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Popularity In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

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I am very popular, I am known by everyone and loved by everyone. Except for one person I am afraid he doesn’t like me but I have my friends. I wonder if he talks behind my back. I don’t even know his name. Probably for the best he is pretty weird. The mental effects that settle into the minds of young people that are popular or not can be devastating.
Melinda Sordino, the rape victim and protagonist in Laurie Halse Anderson’s book Speak, is not very popular. She barely has any friends and doesn’t trust many people in the school. Melinda does not try to become popular but instead uses her time to avoid teachers and ex-friends. She get's harassed by a Popular group called the Marthas, they make fun of Melinda when she is introduced to them. They comment about her hair, body, and lips in a negative way. Also Rachele Melinda ex-friend hangs out with popular people and …show more content…

The word popularity comes from the latin word popularitas Meaning fellow-citizenship. Popularity can affect a person mentally, according to psychologist, Mitch Prinstein, there are two types of popularity, how well you are liked and having a high status. Kids who have the popularity of “likeness” have more social opportunities because it creates new social skills. It makes us strive to have people like them and to feel connected. When your brain feels isolated it creates a pain that makes you go to social connections. During the age of 13-14 peers want people to think well about them. Popularity can make peers more likely to commit risky behaviors. According to Healthlandland.com, popular students are more likely to commit verbal and physical bullying and spread gossip. That popular people bully to make them more popular in their school. Melinda is not liked by a lot of people and deals with bullying from popular students like the Marthas and does not have many social

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