In the book speak does melinda cut herself

Her parents and guidance counselor try to get her to open up about her poor academic performance, but melinda refuses to speak to them. Speak by laurie halse anderson is multiple awardwinning books, but it is also listed by the american library association as one of the top 100 books challenged between 20002009. The following poem was written by laurie halse anderson in honor of the 10th anniversary of speak. This will be collected the first full day of your english class.

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. Melinda finds comfort in areas where she can cut off the outside world and focus on something she cares about, and both of these areas allow her to do just that. Melinda vaguely remembers seeing a phone and calling 911 for help but being unable to speak when the dispatcher answered. Finally, heathers behavior toward melinda reveals just how much she and melinda use each other rather than see each other as true friends. This started because of some event that cause melinda to loose her identity. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself. The last line of the book is melinda saying, let me tell you about it. Through melindas cutting herself, the naming of it, and heather ignoring. Andy comes over to talk to the marthas and plays with melindas hair while he does so. Speak, third marking period discussion questions 1. In the book speak, does melinda sordino cut herself. She thinks her reflection looks ugly in her bedroom mirror, and covers up the mirror in her closet with a poster of maya angelou. These drawing represent melinda problem in identifying herself and symbolizing her pain. Her best friend, rachel bruin, has turned against her with all other of melindas fellow students looking away.

In the beginning, the book has people being mean to melinda because she hasnt spoken out or defended herself. Kristen stewart, eric lively, elizabeth perkins, d. In laurie halse andersons powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. When melinda finally speaks, for what does she ask. She compares herself to a rabbit that freezes when it gets scared and the runs away. For the majority of the novel, she refuses to admit to herself that she was raped, a fact that makes it hard for. I could see the story play out like a movie and it was better than anything ive seen or heard related to this story. Get everything you need to know about melindas closet in speak. In the book speak, by laurie halse anderson, melinda sordino is forced into the worst year of her life. Melinda becomes more depressed and tries to run away and to cut herself, but is unable to take real action in either attempt. Melindas only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in her schemes to gain popularity. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.

Melinda has many branches that are dead from disease. Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is sometimes clouded by her suffering. Speak sundance film festival production 2004 93 minutes directed dy. This article suggests that andersons book resists such a tidy reading and instead is indicative of the complications inherent whenever an adult author mimics a teens confessional voice. Trees are one of the most prevalent symbols in the novel, appearing in almost every chapter of the book. Actually, melinda does wish she was a model, like the girl she saw on a recent magazine cover so beautiful nobody would dare to put their hands on her. Also, she appreciated what she had and she still does. Why does melinda try to go throughout the school day trying not to be noticed.

Summary melindas guidance counselor calls her mom to warn her about. You will have time to get to your class before the bell rings. What does ivy show melinda in the bathroom in the book speak. Laurie halse andersons 2000 novel speak is most often lauded as an empowerment narrative for its portrayal of melinda finding the strength to speak up about being raped. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. Speak by laurie halse anderson goodreads share book. Heather, on the other hand, is practically starving herself, and melinda wonders what this is doing to heathers. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. By the end of the novel, melinda finds a way to live again.

How did they express melindas feelings in the book speak. But, melinda s dedication to cheeseburgers might put a damper in her career. First marking period welcome to merryweather high 1. The reason callie cuts herself is clearly stated in the bookshe does it to get rid of. In the novel, hester is made to wear a red a on her clothing indicating. By sundown on the day of her second attack, everyone at school had heard about andy and melinda. As the seniors notice melinda, one of them says that she hopes melinda is okay. Study guide for the novel speak by laurie halse anderson please answer all study guide questions as you read the novel. What page did melinda try to commit suicide in speak. With the exception of the first and last stanzas, all of the words come from letters or emails written to her by readers. Speak by laurie halse anderson is an ageappropriate novel for teens with believable characters and situations. Speak up for yourselfwe want to know what you have to say.

As you read the first section of speak list reasons why you believe she might be feeling this way. Melindas slow healing process is a realistic and compelling one, and readers. Better she stays in the closet and keeps the awful thing to herself. Study guide for the novel speak by laurie halse anderson. Melinda refers to herself as two things in this section, what are they. She tries one more time and smacks herself so hard on the forehead she staggers a bit. Can you please retell the scene when melinda sordino cuts herself. I think melinda compares herself to a bunny rabbit because when rabbits see.

She also cannot cut herself because that would be a cry for help, and melinda does not cry or speak. 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. However, over many months of painful silence and selfharm in the form of lip and nailbiting, melinda finally admits to herself that andy evans raped her at the party last summer. Terms in this set 18 what animal does melinda compare herself to whenever she sees andy. Ivy is kind to melinda, and even helps her at certain parts of the book. Laurie halse andersons youngadult novel speak is packed with symbolism. Melinda finds herself, with only hours left in the school year, suddenly popular. It was then that andy evans raped her, leaving her bruised, scared and alone. The characters ordeals were based on andersons own experiences. What page does melinda cut herself in the book speak answers. Melindas closet represents the doubleedged sword of her loneliness. The symbol of melindas closet in speak from litcharts. What two things does melinda accept that help her begin a healing process. The symbol of blood returns to the novel once more, as melinda hurts herself.

