Analysis Of Speak By Laurie H. Anderson

It is never good to be judge a book by its cover. This is also applies to people. We cannot judge someone or know everything about a person just by looking at them. We do not know what they have been through, their struggles and life experiences. The novel, Speak written by Laurie H. Anderson, is about a girl name Melinda Sordino, who is a rape victim and a freshman in highschool. The story conveys Melinda’s struggles from her traumatic experience of rape as she grows and develops from her isolated self through her relationships with Mr Freeman, Ivy and David. Melinda’s relationship with Mr. Freeman grows and develops throughout the story. Melinda’s connection with Mr. Freeman is a typical student-teacher relationship at first; however,

During the first half of the novel, there are tensions between Ivy and Melinda after Melinda reliazes Ivy purposefully avoids her. However, as the story progresses, Ivy and Melinda’s relationship further grows and develops over their connection with art and mutual dislike towards Andy Evans. The first friendly interaction between Melinda and Ivy occurs when Melinda works on her turkey bone project, and Ivy “waggles her eyebrows at me and grins,”(62) and Melinda wonders if she should say something friendly to her. This signifies how Melinda is coming out of her isolated self and wants to make friends. Eventually, Melinda and Ivy become friends over their mutual interest in art. For instance, when Melinda unexpectedly meets Ivy at the mall, Ivy passes her the sketchpad and points out: “It’s fine the way it is; it just need some leaves. Layer the leaves and make them slightly different sizes and it will look great. You have a great start there.” (146). This signifies how Ivy is very supportive as she makes suggestions to improve Melinda’s ideas. Ivy and Melinda’s relationship also develops through their dislike of Andy Evans. “Melinda? It’s Ivy. Can you take the late bus? I want to show you something”. Ivy show’s Melinda the comments from different students about Andy Evans. “I feel like I can fly”(186). Melinda feels this way because she feels the happy and hopfeul that other students like herself have the same mutual feelings about Andy Evans. This hopeful feeling allows Melinda to move past her trumatic