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The Girl Without A Voice In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

1074 Words5 Pages

The Girl Without a Voice Do you know who you are? Do you know what you stand for? Do you know your beliefs? Do you have your own voice? Some people cannot answer these questions without the help of others, whether that advice is positive or negative. In the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, she shows you the story of a girl searching for her voice. The main character of this life changing book, Melinda, a teen who was raped at a high school party, is struggling with speaking to others about the horrible event she experienced at the party. As she is starting her freshman year of high school some people will come into the story to help Melinda get the voice she does not realize is missing. Melinda finds that art class is her sanctuary and her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, is the only …show more content…

Mr. Freeman caught Melinda’s attention from the very beginning. “This is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you that you’ve never dared look at before. Do not come here and ask me to show you how to draw a face. Ask me to help you find the wind” (Anderson 10). This quote could not have been more perfect for Melinda. Mr. Freeman had each student draw out a piece of paper with their assignment for the year written on it, Melinda drew out a piece of paper with the word tree on it; little did she know that the tree was going to be symbolic of Melinda herself. Mr. Freeman told each student that what they drew was going to be their destiny. Throughout the story Melinda began to compare herself to the trees she was producing. Toward the end of the novel Melinda began creating beautiful pieces of art with trees; this was symbolic of Melinda beginning to grow herself. Mr. Freeman not only offered Melinda a safe place, he showed her that it really is okay to be imperfect and to accept your flaws. Melinda truly thought of him as a hero but, with all heroes comes a

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