Summary Of Melinda Sordino's Speak

The novel “Speak”, written by Laurie Halse Anderson first published in the year 1999, deals with Melinda, an “outcast” (p. 4), who experiences her first year of high school while simultaneously trying to cope with the aftermath of sexual abuse during a party, which consists mainly of her not being able to speak. Since we are all aware of the fact that Melinda’s traumatic event led to a certain degree of dehumanization for her, the following words intend to focus on and elaborate Melinda’s struggle in school; how she views her teachers, her marks, her periods and to some degree also her peers and classmates. Starting right at the beginning Melinda enters her high school life with a healthy amount of prejudice. Probably having heard or

In the realistic fiction novel speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; we learn the story of Melinda Sordino. It all begins at Merryweather High school. Before the beginning of the school year, Melinda and her friends went to a raving party, with everyone from school. Melinda had a terrifying encounter with a senior student, and ended up calling the police. Since no one knew what happened, at the party, everyone rejected her socially.

Speak is a young adult novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson that tells the story of young Melinda Scordio who has to endure the aftermath of her rape, while also adapting to the changes it has brought upon her life. Melinda has just started high school, but due to past events that occurred last summer, she is left as an empty shell with her voice snatched away and little hopes of returning. Melinda has remained silent and finds herself lost in the chaos of it all. She is able to find her sanctuary, not only a place, but something with much more meaning. Throughout the book, Melinda struggles with opening herself up to people and being able to tell her story.

Because Melinda called the police after the rape, the party got stopped, and Melinda became an outcast from there on out. Melinda struggles with making new friends at school because she is a part of the group of outcasts within the school. Throughout the book, the reader is shown

In speak by Laurie Halse Anderson , the main character is Melinda goes to Merryweather High school.she is very lonely here friends don't even hang out with her. She even met her ex best friend . here favorite class is art. The author wants Melinda to speak about her problems. Throughout the book , Melinda has problems with her family for example ,.Her

In Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel, Speak, Melinda is a dynamic character whose behaviors, thoughts, and words change and reflect the theme of the novel, not to keep ones emotions bottled up. First, Melinda acts in a shy and quiet manner because she had got her friends into trouble when she called the cops at the party. However when Melinda begins to make her own choicesfor herself and not let her emotions get to her, she realizes she will not let other people make her own descions. This is evident when Anderson writes “I mean no I won`t help you” (Anderson 179). This shows how Melinda will not be walked on by her peers.

(pg 179) Melinda finally said no to Heather, after she said no to Heather, she started to gain all the confidence and self-worth back that Andy took away. In the last part of the novel, you see the main character face her biggest fear, standing up to Andy which is the last piece of the puzzle for her to become a whole person again. Throughout the novel Speak we see Melinda grow even though everything seems to be going wrong. When we first see Melinda she is lonely and is hated by everyone.

So she yells and fights back when Andy tries to abuse her: “No. A sound explodes out of me. NNNOOO!!!” (pg 194). This shows that Melinda is finally speaking this shows that her closet is not safe from what happened to her and that she can never hide from her trauma.

Worse, almost everyone bullies her. On Monday, at the homecoming school pep rally, Melinda was getting bullied physically and emotionally. Melinda explains “ The girl behind me jams

We know that all her ex-friends and a bunch of other kids are really mad at her. She also hints that something awful has happened to her, and she wants to tell somebody about it but can't. We find out that people are mad at Melinda because they hold her responsible for an end-of-summer party being busted. Melinda is physically and verbally assaulted at school on a semi-regular basis, prompting her to keep to herself more and more. We also learn that a bad thing happened to her at the party, and that's why she called the police.

If Melinda had communicated with people instead of staying silent about this problem, she could get the help that she needed. Eventually, Mel finds her voice in many things, such as art. By the end of the book, she is able to see that this incident wasn’t her fault. When Andy tries to repeat his actions, she is much stronger and is able to see that what he

Melinda's internal conflict between speaking out about her assault and denying its reality is a central theme in the novel. On the night of a party she was invited to, she had too much to drink. She stumbled into a forest, unaware of the people and her surroundings. Andy Evans, a senior, took advantage of her drunken state and sexually assaulted her. The trauma from the night caused her to be in a state of denial and shock.

Melinda could have prevented herself from being raped if she hadn't attended the party, by speaking up for herself, and by avoiding getting into a fight with Andy Evans when he physically tried to abuse her. These choices could have provided her with an opportunity to avoid the crisis and not be involved in the midst of her

When Melinda is around Andy she characterizes herself as fearful small pet such as the time she sees him walking she says, “I stand still. That's how rabbits survive; they freeze in the presence of predators.” (97). Melinda feels inferior to others which limits herself from speaking up. Melinda’s fear of speaking up is leading her to

At the end of the story she finally found her voice and was able to stand up for herself. In the beginning, Melinda didn't talk to anyone, barely even to her parents. She says, “I have tried so hard to forget every second of that stupid party and here I am in the middle of a hostile crowd that hates me for what I had to do. I can't tell them what really happened” (Anderson, 28).