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Use Of Figurative Language In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

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Helen Keller once said "...although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it." This quotation means that in life, you come to find yourself in many struggles, but there is always a sense of accomplishment over such problems. The reason I agree with this quote is because such triumph can only be accomplished after the fact of the occurrence of a struggle. The realistic fiction book, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a perfect example of my interpretation of the quote. The author uses conflict, figurative language and characterization to show that this quote is true.

In life you come to find yourself in many struggles, but there is always a sense of accomplishment over such problems. Conflict is used in the book, Speak, to support my interpretation of the quote. Conflict is used in the book, Speak, to support my interpretation of the quote. Conflict is the problem in the story or any struggle between opposing forces. For example in Speak it states on page 5 " I hate you, she mouths silently." This shows man versus man conflict, it is between Melinda and her previous best friend. Another example in Speak is on page 150 when Melinda is struggling to decide whether or not to warn Rachel about Andy. This is internal conflict, man versus himself. These evidence both show how Melinda …show more content…

Figurative language is used in the book, Speak, to support my interpretation of the quote. Figurative language is using figure of speech to be more effective, persuasive and impactful. For example, page 90 states " It feels like the Prince of Darkness has swept his cloak over the table. The lights dim. I shiver." Speak also states on page 161 " I am a deer in headlights of a tractor, is he going to hurt me again? He couldn't in school... why am I so afraid." These examples from the text show all the problems Melinda had, for instance what Andy did to her,

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The main character of the novel Speak, Melinda, struggles to come to terms with her sexual assault and the effects it has had on her. Throughout the book, she ignores the conflicts her experience has caused and attempts to get away from it. In the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda’s avoidance of conflict and the ramifications it has on her life reinforces the message that ignoring your problems will only drag out hardships. The most obvious way that Melinda’s evasion of conflicts can be seen is with her friends.

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This causes her to be unable to speak as normal and express herself only through self physical acts of hurting herself. However, through her pain, she begins to grow from a victim to a survivor and understands that the only way to go against evil is to speak out against it. Melinda in Speak is a high school freshman who is raped by Andy Evans who is a senior in high school. Due to him raping her she loses her ability to speak normally and say what she feels and how she feels. Melinda gains her confidence to speak in public freely again by the end of the story.

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Figurative Language is saying something other than what is literally meant for effect. When authors use figurative language, it is a way for them to express their feelings, as well as their emotions. Often times when an author is trying to send a message to the reader, they will use figurative language, because figurative language is an easy way to convey a message in a story. In Jonathan Edwards "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and Dekanawida's "The Iroquios Constitution" there are great examples of figurative language.

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“It shall be my work this evening to prove to you that in thus voting, I not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my rights, guaranteed to me and all United States citizens by the National Constitution, beyond the power of any state to deny. ”(Anthony, 1) is a quote from Susan B. Anthony’s famous “Women’s Rights to the Suffrage” speech that inspired change in our great country. This speech was the most compelling of texts because she used solid evidence to support her claim and she uses many different types of figurative language. The third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs were the most important in her speech. This emphasis on ‘We the people’ and not ‘We the white male citizens’ in her third paragraph leads me to my first point.

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Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. In Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson uses literary devices to help the reader better understand Melinda’s personal changes and growth. Trees, lips, and coldness are all symbolically used to represent the changes of Melinda. Throughout the novel, trees play a big part in symbolizing Melinda. Melinda is constantly drawing and relating to trees in the book.

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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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First, the overall conflict may not be easy for one to determine at first, but it’s used only to foreshadow the bigger conflict. Beginning with the

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