For the past few weeks, we have been reading the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book is about a girl named Melinda Sordino, who for the most part refused to speak or interact with others after being raped at a end-of-the-summer party before the start of her freshman year in highschool. Ever since she was raped, she completely changed. However, I think she shows signs of improvement during the second half of the year.
Ever since the party, Melinda rarely talked to anybody, including her parents. Nevertheless, I noticed that during the second semester of the year she talked considerably more. “All right, but you said we had to put emotion into our art. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.”(p122). This quote is from the third marking period when Melinda was talking to her art teacher Mr.Freeman. I believe that she wouldn’t have said anything had it been earlier in the year. “Stinks. It was a mistake to sign up for art. I just couldn’t see myself taking wood shop.”(p.146). This quote is another example of Melinda talking, this time to Ivy in the mall. I think these quotes prove that Melinda starts talking more as the year progresses.
At the beginning of the year, I noticed that Melinda wasn’t very active or social. For the most part, she avoided most social activities. She seemed to prefer to be alone inside her closet. But during the second semester, I noticed that this started to change. “I start on the leaves suffocating the bushes”(p.166). This quote describes Melinda going outside and doing yard work on her own without being asked to, which I don’t think she would have done before. Another example is when she asked her dad to bring her some flower seeds(p.168). There quotes prove that Melinda definitely becomes more active during the second half on the year.
When the year started, Melinda did poorly in school. She often used stolen late passes and rarely did homework. By the end of the year this was much different. In the third marking period, Melinda says how she showed up to class every day throughout the semester, did some homework, and didn’t cheat on any tests. I see this as a vast improvement.
To start off Melinda is a freshman. The first year of high school. High school is tough, but it becomes extremely tough due to the fact of her having no friends. Plus home is not any
In the middle of the novel, Melinda is not only staying quite, but is also cutting class. She does this as a deflection from those around her who want her to speak what’s on her mind so they can help. Though, as before mentioned, the raping in Melinda’s mind, is viewed as her fault. Signaling to her believing that she does not deserve help and that she can solve the problem on her own. Greatly, this revelation is best seen when Melinda cuts class, while still being in school. This set-up is done in the form of a “old janitors closet that smells like sour sponges” (25). The janitors closet is a way for Melinda to express the “beast in [her] gut” which harbors her “[guilt, mistakes, and anger]” (51). Another way to show that Melinda thinks she does not deserve help and can solve her problem on her own is when she completely just does not go to school. She does not go to school as even her closet cannot help her, as the vein of her problem is at her school. Resulting in her question to herself: “why go to school?” as alone time somewhere else should clean out her mind
As the story progresses, you get to see Melinda “grow” and finally speak out about what happened to her at the party. In some cases during the story there are flashbacks. Some would be good and some would be bad.
There’s the Confused Period, when I wasn’t sure what the assignment really was. The Spaz Period, when I couldn’t draw a tree to save my life. The Dead Period, when all my trees looked like they had been through a forest fire or a blight. I’m getting better. Don’t know what to call this phase yet” (151-152). The “Confused Period” could represent when she isn’t really sure how to deal with being alienated; she doesn’t know how to react to other people, so she isolates herself in order to avoid them. The “Spaz Period” could be panic from the presence of the menacing “Andy Beast” as well as the pressure to improve her grades and her place in the school’s society. The “Dead Period” could be the time when she isn’t sure how to process and express her emotions in a way that she or other people can understand. However, Melinda is healing, and even though she hasn’t mastered the tree or her emotions yet, it’s definitely a step in the right direction. When she does turn in her final tree, she feels much better about her situation: “I look at my homely sketch. It doesn’t need anything. Even through the river in my eyes I can see that. It isn’t perfect and that makes it just right” (198). By the time Melinda says this, Andy has been condemned for his actions, and she has the support of everyone who has now heard
Initially Melinda is unable to communicate; however, as she strengthens her social connections with others, she is able to accept her feelings of loneliness. She believes, “It is easier not to say anything [...] Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say” (9). In terms of Melinda’s home life, her parents have a bad relationship with each other, and in return, Melinda goes to her room to isolate herself; she feels more comfortable in her closet. Melinda’s parents try to communicate with her in the worst ways possible; therefore, she is completely disconnected with them. Melinda thinks that she may never grow up because she is so traumatized. She remembers her childhood memories, yet she is unable to see her own future because feels trapped and damaged. However, as she is able to come to terms with what happened to her, she can finally accept that she is beginning to grow again, and can look forward to her future. As Melinda begins to heal, so does her family. For once in the novel, her parents do not fight and they eat dinner with each other. As a developing artist, she has a lack of ambition and believes that she will never be as talented or as successful as Mr. Freeman. Through her artwork, he is aware of the negative emotions she is expressing. He informs her that she can talk to him when she needs to. Mr. Freeman is one of the only teachers who can understand Melinda. In addition,
In the days leading up to her graduation, she was so excited about receiving her diploma for her academic accomplishments, even though she hasn’t accomplished a lot in life by experiencing a little bit of it. She felt like the birthday girl with her pretty dress, beautiful hair, and the presents she received from Uncle Willie and her mother. She felt like it w...
