ipl-logo

Figurative Language In Laurie Anderson's Speak

646 Words3 Pages

Speak Essay: Figurative language has a tremendous influence on literature because it enlivens the words and makes them jump off the page. This allows the reader to visualize the scene in a unique, explicit way. Laurie Anderson’s Speak demonstrates an abundant use of figurative language. Figurative language appears in various forms; this includes simile, metaphor, personification, symbol, hyperbole and more. Speak is a book written about the internal and external conflicts that protagonist, Melinda faces after being raped by Andy Evans (“IT”) and hated by her peers for ruining an end-of-summer party. This has traumatized Melinda and she is too afraid to speak up. Anderson enhances the big theme of sadness and depression through similes, metaphors, …show more content…

One example is when Melinda states, “I stumble from thornbush to thornbush- my mother and father who hate each other, Rachel who hates me, a school that gags on me…” (pg. 125). Melinda feels as though she is trapped in thorn bushes because everywhere she retreats to she is an awful position. As a result, Melinda is miserable and constantly mopes around. Another way Anderson incorporates a metaphor to present Melinda’s low emotional health is when Melinda says, “There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the inside of my ribs. Even if I dump the memory, it will stay with me, staining me.” (pg. 51). This quote definitely demonstrates Melinda’s poor, despondent condition by comparing the memory to a beast in her gut. The main cause of Melinda’s unhappiness is not speaking up about the beast in her gut that is scraping the inside of her ribs. Melinda’s dark, depressed thoughts are once again presented through a metaphor when Melinda says, “IT is my nightmare and I can’t wake up. IT sees me. IT smiles and winks. Good thing my lips stitched together or I’d throw up.” (pg. 45-46). The cause of Melinda’s dreary mood obviously comes from IT’s abuse. Andy Evans constantly harassing Melinda in the hallways reminds her of the horrid rape and keeps the image in her mind. This is why Melinda cannot wake up from her nightmare and is emotionally unstable. To sum up, Melinda’s dismal mood is greatly portrayed through the metaphors of

Show More
Related

  • Figurative Language In The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell

    278 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” the author, Richard Connell uses the wonders of figurative language to spice things up in many ways throughout the story. Almost every page had something lying within itself, hidden behind metaphors similes, personification, and the list goes on. Some examples of how Richard Connell uses figurative language were clearly displayed on page 62: “Didn’t you notice that the crew’s nerves were a bit jumpy today?” This page also began to reveal the main feeling/emotion of the story(eerie/suspicious) came to be-which was set off by the example I used above. In this scene, the author uses very descriptive words and/or adjectives in his choice(s) of figurative language when he writes, “There was no breeze.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In Anne Lamott's Shitty First Drafts

    765 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anne Lamott 's essay, “Shitty First Drafts” explains to its readers that all writers, even the best, can have “shitty first drafts.” The essay presents the proper writing process from the first draft to the final piece of work. Her essay is intended to encourage writers who are in need of direction when it comes to writing and to teach inexperienced writers ways to become more successful in writing. Anne Lamott uses her personal experiences to build credibility, figurative language to engage the reader and provides the reader with logical steps for the writing process. To build credibility on her processes success, Lamott uses her own personal experiences.

    Read More

  • Use Of Bravery In Anderson's Speak

    576 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning of the year Melinda did not want people to know what she was thinking or feeling and that showed in her artwork. She would try so hard but all her painting were boring and lifeless. Towards the end of the book she got more confident with her art and started painting with her feelings. "I look at my homely sketch... it isn't perfect and that makes it just right" (Anderson 198).

    Read More

  • Reality In Speak

    980 Words  | 4 Pages

    Melinda appears to be a snitch, but in reality she is just afraid, broken, and scared to tell everyone what really happened. “I just want to sleep. A coma would be nice. Or amnesia. Anything, just to get rid of this, these thoughts, whispers in my mind.

