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Laurie Halse Anderson Speak Tree Analysis

683 Words3 Pages

In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson the use of symbols are very clear. Anderson uses trees as Melinda's art project and to symbolize her. The symbol of trees represent Melinda's artwork, her innocent childhood, and her growth. To begin with, the very common use of the symbol of trees in Speak represents Melinda's artwork. She was assigned in the beginning of the book in art class by Mr. Freeman a tree. Melinda has been having lots of struggles trying to get to draw a good tree and is having a block of ideas. Melinda says “I try to draw a branch coming out of my tree for the 315th time. It looks so flat, a cheap, cruddy drawing. I have no idea how to make it come alive”(Halse Anderson 55). Melinda has been struggling trying to draw her tree, and she has tried many times. She has also …show more content…

He then proceeds to try to do everything again but she silenced him and stands up for herself and screams no. Melinda talks about her tree she is making saying “My tree is definitely breathing; little shallow breaths like it shot up through the ground this morning …. Roots knob out of the ground and the crown reaches for the sun, tall and healthy. The new growth is the best part”(Halse Anderson 196). Her creating a new living tree that she finally likes is similar to her growth as a person. It took a long time, the whole year to get a tree just how she wanted. She even though it took a long time she stood up for herself and did what she wanted with the situation in the janitor's closet with Andy Evans and spoke which is her growth since she hasn't talked. The symbol of the trees represents Melinda's growth as a person. In conclusion, in the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson the use of the symbol trees is very common and important. The trees represent her art project that Mr.Freeman assigned her and her struggles for her freshman year. The symbol of the trees represent Melinda's artwork, her innocent childhood, and her growth as a

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For example, the art piece she made with turkey bones, a Barbie doll head, culinary utensils, and tape had evinced her emotional distress. Mr. Freeman had seen these sensibilities within Melinda's artwork as well by saying that "[it] has meaning. Pain" (65). Melinda has an idea in her head of what she wants her tree to look like, which also symbolizes herself, "a strong old oak tree with a wide scarred trunk and thousands of leaves reaching to the sun" (78). Melinda can create this tree only if she becomes like this tree as a person by surrendering into acceptance of the atrocious offense committed against her and the scars that came with it.

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One of Laurie Halse-Anderson’s motifs that connect with the theme is Melinda’s tree. For example, Melinda’s introduction with the tree was in the first day of Art class. “I plunge my hand into the bottom of the globe and fish out my paper. ‘Tree.’

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Liam Arnold Mr. Bramanti English 9 CP 30 May 2023 Speak Essay In Speak, a realistic fiction story written by Laurie Halse Anderson, trees are a recurring symbol and are of great importance to the progression of the book and Melinda. Trees are used and described in the book as complex, difficult, and complicated. There are many similarities between Melinda’s social life just like the tree's complexion. Melinda’s life progresses throughout the story along with the tree progressing through the seasons. Throughout the story a tree is used as a symbol because of its complex nature and relatability to Melinda’s life.

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In the book, Speak, we see the author Laurie Halse Anderson intentionally use symbols to portray the way the main character is feeling. The first-person perspective of the book allows us to understand inner thoughts and feelings of Melinda, this is where many of the symbols come from. I decided to do a visual representation of the closets in Speak to take a deep dive into the different aspects of the book that lead to a rollercoaster of emotions. The closets in the book act as a safe haven for Melinda. The escape from reality is that she needs to be together with her thoughts, “The best place to figure this out is my closet, my throne room, my foster home”(150).

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