The act of speaking out creates the difference between a depressed person and an optimistic socialized person. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, learning how to speak out is the main theme; the protagonist Melinda learns how to speak out about what happened to her during the summer. The act of speaking out is also exemplified through various methods by characters like David Petrakis, Melinda’s lab partner, and Mr. Freeman Melinda’s
Art teacher. David Petrakis argues with Mr. Neck, the social studies teacher, and expresses his ideas and beliefs; he even uses his silence at the end of the argument to speak out. Mr. Freeman also speaks out, but using different methods. He uses his art to voice objection to the members of the school board. In the novel Laurie Halse Anderson emphasizes the importance of speaking out through the characters David Petrakis, Mr. Freeman, and Melinda Sordino.
The character David Petrakis exemplifies the act of speaking out as he argues with Mr.
Neck the social studies teacher and lets out feelings inside him. David Petrakis is Melinda’s lab partner who “Belongs to the cyber genius clan” (Halse Anderson 37) and gets good grades in all of his subjects. Melinda refers to David in any situation related to intelligence. David also tries to help Melinda by making her more social, his attempts include inviting her for a pizza party and helping her in a social studies’ presentation. David’s argument with Mr. Neck starts when Mr.
Neck begins a debate about immigration and blames immigrants for problems in the country because an immigrant is accepted for a job instead of his son. After that Mr. Neck decides to end
Danial 2 the debate, but David argues that in a debate each student has the right to speak. T...
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... speak through the characters David Petrakis, Mr. Freeman, and the protagonist Melinda Sordino. David Petrakis exemplifies the method of speaking out through actions and even silence. David’s speaking out happens in front of Mr. Neck who wants to erase students personalities as he wants to end debates without the students participating in it. Mr.
Freeman also exemplifies the act of speaking out through his art. He speaks out and objects the school board policies. The protagonist Melinda is the most important character to exemplify the act of speaking out and expressing oneself. She learns how to speak out about what happens to her instead of keeping it inside her and suffers depression and isolation. Thus, the author Laurie
Halse Anderson proves the importance of speaking out and how it can change a person’s life from depressing and hopeless to joyful and optimistic.
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
Speak is an about the story of Melinda Sordino, a 13-year-old rape victim, and her high school experience in the 9th grade. When Melinda went to a party in the summer of 8th grade, she and her friends went to a party. Something happened at the party where Melinda had to call the cops. Later it is known that Andy Evans, a popular womanizer, sexually assaulted Melinda. Melinda was too embarrassed about what happened and did not tell anyone why she called the police. Now everyone hates her and Melinda becomes a loner. Melinda only has one friend, Heather from Ohio. Heather is a new girl at Merryweather High School in Syracuse and craves popularity. The only reason that she is friends with Melinda is because to her Melinda is a placeholder
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.
David as if they have known one another for quite sometime.When first meeting Sophie, David
David must pretend, not just for the remainder of the novel, but for the next forty years, to be ignorant of Frank’s crimes, and much of what is happening because his parents do not realise that he has overheard their discussions.
... at her and tells her that she is jealous and lying. The first person Melinda finally confided her secret into, doesn't believe her. Eventually, Melinda finds the courage to stand up and the evidence she needed to back up her story.
Heather was a new student at Merryweather High School, and she instantly made friends with Melinda through sitting in the same seat on the bus on the first day of school. Melinda excepted Heather, who will soon betray her later in the book. The lunchroom is where Heather tells Melinda that they can not be friends anymore. On page 105 in the book Heather says to Melinda, “‘When you get through this Life Sucks phase, I’m sure lots of people will want to be your friend. But you just can’t cut classes or not show up to school. What’s next—hanging out with the dopers?’” This is where Heather states her reasons towards leaving Melinda. The only thing Heather did not mention is that in order to be in the group the Marthas at school, she can not be friends with Melinda anymore. Heather would rather be popular than be a good friend to Melinda, who accepted her when she was new. Also, on page 107 Heather rejects Melinda and tells her she can not hang out with her anymore. Heather says this to Melinda: “‘Look, you can’t eat lunch with me anymore. I’m sorry. Oh, and don’t eat potato chips. They’ll make you break out.’” This quote is very important because it helps explain why Melinda was able to stick up for herself. Because Heather was so harsh on Melinda, the next time Heather needed something Melinda could say no. Finding her voice after so long that it had been missing was an important event that happened to her. To add on to Heather breaking her friendship with Melinda, she was left with no one to talk to. When Heather and Melinda became friends in the beginning of the year Melinda finally had someone to be around, speak to, and motivate her. Because Heather and Melinda are no longer friends Melinda is affected in a bad way. Melinda goes back to being the outcast of the school, being depressed, and closed off.
Instead of proclaiming her feelings out loud, she suppresses them. The result is a series of recordings, which describes her life, and the things she wishes she could change.
When David persistently asks Danny questions as Danny half-answers, anxiety is created as the significance of the questions is revealed.
David finds it difficult communicating with her hence, attempts to express his feelings by writing to her but at the same time he fears that she won’t be able to apprehend what he is trying to
Throughout their relationship, Catherine tries more and more to control David. She forces him into cutting his hair and dying it like hers. She wants him to be just as darkly tanned as she is and drink the same drinks he drinks. She begins an argument over his clippings of reviews of his books and tells him she wishes h...
Speak, is a novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson, about a girl entering high school, for the first time, with a heavy secret weighting on her. Melinda Sordino begins freshman year at Merryweather High School, being a complete different person. Over the summer, Melinda and her friends went to a senior party, where Melinda ended calling the police. This caused her friends and the people at the party to socially reject her, even though they didn’t knew that before the phone call, Andy Evans raped her. Due to the phone call, Melinda enters high school without friends and having to see Andy Evans everyday. Her only “safe” place in the entire school is art class, where Mr. Freeman is the teacher. Mr. Freeman is the only teacher Melinda doesn’t dislike or avoids, because he listens and understands her, but also shows her the value of honesty.
• This experience made her very secluded and reserved. She thought a lot about suicide but found comfort in writing. She became an observer rather than a participator in everyday life.
David, the main character in the book, realizes that his girlfriend Hilary has cheated on him. To make things even worse she is cheating with one of his friends from the football team, Sam. David tries to talk to Hilary but she thinks he hasn’t been the same since his mother died about a year ago. Later, David beats up Sam at a party.