Speak

In both the film and novel, "Speak" by Lauren Halsen Anderson uses literary devices to demonstrate the experience the protagonist, Melinda Sordino faced as a teenage rape victim, as well as the steps necessary to cope and move on with her life. Both film and book share a great similarity in the conflict that goes on, as well as the flash backs indicated throughout this piece of work. Also, the symbolism shaped by the protagonist makes it more clear to understand the tramautic event. Moreover, the novel and film appears to be both familiar in many ways due to these elements followed by examples.

In the same way the book is similar to the movie, literary devices play an important role in enhancing the novel and films conflict of Man Vs. Man of the character Melinda because she feared her rapist Andy Evan who was a senior in her high school and was in constant struggle to avoid him. For example, "IT sees me,IT smiles and winks. Good thing my lips are stitched together or I'd throw up" pg. (22.2). The antagonist Andy Evans kept teasing the protagonist Melinda to relive her initial experience everytime she would see him. Melinda calls the police during a party in the summer before her freshman year in high school, which causes the party to stop and the people from the party finds out she called the police. She begins her freshman year as an outcast because they blamed her for getting them in trouble. Since she didn't want to tell anyone about that night all her friends isolated from Melinda. Throughout the film and movie it shows several of her traumatic flashbacks of her being raped. For example she mentions in the book, "I have to slice open her belly. She doesn't say a word. She is already dead. A scream starts in my gut – I can ...

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...ted her rapist Andy Evans.

After all, Melinda Sordino overcame her tramatic experience that led her to open up and release the painful silence she was carrying inside. The flashback that is shown of her traumatic makes up the symbolism of the tree and the closet that reflects on herself, and the conflict the character Melinda faces with her rapist, are the main literary devices that both the film and novel probes.

Works Cited

Sharzer, Jessica, Dir. Speak . Showtime Networks (USA), 20 Jan 2004. Film. .

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. 1st. New York: Penguin Group, 1999. 224. Print. .

Tennyson, K. Imani. "Uncategorized, Young Adult." 23 Sept 2013. Banned Book Week Review, Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .