Pride and Prejudice Response

Melinda used to be popular, fun, and friendly. What could have changed her so much that she started off her high school year with everybody hating her? It all began when Melinda went to a party. The night is going great until she gets drunk and meets a senior named Andy Evans. Andy rapes the alcohol-induced Melinda, resulting in her decision to call the cops. Everyone hates her because they think that she called the cops just to get people in trouble. Throughout the school year, Melinda has severe social problems and depression. The only class she does well in is art. The art teacher Mr. Freeman gives a tree to Melinda as her year-wide project. She finds it extremely difficult to breathe life into a tree, and endures many hard artistic phases. Andy Evans starts to go out with Rachel, Melinda’s ex-best friend, but Melinda knows that the result would only be trouble. She confesses to Rachel about what happened at the party, but Rachel thinks Melinda is lying. Later Rachel figures out the truth and brakes up with Andy. Andy then tries to rape Melinda again, but this time she fights back. After this ordeal, Melinda regains her popularity and finds the inspiration to get an A on her art project. Getting back up on her feet after being raped takes an enormous amount of courage and will, especially when “victims of sexual assault are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression and 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide” (Who par. 11). In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the author uses allusions such as Picasso, Maya Angelou, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer/Dracula to help Melinda develop and not give up.

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One of the most prominent allusions Anderson uses is that of Picasso. He is first introduced when Mr...

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...ses allusions such as Picasso, Maya Angelou, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer/Dracula to help Melinda develop as a character and push through struggles. The lessons that Melinda learned from these characters are the reason why she succeeded in the end. The thesis proved that obstacles could be overcome with simple things like a book (Dracula) or a poster (Maya Angelou). This book is a very good for students to read because a lot of people could somewhat relate to the problems Melinda is going through. They could learn about the severity of rape and realize “[that] some mental health problems are life threatening” (Kilpatrick par. 12) Speak also uses many literary devices that add onto our understanding of imagery, metaphors/similes, allusions, and archetypes. The book Speak is like a shell; it doesn’t look special on the outside, but inside is a world of meaning.