Summary Of Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda is an outcast. Everyone, including her now ex-best friend, hates her after she calls the cops at a party. Why? She was raped. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the author depicts a frighteningly real story about the fictional character Melinda. Laurie Halse Anderson pours in so much care for the character that the reader cannot help but feel concern for her well-being. Melinda’s rough freshman school year is quite similar to the lives of those who are victims of sexual assault. The author is trying to get the point across that sexual assault is a terrible thing and that victims need to speak up. Having an anonymous way for women to report rape and for the attackers to be found guilty would promote an environment of safety

Andy got Melinda and himself drunk at the party. While she was helplessly drunk, he raped her. She called the cops and people freaked out. Some get arrested. Melinda walks home that night in silence. The school year follows with everyone hating her for what she did. She is an outcast. She has no friends, scabbed lips, and a sore throat. Nobody knows the real reason why she called the cops, until she finally has to tell Rachel. Why? Rachel was dating Andy Evans. After Rachel starts dating the boy who sexually abused her, Andy Evans, Melinda has to tell her the truth about calling the cops. At Merryweather High’s prom, Rachel blows Andy off and Melinda becomes the hero. Andy, who is furious at Melinda, locks her in a closet and attempts to rape her again. This time, Melinda screams and breaks a mirror and cuts Andy. She then unlocks the closet door that someone was pounding on to find Nicole and the rest of the lacrosse team. The author is trying to show that people who are victims of sexual assault are afraid to speak out because they are afraid of harm or ridicule. If people show kindness to those who don’t have many friends, it

From the Criminal Defense Lawyer page about Aggravated Sexual Assault Charges and Penalties, it states that sentences can be from five to fifteen years depending on the state or the severity of the assault, and 20 years to a possible life sentence if the victim is under the age of 16, depending on the severity of the crime. On another website called The Odyssey Online about Sexual Assault Cases, it has a statistic pie chart that says: For every 100 rapes in the United States, 46 people will report it, 12 will result in an arrest, nine will be prosecuted, five will result in a conviction, and only three will serve one day or more in jail. This is an absolutely frightening statistic. Less than half of rapes will be reported and only three offenders will serve a day or more in jail. This statistic needs to change for this problem to have a chance of being solved. How can the United States create a safe environment for women to report rape without them being afraid to do so and make sure that at least 75 percent of guilty offenders serve time in jail? To do so, a promotion of reporting rapes should start and a website should be created where women can anonymously report rape providing details, if any, about the attacker. This website could work in cohesion with the government or the police departments around the country to identify and convict those who are at fault. On the website Ebsco, one article by a woman named Cheri Dinovo