Whether one decides to believe in fate, destiny, free will, or anything else, one thing is always true: people make choices. Every day we make choices. They can be small ones, like choosing to tip five percent more at a restaurant or choosing to wear a green tie over a blue one. But many of the choices a person makes are larger than these, choosing a field to major in, or choosing a spouse, perhaps. Clearly, our choices are important because they determine our character and future, but they are also important because many, if not all, of our choices, directly affect others and the people around them.…
Anne Grujich, one of the best students I have worked with in 29 years of teaching and counseling, is an exceptional young woman. Annie transferred to our school last year in the middle of 11th grade. This can be a very difficult transition, but Annie’s adjustment has been remarkably smooth. She continued the Advanced Placement classes she began in her former school, hit the ground running, and succeeded magnificently, earning three 5’s and a 4 on her AP Exams. This year Ms. Dana Meute, AP English Literature and Composition teacher, is thrilled to have Annie in class.…
Isolation from the outside world will only worsen one’s inner problems. That was a proven theme in Laurie Halse Anderson’s ‘Speak. ’From the get go, the main character, Melinda, isolated herself from the outside world. At a party during summer vacation, Melinda was sexually assaulted by Andy Evans, aka IT. For the majority of the year, she kept to herself.…
I've read many books in my lifetime, but there is one that made me look at things completely different. The book is titled Speak, and is written by Laurie Halse. It made me see how real depression, PTS and rape are. It made me look through Melinda's eyes/mind and how she couldn't take to anyone about her problems, so instead she bottled everything up. It showed me to talk about these painful things and if someone doesn't listen, find someone that…
“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.” quotation by Franz Kafka. In the novel “Speak”, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, there is a girl named Melinda Sordino a freshman student that lost her friends because she called the police during a party where she was raped by a guy named Andy Evans and ever since that day she has changed into another person.…
English 102, 11-27-16 discussion 7 share an author About the poem ADIEU by Jose Hernandez Diaz: 1. What was your first response to the work and what surprised you the most about the work? Explain in detail. My first response to this work when I read it the first time was a disappointment since I expected something more savory and with better rhymes from a Chicano poet.…
Good morning students and welcome to the HSC study day. Todays lecture is on how the two texts, The Courtship of Joe Wilson and Saving Private Ryan increase our appreciation of the world through language and to explore the world in general. Henry Lawson’s extraordinary novel, The Courtship of Joe Wilson depicts through various literary techniques the past world of rural Australia in the late 1800s and employs colloquial language, imagery and dialogue to emphasise our understanding and appreciation of the concepts of Courtship. The narrative successfully portrays a reflection of Henry Lawson’s younger days through the protagonist, Joe Wilson, ultimately increasing our appreciation of the world.…
In her 1999 essay, I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read, Francine Prose examines what she believes is the detrimental relationship between novels written by writers of different ethnic groups and identities and high school students. By employing rhetorical devices such as ethos, rhetorical questions, and cause and effect, Prose can emphasize how new curriculums in high school English courses including novels by culturally diverse writers are causing students to show less interest in reading. Prose begins her essay with an anecdote where she relates herself to other parents of high school students by saying she finds herself each September “increasingly appalled by the dismal lists of texts that [her] sons are doomed to waste a school year reading.” Providing this anecdotal evidence…
“He was my best friend’s brother,/my grandfather, father, mommy’s boyfriend,/my date/my cousin/my coach/i met him for the first time that night and--/four guys took turns, and--/i’m a boy and this happened to me, and--” (Anderson) Nearly half of rape and sexual assault victims are girls under the age of 18, according to Sexual Assault Survivor Resources. In Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, both rape and sexism are topics heavily represented through the protagonist Melinda Sordino--a young high schooler who experiences fear, loneliness, and the feeling of not having a voice after being raped and calling the cops at a summer party. Throughout Speak, gender is proven to be a social construct that causes the main obstacles in the plot. From the beginning, gender is shown to be a social construct solidified by the actions of the antagonist, Andy Evans, towards Melinda and girls in general. “Beast: ‘You’re not going to scream.…
Silence is uncommon today when sharing what is on everyone’s mind is just a click away. Malala Yousafzai expresses that, “We realize the importance of our voice only when we are silenced.” Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson follows the freshman year after the rape of Melinda Sordino who struggles between keeping her mouth shut and using her voice against her attacker. The novel explores the crippling power of being voiceless to illustrate the importance of speaking up. Melinda demonstrates the difficulty of confession when no one will listen, preventing healing and justice.…
Communicating to Overcome Obstacles Communicating is something that grade nines especially seem to struggle with, but they do not seem to see exactly how important it is to communicate with others. Melinda Sordino, a grade nine student in Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak, struggles with speaking to other people ever since she was raped at a summer party. The figurative ice in her throat is one of the main reasons why Melinda cannot speak to others even though she wants to. Instead, Melinda learns to communicate through art. Using turkey bones from thanksgiving, Melinda creates a structure that shows her feelings.…
The essays contained in my portfolio are part of the assignments written for the course English 101, which I took the first session of Summer 2016 at Joliet Junior College. This compilation of papers shows my progress and the effort I put to complete some of the basic core requirements to achieve an associate degree. The portfolio consists of: a literacy narrative essay, a synthesis with two sources and two argumentative essays. The essays represent my personal opinion about diverse topics assigned by the instructor. In the paragraphs below, a review of each paper will be given, complemented with a reflection about my writing performance and progress in the course.…
I begin this period of the class with a read aloud of a short text or section of a grade level novel to motivate and engage students in different reading contents. Once having read aloud for 15 minutes to the students, I teach a mini lesson on grammar or writing style that will help students further develop their skills as successful writers. These lessons will explicitly teach ideas such as writing persuasively, informatively, or in an entertaining manner (Newingham,…
In almost every class I’ve taken thus far at the University of Maryland, my expectation to succeed has been set high. Although a letter grade of an A or B+ does not completely define success, I have established in my mind that I cannot say I have truly master a concept or subject if my grade is lower than a B+. This drive to succeed is not debilitating, but rather provides me with a boost of energy that enables me to strive to do my absolute best in every assignment I complete. So, if I was asked how well do I think I will do in ENGL395, I would set my standards high as always and say I will receive an A. I do not think receiving this grade will come easy, but I am willing to put in the effort and time in order to excel in this course.…
In English classrooms, underneath the readings, essays, and grammar exercises, lies a basic goal that goes far beyond simply improving language skills. This goal is to spark a passion for English, whether it be reading or writing, in the hearts of students. However, this poses a challenge to teachers, as they must find a balance in the classroom that will engage students. It is difficult to create an environment in which students will enjoy English when educational standards have to be me.…