Summary
By this point in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino continues to feel ostracized from her school community and former friends. Halloween has just passed and she spends the holiday with her only friend Heather. Thanksgiving has just arrived and Melinda detests her mother's cooking. The Sordino family has broken off family bonding and so Melinda feels awkward coming in solidarity. Her father has made morose turkey soup and as an alternative orders pizza on Thanksgiving. Her mother owns a business and on Christmas break requires Melinda to help her reach her goal in selling a lot of merchandise so that she can end the year on good terms. Although Melinda has resumed doing horribly in school, she continues to receive A's in Art class. As a Christmas present, the Sordinos give Melinda a sketch pad with charcoal pencils. They have noticed she has been trying to draw and Melinda begins to speculate they know the truth about what happened last summer. Melinda's emotions exacerbate and she continues to feel trapped in her past. She has no idea how to explain to her parents what happened last summer, and so she continues to hide the secret that has changed her as a daughter, student, and friend. In addition, Ms.Connors, the Basketball coach, noticed Melinda's hidden gift. Melinda is very good at foul shots, and for once receives attention from her classmates for something good. However, in all of her other classes, she continues to get bullied and taunted. Moreover, Melinda discovers she is really good at Algebra and feels sympathetic towards her Algebra teacher. Mr.Stetman feels very passionate for Algebra but the rest of the class seems to not share his same conviction. At last, the Martha Club has ridiculed Melinda's posters and Melinda feels Heather didn't have the effrontery to stand up for her when Siobhan caused such a scene.
Quote:
"I almost tell them right then and there. Tears flood my eyes... This isn't going to be easy. I'm sure they suspect I was at the party"(Anderson 72).
Reaction:
In this here quote, the author Laurie Halse Anderson brings its readers back to the reason why the book Speak was written. Melinda Sordino was a victim of rape and because of stigma and fear, she decided to rather be bullied, ostracized, and looked at differently instead of revealing the truth. In other words, here we have Melinda suffering immensely with her secret and it becomes apparent with Anderson's use of imagery. I can imminently create an image where a young teenage girl has floods of tears flowing from her eyes, and how I as a teenager could be in and have been in that position. Sometimes we as individuals are very quick to judge, but we don't all walk a mile in those we judge's shoes. In fact, I would have right away labeled Melinda as the psycho girl who ruined my fun at a summer party but not as the girl who was raped and needs my attention and support to prevail through such agony. In addition, Anderson uses a great variety of figurative language especially similes and metaphors to make the reading more realistic and engaging. All in all the quote that personifies this part of the book is the American proverb,"Don't judge a book by its a cover" which is what I would have done when Melinda called the cops.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Why Would I Speak? 1-50
Summary:
In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main protagonist is Melinda Sordino. Melinda is an insecure ninth grader at Merry-Weather High School in Syracuse, New York. Melinda is being neglected and ostracized from her entire school community and feels immensely desolate when her former friends refuse to speak to her. Rachel was Melinda's best friend and after last summer becomes indifferent of her existence. Rachel has found new friends piercing Melinda deeply; Rachel was the girl she shared her deepest secrets with and the only person who fervently comprehended her. The students at MerryWeather seem to all have their own cliques, but Melinda feels she doesn't correspond in any of them. Melinda has seven periods, and feels a lack of inspiration and drive for school. In particular, Melinda's teachers intent to interact and socialize with her, but she refuses to let them in and tunes them out frequently. Melinda has tried to make new friends, but has difficulty speaking. Heather is the new girl in town who recently moved from Ohio; Heather just like Melinda, battles for a modicum of attention, but seems to have to fight less then Melinda for it. Heather becomes part of the Marthas Clan and with Melinda's help prevails through her first Martha project. The first pep rally happens at Merry High, and Melinda was knocked down three rows of bleachers. Melinda's parents have noticed she has been zoning off in school, and thus has dropped her grades. She only has one A on her report card, and received the mark in her dreadful Art class. On top of that, Melinda has been given numerous demerits from different staffs at MerryWeather for her tardiness and decisions to wander the school hallways. In other words, Melinda has started high school on the wrong foot, but no one can figure out why.
Quote:
"Thwap! A lump of potatoes and gravy hits me square in the center of my chest. All conversations stop as the entire lunchroom gawks, my face burning into their retinas" (Anderson 8).
Reaction:
Melinda is one of the many high school students gloated and bullied in the many high schools of the United States. However, it becomes more arduous when one is ridiculed in front of an entire cafeteria and disrespected by thrusting food at ones body. There are many people in the world, agonizing for food and here in Speak we have students throwing food at each other symbolizing apathy for others. Moreover, Halse Anderson makes clear how malicious it is to ostracize and reject a child with her profound figurative language. For example, on page five Anderson writes,"I grab a seat. Another wounded zebra turns and smiles at me." This metaphor serves to show the pain in Melinda when Merry Weather students laugh at her and abase her in front of a very big group of people. Moreover, this novel is an example of a Bildungs Roman, for Melinda feels accepted at home but when she walks out of her room, she feels targeted and neglected.
In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main protagonist is Melinda Sordino. Melinda is an insecure ninth grader at Merry-Weather High School in Syracuse, New York. Melinda is being neglected and ostracized from her entire school community and feels immensely desolate when her former friends refuse to speak to her. Rachel was Melinda's best friend and after last summer becomes indifferent of her existence. Rachel has found new friends piercing Melinda deeply; Rachel was the girl she shared her deepest secrets with and the only person who fervently comprehended her. The students at MerryWeather seem to all have their own cliques, but Melinda feels she doesn't correspond in any of them. Melinda has seven periods, and feels a lack of inspiration and drive for school. In particular, Melinda's teachers intent to interact and socialize with her, but she refuses to let them in and tunes them out frequently. Melinda has tried to make new friends, but has difficulty speaking. Heather is the new girl in town who recently moved from Ohio; Heather just like Melinda, battles for a modicum of attention, but seems to have to fight less then Melinda for it. Heather becomes part of the Marthas Clan and with Melinda's help prevails through her first Martha project. The first pep rally happens at Merry High, and Melinda was knocked down three rows of bleachers. Melinda's parents have noticed she has been zoning off in school, and thus has dropped her grades. She only has one A on her report card, and received the mark in her dreadful Art class. On top of that, Melinda has been given numerous demerits from different staffs at MerryWeather for her tardiness and decisions to wander the school hallways. In other words, Melinda has started high school on the wrong foot, but no one can figure out why.
Quote:
"Thwap! A lump of potatoes and gravy hits me square in the center of my chest. All conversations stop as the entire lunchroom gawks, my face burning into their retinas" (Anderson 8).
Reaction:
Melinda is one of the many high school students gloated and bullied in the many high schools of the United States. However, it becomes more arduous when one is ridiculed in front of an entire cafeteria and disrespected by thrusting food at ones body. There are many people in the world, agonizing for food and here in Speak we have students throwing food at each other symbolizing apathy for others. Moreover, Halse Anderson makes clear how malicious it is to ostracize and reject a child with her profound figurative language. For example, on page five Anderson writes,"I grab a seat. Another wounded zebra turns and smiles at me." This metaphor serves to show the pain in Melinda when Merry Weather students laugh at her and abase her in front of a very big group of people. Moreover, this novel is an example of a Bildungs Roman, for Melinda feels accepted at home but when she walks out of her room, she feels targeted and neglected.
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