek's eyes.


6. Final Tips for Your Exam

When writing about "I Can Speak!™", especially in comparison with other stories, focus on the "how" and "why".

Common Mistakes to Avoid:
  • Don't just retell the plot. The examiner knows the story. Your job is to analyse it. Instead of saying "Derek buys a machine," say "Derek's purchase of the I Can Speak!™ demonstrates how consumer culture preys on parental anxieties."
  • Don't forget the style! Always try to mention satire or the first-person narration. Explain *why* Saunders uses these techniques. How do they affect you as a reader?
  • Use quotes as evidence. Back up every point you make with a short quote or a specific reference to the text.
Thinking About Comparisons (Paper 1, Section C)

The HKDSE exam will ask you to compare this story with others. Here are some starting points:

  • Compare with "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury: Both stories are about technology's negative impact on a family. How is the "nursery" in "The Veldt" similar to the "I Can Speak!™"? Both involve parents using technology as an easy substitute for real parenting.
  • Compare with "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu: Both stories explore parent-child communication. "The Paper Menagerie" shows the beauty of a unique, magical form of communication, while "I Can Speak!™" shows how technology can create a horrifying barrier to it.

Good luck with your studies! "I Can Speak!™" is a fantastic story that gives you so much to talk about. Once you get the hang of its dark humour, you'll see just how clever and insightful it is.