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. After melinda calls the police at a party in august, her former friend group ditches her and disintegrates. The remainder of the student body dislikes her for being a snitch. Can it and dark art what name is finally given to it. Speak by laurie halse anderson meet your next favorite book. Get everything you need to know about melinda sordino in speak. The following poem was written by laurie halse anderson. Her best friend, rachel bruin, has turned against her with all other of melindas fellow students looking away. Melinda s only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in her schemes to gain popularity. What are some characteristics of melinda sordino in speak.
She gulps down a couple beers before walking outside for some fresh air. Between the book and movie speak, there are many differences between the two. The story follows the experiences of social outcast, melinda sordino, during her freshman year at merryweather high school in syracuse, new york. She does this because although she doesnt want to speak out to anyone, she does want people to know that andy is a bad person. Her best friend, rachel bruin, has turned against her with all other of melinda s fellow students looking away. Melinda is about to start high school being depressed and quiet struggling with school, friends, and family trying to tell them what actually happened at the summer party. If you know the answer to this question, please register to. Jun 01, 2011 in the book speak, there are two places of sanctuary for melinda. Essay about laurie halse andersons speak 1277 words. Melinda doesnt want anyone to have to go through the things she did. Both the janitors closet and the schools art room provide her with the things her mind needs to help cope with her posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd. Speak book santa clara county library bibliocommons. She has not told anyone about the rape, however, and her classmates loathe her for calling the police on the party, while her parents and teachers are disappointed and angered by her sudden depression and apathy.
Speak is set in syracuse, new york, in the specific neighborhood and schoolmerryweather high schoolof melinda sordino in the present day. 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. Well, perhaps we can come up to a conclusion if we follow the personality traits of melinda gates, the most powerful and possibly the most humble woman of the world. Speak characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Melinda mel sordino is the main character and narrator of laurie halse anderson s 1999 novel speak. Melinda sordino she is a sophomore in merryweather high school, syracuse, new york.
Overworked and distracted, melinda s mother is aware that her daughter has suddenly. Speak up for yourselfwe want to know what you have to say. What are some character traits of melinda in speak. They genuinely appreciate each other and have similar interests and outlooks. In the book speak, by laurie halse anderson, melinda sordino is forced into the worst year of her life. It makes the most sense to have melinda narrate because she is the main character. She is very insecure and tries hard to stay as invisible as possible, for the fear of being seen or heard. Since shes also the narrator, everything we learn about the other characters is filtered through her. How to describe the main characters from speak pen and. I need some help figuring out some more traits, so if you have finished this book, please help. Melinda looks at a book of landscapes brimming with trees and plants. Melinda sordino is the main character of the book speak. I need quotes that are evidence of that physical description and find homework help for.
Also, i think she finds comfort in the art room because it contains one of the few people in the book that i think she really had a genuine friendship with, even if it didnt play that. What are some characteristics for the character melinda in. Melinda called the police at a summer party because a boy she didnt. The progression of melinda sordino melinda sordino, the main character in laurie halse andersons award winning novel, speak, is a 9th grade student attending merryweather high. One difference is that in the movie, melinda meets heather on the bus. What are some character traits of melinda in 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. Melindas only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in. Melinda sordino begins freshman year at merryweather high school, being a complete different person. The suffagettes were all about speaking up speaking for there rights. She is terribly unhappy, because she is the victim of a vicious rape, and so spends her entire ninthgrade year trying to come to. What are some character traits of melinda in speak melinda s character traits. Jun 24, 2011 what are some characteristics for the character melinda in the book speak. In the book speak, the poem if, and the article the art of resilience, the theme that to be successful one must overcome hardships is developed through the use of symbolism, mood, and figurative language.
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. She learns that the only way to counter evil is to speak out against it. Freeman is also a supporter of melinda and they talk about melindas problems sometimes. Oct 22, 1999 the first ten lies they tell you in high school. Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is sometimes clouded by her suffering. Melinda views david as a hero because he speaks his mind and is willing to fight for the freedom to speak his mind all of which she cannot do throughout most of the book. Due to her trauma and inability to tell anyone about what happened, melinda spirals into a dark depression. He is the main antagonist of the book, and spends much of the narrative harassing melinda in various read full character analysis melindas mother. A popular and handsome upperclassman, andy evans raped melinda at a party the summer before speak begins. Apr, 2009 what are some characteristics of melinda sordino in speak. This friendship stands in stark contrast to the friendship between melinda and heather. Melinda has always like eeman better than her other teachers because he actually. Although sometimes main characters can provide biased.
But shes not exactly bubbling over with friendly overtures either. In a flashback it is discovered by the reader that melinda, mel for short, was raped by an upper classman during a party in the summer between 8th and 9th grade. Literary devices in speak by laurie halse anderson bartleby. Speak was a 1999 national book award finalist for young peoples literature.
