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Symbolism In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

944 Words4 Pages

Speak an Essential Read The novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson uses a realistic plot and influential symbolism to depict the development of moral judgement in young adults. Novels written with the needs and interests of adolescent readers in mind create a love for reading by addressing relevant topics; as a result, making it an essential read for all coming of age adults. Realistic Plot Young adult literature that addresses the needs and the interest of its readers, becomes an incentive for them to read more, especially during a time when adolescents prefer to read about issues that they can relate to their, “physical growth, sexual awareness, emotional upheaval, and cognitive development” (Bushman & Haas 1). Speak, a trauma narration told …show more content…

The recurring use of trees allows readers to understand Melinda feelings beyond words, as readers are able to visualize her feelings literally through art. Readers of YA readers use symbolism as a way to understand the mood of a novel; at the beginning of the novel, Melina selects a tree as her year-long art project, where she is asked to make her “object say something, express and emotion, speak to every person who looks at it” (Anderson 11). As struggles express emotion through her tree, she is equally incompetent with sharing what occurred the night the police was called. Her meager attempts to construct her tree reflects her misery, “I’ve been painting watercolors of trees that have been hit by lightning…..Mr. Freeman doesn’t say a word about them” (Anderson 30). Another failed attempt included the use of turkey bones, which prompted Mr. Freeman to say, “This has meaning. Pain” (64). Without verbalizing her feelings, it is evident that she is troubled, as readers can understand the emotions behind her artwork. The mirror was another form of symbolism that conveyed Melinda’s frustration with herself, as she was unable to face her reflection and subsequently avoided mirrors since the rape. The avoidance is a representation of the lack of ability for her to face her feelings; the only mirror see appears to see herself in is at the department …show more content…

After the rape, she stops speaking and her friends reject her, her parents are not interested in her, and her teachers view her silence as a form of insubordination instead of a cry for help; causing her to deal with the pain alone. The separation helps the theme of standing up for one’s self to emerge, as Bushman and Haas stated, “characters struggle with their identities, with their relationships with adults and other adolescents, and with their choice, which often suggest their concern with moral questions of right and wrong” (Bushman & Haas 16). A story many readers can resonate with because they are the same age, may have been a part of the same ridicule from their peers, and/or felt their parents did not

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In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree. " When reading the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the reader will steadily notice that, as the story goes on, Melinda's artistic abilities will improve. In this essay, I will explain how trees are used to portray Melinda's transformation, by using quotes from the text and support to back it up. In her first Art class, Melinda randomly chooses the "tree" as the object she will try to draw for the rest of her school year.

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Their teacher, Mr. Freeman assigns the class a year-long project to pick a random object and turn it into a real piece of art. Melinda’s object was a tree. As the year goes on her art develops and her tree does as well. And by the end of the year when she has begun to fully heal and move past what happened to her, her tree is finished, and a beautiful piece of art. Melinda’s tree is brought up throughout the book as a symbol of how she has

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736 Words | 3 Pages

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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Then starting high school people change and everyone ends up hating certain people for something they cannot control. Plus, they lose all friends they have in the mix of things. In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character Melinda Sordino gets raped the summer before high school at a party. She was extremely drunk and called the cops after the incident happened.

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383 Words | 2 Pages

To start, mirrors remind Melinda of her flaws. She sees her flaws that lead her to feel weak and stupid about what had happened. She disgusted herself because she felt it was her fault Andy Evans had raped her. In the novel, Melinda states, “I get out of bed and take down the mirror.

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What role does the animal motif play in the novel? In Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, the animal motif helps illustrate characters and asserts that people often act in primitive ways. In Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, the animal motif helps illustrate characters and asserts that people often act in primitive and predatory ways.

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1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 2. Mark Twain 3. The setting of this story is the town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, in the mid-1800s. The setting is significant in this story because Tom and his friends are growing up in a time very different from today, and this book shows what life was really like for kids growing up in this time and area.

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The mixture of colors yellow and brown create a dark and gloomy effect that expresses the harshness of the bush. It paints a poignant picture of the women's struggle in the harsh and unforgiving bush, emphasizing their resilience in the face of adversity and their isolation from the comforts and support of their husbands. The effect created by this color combination serves as a powerful visual representation of the challenges endured by these women as they navigate their way through the bush. In addition, the trees is a symbolic representation of the women's struggle in isolation in the bush. In nature, leaves are often associated with growth, renewal, and the flourishing of life.

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Exhibited across all three works of literature, children’s identities are often shaped based off of their parents’ level of care and commitment, and the community that surrounds them—whether it be good or

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Censorship: The Child of Fear and the Father of Ignorance A man by the name of Wesley Scroggins, the writer of Springfield News; “Filthy books demeaning to Republic education, once said,“How can Christian men and women expose children to such immortality”. The comment made by this man was directed at books like Speak, Slaughterhouse Five, and Twenty Boy Summer. Books, as such listed, are under fire among many school boards for their use of “soft pornography” as he describes it.

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But after the rape, Melinda is not happy with anything in her life and she is always stressed out. This is represented when she states, “But when I try to carve it, it looks like a dead tree, toothpicks, a child’s drawing. I can’t bring it to life. I’d love to give it up” (78). Melinda has changed dramatically, and this is represented by the tree she sees versus the tree she tries to make.

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Speak Journal Response This journal is in response to the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. As a coming-of-age contemporary novel, Speak discusses many sensitive issues that are still prominent even today. In this story, we explore the life of Melinda Sordino, a fourteen-year-old girl who is beginning high school right after experiencing an utterly traumatic event: rape. Melinda is left friendless, with no one to help and support her after what happened.

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To try to forget and move on from being raped, she needed to avoid looking at herself and seeing the person she has become. Ever since Melinda was raped, she has been frustrated with herself and has not been able to face her reflection. This shows that she could not face her feelings. Melinda’s coping strategy was to avoid others and avoid herself. The mirror is a symbol for her emotional struggles and that she cannot deal with them.

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The novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a girl named Melinda, who shows signs of depression throughout the story. She has no friends and is hated by people she doesn’t even know. This is because she called the cops at a party, where she was raped. Anderson includes literary elements to show how Melinda is depressed. Throughout the novel, she uses many different literary elements to show Melinda’s conflict.

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1197 Words | 5 Pages

Art is way of expression. People can use actions and art or express themselves in ways other than speaking. In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, symbolism holds a big significance. The trees mentioned throughout the book symbolize Melinda’s changing “seasons” (her “growing” as a person). People, like trees, go through phases, they freeze in the winter, becoming nothing but lonely limbs without leaves covered with white slush.

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