Melinda Sordino

The book “Speak,” by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a girl named Melinda Sordino who is starting her freshman year in high school. She’s had something horrible done to her, however, she won’t tell anyone what happened. During a party before school starts, a junior named Andy Evans raped her. When she calls the police, but she can’t bring herself to tell them what happened. During her phone call with the police, another person sees her and all her friends and everyone at the party begins to hate…

How much does Melinda speak throughout the novel? Is she actually silent? 2. What role does Melinda’s art class play throughout the course of the novel? 3. Who/what eventually has the greatest impact on Melinda finally speaking? 4. Why does Melinda not like mirrors? 5. Choose a symbol from the book (a mirror, the tree, the suffragettes, etc.) and explain how it affected Melinda in the novel. Why Speak should not be banned In today’s world, to…

overwhelming to the experiencer. The most common group of individuals of people suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are veterans, because of the incredibly horrific things this group of people witness and commit on the battlefield. Melinda Sordino, the main character in Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, appears to be experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after she was raped at a party the summer before the novel takes place.…

That summer, everything had changed for Melinda Sordino. Her peers would not view her the same consequently her freshman year would be off to a rocky start, but when the past is uncovered things will change.Through the book Speak by Laurie Halsey Anderson we live through the sad story of a depressed teen who enters high school with no friends and is hated by her peers. We are able to understand the difficulty high school teenagers face, specifically when faced with something so big.There is no…

that acts as her escape is her art class, her teacher, and her art project. All the while at school she has to face “IT”, also know as Andy Evans. Dehumanizing Andy Evans by calling him IT helps Melinda block out what he did to her that night. Andy Evans raped Melinda Sordino and no one knows about it. Melinda called the cops, but she was not calling them on the party, she was calling them on…

A Fearful Existence Tullian Tchividjian once said, “The deepest fear we have, 'the fear beneath all fears,' is the fear of not measuring up, the fear of judgment. It's this fear that creates the stress and depression of everyday life.” The fear of the physical pain that things such as sexual harassment and violence can cause the surface fear, but beneath that is the fright of judgment caused by these events. Sexual harassment and violence can cause psychological effects of fear and insecurity in…

that nothing good can come from vocalizing what happened to them. In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino, the main character, is a victim of rape who doesn’t speak up about what happened which leads her to become withdrawn, self - alienated, and dead inside. However as time passes she begins to show signs of healing, empowerment, and coming back to life. As Melinda begins high school she is haunted by what happened to her at the party with “IT”. She hasn’t told anybody what…

whether it’s through writing, drama, or art is so important in giving young people a sense of self worth.” In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino feels that her voice is taken away after being raped by Andy Evans which he is referred to as IT, and Andy Beast. She goes into high school as a young teen, depressed and silenced. Melinda grows stronger throughout her freshman year as she struggles to find her voice again. When she is going through the process of trying to put…

assaulted.” (RAINN). Sadly, the statistic holds true for Melinda Sordino, a pessimistic ninth grader from the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Through Melinda’s battle with depression and acceptance, the author of Speak demonstrates a universal truth that breaking free from emotional bondage requires one to speak up. Melinda’s journey, from depression to self-confidence, allows her to reconnect emotionally to her old lifestyle. Melinda begins the process by immensely breaking down the…

written by Laurie Halse Anderson portrays a girl named Melinda, who was raped at a party and later called the cops. After she had called the cops she ran away and the whole student body began to hate her because the police broke up the party. However, she had run away like a coward and never spoke up about what happened, instead she let everyone hate her; soon, she became the school's outcast. Unable to find her voice to speak up, Melinda Sordino faces…