Primarily, the reason why Jennifer expressed her feelings as being overwhelmed and depressed was because she did not have time to travel. “Since starting university, I have not gone on any vacations at all. No, the farthest distance I have been from Vancouver in the past four years is across the Strait to Victoria.” In this sentence, it is quite obvious that due to the heavy schoolwork, Jennifer seldom had time to relax. In addition, increasingly being aware of the importance of schoolwork, she could not fully enjoy herself even if she was on vacation.
A couple weeks into the school year, she comes to realize that “[she] is [an] outcast”; excluded from all clans and social events because everyone thinks she called the police at Kyle Rodgers’ summer party to break up the fun (Anderson 2). She feels alone and as if no one would listen to what she has to say, therefore she does not attempt to reconnect with old friends, and tell them the truth. After being dumped by her only remaining friend, Heather, Melinda finds herself in quite the predicament; she is now completely and utterly alone. She realizes that she does not even have a ‘disposable’ friend to make her feel better about herself, until her lab partner, David Petrakis begins talking to her more. While conversing with David, she realizes she is finally able to call someone a true friend. She asks if he “lectures all [his] friends like [that]” and he responds by saying “only the [friends] I like” (Anderson 159). She no longer feels alone; she is comforted, knowing that she has someone to lean back on if she feels sad or is in need of assistance. Melinda’s character shows growth and development, as she starts the year with no friends and no social life, though by the end of the year, she has finally succeeded in making a true
Shannon Moroney's book, Through the Glass, is a biography about her experience and personal victimization. Shannon at age 30 had been married to her husband ,Jason, for one month and was away at a school guidance counslors conference when her world would forever change. She was notified by a police officer that her husband was arrested for sexual assault. Shannon was needed by the police back in Peterborough to answer some questions with mixed emotions and shock she was unable to driver herself so she informed her parents who would take her there. Thoughts like just talking to Jason thirty minutes before he made the call to the police to turn hinmself in and not noticing any change in him. And her telling him that she might be pregnant crossed
Bonnie had a childhood that alluded to eventual greatness. Bonnie was known by everyone as being beautiful and adorable (Rosenberg). Some of her early interests included romance novels, writing, and drama (Rosa). She was an honor student, and was always winning prizes for her essays, spelling, and public speaking (Fortune 49). One of her most notable victories was when she won Cement City’s Spelling Bee championship (Rosa). When she was younger, at her school in Cement City, Bonnie’s class had someone come to teach them elocution once a week. Bonnie was obsessed with that class. Her classroom performance was excellent, and the teacher liked her to the extent that she even got permission to occasionally bring Bonnie to spend the night with...
In the front of a fourth-grade classroom, there sits the ever-smiling face of a little girl. Each morning, this girl is the first to class, dressed neatly and appropriately, with a backpack full of supplies in order for her to be successful in the classroom. Her homework is always finished, and her parents always make sure she is doing her reading, and trying for excellent grades. The constant efforts of the child in the classroom, and her perpetual kindness to all of her peers has persuaded the teacher into being impressed with the little girl’s work this year. She decides, along with her fellow faculty, to award the child a certificate stating she is the Student of the Month. The child barely makes it through the bus ride home due to
Genes are thought to play a critical role in sexual orientation, however which genes are actually contributing this effect is unknown. There are some genes being explored carefully, but there is no strong evidence existing. An example that demonstrates the correlation between genes and sexual orientation is twin studies. Evidence shows when one twin is homosexual the other twin will have a 50% chance of being homosexual as well. There seems to be a high concordance rate of sexual orientation between family members (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). It is evident, biology play a significant role in the development of sexual orientation, however much research is still being conducted to prove its
Experimental designs are viewed as the most accurate, and most demanding of research designs, requiring strict attention to rules and procedures. Researchers use these research designs to manipulate and control testing procedures as a way to understand a cause and effect relationship. Commonly, independent variables are manipulated to judge or decide their effect on a dependent variable (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008).
From the moment people born, there are certain basic functions that will be with them throughout their lives. The abilities to eat, breathe, sleep, or to have the capacity to learn are a natural occurrence for most people. There are, however, traits that are specific to each individual. They are traits that set them apart from everyone else. The traits such as eye color, ones dominate hand, or susceptibility to a specific disease are a few traits that aren’t easily changed. However, there are some that are controversially questioned as to whether or not one is born with the trait or if it is a learned behavior. One of the biggest of these controversies is the question of whether sexual orientation is a choice or something that is beyond the individual’s influence. Although the evidence is commonly disregarded because of personal beliefs or opinions, sexual orientation is not a choice.
The office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE, 2015), Ireland defines Corporate Governance as “the system, principles and process by which organisations are directed and controlled. The principles underlying corporate governance are based on conducting the business with integrity and fairness, being transparent with regard to all transactions, making all the necessary disclosures and decisions and complying with all the laws of the land”. It is the system for protecting and advancing the shareholder’s interest by setting strategic direction for the firm and achieving them by electing and monitoring the capable management (Solomon, 2010). It is the process of protecting the stakes of various parties that have their interest attached with a company (Fernando, 2009). Corporate governance is the procedure through which the management of the company is achieving the goals of various stake holders (Becht, Macro, Patrick and Alisa,