Theme Of Isolation In Laurie Anderson's Speak
Isolation is when one is set apart from others and is virtually alone. In Laurie Anderson’s Speak, the protagonist, Melinda, isolates herself and is further isolated from others. Isolation can be seen through three symbols: lips, mirrors and a closet. Melinda thinks no one cares about what she has to say, resulting in silence. After the incident in the summer, Melinda cannot bare to look at herself. A space where Melinda can physically be alone is what she needed to even more so build a wall between her and others, thus being why the closet is an important aspect and symbol. Isolation is what helped Melinda cope with her pain, this is what makes it the major theme in the novel. Melinda’s lips are cracked, swollen and scabby. Everyone …show more content…
Shut your trap, button your lip, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say.” (9). Melinda hopes that if she keeps her pain to herself for long enough, it will eventually go away. By not saying anything, Melinda drifts further away from others and more so isolates herself. Everyone looked at Melinda like she was a monster. Melinda received looks from people she did not even know. This got in Melinda’s head and resulted in her feeling worse and she too, feared who she was. Melinda could not bear to see herself as she only saw an ugly person with many flaws. Melinda started to remove or cover any mirror she could. “The first thing to go is the mirror. It is screwed to the wall, so I cover it with a poster of Maya Angelou that the librarian gave me.” (50). Melinda was too disgusted to face herself. To try to forget and move on from being raped, she needed to avoid looking at herself and seeing the person she has become. Ever since Melinda was raped, she has been frustrated with herself and has not been able to face her reflection. This shows that she could not face her feelings. Melinda’s coping strategy was to avoid others and avoid herself. The mirror is a symbol for her emotional struggles and that she cannot deal with them. Although isolating herself was not making the incident disappear, Melinda thought it was better than talking
Laurie Halse Anderson Speak Analysis
241 Words | 1 PagesThroughout the book Melinda has problems with her family. For example, they don 't communicate with her and instead choose to just communicate by writing notes to one another. Also, her parents are disappointed with her grades. They also are constantly arguing with each other.
Summary Of Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson
623 Words | 3 PagesMelinda is important because she is the main character and the victim; the story is told from her point of view. Heather’s place in the story is special because she gives Melinda some hope, only to take it away from her half way through the year, which adds another conflict to the story; Heather exhibits the shallowness that young people tend to contain. Finally, David is important because he is a small character who provides a sort of background support for Melinda; he speaks up for himself to Mr. Neck, which is shows her that she can do the same for herself.
Companionless And Shielding Oneself From Harm In The Novel Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson
388 Words | 2 PagesIn the novel Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson repeats the idea of feeling companionless and shielding oneself from harm. Throughout the text, Melinda, the main character feels like everyone is against her and she tries to put a stop to being harmed again. Even at times when she should be happier, such as when she is with friends, she doesn’t speak much and is withdrawn from everyone. On her first day of high school, at the very beginning of the text, Melinda compares high school to the jungle by calling herself “ a wounded zebra in a National Geographic special.” (Halse Anderson 5)
Brief Summary Of Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson
1276 Words | 6 PagesI am not going to to think about it.” so Melinda hear is trying to forget get what happened to her. She just can't get this secret or monster outside of her head. It's always there and it is haunting her like a monster. Also on page 17 Melinda
Write An Essay On The Relationship Between Melinda And Reavin
1084 Words | 5 PagesShe didn’t have anyone to vent to or make her feel more important. She had to suffer through her life taunting experience alone. With no friends to help her through this tough time she felt it hard to persevere and thus found herself slip into depression. Little did Melinda know that all she had to do was fight through and eventually when she moved onto sophomore year she will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Melinda is not the only one who went through hardships, so did Reavun in The Chosen.
Family Relationships In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson
632 Words | 3 PagesMelinda faced the trauma of being raped by herself for way to long and it is shown by the way she took care of herself and the way she never talked. If her family had noticed or invested more time into getting to know her they would have noticed their daughter falling into a deep dark hole that is depression. She says many times in the book “i am outcast” which tells the readers that she knows that she is not handling things well, she is this way because she was not close to anybody so chose to be
Symbolism In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson
944 Words | 4 PagesThe mirror was another form of symbolism that conveyed Melinda’s frustration with herself, as she was unable to face her reflection and subsequently avoided mirrors since the rape. The avoidance is a representation of the lack of ability for her to face her feelings; the only mirror see appears to see herself in is at the department
Lucy Grealy's Autobiography Of A Face
411 Words | 2 PagesOne must choose wisely and continually combat the world’s messages because self-image can set the stage for one’s entire life. Grealy’s struggles with self-esteem reveal the fluidity of one’s self-image. A confident young girl can evolve into an insecure teenager or adult because of a new circumstance or the damaging words of others. Grealy does not disclose extensive details about her life or sense of self-image before cancer, but a few brief scenes paint a picture of Grealy that only accentuates the deterioration of her self-esteem.
Use Of Bravery In Anderson's Speak
576 Words | 3 PagesIn 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).
Social Isolation In Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window
1225 Words | 5 PagesAlfred Hitchcock 's Rear Window explores the lives of those who feel isolated within society. The 1954 film, set in the tenements of Grenwich village, depicts those who are incapable of fitting into society 's expectations, as well as those who feel isolated from common interaction with others. Moreover, Hitchcock displays how its human nature to seek comfort and deeper connection even with those who are surrounded by others. Despite depicting characters as lonely, the progression of the film illustrates how individuals can be freed from isolation. The director asserts the loneliness and struggle that comes from fitting into social mores.
Examples Of Character Development In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson
755 Words | 4 PagesAt 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).
Betrayal And Loneliness In Melinda's Speak
446 Words | 2 PagesThe main character, Melinda has to deal with the feeling of betrayal and loneliness as all the people who she grew up with, shared unforgettable memories with and the people she thought would never leave her side now backstabbing her and making her feel like she isn’t worthy to live. Melinda “responds” to this problem by ignoring everyone and becoming isolated so that no one would approach her and ever hurt her ever again. I would advice Melinda to try and go up to her friends and let them know what really happened. As they say “in the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take”. It’s better for Melinda to at least try and talk to her friends, because they may have been true friends all along there just may have been a misunderstanding.
Melinda's Problems In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson
173 Words | 1 PagesIn 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
The Living Library Character Analysis
807 Words | 4 PagesInterrupting her “open book” by commenting “I think I’ve got good judgement” (175) and commenting later on about how she would study psychology especially “cause I’ve got good listening skills” (178) , is an accurate display of how her illusion of herself differs in great magnitude from how she is perceived by others. Due to her inability to accurately self reflect and represent, her capacity for change, improvements and growth are stunted, for one can not fix a problem they do not know is present. However, not only is her self perception imprecise and unreliable, Sylvia is also unable to comprehend social cues from others which provide feedback with respects to the response evoked by her disposition. Failing to respect her company’s explicit refusal to her invasion of his personal space, Sylvia “starts giving him a vigorous back massage” (177). Even though she was directly given feedback for her actions, she struggled to respect the simple request.
Melinda's Bullying: A Short Story
649 Words | 3 PagesConsidering that all this happened to Melinda it resulted in people bullying her and being an outcast at her school. Melinda has been failing in all classes except art, this is because she didn’t want to speak to anyone since the party and felt the only way to express herself was through artwork. Inclusion, I think before the book started Melinda was bullied. Melinda was bullied for the following reasons she has no friends to hangout with, the names they would call her, and she called the police during a
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