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Symbolism In Melinda's Speak

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Speak is a powerful and moving novel. The author allows us to follow along the journey of a young teenage girl who, despite all odds, overcomes the tragedies in her life. While Melinda is struggling to get through these obstacles, her art teacher has assigned her with the task of creating a tree that will allow her to express all of her pain and suffering. Melinda creates tree after tree, whether it’s drawn, painted, or a sculpture. I believe that the only way to fully pay tribute to this beautiful story is to take every motion that Melinda experiences throughout the entire book and express them in creating a tree. In my artwork, the grass is green just as Melinda’s future is bright and hopeful. She is a happy young girl with plenty of friends. …show more content…

The black, thicker than night, expresses the truly sinister experience that Melinda was forced to endure. Trying to sugarcoat the truth would only do it injustice. Melinda was violently raped. Unwilling to face her unfair reality, Melinda tries to bury the memory that is etched in her mind. She is surrounded by such an intense darkness that it can only be captured within the deepest of blacks. The red paint splattered on the black represents blood. This blood symbolizes many things. It symbolizes Melinda’s physical struggle that night, as well as her mental struggles that followed. The blood also symbolizes death, murder, vengeance. It symbolizes the death of Melinda’s luster, stolen by malice. It shows the emotional gravity of the murder of her innocence. Lastly, the blood represents the vengeance Melinda gets on Andy Evans. Not only does Melinda lose parts of herself, she also loses her friends. This is represented by the pink and purple branches. Her innocent friendships from middle school are tested more than ever before. Unable to explain herself and talk about her tragedy, Melinda is soon left behind by her social climbing peers. This also leads to Melinda’s grey

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