Like melinda, the main character in the story, laurie halse anderson grew up in syracuse, new york. Melinda has always like eeman better than her other teachers because he actually. Melinda from the book speak wanted to have friends again and get her life back, but some devastating things occurred that really affected and changed her life, so this experience lets melinda think about what she is going to do and she learns a lot about herself and gains courage and bravery. In the section entitled hall of mirrors, melinda goes shopping for clothes and gives minor descriptions of her physical appearance. Melinda thought shed feel so much better after telling rachel, but rachel doesnt react the way melinda wants. She is so proud and feels like she accomplished something. This is the only point in the book in which there is a complete disregard for grammar rules.
This is the underlying message of speak and the message laurie halse. Or at least, that is the viewpoint of melinda sordino, the protagonist of speak by laurie halse. This tragic story follows fourteenyearold melinda sordino through her freshman year of. Young adult book reading challenges speak discussions. Apr, 2009 what are some characteristics of melinda sordino in speak. Melindas physical appearance is rarely described, except in the context of what clothing she is wearing and how her lips are chapped and scabbed over. In the book speak, melinda draws a droopy willow tree. From her first moment at merryweather high, melinda sordino knows shes an outcast. It is also mentioned that she is a size ten while trying on jeans at the store her mother works at. Can you please retell the scene when melinda sordino cuts herself.
Instant downloads of all 1297 litchart pdfs including speak. How does its appearance have on melinda in the book speak. After what had happened she called the cops and a lot of people got arrested for under aged drinking and taking drugs. Melinda sordino suffers through her freshman year at merryweather high school in silence. Asked in speak novel why does melinda take her mirror down in the book speak. It is also mentioned she has black eyebrows and muddy brown eyes. Get everything you need to know about appearance versus reality in speak. This is a gritty, powerful book that teachers and parents could use to launch a number of discussions. Over time, melinda s secret takes a great toll on her physical well being. It can be regarded as a sequel to speak, as it has the same setting in merryweather high school and a cameo appearance by melinda sordino the protagonist. Symbols and motifs by laurie halse anderson mirrors mirrors are a reoccurring motif for melinda.
Apr 27, 2010 in the book speak, does melinda sordino cut herself. Why do you think melinda responds in this fashion to andys appearance. At the party there was drinking and drugs but the worst part was when melinda got raped by andy evans. Her last name, sordino, is an italian word that can be translated as deaf. She ends the book understanding that, although she cannot fix the gap. The reader discovers that melinda is not comfortable with her. She busted an endofsummer party by calling the cops a major infraction in highschool society so her old friends wont talk to her, and people she doesnt know glare at her. The speak quotes below all refer to the symbol of melindas closet. She talks less and less, doesnt eat, chews her lips until their raw and bloodied, and even scrapes her arms with paperclips until they bleed. May 10, 2011 speak up for yourselfwe want to know what you have to say. I think she responds in this fashion to andys appearance because he scares her. An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, speak will hold readers from first word to last. But the books overall gritty realism and melindas hardwon metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired. Melinda is uncertain of the reaction her parents may have if she did tell them, as well as how they may become involved in her personal life.
Melinda inhaling pepperoni and mushroom and no one ever eats in the family room, no. Why do you think melindas best friends from middle school turned against her immediately rather than asking what happened. Speak kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. He assigns her a project on drawing a tree and thats all he tells her. Speak up for yourselfwe want to know what you have to say. Much of melindas cynicism within speak springs from what she views as a fundamental. As you read the first section of speak list reasons why you believe she might be feeling this way. Speak is a novel about empowerment and it is a book that every teen, especially teen girls, should read. The summer before starting high school, she was raped by a senior student, andy evans. Book summary over the summer, she and her friends went to a party and melinda ended up calling the police, causing her friends and everyone at the party to socially reject her. Melindas only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in her schemes to gain popularity. Although she clearly finds melinda strange and frustrating, heather also takes advantage of melinda s willingness to help her complete various tasks for the clique called the marthas that she is trying. Melinda looks at a book of landscapes brimming with trees and plants.
In the book, speak by laurie halse anderson, a young girl, melinda, who used to be a popular girl is now an outcast. She retreats into her head, where the lies and hypocrisies of high school stand in stark relief to her own silence, making her all. I would categorize the students of merryweather high school as the foreign exchange kids, the goths, the cheerleaders, the artists, the marthas, jocks, country clubbers, and those who are clanless. In the book speak by laurie halse anderson the main character melinda learns many things. What are some characteristics of melinda sordino in speak. In the book speak, one of the biggest conflicts is when melinda was at a summer party. Study guide for the novel speak by laurie halse anderson. Her transition from middle school to high school is complicated by a misunderstanding which sends shockwaves throughout her existence. The first physical description of melinda emphasizes her lips, which are in bad condition because she is continually biting them. After accidentally busting an end of summer party due to an unnamed incident, melinda is ostracized by her peers because she will not say why she called the police.
What is the appearance of melinda in the novel speak answers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. The nonverbal communication of melinda in laurie halse. What is a physical description of the character melinda in speak. You have such light and creativity in you, but it is covered in the darkness that you use a shield. Through the physical appearance of melinda, anderson shows many signals that. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an endofsummer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. Oct 23, 2009 between the book and movie speak, there are many differences between the two. Melinda mel sordino is the main character and narrator of laurie halse andersons 1999 novel speak. From the first moment of her freshman year at merryweather high, melinda knows that this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. Discussionwriting guide for speak, by laurie anderson.
