Loneliness In 'Speak And The Article Teens In Covid Isolation'

Loneliness is an emotional state where one is socially isolated and lacks human interaction which is experienced by many people around the world. Although it is a frequent occurrence around the world, it is usually disregarded and ignored. The novel Speak and the article “Teens in Covid Isolation: “I felt like I was suffocating”, displays the experiences many children faced with loneliness and how it impacts their life. Loneliness is an aspect of depression, and those who experience it can lead to self-harm, decreased academic performance, and struggle to talk about it to others.

People who struggle with loneliness often find it difficult to let their true feelings out, leading to a sense of isolation and emotional distress. The article

“When you’re with friends, you’re completely distracted and you don’t think about the bad stuff going on. During the beginning of quarantine, I was so alone. All the sad things I used to brush off, I realized I couldn’t brush them off anymore.” Aya felt that she was all alone and isolated and all her sorrowful memories kept recurring in her head. She couldn’t talk about it to anyone because she was quarantined and isolated. Loneliness can cause teens to not get to express their feelings with people they are close to. In the article “Teens in Covid Isolation, researchers show that young people depend on their friends to maintain self-worth and it says, “A recent study of

In Speak, Melinda experiences loneliness after the incident with Andy Evans, a popular high school football player raping her. Ever since her grades were lacking and dreadful. After the principal realizes Melinda’s academic performance was alarming, the principal calls Melinda and says, “Melinda. Last year you were a straight-B student, no behavioral problem, few absences. But the reports I’ve been getting… well, what can we say (Anderson 114).” From this we can see that before Melinda was a decent student but, after the incident at the party, her actions and grades were deteriorating. Melinda's traumatic experience has likely had an impact on her mental and emotional well-being, which could explain the decline in her academic performance and behavioral patterns following the incident. “My Report Card: Plays Nice B, Social Studies C, Spanish C, Art A, Lunch L, Biology B, Algebra C+, Clothes C, English C, Gym C+ (Anderson 46).” Melinda is struggling academically and her isolation may be a contributing factor, as her grades in all subjects are dull. However, there is an exception, she performs well in her art class, taught by Mr. Freeman. Art is the class where Melinda feels right in place and feels like she can talk to people such as Mr.