Character Analysis: Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

“Summer Reading Essay: Prompt 1“ In Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, a teenage girl, Melinda, is starting out her freshmen year in high school but unlike everyone else, she has no friends at the beginning of the school. Melinda does not have any friends at the beginning because Melinda called the cops at the back to school year party and everyone was busted. Melinda is deemed the outcast at school. No one asks Melinda what happened at the back to school party and Melinda is terrorized at school because of calling the cops. Melinda falls into depression quickly because she is all-alone and no one cares enough to ask what happened at the party. Melinda was sexually abused at the party and falls into depression. When Melinda falls into depression, …show more content…
Melinda takes an art class that is taught by Mr. Freeman. Mr. Freeman can tell Melinda is struggling and tells her to express her emotions into her artwork. Art class is a great way for Melinda to show what is in on the inside and what she is feeling. Melinda’s ex-friend, Ivy, is in Melinda’s art class. Ivy does not socialize with Melinda until later on and realizes Melinda’s struggles and they start to become slowly friends again. One of Melinda’s other classes, biology, there is a boy named David Petrakis and he is Melinda’s biology partner. David is the opposite of Melinda. Mr. Neck, the history teacher, tries to start a debate on whether immigrants are taking away jobs from his son but when David speaks up about it, Mr. Neck is quick to close the debate. David states that he has the right to speak about the debate and Mr. Neck and David quickly get into an argument. David goes home and tells his parents and they hire a lawyer and threaten to prosecute Mr. Neck. David can sense that something is amiss with Melinda and tries to help her by saying that it is better to be strong and stand up for yourself than be quiet and fragile. Melinda also watches talk shows like Oprah and Jerry Springer. Melinda learns that she was a victim of sexual abuse and comes to terms with it. Melinda goes back to the place she was sexually abused and finally let goes and let her realize that she was sexually abused. One of the …show more content…
Melinda’s journey shows what adolescents are struggling with in the real world. A lot of adolescents are depressed for different reasons like sexual abuse. A lot of adolescents are going through depression alone and no one cares enough to say something about it. Adolescents with depression should always have someone there to help him or her overcome