Melinda, a nascent freshman, is raped at a party shortly before the beginning of school. Shes only fourteenyearsold, and shes dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a person. 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. Some of melinda descriptions are her throat, lips, and inabilitylack of desire to speak certainly stand out in our minds. Melinda mel sordino is the main character and narrator of laurie halse anderson s 1999 novel speak. After melinda calls the police at a party in august, her former friend group ditches her and disintegrates. Joyce sordino mother melinda mel sordino is the main character and narrator of laurie halse anderson s 1999 novel speak. Her last name, sordino, is an italian word that can be translated as deaf. The memory is a happy one, but ends on a disturbing note. Melindas struggle is so gutwrenching that you feel for her every single page. In these first sections of speak, you meet melinda, and through her description of her classmates and teachers, you gain a sense of their character as well as her own.
The choppy sentences and blank spaces on the pages relate to melindas. Let me tell you i was wicked tired at work the next day, but boy was it worth it. The author, laurie halse anderson, has the ability to write a story that is simultaneously heartbreaking and funny. In contrast to the silent and defensive melinda, david is determined to stand up for what he believes. Throughout the story, she seems to be holding on to a secret thats killing her internally. Its the last day of school, and melindas drawing her final tree. Shes inspired at last and draws a cubist tree for mr. For the remainder of the school year they were no longer friends. This is a gritty, powerful book that teachers and parents could use to launch a number of discussions.
Speak, andersons first young adult novel, was highly praised by critics and won numerous honors. Melinda sordino is the main character of the book speak. 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. Birds, symbols of freedom and innocence throughout the book, now complete melindas drawing. Melinda uses the time to work on her bone sculpture, using odds and ends from the bin mr. In the last chapter of the novel, melinda sits in mr. Andy evans tries to get rachels attention, but she wont give him the time of day.
Meanwhile, this year, rachel will be going to an exchange student party. Melindas interaction with her parents, her severe lipbiting, and her memories of last years halloween exemplify how much melinda has lost through the trauma she survived over the summer. Laurie halse andersen spins out melindas painful story in acerbic, often witty, firstperson sound bites, in which we see the realities of high school social life through melindas eyes. 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. The book centers around a teenager named melinda sordino, whos just entered the 9 th grade. The author of speak, laurie halse anderson, positions the main character melinda very clearly towards communication in the beginning of the book with the. The symbol from speak by laurie halse anderson would be the tree that melinda has to do for her art project. 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. When the semester begins, melinda has become a pariah who spends her days silent. Discussionwriting guide for speak, by laurie anderson.
Analysis of the book speak by laurie halse anderson. Finally, in the 4th marking period heather comes crawling back for melindas help. There is a similie at the bottom of page twenty one. From the start of school, melinda sordino is shunned, glared at, talked about, and poked at because of one incident at a party from the end of last summer. Our football team will win the championship this year. The characters ordeals were based on andersons own experiences.
The nonverbal communication of melinda in laurie halse. High school senior andy evans rapes melinda at the endofsummer party just before melinda starts 9th grade. Now melinda is finding it harder and harder to speak about anything at all, and she becomes increasingly withdrawn from her family and her school. In an attempt to report the crime, melinda calls 911, and the party is shut down.
Anderson get melindas voice feelings so perfectly that you just slip out of reality and find yourself back at high school, through melindas eyes, for the. Melinda finally admits to herself that andy evans raped her at the party last. Freeman is delighted with what she has done and asks her to explain it, but melinda is unable to speak. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself. What two things does melinda accept that help her begin a healing process. But the books overall gritty realism and melindas hardwon metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak. But the books overall gritty realism and melindas hardwon metamorphosis will leave readers touched and in spired.
Maybe it was assigned reading, or maybe you, in circumstances similar to mine. 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. Her old friends wont talk to her, much less sit with her on the bus. She also does poorly in school, and doesnt socialize very easily with other students.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. What page does melinda cut herself in the book speak answers. In the beginning of the book, she seems to isolate herself from the world. When melinda doesnt speak, it is because she is isolating herself.
