Laurie Halse Anderson

1793, a historical fiction novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson, takes place in the city of Philadelphia during the year 1793 as an epidemic races through the area. Fourteen year-old Mattie Cook is caught right in the middle of it and has to struggle to survive as fever and panic take over the city. This disease causes many changes and challenges in her life that she must overcome. By using certain instances of description and inner thoughts, Anderson effectively develops the theme that…

of a person overcoming that block their best self. It’s truly inspiring because I think all of us are engaged in that everyday.” A constant reason of barricade is the insecurity we feel in certain times of our lives. In the novel, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, many characters experience self-doubt and worry. The most prominent examples of insecurity are the conflicts that Heather, Rachel, and Melinda reveal throughout the novel. In the case of Heather, we see a young girl and the…

Nothing but Quiet Preston Frisch Ms.Bell English 9 10 May 2018 In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, we see the positive and negative qualities of Heather, Rachel, and Melinda.The qualities of each person affects them each personally. The first quality of Melinda “It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say.”(Melinda,…

In Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda, a 8th grade girl goes to a party enforced by peer pressure.At this party where there was alcohol, Melinda meets an attractive young man. In which, it concluded as sexually assauly by the young man.Consequently, Melinda call the cops, in revere incognizance of what to do. Regrettably, no one thought this was an acknowledgeable action, since they considered it as a resolute action . Melinda feels reluctant to speak up, which causes her to be bullied ,…

Alexis Pfarrer Language Arts Mrs. Dillon 5 October 2016 After reading the novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, there have been obvious times when the characters incorporated in the book decide to use their powerful voices to get their point across. Two of these wonderful characters include main character Melinda Sordino and her lab partner David Petrakis. Melinda Sordino had ruined the end-of-the-summer party by calling the police. Her friends have stopped talking to her since, and others…

“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…

Out of these 20 million women, only 16% of these rapes were reported to law enforcement. Why? Because these people are afraid to tell anyone. They have no one who they can really trust and they feel alone and afraid. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda, the protagonist, was…

While discussing the idea of one’s personality, Malala Yousafzai stated, “It is very important to know who you are. To make decisions. To show who you are.” Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson is a novel about finding who one really is. The focus is on the life of a freshman girl named Melinda who has been through some very tough and scarring situations. She was raped by Andy Evans at a party with her friends that had no idea what had happened. She was scared and had no other choice in mind than to…

In the novel, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character is Melinda. The novel begins following Melinda on her first day of high school. It is very apparent to the reader that Melinda’s life is not going as she would like. On the bus ride to school she sits by herself and at the end of the ride she is the only person who nobody chose to sit with. At the school assembly the other girls, who Melinda notes used to be her friends, whisper and laugh when they see Melinda. This obviously…

When people experience a traumatic event like rape many don’t speak up. They convince themselves 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…