ipl-logo

Imagery And Symbolism In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

772 Words4 Pages

Did you know that only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported? Melinda was one of the 690 people that didn’t report her sexual assault. Speak was about this girl named Melinda and she had something happen to her right before school started and she didn’t tell anyone. Then as the school year progressed she wasn’t making any friends and even the only friend she had unfriended her. THen at the end she finally told someone. In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the theme is don't be afraid to speak up about a bad experience and it is shown through the symbols of Heather, chapped lips, and Mr.Freeman. One symbol that Anderson used to show the theme of don’t be afraid to speak up about bad experiences is Heather. When Heather needs help making a poster she isn’t afraid to ask Melinda for help. This is an example of the theme. Heather said, “I knew you wouldn’t mind helping” (80) This quote shows the theme of don’t be afraid to speak up by showing that her friend is not afraid to …show more content…

Freeman. When she enters the art room also known as the “Sanctuary.” She sees Mr. Freeman and describes him like “... is ugly. Big old grasshopper body, like a stiltwalking circus guy. Nose like a credit card sunk between his eyes.,” but she says as the file in the class “...he smiles…” (10) This quote represents the thesis statement because it shows sometimes that what people see on the outside isn’t what is really going on inside. At the end of the year when she is trying to finish her art project before the bell Mr. Freeman says” Time’s up…” and she starts to cry, but then Mr. Freeman says” no crying in my studio….” (298) It represents the thesis statement because it is showing that he thinks something is wrong with her, but he didn’t push her to say what was wrong and she finally had the guts to tell a teacher. The symbol that Anderson used for the theme of don’t be afraid to speak up about bad experiences is Mr.

Show More
Related

Summary Of Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

406 Words | 2 Pages

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.”

Read More

Anderson's Speak Symbolism Examples

383 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel, Anderson’s Speak, there is a multitude of symbolism examples. A crucial example is how she avoided mirrors as much as she could. The mirror symbolizes how Melinda disgusts herself as if it were her fault she had been hurt. She used the mirror as a weapon towards Andy which symbolizes how she regained control of her emotions. Anderson uses the mirror to symbolize how Melinda disgusts herself and how she used it to regain her confidence.

Read More

Foreshadowing In The Scarlet Ibis

204 Words | 1 Pages

It is telling the reader the narrator’s pride is where he went wrong, which helped form the theme. He also adds symbols that I believe helped me think of a theme. For example, the storm could be a symbol for the

Read More

Use Of Imagery, Dialogue, And Tone In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

298 Words | 2 Pages

Laurie Halse Anderson conveys a lonely mood through the use of imagery, dialogue, and tone in her book “Speak”. Throughout the novel, the reader sees the struggles of a freshman girl named Melinda after she was raped over the summer. Laurie Halse Anderson uses imagery to create a lonely mood. “Built-in shelves filled with dusty textbooks and a few bottles of bleach… A cracked mirror tils over a sink littered with dead roaches crotched together with cobwebs.” This quote helps the reader create an image in their head of a dirty, forgotten place where it makes the reader feel the same feelings of loneliness that Melinda felt in the story.

Read More

Internment By Samira Ahmed Sparknotes

820 Words | 4 Pages

Therefore, the theme was developed and represented by the main protagonist taking a stand in the oppression she was

Read More

The Scarlet Ibis Theme Essay

707 Words | 3 Pages

Therefore, the theme of the story is too much pride can be a bad thing; the narrator lets his pride get the best of him and ends up killing Doodle. Three symbols that enrich the understanding of the story and relate to the theme are the Old Woman Swamp, the color red, and the scarlet ibis. The first symbol that enriches the understanding of the story

Read More

Symbolism In Laurie Halse Anderson's 'Speak'

805 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Breathing Underwater Chapter 1 Quotes

454 Words | 2 Pages

An example is when they ask if she is in fear for her safety and she says “Yes, I am”(Flinn,4) this shows both these themes because she's doing this to survive out of fear she is going to be abused again. An example of a literary device in this chapter is when Nick says “Guess Im the beast. ”(Flinn,2)

Read More

What Is The Significance Of The Closets In Speak

838 Words | 4 Pages

In the book, Speak, we see the author Laurie Halse Anderson intentionally use symbols to portray the way the main character is feeling. The first-person perspective of the book allows us to understand inner thoughts and feelings of Melinda, this is where many of the symbols come from. I decided to do a visual representation of the closets in Speak to take a deep dive into the different aspects of the book that lead to a rollercoaster of emotions. The closets in the book act as a safe haven for Melinda. The escape from reality is that she needs to be together with her thoughts, “The best place to figure this out is my closet, my throne room, my foster home”(150).

Read More

Theme Of Characterization In The Jewelry Box

573 Words | 3 Pages

Characterization is the backbone of the theme of a story. In the story “The Jewelry Box '', Lauren walks into her classroom late and she is anxious about what others will think, which is expressed through her actions, thoughts, and appearance. Lauren is bullied by a classmate, Jerry Pickup, in their woodshop class, Lauren then decides that she will gain confidence and stand up to Jerry, which causes Jerry and Lauren to get along. Lauren’s change from timid to confident, shown through her actions, strongly supports the theme of confidence is necessary during adversity. The author uses characterization to develop the theme by conveying the character’s thoughts as uncomfortable, showing through different character’s looks that they are much bigger and more intimidating than the main character, and expressing through

Read More

Between Shades Of Gray Theme Analysis

874 Words | 4 Pages

An example of this is when Lina, Jonas, and Elena are getting ready to go onto one of the cattle cars for the first time. Jonas says, “Mother… these cars are for pigs and cows,” to which she responds, “Yes, I know. We’ll have a little adventure, won’t we?” (Sepetys 30). This quote demonstrates the theme because this moment is a very terrifying time for everyone, let alone children.

Read More

Theme Essays: Echo By Pam Muñoz Ryan

595 Words | 3 Pages

An important aspect of the book that justifies these descriptions are the intricate themes tied throughout the book. In Echo, there are many themes such as "don't judge a book by its cover" and "be careful who you trust" that are demonstrated throughout this novel. The theme "don't judge a book by its cover" is shown in parts 1 and 2 of Echo. One example of the theme "don't judge a book by its cover" is shown in part 1 when the schoolboys taunt Fredrich because of his birthmark.

Read More

The Outsiders Quote Analysis

481 Words | 2 Pages

He just wanted to talk.’” (Hinton 118). Ponyboy had finally realized people have their own separate problems, they might not be the same problems but everyone has them. In conclusion all four of these quotes are really good examples of my theme.

Read More

Essay On Symbolism In The Book Speak

1197 Words | 5 Pages

Symbolism can use an object (like a tree of birds), or art, (like Melinda’s art project or Mr. Freeman's canvas) to represent an abstract idea. Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to hint at a certain mood or emotion, rather than just blatantly saying it. So, the use of symbolism is important because it helps create meaning and emotion in a story. Symbolism makes a book fun to read, the symbolism produces a thought provoking work of art and it, (like in this book), adds meaning to seemingly unrelated objects and elicits emotions in the

Read More

Prisoner B-3087 By Alan Gratz

406 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel Prisoner B-3087, the author, Alan Gratz, uses both symbolism and first-person narrative voice to convey the themes, "Never give up, even when times are tough," and "Always make the most of your life, because you never know what might happen next." In the novel, Gratz uses both symbolism and first-person narrative voice to help develop a theme. They use bread as a symbol of life because bread is one of the few foods they had to eat. " Bread.

Read More

More about Imagery And Symbolism In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Topics

Open Document