What does Melinda want in speak?
Melinda simply wants life to go back to the way it was before the incident. Melinda desires to be popular again and have a tight-knit group of friends. She wishes to live a carefree life and not have to walk the halls of her high school as an outcast or live in fear that Andy Evans might assault her again.
Why is Melinda having difficulty talking?
Why do you think Melinda is having difficulty talking? Because she is traumatized by the things the things that have happened to her.
How does Melinda tell Rachel the truth about Andy?
Melinda tells Rachel that someone raped her the night of the party and that is why she called the police. Rachel is immediately sympathetic to Melinda, but changes gears when Melinda tells her it was Andy who did it. Rachel screams that she is a liar and storms out of the library.
How does Melinda find her voice in speak?
In Speak, Melinda finds her voice with the help of her friend Ivy as well her art teacher, Mr. Freeman. The person who motivates her the most to speak up, however, is the one who actually took her voice away in the first place—Andy Evans, her rapist.
Why does Melinda cry in the bathroom?
She cries in the bathroom partially because she is hurt by their comments, and partially because she knows that even Heather can join a clique, but she cannot. At the end of the First Marking Period, Melinda sees IT for the first time. This serves as a key clue to Melinda’s secret.
What does Melinda in Speak look like?
Melinda Sordino is, personally, the most interesting character in the book ‘Speak’ by Laurie Halse Anderson. Her physical appearance is small and skinny, but always wearing baggy clothes. Melinda’s personality somewhat coincides with her physical appearance; She is very shy, anxious, an outcast, and insecure.
Why does Melinda cover the mirror with a poster instead of taking it down?
At the beginning of Speak, Melinda despises mirrors. She thinks her reflection looks ugly in her bedroom mirror, and covers up the mirror in her closet with a poster of Maya Angelou. This hatred of her own image symbolizes Melinda’s deeper self-loathing.
Who does Melinda finally tell her story to?
Mr. Freeman
What does it whisper in Melinda’s ear?
Melinda spends the next two weeks making and hanging the posters for Heather and the can drive. She is hanging one up outside the metal shop room when suddenly IT creeps up behind her and whispers in her ear, “Freshmeat.” IT keeps finding her and she cannot ignore IT.
How does Melinda change in speak?
Due to her trauma and inability to tell anyone about what happened, Melinda spirals into a dark depression; loses her ability to speak with ease; and can express her pain only through physical acts, such as biting her lips and nails. She learns that the only way to counter evil is to speak out against it.
What is its name in speak?
Also known as IT or Andy Beast to Melinda, Andy is the primary antagonist in Speak. He is a sleazy, but attractive, senior boy with a reputation for inappropriate behavior with girls.
Is speak a banned book?
According to The American Library Association, “Speak” was one of the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books between 2000 and 2009. It is most frequently challenged for what is considered to be explicit sexual content.
Who are Melinda’s teachers in speak?
Melinda’s teachers in Speak are Ms. Keen, Mr. Neck, Mr. Stetman, Hairwoman, Ms.
What is the message of speak?
One theme of Speak is finding one’s voice. Another theme in the novel is identity. The story can also be viewed as speaking out against violence and victimization. Melinda feels guilty, even though she was a victim of sexual assault.
What do Melinda’s lips symbolize in speak?
For much of the story, Melinda’s lips are described as cracked, swollen and dry. The ugliness of her mouth represents the ugliness and shame she feels inside as well as her inability to take care of herself. Later, as Melinda begins to heal and learns to speak about the rape, the condition of her lips improves.
Why does Mr Freeman give Melinda a hard time?
Why does Mr. Freeman give Melinda a hard time? He knows she can do better.
What keeps Melinda silent What is she afraid of?
Melinda stays silent due to trauma and fear. The summer before entering high school, Melinda was sexually assaulted at a house party. She ends up calling the police which causes her peers to hate her for being a “snitch.” However, they are unaware of the real reason she calls which completely isolates her.
How does this make Melinda feel?
How does this make Melinda feel? It makes her feel like she can fly.
Why does Rachel leave Andy at the prom?
Rachael ditches Andy in the middle of it for dancing suggestively People are starting to see him for his true self. She doesn’t want to hide anymore. She defends herself and holds a piece of glass to andy throat and the lacrosse team finds them before anything happens.
What is Melinda’s last name in speak?
Melinda “Mel” Sordino
Why does Melinda spy on Rachel?
Melinda is spying on Rachel because she is now dating Andy Evans, the boy who raped her during the party.
What do the mirrors symbolize in speak?
Mirrors are often used in literature to symbolize the truth about something because a reflection can not be changed. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, mirrors show up throughout the novel to represent the truth about Melinda’s secret, and frustration towards herself.
What does Melinda realize on her mental health day?
During Melinda’s mental health day, she is finally able to say what happened to her: rape. The ability to admit what happened gives her the freedom to try and move on.
What happens when Melinda decides to talk to Rachel?
What happens when Melinda decides to talk to Rachel? Rachel does not believe what Melinda says and thinks that Melinda is jealous and is trying to destroy the relationship she has with Andy. 8.) Andy tries to do Rachel what he did to Melinda and Rachel slaps him and humiliates him in front of everyone.
What does the janitor’s closet symbolize in speak?
Melinda’s closet represents the double-edged sword of her loneliness; on one hand, she makes the environment rich and creative, adding a picture of Maya Angelou, a blanket, and her own turkey sculpture. On the other hand, the closet symbolizes her inability to deal with the real world, and her own immaturity.
Why is Melinda afraid to tell her ex best friend Rachel Rachelle what Andy Evans did to her?
They are unsure of who they are and struggling to find an identity. Why is Melinda afraid to tell her ex-best friend Rachel/Rachelle what Andy Evans did to her? Because Rachel was mad that Melinda called the police and she has been ignoring her the whole year. She is afraid Rachel won’t believe her.
Why does Melinda bite her lips in speak?
lips are a symbol in Speak because the author shows how teenagers hide the pain or the feelings to the world. For example: Melinda bites her lips because it is the way she tries to tell people that something is going wrong but she does not have the trust in her friends to tell them she was raped.
What does the tree symbolize in speak?
Near the beginning of the novel, Melinda is assigned a tree as her yearlong assignment in art class. As the narrative progresses, Melinda’s attempts to draw a tree come to symbolize her ability to move past her rape, and to mature as a person.
What does Melinda see when she looks in the mirror?
Melinda looks at herself in the three-part mirror wearing the new jeans. She can barely see the real Melinda in that reflection. She sees dirty hair and a dirty face, raccoon rings around her eyes. She pulls the two outer mirrors closer, and her reflection becomes a cubist sketch by Picasso.
How old is Melinda in speak?
fourteen years