Symbolism In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the protagonist, Melinda, is assigned to create a tree a million different ways all year. In doing so she finds ways to convey her emotions through her drawings. There are many different types of trees in the world. A tree that shows symbolism and draws emotion out of me would have to be a weeping willow tree. The weeping willow tree is elegant, girly, but has a tragically beautiful side to it. I am like a weeping willow in many ways, I come off light but friendly and girly, but I also have my sadness and secrets that I show but not in distinct ways. Like a weeping willow I am grace and bubbly if you will. When you think of a weeping willow what do you think of? I think of ginormous and beautiful trees with pink and green leaves or flowers on the beautiful wilting and droopy branches extending themselves

What makes me think these trees hide sadness is the weeping in the weeping willow, the droopy branches like a sad teenagers shoulders slumping their whole body , making it look like their contracting from their stomach and might just crumble to the ground, or how when you look into someone’s eyes you can see their true emptions. A person can tell a whole movie by using their eyes. You can smile with your eyes, or show curiosity with that childish gleam, or a pang of sadness, with bloodshot eyes and tears brimming your bottom eyelashes. Maybe someone is severely depressed and you can tell by the deadness of their eyes and how they look off in the distance longing for something they once had to return. A trees branches and trunk are like a person’s body language. Weather the branches are strong and confident or dainty and crumpling apart. I have had a lot of people tell me I am honest without knowing because my eyes show everything, this has come to be my main insecurity and I hide my “branches” with my