Parent-Child Relationships In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

Communication is defined by Nancy Comstock as the “exchange of information or the expression of ideas or feelings.” However, lack of communication is common in parent-child relationships, and often causes issuesThese can also lead to many consequences of children’s social skills and values. According to Tian, “good parent–child relationships affect the construction of other positive relationships, such as friendship with peers.” In order for children to have positive relationships with others, they must first have a positive communicational relationships with their parents which could lead into their adult life as well. Communication has the power to mold a child’s personality and social capabilities. In the novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson,

In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence and Romeo have a relationship that if there was more communication between them, many things could have been prevented. However, he can only help if he is made aware of issues by Romeo. We realize this later on after Romeo's rash decision to commit suicide after falsely believing Juliet was dead. Romeo proclaims, “death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty, thou art not conquered. Beauty's ensign yet is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, and death's pale flag is not advanced there,” (Shakespeare 5.3.3-7). If he would have communicated to Friar Lawrence how he was feeling so devastated about Juliet’s “death,” he may have been able to save Romeo. Friar Lawrence could have told him about the plan, and Romeo would have understood what was going on when he saw Juliet

For example, as time goes on without communicating to her parents, things just get worse. Melinda describes a moment she almost communicated with her parents about the party, but she holds back: “I almost tell them right then and there. Tears flood my eyes. They noticed I've been trying to draw. They noticed. I try to swallow the snowball in my throat. This isn't going to be easy. I'm sure they suspect I was at the party. Maybe they even heard about me calling the cops. But I want to tell them everything as we sit there by our plastic Christmas tree while Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer plays” (Anderson 72). By saying the phrase “snowball in my throat,” she is implying that she is really struggling to tell them. If she would have communicated with her parents from the beginning, most of this could have been avoided and she would have been much happier. However, this is an instance where it would have been much harder to communicate about her feelings. This still likely would have made things better in the long term, though. In both of these texts, there is a relationship between children and their parents that shows that communication between them is one of the most important aspects of a family relationship. If a child communicates with their parents about something terrible, it may be able to be fixed before something bad happens or gets