Reflections On Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

I think that you should teach this lesson to your freshman English class next year. Not only is it a compelling story, but it also demonstrates a variety of valuable lessons that can last a lifetime. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, touches upon sexual assault, the importance of friendships, and how to handle emotions in a helpful manner. Sexual assault is a topic that is seldom discussed among teenagers, yet extremely relevant to them. Speak sheds light on this important issue and helps students understand how rape can impact someone’s life. One effect it can have is depression. In the book, Melinda becomes deeply depressed and starts to self harm. We can tell she’s engaging in self harm when she confesses “It looks like I arm wrestled …show more content…
For example, on Christmas morning after she opened her presents, Melinda almost tells her parents about what happened on the night of the party. “I almost tell them right then and there,” she said. (Anderson 72) If she had told them, she probably would have been able to move on/recover more quickly, but since she had no one to lean on she continued in her downward spiral. However near the end of the book, Melinda began to understand that if she wanted to move forward she needed to speak up. This was apparent when she was about to tell her Mr. Freeman what happened. She said, “I feel the frozen stillness melt down through the inside of me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor. Words float up.” (Anderson 298) This was a big breakthrough for Melinda. She would no longer allow herself to be held back by that night, and would do what she could to move on. Telling someone close to her was the first step in this path. By learning about this in the book, students will understand the do’s and dont’s of dealing with their emotions, which will help them succeed in