Her last name, sordino, is an italian word that can be translated as deaf. Physical characteristics of melinda sordino in the book. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. The character of melindas father in speak from litcharts. Essay about laurie halse andersons speak 1277 words bartleby. Melinda sordino, the narrator of laurie halse andersons novel speak, is a 14 yearold rape survivor who is deeply confused about how to process her trauma. Ivy wasnt at the party where melinda called cops and doesnt seem to have any reason to be mad at melinda. Melinda never flat out confides in ivy, but she hints strongly that something happened. The book is about a girl named melinda sordino also the narrator of the book who was about to have the worst year of her life just because of an endofsummer party. How to describe the main characters from speak pen and the pad. I need quotes that are evidence of that physical description and find homework help for other speak questions. In the beginning of the book, she seems to isolate herself from the world.
As you read the first section of speak list reasons why you believe she might be feeling this way. In the novel speak by laurie halse anderson, melinda sordino is entering her first year of high school. Melinda mel sordino is the main character and narrator of laurie halse andersons 1999 novel speak. She is 15 years old and is beginning her freshman year at merryweather high school. The characters ordeals were based on andersons own experiences. Ivy used to be a plain jane along with melinda, nicole, and rachel. Get an answer for what is a physical description of the character melinda in speak. Melinda sordino, the narrator of laurie halse andersons novel speak, is a 14yearold rape survivor who is deeply confused about how to process her trauma and how to protect other women from her. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an endofsummer party by calling the cops, so. Physical characteristics of melinda sordino in the book speak. Throughout the story, she seems to be holding on to a secret thats killing her internally. What is a physical description of the character melinda in. Melinda is uncertain of the reaction her parents may have if she did tell them, as well as how they may become involved in her personal life. Speak is set in syracuse, new york, in the specific neighborhood and schoolmerryweather high schoolof melinda sordino in the present day character list.
He is brilliant, confident, and assertive, qualities that melinda wishes she had. Part of the report is to give characteristics about the main character in the book. Ivy and melinda s friendships seem clear and unambiguous. In my opinion, the book was stereotypical, melinda was shy, weak and quite, something happens to her, she changes. August before her freshman year, melinda and her closest friends attend a party with seniors and beer. He assigns her a project on drawing a tree and thats all he tells her. As with nicole, its not clear whether ivy is avoiding melinda because shes.
Speak is a novel written and published by laurie halse anderson in 1999. Another example is when she receives crayons and a drawing book from her parents as a christmas gift, she thinks back the time where she returned home, and could not find her parents aftermath of the rape. Another difference is in the movie, rachel is the person that slaps melinda when she catches her on the phone. But the books overall gritty realism and melindas hardwon metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired. David defends mr neck for giving melinda a d on the oral report. If you know the answer to this question, please register to join our limited beta program and.
Overworked and distracted, melindas mother is aware that her daughter has suddenly. The speak quotes below are all either spoken by melindas father or refer to melindas father. After accidentally busting an end of summer party due to an unnamed incident, melinda is ostracized by her. Since melinda does not speak, this is the only way that the readers can access her feelings and thoughts. Melinda has a terrible secret that causes her personality to change drastically. The following poem was written by laurie halse anderson in honor of the 10th anniversary of speak. She changes her name to rachelle and wears heavy makeup to fit in with the more european. During the book, melinda symbolizes the tree that shes drawing in mr.
The sculpture shows a girl, picked clean to the bone, who is unable to speak, and i feel this is a great representation of melinda at this point in the book. I would categorize the students of merryweather high school as the foreign exchange kids, the goths, the cheerleaders, the artists, the marthas, jocks, country clubbers, and those who are clanless. He is the main antagonist of the book, and spends much of the narrative harassing melinda in various read full character analysis melinda s mother. Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by laurie halse anderson that tells the story of high school freshman melinda sordino. Rachel used to be melindas best friend until the summer incident. The summer before starting high school, she was raped by a senior student, andy evans.
Speak notes fourth marking period flashcards quizlet. Give an example of one sentence from this chapter that offers characterization of her mother. No one, however, knows melindas biggest secret, the reason she dialed 911 over the. 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. The character of melinda sordino in speak from litcharts.
In laurie halse andersons book speak, the main character, melinda, struggles with her own dysfunctional family issues and the influence it has on her decision to speak out about her rape. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself. At the party, melinda feels uncomfortable and out of place. She is very insecure and tries hard to stay as invisible as possible, for the fear of being seen or. She stood in front of the class holing a sign instead of speaking. It was also made into a movie of the same name in 2004. With the exception of the first and last stanzas, all of the words come from letters or emails written to her by readers. No one, however, knows melinda s biggest secret, the reason she dialed 911 over the. The protagonist of speak, melinda begins high school and the novel traumatized by a rape that occurred at the hands of upperclassman andy evans at a party the summer before. Melinda, a high school freshman, is the protagonist in laurie halse andersons speak. Melinda writes on the bathroom wall, guys to stay away from. What is the name of the book melindas mother bought for her. The character of melinda sordino in speak from litcharts the. Over the summer, melinda and her friends went to a senior party, where melinda ended calling the police.
Melinda dreams about the point where she is raped by the senior. Speak tells the story of melinda sordino, a ninth grader at merryweather high school in syracuse, new york. The art of resilience by hara estroff marano is an article that explains the characteristics of a resilient person. She also does poorly in school, and doesnt socialize very easily with other students. Janet alsup also claims that books like speak must be taught to young people. Another symptom is the recollection of distressing dreams of the event.