While licking an envelope closed, melinda cuts her lip on the paper. Get an answer for how did they express melindas feelings in the book speak. What animal does melinda compare herself to when it comes to andy. When her mother sees the cuts at breakfast, her response is to warn melinda that she. No one understands, and by refusing to speak about it, melinda ends up becoming a target for harassment and bullying throughout the book p. In fact, whenever melinda sees her reflection in the novel, she notices her flaws and is disgusted by herself. Reading the book speak by laurie halse anderson was required reading when i was in high school, yet the book was very controversial in its content. Melinda melinda is the protagonist because she believes that what she did was right and does not regret a moment in her life that she did something wrong. He successfully manages to make a big impact on melindas life. Symbolism in speak by laurie halse anderson freebooksummary. Summary and analysis of chapter 43 and 44 of speak.

Melinda strives to draw the tree that represents herself and her emotions, at the same time dealing with the pain andy evans has caused. Since its publication, speak has received both critical acclaim and censorship. Hearing is seeing speak i loved reading the book, but hearing the book read was like seeing melindas story take on a whole new image in my brain. He has brown hair and would be ashamed of himself because he got a b on a test. Every year several books are challenged and banned across the nation by individuals and organizations who believe the content of the books is inappropriate. It focuses on a 9th grade girl who suddenly finds herself without friends after an incident that occurred at a high school party. Why did the school board decide to change the school mascot from the trojans to the blue devils. The following poem was written by laurie halse anderson. Melinda thinks about moms reaction to the scratches melinda makes on her wrists with a paperclip.

After being raped melinda faces many problems such as not being able to speak about what happen to her. Second marking period, rent round 3dark art cliffsnotes. Melindas father explaining to her that the diseased branches need to be cut off so the tree can grow helps melinda realize she needs to help herself so she can grow. Her constant internal suffering is shown outwardly through her lips. Project muse why wont melinda just talk about what. In the following quotation, melinda is relating to hester prynne from the scarlett letter, a novel she is reading in her english class. Later, heather tries to manipulate melinda into helping her put up the decorations for prom, but melinda sticks up for herself and refuses. Melinda writes guys to stay away from respectively, on the bathroom stall on page 175.

Cutting out hearts in laurie halse andersons speak. The symbol of melindas closet in speak from litcharts the. The novel was a new york times bestseller the year it was released and it was a national book award finalist as well as the winner of the 2000 ala best book for young adults award. She cannot run away because she only knows how to hide. 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. Melinda mel sordino is the main character and narrator of laurie halse andersons 1999 novel speak. The lacrosse team has told the school about andys rape attempt, and melinda wryly notes that. Making her one of the few people that i think genuinely liked melinda in the book, as horrible as that sounds.

Plot speak is the narrative of a young outcast, melinda sordino, who spends most of her freshman year of high school in silence. This quote is about melinda biting her lip and how it is a symbol of her suffering. Instead, freshman year is a nightmare as melinda finds herself rejected by her friends, cut off from her parents, and unable to reveal a terrible secret. People did not believe her that she got raped, which leads.

Melinda now realizes that she can move past august, andy, and the rape. How does melinda act differently when andy attacks her in the closet. When she says i am tough enough to play and strong enough to win what is clear about her changing attitude toward herself. At the beginning of speak, melinda despises mirrors. Since shes also the narrator, everything we learn about the other characters is filtered through her. This quote gives the reader hope that once melinda does this, like the oak tree, she will be one of the strongest around. Trees represent life and growth for the main protagonist in the story melinda, and are symbolic of her journey through her mental recovery after being raped. Freeman, and melinda calls them girls only to correct herself to women. She leaves a book about it on the back of the toilet to educate melinda who says.

Speak study guide answer each question with a complete sentence. At the end of the novel, she realizes that she needs to cut off these dead, damaged branches, no matter how painful it may be to do so, in order to grow again. Now, having seen jessica sharzers film based on the book, and having new knowledge and concepts in mind, i felt it was important to write this article regarding the film itself. It is stated that andy evans is found guilty but does not go to prison. For melinda, heather is a screen, protecting her from feeling like a complete outcast at school. Sadly, the books she reads dont help her recognize what melinda is going through. Speak was a 1999 national book award finalist for young peoples literature. For extra credit, melinda does a report on the suffragettes who risked jail to fight for. Does melinda cut herself in the movie speak answers. At the end of the novel, she no longer needs the closet to feel safe. But, melindas dedication to cheeseburgers might put a damper in her career. One of the seniors is amber cheerleader, and melinda realizes that she may have misjudged her. One way the book speak by laurie halse anderson shows empowerment is through melindas dependence on herself, rather than others.