Furthermore, Melinda had admitted that she could “[feel] the wind blow and hear the mockingbird whistling on the way back to her nest. But when [she tries] to carve it, it looks like a dead tree, toothpicks, a child’s drawing. [She cannot] bring it to life” (78). She wistfully imagines confessing her distress, but she remains reluctant and retreats from transitioning into speaking again. There are many moments within the novel where Anderson uses symbolism to illustrate Melinda's desire to refurbish her life as this one, but it is hard for Melinda to do so without the choice of acknowledging what happened.
Also, the closet her “safe place” she always used to hide what happened at the party from everyone else becomes a dangerous place. “It”, also known as Andy Evans the boy who rapes her at the party breaks into the closet and tries to sexually assault her again. Melinda realizes she can't let this happen again and therefore fights back with everything she has. She realizes that her closet is not safe anymore and that she can't hide from her trauma. And that she can't hide from this problem, and she needs to stand up and speak to the problem.
Anderson utilizes the mouth motif to show Melindas grown when she says, “I’m on a roll. I’m rocking. I don’t know what it is; standing up to Heather, planting marigold seeds, or maybe the look on Mom’s face when I asked if she would let me redecorate my room.” (Anderson 180). Melinda expressing that she is “on a roll” and planting seeds shows how she is coming out of her depression.
According to the NSVRC, 81% of women and 43% of men report sexual assault or rape in their lifetime. The critical literacy novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, takes place at Merryweather High. Melinda is starting her first year of high school with all of her freshman friends. Melinda has to face the hatred of everyone towards her because of one summer night party. Most people in ninth grade hate Melinda.
We go through many stages in life, and they are both great and horrible. Our voices have the power to help us. In the novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the central idea is to use your voice and speak up against your trauma. Anderson used metaphors and external conflicts the character, Melinda Sordino, had as she struggled life in high school, freshman year. Anderson used those to show how Melinda felt throughout her first year of high school.
Without a doubt, a mirror is not just the only thing that shows Melinda is struggling with her identity in the story. There are a lot more things that you will find out that show Melinda is really
Later in the book, the mirror was broken, this symbolizes Melinda being mentally broken and not being able to find her true self in her reflection in the mirror. Later the broken mirror acted as revenge against Andy and symbolized the change in character she had from the beginning of the book from being a victim to a survivor, “It wasn’t my fault. He hurt me. It wasn’t my fault.
Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. In Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson uses literary devices to help the reader better understand Melinda’s personal changes and growth. Trees, lips, and coldness are all symbolically used to represent the changes of Melinda. Throughout the novel, trees play a big part in symbolizing Melinda. Melinda is constantly drawing and relating to trees in the book.
To try to forget and move on from being raped, she needed to avoid looking at herself and seeing the person she has become. Ever since Melinda was raped, she has been frustrated with herself and has not been able to face her reflection. This shows that she could not face her feelings. Melinda’s coping strategy was to avoid others and avoid herself. The mirror is a symbol for her emotional struggles and that she cannot deal with them.
For example, the movie opens with the main character, Melinda, putting on lipstick. This is important because lipstick, and makeup in general, is seen as a right of passage for young women. This movie is laden with symbolism. In another instance, the movie points out a parallel between Melinda and one of her teachers. The teacher has hair covering her face and is clearly nervous, or anxious.
The cause of Melinda’s dreary mood obviously comes from IT’s abuse. Andy Evans constantly harassing Melinda in the hallways reminds her of the horrid rape and keeps the image in her mind. This is why Melinda cannot wake up from her nightmare and is emotionally unstable. To sum up, Melinda’s dismal mood is greatly portrayed through the metaphors of
In the “First Marking Period,” Melinda’s artwork symbolizes that she still is mortified and wants to keep the assault a secret. A week after the pep rally, Melinda is
She attempts to get her depressed sister, May, who Lily describes as a stranger woman to feel better. She is the one who has lost her twin sister, April, and there her inner pain starts. May’s dead sister is represented as the mirror that she identifies herself with. Her death has broken May who mourns her sister
Mirror of course symbolizes reflection, it means that whatever I do will reflect in the future, therefore, I must think before doing any actions that might cause danger or harm in my future but it’s not only that but to reflect or to learn in my mistakes or to other things so I have to do my best in all things. The tent which is located below the shovel, symbolizes the need to get away from everyday life. I’m not really a fan of going to school nor stress and pressure. I love free time and doing stuffs that are not that important but for me it holds something valuable because it makes me happy but there is no escape in reality so I need to get up and face it
Symbolism can use an object (like a tree of birds), or art, (like Melinda’s art project or Mr. Freeman's canvas) to represent an abstract idea. Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to hint at a certain mood or emotion, rather than just blatantly saying it. So, the use of symbolism is important because it helps create meaning and emotion in a story. Symbolism makes a book fun to read, the symbolism produces a thought provoking work of art and it, (like in this book), adds meaning to seemingly unrelated objects and elicits emotions in the