    Read More

  • A Lesson Before Dying Personification Analysis

    807 Words  | 4 Pages

    Furthermore, Ernest used allusions throughout the novel. Firstly, Gaines used metaphors numerous times in the novel. One instance a metaphor occurred was when Matthew Antoine was talking to Grant about teaching: “I told you what you should have done, but no, you want to stay. Well, you will believe me one day.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Laurie Halse Anderson's 'Speak'

    805 Words  | 4 Pages

    After Melinda admits to herself that she was raped, Melinda starts to realize that

    Read More

  • Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson Analysis

    734 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Pride By Dagoberto Gilb

    1166 Words  | 5 Pages

    One example of this in the reading was when he used this to describe the beauty and view of a horizon. He stated that so many people have come and go, limping on crutches or dieing, and were heroes from many wars. Then while stating the different wars, he uses this device to empathize the amount of people who came and went by listing the many wars with the conjunction or in between each one, such as, the Pacific or Europe or Korea or Vietnam or the Persian Gulf wars. A third use of a rhetorical device that I noticed throughout the reading was the author's use of euphemism. This is when the author substitutes a word for another that is more pleasant so that he or she does not come off as rude and can avoid conflict in with the readers of the story.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In Vertigo

    1339 Words  | 6 Pages

    INTRODUCTION Descriptive and figurative language is a way for an author to express and bring their characters’ life and experiences to life. Descriptive language is used to create images that appeal to the reader’s senses. Helping the reader to get a clear picture of how the subject looks, feels, smell or taste. In Vertigo, Amanda Lohrey uses descriptive language to bring the characters to life. She uses this to layer the emotions as they lead up to the climax.

    Read More

  • Imagery And Figurative Language In George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant

    849 Words  | 4 Pages

    (1). He uses the rhetorical device of figurative language to give the reader a strong image of his feeling

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Mary Fisher's 'A Whisper Of AIDS'

    732 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1992, Mary Fisher spoke to the Republican party about HIV/AIDS. During this time, there was little to no government funding for the research and treatment of HIV/AIDS. People who had the disease were criticized and cast out from society. A veil of hatred was around the disease due to the thought that the virus was punishment to homosexuals, because the community saw the most damage. Mary Fisher aimed to stop these stereotypes and bring educated awareness to the issue.

    Read More

  • Essay On Symbolism In The Book Speak

    1197 Words  | 5 Pages

    Melinda, in a lot of ways, starts out like that it the book. She becomes a shell of herself from before the party happened and because no one else was there, she is lonely and doesn't have anybody to go to and to make matters even worse, she’s covered by the reputation that she has formed. In the book, Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to convey exactly what Melinda can't say. In the beginning of the book, Melinda starts high school carrying her emotional wounds with her after something happens mysterious to her at a party during the summer.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In The Short Story Eleven By Sandra Cisneros

    253 Words  | 2 Pages

    Age: the length of time that a person has lived or a thing has existed. In the short story“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros. Talks about Rachel the main character on here eleventh birthday. Cisneros uses this to her advantage to characterize using details, specific language, and figurative language to explain her day.

    Read More

  • Speak Journal Response To Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

    1218 Words  | 5 Pages

    She feels ashamed and blames herself for not being a good enough wife for Tom, just as Melinda feels guilty as though the rape was her fault, even if it really wasn’t. It is later revealed that in reality, it was actually Tom who had done all those atrocious things. He would lie to Rachel, blaming her for all the things he had done, just to make her feel guilty, weak, and worthless. Just how Andy had made Melinda feel after he raped her. With this connection, I can better understand Melinda’s character through Rachel’s in The Girl on the Train, which I read and enjoyed before I read

    Read More

  • Alice Walker Literary Devices

    486 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a short story containing a first-person point of view, narrated by the mother in the story. “The mother” is not named in the story, yet holds an important role in being the protagonist while also incorporating vital details of the characters’ emotions, views, and ideas of each other. The narrator tells the audience everything she knows about the other two main characters, giving the audience insight on how to view these characters in the story. Walker does a great job using two specific literary elements in “Everyday Use” to pinpoint the story’s theme. In “Everyday Use”, Walker develops the theme of the importance of Christ-like behavior by unifying these literary elements: point of view and characterization.

    Read More

More about Figurative Language In Laurie Anderson's Speak

Open Document