In this period, which is called the dead phase, any voice that Melinda might have gained while she was confused, was lost, due to the crushing weight of being dumped by the one friend she had the entire year, Heather. During this time Thanksgiving was coming around, and her family was becoming stressed, which was taking its toll on Melinda’s emotional state. After Thanksgiving was over, Melinda saved the turkey bones, and brought them to school to make a sculpture. Mr. Freeman had seen the pain that was going on inside of Melinda, through the sculpture’s dead and frightening look, there was also a palm tree that was half melted stuck right in the center of the sculpture, that might represent her broken innocence, or most likely her desire to tell someone about her experience, but it is entrapped within her soul, and the voice is trying to be heard so desperately, that is has to be bright, and shine through the darkness of what is going on in Melinda’s life. As she sees this as a sign, she decides that she will tell someone about what has…
In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino, a freshman in high school, undergoes development that changes her as a person. In the beginning of the book, Melinda is scared and unsteady because a senior named Andy Evans raped her at a senior party over the summer. As additional time passes, her confidence and health worsen, eventually resulting in self-harm. When as she begins to receive the attention she deserves, she starts the healing process. Melinda’s development near the beginning of the book is represented by the artwork of a tree she must create in art class.…
That summer everything changed for Melinda Sordino. Freshmen were still learning about high school and who people were, but that night at the party changed everything for Melinda and we will discover what happen throughout the book. This book is called Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. It's about a girl who was just entering high school. She went to a party over that summer before freshman year.…
Melinda struggles to find her voice again while forgiving for what happened to her, expressing herself in a way that her art has given her the answers that she has been looking for all along, all she needed was a little encouragement, faith, and hope. Melinda starts off high school with no friends and the entire high school body despising her existence. She struggles to speak and find her voice as she replays the tragic night; Andy Evans raped her at the party after she had been drinking. As she struggles to speak to anyone about the incident, she says “It's easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip, can it.…
In Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, the majority of the conflicts are caused by silence of fearful children. Whether they’re afraid of backlash, judgment, or adults not listening to them, these people don’t speak out, and suffer as a result. The PSA intends to show the dangers of situations that are brought up in Speak. For instance, the presentation includes the fact that undergoing a stressful event can often cause depression. Andy Evans raping Melinda certainly qualifies as stressful, not to mention her starting high school and being bullied.…
Within the novel speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the character Melinda Sordino has grown and changed through her actions, thoughts, and spoken words. A theme that relates to Melinda's growth is open lines of communication during physical and emotional setbacks is vital to overcoming the setback. the first claim is showing Melinda’s growth through her actions through the viewpoint of Melinda in her freshman year. Melinda behaves in a socially awkward behavior in the beginning due to the fact she was raped at a summer party going into ninth grade. This tragic event, made Melinda emotionally and physically shut down.…
Other students think Melinda is being such a jerk who is trying to make people to get in a trouble. Therefore, she completely gets isolated from her friends and other students. The author of this book demonstrates Melinda's depression and overcoming her ordeal by usage of symbolism for…
Trees are full of life. In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda feels like her life is inconsequential. Melinda is a 14-year-old girl who is about to leap into high school. Right before school started, he went to a party with her friends. She got overwhelmed, so she walked into the woods to take a breather.…
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.…
In the novel, Melinda did not think that she can draw a tree that can speak. But in the end she did and Mr. Freeman loved it. I just show that she just have to believe that she can do it. If we believe and do what we think can. We just have to inspire ourselves for us to do it.…
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.…
During Christmas, Melinda got an art kit from her parents. She gets really emotional and notices how her parents see her drawing. Melinda starts to believe that her parents suspect that she was at a party. That is when “[she] almost [told] [her parents] right then and there… [she] [tried] to swallow the snowball in [her] throat.” (Anderson 72).…
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.…
With just a paper and a pen, the power of language can transform the world around you. Language has established a system of human communication, incorporating the application of words in a structured and customary way. Its purpose can profess emotions from one human to another and suddenly make you feel the lost emotions inside of yourself. In Coming Into Language written by Jimmy Santiago Baca, he emphasizes his wildly dangerous journey of life and being found in the influence of language within the walls of his jail cell.…
How I got to view the world through the eyes of others through my volunteer experiences. When you get to do that and learn something new but other ways to help you are truly outstanding. There are so many things that first attracted me to volunteering. Of course, it was advertised in a way to volunteer for yourself to gain experience however I was attracted by how a little can mean the world to someone else. I help others to simple help, not to gain as advertised.…