Readers will root for melinda, as she tries to find her way out of her quiet isolation. I would recommend this book to the age group of 1216, because the theme, to my surprise is a little bit more mature, yet its at an easier reading level. At the party, melinda feels uncomfortable and out of place. I know that im the last person in the world to read this book, which. Melinda sordino begins her freshman year at merryweather high school in. Freemans room on the final day of school finishing up her yearlong art project. The last line of the book is melinda saying, let me tell you about it 198. Melinda sordino busted an endofsummer party by calling the cops. She is very insecure and tries hard to stay as invisible as possible, for the fear of being seen or heard. Her parents and guidance counselor try to get her to open up about her poor academic performance, but melinda refuses to speak to them.
Anderson does not show melindas look in the end, however the last wound on. How does communicating help melinda overcome her fears and come out of her shell. She uses the head from a barbie doll, knives and forks, and a palm tree. Since shes also the narrator, everything we learn about the other characters is filtered through her. An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, speak will hold readers from first word to last.
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. On p 191 we learn that melinda no longer needs the closet, why not. She knows shell be back here very soon for summer school. What are some memorable quotes in the book speak with page. Speak was a 1999 national book award finalist for young peoples literature.
Melindas journey is relatable, exciting, and enveloping. You also see hints as to what has caused melinda to be isolated and view herself as an outcast. Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is sometimes clouded by her suffering. As melinda continues to doodle and daydream, a debate rages around her. Looking up at the moon, melinda recalls that it looked closer back in august. In my opinion, the book was stereotypical, melinda was shy, weak and quite, something happens to her, she changes. In speak book by laurie halse anderson we get to follow melinda as she gets back to school only to have the worst year of her life thanks to the summer party she attended. The book is about a girl, melinda, who stops speaking at school. Neck forbids the students from communicating their views, however, david petrakis steps in. Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by laurie halse anderson that tells the story of high school freshman melinda sordino.
August before her freshman year, melinda and her closest friends attend a party with seniors and beer. While melindas smart and savvy interior narrative slowly reveals the searing pain of that 911 night, it also nails the highschool experience cold. Next thing, i know im flipping the last page crying and look up to realize it was already 11pm. Melinda wishes she could tell rachel, especially rachel, her secret. Ffor example, it was a national book award finalist, a printz honor book, an ala best book for young adults, and an edgar allan poe award finalist. I believe this song should go at the scene that andy evans is leaning over mel in the lunch room and not even talking to her. She gulps down a couple beers before walking outside for some fresh air. There are any number of memorable quotations throughout the book. Shes riding the bus to her first day of high school. Melindas only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in her schemes to gain popularity. I wanted to reach through the pages and give melinda a giant hug. 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. Speak up for yourselfwe want to know what you have to say. When melinda is in her last class of the day, algebra, an idea suddenly strikes her.
First, through melindas parents dialogue you gain a better view of how much melinda has changed. She flashes back to kyle rodgers endofthesummer party, a cool party for. The remainder of the student body dislikes her for being a snitch. After a blurred trauma over the summer, melinda enters high school a selective mute. When we think about parties in the summer we think about the new people we get to meet and the tons of fun we would have. Speak tells the story of melinda sordino, a ninth grader at merryweather high school in syracuse, new york. Asked in germany in ww2 what page did melinda try to commit suicide in speak. How does melinda act differently when andy attacks her in the closet. If you came of age in the last 15 years or so, theres a good chance you read speak by laurie halse anderson. As she finishes her work, she is at last able to verbalize her. Prompted by this statement, melinda decides to tell mr. This book was very sad to read because so many people were rude to others, i dont like when books are like that.
What is the significance of andy attacking her there. With kristen stewart, elizabeth perkins, richard hagerman, allison siko. Anderson tackles a difficult subject and manages to do it with honesty and empathy. Shes not exactly the most popular kid in school, due almost entirely to her calling the police at a wild teen party last summer. An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, speak will hold readers from. Melinda called the police at a summer party because a boy she didnt. No one, however, knows melindas biggest secret, the reason she dialed 911 over the. The novel speak, by laurie halse anderson captures the thoughts of a new high schooler caught in some deep drama of the past. Speak is narrated in the first person by melinda, during her first year of. I have seven new note books, a skirt i hate, and a stomachache.