Speak

Trees in Speak In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, a young girl named Melinda is raped at a party over the summer and calls the cops. The party is busted and everyone blames Melinda for ruining the fun, even though they did not know the full story. When school starts again, she is friendless and bullied. Nobody knows that she was raped; they think she called the cops because people were drinking. Melinda rarely talks because she is afraid of what people will think when she speaks. The only place where she feels like she can truly be open and be herself is in her art class. When her teacher, Mr. Freeman, assigns her with drawing trees for the whole year, she thinks it is going to be an easy task. What she comes to understand is that for the tree to be a great piece of art, she needs to put all of her emotions into making it. As Melinda draws her trees throughout the stories, she is constantly changing the way she is drawing them because they are not perfect. But as the story progresses Melinda…

Where in the World is Melinda? Art can be a gateway for people to find themselves. Art is something that can be made into something only the person who painted it or made it truly understands. However, it can impact someone else in a different way, as they see it differently. Art can be read as how a person feels or sees the world. People see things differently every day. People go through stages throughout their life time where they will look for something to fulfill them while in that stage.…

“Speak” Central Idea Essay Most of society has probably gone through a time that they will never forget. This time could be exciting, cheerful, or just traumatic. However, times like those make us who we are which is strengthening. In “Speak”, Laurie Halse Anderson takes us on an adventure with a dynamic character named Melinda. Melinda was like any other teenager, until a traumatic experience turns her into a judgemental and isolated human being. Throughout the book, the reader follows…

Conflict could mean many things, conflict can be seen external and internal, such as the mental struggle of a person, such as opposing needs, wishes, or internal and external demands. Also, it could mean a strong disagreement between people, groups, and more that is mostly an angered argument too. Conflict could have many effects on a person, it could cause isolation, depression, problems at school, and ruin friendship. Conflict also have positive impacts, such as people building a stronger…

“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…

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. Yet, silence helps to focus on the implication behind the words without the distraction…

Melinda’s surrounding of people creates her fears of speaking out about her rape case. At the beginning of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the freshmen are gathered up together in the auditorium, where she see’s her ex-best friend, Rachel, “This was the girl who suffered through Brownies with me... If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened, it’s Rachel. My throat burns. Her eyes meet mine for a second. “I hate you,” she mouths silently. She turns her back to…

Grade Level and Audience In her novel Speak, author Laurie Halse Anderson (1999) discusses the life of a teenage girl as she struggles through depression and the harsh realities of life. Topics wrestled with in the novel range from parental fighting and challenges to the endeavor of fitting in with high school students. Anderson skillfully addresses many of the same issues that plague teenagers in today’s world while also creating a connection between the reader and the narrator. Speak is a…

Alienation is the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved. Those groups include teams or friendships, and when someone is alienated, the others find a reason for them to be pushed away. Isolation can be the cause of depression with most, as they find themselves alone with no one who cares. This idea of alienations is shown in Speak, a novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak is a novel about Melinda Sordino,…

once said, “Encouraging young people to believe in themselves and find their own voice whether it’s through writing, drama, or art is so important in giving young people a sense of self worth.” In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino feels that her voice is taken away after being raped by Andy Evans which he is referred to as IT, and Andy Beast. She goes into high school as a young teen, depressed and silenced. Melinda grows stronger throughout her freshman year as she…