She is starting to appear more content with herself even though she still hasn’t been able to tell anyone happened yet. “I’m on a roll, I’m rocking… The time time has come to arm-wrestle some demons. Too much sun after a Syracuse winter does strange things to your head, makes you feel strong, even if you aren’t (Anderson 180).” She is able to talk to Rachel during their study hall, they pass notes so they won’t get in trouble with the librarian. Rachel tells Melinda she isn’t mad at her about calling the cops to the party anymore, since it was such a long time ago.
There are people in our lives who have helped us grow. In the summer before freshman year in high school Melinda Sordino was raped at a party. After calling the police she was left without friends or dignity. She isolates herself not knowing what to do. In Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda grows in many ways throughout the book.
Although, she still refuses to tell anyone what happened, her ex-best friend Rachel begins to date Andy Evans. Melinda tells her what happened in a series of notes during study hall, but Rachel doesn’t believe her and says she’s just jealous. Yet, Rachel does listen to her warning and breaks up and mortify Andy at
On a seemingly emotional high after attending a high school party as a rising freshman, Melinda’s world got turned upside down when she was taken advantage of by a popular senior jock. Along with the pain of the trauma itself, Melinda was reminded of her terrible ordeal each time she came in contact with Andy: “I want to throw up and I can smell him and I run and he remembers and he knows. He whispers in my ear” (Anderson 86). When Andy encroached on her sanctuary in the art room and destroyed her work, Melinda shut down and locked herself in her closet, where she “stuffed [her] mouth with old fabric and screamed until there were no sounds left under [her] skin” (Anderson 162). While interactions with others could incite her anxiety and feelings of depression, continued encounters with her rapist further aggravated Melinda.
1 in 6 womenwoman will be or have been raped in the US, . With most victims being 18-30 years old. The book Speak (by Laurie Halse Anderson) is about a girl named Melinda that had something traumatic happen to her at a summer party. Due to her trauma she has a hard time making friends going into high school and with this Melinda is conflicted about her individuality and questions if she can trust any one with being herself . After spring break Melinda begins to care about herself again and tries to better herself and get over her trauma.
She was found in a closet by the lacrosse team crying for help. Her peers now understand the reason she called the cops at a party over the summer, and what she went through that year. Melinda is making new friends, and forgiving her old ones for the way they treated her after the incident. Melinda understands what happened to her can’t be fixed, but it will help her grow stronger. “My tree is definitely breathing; little shallow breaths like it just shot up from the ground this morning….the new growth is the best part” (196).
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a girl named Melinda who goes through traumatic events throughout her freshman year of high school. The novel also examines her relationships and attempts to communicate with other characters, as well as how she finds the courage to speak up for herself. Trees and seeds play a major symbolic role in the novel because they represent Melinda’s growth throughout the story. Throughout the novel, trees and seeds are mentioned numerous times.
When Melinda had finally been able to push through the shame and guilt to reveal that she was raped by the most popular student in their school, Andy Evans, the one person—Rachel—she had told was in denial and called her a freak because in Rachel’s mind, he was perfect. He couldn’t be a monster. In any story, there is more than one side because there are
Melinda is raped by an older boy at a party the summer before her freshman year of high school. The impacts of this event are socially and psychologically devastating for Melinda. Her declining mental health renders her physically unable to speak about being raped over the summer. She is unable to cope with her trauma, and forced to suffer alone. However, she eventually becomes empowered to speak up for herself and about her experience.
In contrast, when Melinda decided to tell Rachel about Andy raping her, it is a turning point in her life. “Rachel writes in a heavy hand. WHO DID IT??? I turn the page. Andy Evans” (184).
Speak Essay Books can have a massive impact on one’s life. The novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson is a book about a girl named Melinda. Throughout the book, it’s made obvious that Melinda has major issues caused by trauma. This is made obvious through the fact that she has no friends, she’s extremely insecure, and the negativity in her head is made clear through the effect it has on her body. Towards the end of the book, it’s found out that Melinda’s issues come from when she was raped at a party by a boy named Andy Evans.
She saw no future for herself and didn’t know who she was or who she wanted to be. All she needed was a little guidance from someone who understood her perspective, and was able to look past her reserved personality and tragic past. Brick was just the person for her. At the end of the novel, on page 264, Rachel describes the look in Brick’s eyes, “When he looks at me it feels like no one has really seen me since the accident. In his eyes, I’m not the new girl.
Rachel broke up with Andy Evans after she found out that her boyfriend caused her and Melinda to lose their friendship. Melinda and Rachel eventually start to rebuild their friendship. I also believe Rachel’s astrology sign is Libra because some weaknesses of a Libra are indecisive, avoids confrontations, will carry a grudge, and self-pity. Rachel carried a grudge on Melinda for ruining the party, and she avoided confronting her to find out the real reason why Melinda called the cops. Melinda didn’t call the cops to ruin the party, she called because she was scared and didn’t know what to do after Andy raped
Melinda was raped as a young girl heading into her first year of high school and what happened after that was a catastrophe and would change her life and her peers view of her. Melinda perpetually haunted by her treacherous past memories struggled to stay happy and sane throughout her overwhelming first year of high school. Melinda evolves over time as she longs to be her past happy self again she slowly but surely begins to regain her happiness and self-confidence. With life-changing events coming at Melinda every which way, she experiences the highs and the lows and finds little things in life like her extraordinary passion for art to help her get through the toughest times in her life. This story will make your heart melt with sorrow and compassion, but also bring to you a remarkable story with realistic like events and settings.
Another element in this novel is Melinda’s inner conflict, man vs. self. What Melinda has been through greatly affected her everyday life. She struggles with depression, dislikes her appearance, and feels ashamed of herself for something that isn 't her fault: “I want to confess everything, hand over the guilt and mistake and anger to someone else...even if I dump the memory, it will stay with me, staining me” (Anderson 51). Andy Evans, the senior who raped her, made her feel worthless. This situation is much like the one in the novel The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.