In essence, she punishes herself for andys actions. Melinda called the police at a summer party because a boy she didnt. One of the many lies they tell students in high school. Group work and class discussion students will be formed into 4 groups, each being assigned one of the 4 marking periods. No one, however, knows melinda s biggest secret, the reason she dialed 911 over the. In laurie halse andersons book speak, the main character, melinda, struggles with her own dysfunctional family issues and the influence it has on her decision to speak out about her rape.
Melinda, a high school freshman, is the protagonist in laurie halse andersons speak. Dear melinda, when i look at you, i see a diamond in the rough. Between the book and movie speak, there are many differences between the two. During the book, melinda symbolizes the tree that shes drawing in mr. The author of speak, laurie halse anderson, positions the main character melinda very clearly towards communication in the beginning of the book with the. What is a physical description of the character melinda in. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. The cause and effect in melindas traumatic experiences. Due to her trauma and inability to tell anyone about what happened, melinda spirals into a dark depression.
At the end of the book, the character speaks up for herself, which is the highlight of the book, but i still think she went through so much sensitive content that teenagers shouldnt be thinking about it. She also does poorly in school, and doesnt socialize very easily with other students. There is a time to be quiet and a time to speak out, and on the issue of sexual assault, a young woman needs to find the courage to raise her voice and ask for help. She is ostracized from her high school community for calling the police to bust a party over the summer, and she feels like she cant. Throughout the book, melinda watches as heather desperately tries to fit in with the other students at her school, only to fail over and over. Speak by laurie halse anderson about the book speak up for yourself we want to know what you have to say. Melinda is uncertain of the reaction her parents may have if she did tell them, as well as how they may become involved in. From the first moment of her freshman year at merryweather high, melinda knows this is a. The first physical description of melinda emphasizes her lips, which are in bad. This made her very confident in her artwork but it also made her feel confident in school and throughout life.
As a traumatized adolescent girl who has been sexually assaulted. Speak study guide contains a biography of laurie halse anderson. Andersons book sends a critical message to not only teenagers, but adults, as well, if. The appearance of the yearbook clears up another high school mysterywhy all. Essay about laurie halse andersons speak 1277 words. From the first moment of her freshman year at merryweather high, melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school.
In the novel, speak by laurie halse anderson, melinda sordino is. Accurate descriptions of the minutiae of high school will appeal to any teen who has felt like an outsider, and when melinda is finally able to speak, readers will rejoice in her triumphs. After melinda calls the police at a party in august, her former friend group ditches her and disintegrates. Melinda sordino is the main character of the book speak. Melinda dreams about the point where she is raped by the senior. Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is sometimes clouded by her suffering. The character of melinda sordino in speak from litcharts the.
Freeman is also a supporter of melinda and they talk about melindas problems sometimes. While melinda s smart and savvy interior narrative slowly reveals the searing pain of that 911 night, it also nails the highschool experience cold. In the first section, what are the signs that melinda has experienced a trauma. In the book speak, does melinda sordino cut herself. Its appearance in the first chapter indicates to the reader that this will be the. Another symptom is the recollection of distressing dreams of the event. Shes only fourteenyearsold, and shes dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a person.
There was drinking and drugs at the party, but this isnt the reason melinda decided to crash the party. She is 15 years old and is beginning her freshman year at merryweather high school. She used to be very social, outgoing, and loved until one night at a party. Melinda s only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in her schemes to gain popularity.
Another difference is in the movie, rachel is the person that slaps melinda when she catches her on the phone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. While melindas smart and savvy interior narrative slowly reveals the searing pain of that 911 night, it also nails the highschool experience cold. It is ironic that melinda has confidence at the end of the book as opposed to her earlier lack of it.
Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by laurie halse anderson that tells the story of high school freshman melinda sordino. I can tell that your mind is a place full of deep thoughts and questions, and i want to encourage you to let those inquisitions out and to free your mind. In this text to text we feature an excerpt from speak, a 1999 national book award finalist that is regularly taught, and regularly challenged, in schools across the country weve paired the novel, which is about a high school freshman who is sexually assaulted at a party, with a 20 oped essay by a woman who was raped by a classmate when she was 16. In this quote, melinda is forthright about her belief in the benefit of. I would recommend speak to anybody, boy or girl, from middle school to high school. The young adult novel speak by awardwinning author laurie halse anderson is a michael l. From the time she was young, she enjoyed typing and pounding away on her fathers typewriter while he would read or write poetry. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Essay about laurie halse andersons speak 1277 words bartleby. The character of melindas mother in speak from litcharts the. Discussionwriting guide for speak, by laurie anderson 1. She learns that the only way to counter evil is to speak out against it. Another example is when she receives crayons and a drawing book from her parents as a christmas gift, she thinks back the time where she returned home, and could not find her parents aftermath of the rape. The remainder of the student body dislikes her for being a snitch. Since shes also the narrator, everything we learn about the other characters is filtered through her. Books similar to speak meet your next favorite book.
In my opinion, the book was stereotypical, melinda was shy, weak and quite, something happens to her, she changes. Get everything you need to know about melinda sordino in speak. Jan 21, 2020 speak is a novel about empowerment and it is a book that every teen, especially teen girls, should read. Still, melinda sounds slightly less sad than normal here as if telling does give her some relief.
17 345 1110 857 733 1509 945 1279 942 19 1439 395 955 888 178 589 931 807 1050 384 1144 1377 99 1117 839 1204 730 1456 202 1280 1159 835