Speak (1999), a novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about Melinda Sordino, a girl whose problems started the day she was raped. That tragic event led to many changes in her life, she got isolated from the people that surrounded her, including family, friends and classmates. She did not speak to any one, feeling trapped and prey of her own thoughts and emotions, which is why, for this written assignment I’ve decided to write a diary entry in which Melinda Sordino talks about a dream she had that changed her perspective about life. The reason why I chose this type of text is because I think that the informal style and the first-person point-of-view allow the readers to place themselves in the same position as the one writing it. In this case, the diary entry goes for all those teenagers that, as Melinda, feel trapped and alone in a cruel world, thinking they do not fit on it. Therefore, my objective is to show all those teenagers that there is a rainbow behind the storm, that it is always good to have someone we can count with. Also, that it is not good to let something bad ruin our entire life, that it is always good to find a way out.
Dear diary:
…show more content…
It literally changed me. It was an unusual one, mostly because, for once in a very long time, I was happy. It all began with that very tragic party. At first I felt as if I was having a nightmare, but suddenly, that feeling changed. I was having fun with Rachel and my other friends; dancing, singing, screaming, enjoying, being happy. But then I ran into Andy, he was sweet and kind, just like he was that day at the party (the real one). Only that, (for my surprise) this time, he didn’t force me to do anything. He didn’t rape me. He
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a story about Melinda Sordino. Melinda was an incoming freshman at Merryweather High, and was entering ninth grade with no friends. During the first school assembly, the new girl in town, Heather, introduced herself to Melinda, sparking somewhat of a friendship. Melinda also came across her ex-best friend, Rachel. Rachel had mouthed the words “I hate you” to Melinda, even though all she wanted to do was to tell Rachel what really happened at the infamous summer party.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson should be mandatory reading for 8th graders due to its take on how trauma can affect the lives of its survivors. Through completed writing, the National Book Award finalist and Golden Kite Award winner, Laurie Anderson captures the thoughts of Melinda Sordino. After she gets raped and has to deal with a misunderstanding that leaves her silent and outcast. This short book of 224 pages is mostly written in short statements. From casual thoughts such as, “I zone out,” to ones with impact like, “Why go to school.”
It is estimated that 1 in 6 women will be a victim of attempted or completed rape, however, only 16-40% of all rape is reported. In the realistic-fiction novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, 14-year-old Melinda becomes a victim of rape at a summer party and begins to hide from herself to avoid the past. Within the novel Anderson uses the mirror as a motif to show Melinda’s growth from hiding from herself to defending herself. After Melinda’s assault, she calls the police while watching herself in the reflection of a window. “I saw my face in the window over the kitchen sink and no words came out of my mouth” (Anderson 136).
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a book about a girl named Melinda Sordino. In the beginning of this book the audience meets Melinda as she is the main character and she describes her first day of high school starting with an assembly. Throughout the book you read about her life but she goes back to the past recalling of something that happened at the end of the summer; in a couple of instances she comes across someone that she refers to as “IT”. When reading you don't know who this “IT” is but it is developed over the story by her having flashbacks to that night or dropping a hint of what happened. During a seminar at the beginning of the book Melinda meets someone named Heather who is new and becomes her friend but ultimately leaves her
Double Entry Journal “Scar it, give it a twisted branch – perfect trees don’t exist. Nothing is perfect. Flaws are interesting. Be the tree” (pg. 177)
Speak, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a literary handbook that youth can read to learn about the struggle with coping from trauma inflicted by being sexually assaulted. When a person experiences this type of trauma it can be frightening to blindly live through the after affects. During certain phases of life people tend to rely on different interpersonal relationships as a way to cope with major life events. The process of coming forward after being assaulted, can be an intimidating part of the incident due to the amount of added stress it can bestow on an already stressed out victim. Speak allows the reader to learn about the process of coping with being raped as well as the effects on interpersonal relationships and what to expect when
In the Freedom Writers Diary, the authors focus on the topic of the reality of what they have to deal with in their everyday world. Their teacher Mrs. Gruwell inspired them throughout their high school years by teaching them that it is possible for each and every one of them to change. They write with an uplifting and hopeful outlook on the world even if it not realistic in their present circumstances. In their writing, they establish an effective use of pathos by writing about their own lives and how they connect to others and us by using the selection of detail, metaphors, and allusions. Through these devices, we come to the idea that even though teenager’s in today’s world are faced with many hardships, they do not have to succumb to them.
Write an essay using plot developments in Speak to clearly analyze the psychological and self-destructive effects of Melinda being raped by Andy Evans. Tired is what Melinda is. All she ever is, tired. Tired of people, tired of school, tired of life, but she wasn’t always. She used to have hopes, dreams, goals, aspirations, desires, ambitions, a will to live even.
Every year over 63,000 teenagers are raped. After Rape incidents, many victims suffer from trauma and painful emotions. A similar situation occurs in the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. In this story, Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman, is raped by an upperclassman. Many rape victims never recuperate from their attacks, but the strongest few do.
The book Speak is a book written by Laurie Halse Anderson, it is about a young girl named Melinda Sordino and is about a very serious and all too common issue: rape and depression. Rape is a serious problem, it can completely destroy a person, making them never the same again. Depression is always an uphill battle and is even worse when your friends turn their back on you and your family does not notice something is seriously wrong with you. Melinda was a young girl enjoying life until an older boy named Andy Evans took advantage of his size and raped her.
Laurie Halse Anderson’s realistic fiction book Speak depicts the life of Melinda Sordino, a 9th grader who called the police at a party after being raped and is now a social outcast. The pain from the memories of being raped keep her silent as she struggles through a powerful depression and the problems that go with being in high school. Anderson uses mirrors as a motif throughout the story to portray the stages of depression Melinda goes through. At the start of the story Melinda leads a very depressed hidden life; Anderson uses the mirror to represent this.
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.
Speak, a novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a memorable story about a girl who overcomes a horrific experience, rape, and with it, injustice. Melinda, the main protagonist, has an emotional journey, and with the help of her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, survives through this excursion. As Mr. Freeman says, “‘Welcome to the journey’” (12). Mr. Freeman assists Melinda, by constantly questioning her emotional being, turning an art project into a pool of her feelings, and forcing Melinda to see the light in her heart. With Mr. Freeman lifting her emotional baggage, Melinda can finally be free and with that, experience happiness once again.
The human life is known in their stories to tell and these stories are written from their experiences in life. Marion got a recommendation to seek the help of a Narrative Therapist because she came to the point of feeling down, the children have grown and left home. A counselor must be aware that Marion, a 45 year old woman, plays a fundamental role in the creation of her realities, though it may seem true, it is just a subjective interpretation of her experiences. It is important that Marion feels understood by her counselor in order to work through her feelings. It is a fact that there are always events that may fall outside her story but narratives are drawn upon to become her dominant story.
This shows a balance between gender roles, as well as the embracing progressive changes within culture and society. In the story “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, a third-person omniscient narrator, relates how Mrs. Louise Mallard, the protagonist, experiences the euphoria of freedom rather than the grief of loneliness after hearing about her husband’s death. Later, when Mrs. Mallard discovers that her husband, Mr. Brently Mallard, still lives, she realizes that all her aspiration for freedom has gone. The shock and disappointment kills Mrs. Mallard.