The Importance Of Trees In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

In the book speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda’s friend, Heather, is “Oppressing” her by using mental pressure so she can persuade Melinda into helping her. In the last sentence of the second paragraph, she says that if Melinda does not help then heather will get blacklisted and never get into any of the good groups. This can relate to the real world because there are people who only use other people to their advantage. Plenty of people all over the world do this and the victims don 't even know it until the very end. Sometimes your “Friends” can be “Fiends.”

Melinda was able to speak at the end of the novel Speak by Laurie Hals Anderson, because she ultimately realized that she had the vital support surrounding her. At the beginning of the novel, Melinda has lost all of her friends due to a misunderstanding during the summer, however as the book moves along she establishes valuable connections with new and old people. Ivy and Melinda had gone through a troublesome time in their friendship, but by renewing the connection they had the past year, Melinda then had someone she knew she could trust. Ivy never bullied Melinda, but she grew apart from Melinda when Rachel and Nicole did, when Melinda sees Ivy and other “people [she] used to think were [her] friends, they look away” (9), however towards the end of the year Melinda starts to open up to Ivy about what happened over the summer by making her list of “Guys to Stay Away From” on the bathroom wall (175). Throughout the year it is present that Melinda and Ivy’s friendship evolves and Melinda is then able to trust Ivy with the truth.

Carol made many parental mistakes. One mistake she made was taking advantage of Melinda for her own benefit. When Carol and Melinda go see John, Carol wants Melinda to convince John to get them a portable TV; “ My mother knew. “See if you can get him to buy the TV,” she said. “I bet they’ve got one for sale right nearby” (124).

It is Not What it Seems “I have entered high school with the wrong hair, wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don’t have anyone to sit with” (Anderson 4). In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, there are many themes. Appearance versus reality is an important theme in the novel and is true in people and life, it is not always just present in books. Appearance versus reality is when something in the story seems one way but is not actually that way.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a freshman named Melinda Sordino who starts high school as an outcast and detested by her ex-friends and fellow peers. All because she called the cops at an end of the summer party that ended up with people getting arrested and the party being shut down. What everyone doesn’t know is that she did that because she was raped by a senior named Andy Evans at the party and didn’t know what to do after the traumatic incident and they don’t know because Melinda won’t speak. The conflict in the book is very similar to a book called Saints and Misfits by S.K Ali.

Friendship. According to Merriam-Webster, friendship is “The emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends.” In many books, movies, poems etc., there is something in common. What is it? The answer, friendship.

You ever thought of how your actions affect others? Or even if you indirectly have caused someone an awful day that you could have prevented? Or instead of a wonderful day? Well, “Speak” is a novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson that talks about a 15-year-old teen’s life throughout high school. Her name is Melinda Sordino who had suffered a sexual assault from a senior at her high school, Merryweather High School, in a summer party before entering school.

Sal's mom dies in a horrible bus accedent. In fact, She heard Mrs.Cadaver talk about it. “Mrs.Cadaver told me about how my father visited her in the hospital in Lewiston after he had buried my mother.” Page 257

1. Based on the dialogue Sammy uses, one can suspect he does not take himself too seriously. He speaks from a first person point of view which portrays him as a quiet observer. Sammy also seems to be slightly shallow because when he is referring to the girls in bathings suits inside the store he notes, the girl that initially caught his attention was the “chunky” girl in plaid. In addition to his shallowness, Sammy uses harsh words such as “the fat one with the tan sort of fumbled the cookies.”

Imagine you're venturing into your freshman year of high school forever scarred by the tragedies that you experienced over the summer. You blame yourself for the loss or your innocents. You question whether the alcohol was a wise choice or if you led him on. You can't help but think if maybe you hadn't walked away from the party this would've never happened. You know you were raped but you don't know if it was your fault or his You're too afraid to speak up about what happened so you become the outcast hated by your former friends and disbanded from your former clique.