“By cutting off the damage you make it possible for the tree to grow again. You watch-by the end of summer, this tree will be the strongest on the block” (Anderson 187). A person’s will to continue despite their past problems is what helps them move forward. After experiencing rape, Melinda begins her freshman year being shunned by her friends and detested by the majority of the students at her high school. She faces both inner and outer problems, but continues to grow despite them. Anderson’s usage of archetypal symbols, contextual symbols, and allusions help reflects Melinda’s development as a person.
First, the famous archetypal symbol in Speak is the tree Melinda is assigned to draw throughout her school year. For instance, “I have already …show more content…
Throughout the story, “Maya Angelou’s picture watches me while I sweep and mop the floor, while I scrub the shelves, while I chase the spiders out of the corners” (Anderson 50) Maya Angelou is a necessary character who is considered a role model among people, especially Melinda. Similarly, Melinda and Maya both have been raped at an age where they could not speak up. They both lead a hard life, making them both the same in personality. Ultimately, “Maya Angelou watches me, two fingers on the side of her face. It is an intelligent pose. Maya wants me to tell Rachel” (Anderson 151). Maya encourages Melinda to warn Rachel about the threat of Andy at a certain point of the story. Due to their similarities, Maya is one of the people who helped Melinda’s speaking problem. The author may have chosen Maya as the role model of Melinda because of her own accomplishment for speaking …show more content…
It is necessary to understand the usage and purpose of symbolism and allusion in literature because it helps the reader fully comprehend the story itself. Many archetypal and contextual symbols often give away an image of the character development or scene tone, such as the tree drawing in Speak. In a similar way, allusions also help the reader understanding of the story by visualizing the development. Without symbols and allusions, the reader would have no clue at what happened in a story plot. The showing of a rape or sexual scene in a book is appropriate for a high school freshman because it helps the reader give an understanding of what will happen in the future. If all of the books were free of “inappropriate” scenes, then most of the students would not have the awareness of the dangers of rape and other similar issues. Stated at the end of the Speak, “He hurt me. It wasn’t my fault. And I’m not going to let it kill me. I can grow” (Anderson
First, the famous archetypal symbol in Speak is the tree Melinda is assigned to draw throughout her school year. For instance, “I have already …show more content…
Throughout the story, “Maya Angelou’s picture watches me while I sweep and mop the floor, while I scrub the shelves, while I chase the spiders out of the corners” (Anderson 50) Maya Angelou is a necessary character who is considered a role model among people, especially Melinda. Similarly, Melinda and Maya both have been raped at an age where they could not speak up. They both lead a hard life, making them both the same in personality. Ultimately, “Maya Angelou watches me, two fingers on the side of her face. It is an intelligent pose. Maya wants me to tell Rachel” (Anderson 151). Maya encourages Melinda to warn Rachel about the threat of Andy at a certain point of the story. Due to their similarities, Maya is one of the people who helped Melinda’s speaking problem. The author may have chosen Maya as the role model of Melinda because of her own accomplishment for speaking …show more content…
It is necessary to understand the usage and purpose of symbolism and allusion in literature because it helps the reader fully comprehend the story itself. Many archetypal and contextual symbols often give away an image of the character development or scene tone, such as the tree drawing in Speak. In a similar way, allusions also help the reader understanding of the story by visualizing the development. Without symbols and allusions, the reader would have no clue at what happened in a story plot. The showing of a rape or sexual scene in a book is appropriate for a high school freshman because it helps the reader give an understanding of what will happen in the future. If all of the books were free of “inappropriate” scenes, then most of the students would not have the awareness of the dangers of rape and other similar issues. Stated at the end of the Speak, “He hurt me. It wasn’t my fault. And I’m not going to let it kill me. I can grow” (Anderson