a ninth grader, who was brutally raped at a party, faces an internal conflict with her mind in the story “Speak” written by Laurie Anderson. Melinda begins her freshman year at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York, with a heavy secret weighing on her. The summer before starting high school, she was raped by a senior named Andy Evans. She nicknamed him “IT”. Laurie tells us that she spends her entire ninth-grade year coming to terms with what happened to her and finding the voice she lost
“Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and cleaner. I feel stronger for confession,” quoted by Mahatma Gandhi. Confession is a very important part of Speak by Laurie Anderson. When Melinda confesses in the book, like the quote, she feels free after confessing and like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Confession plays a big role in Speak by giving Melinda the power to stand up to Andy and embrace her past. Before all else, Melinda
In Laurie Halse Anderson’s young adult novel Speak, we are presented with an immediately lovable, or at least relatable, young protagonist, Melinda, who is beginning her first year of high school. Mel is sarcastic, witty, and observant, constantly constructing metaphors for her world, referring to herself as a “wounded zebra” in the first few pages of the novel and giving the people around her funny nicknames like “Basketball Pole,” “Mr. Neck,” and “Principal Principal” (Anderson 5; passim). Mel’s
Have you ever had a confession that you didn’t want to tell anyone but it turns out you must to save an old friend from getting hurt? Well in the book “Speak” the main character Melinda has a confession that she doesn’t tell until a desperate time. She didn’t tell her parents or any of her teachers. While she didn’t tell anyone about her confession it was driving her insane. When she finally told her old friend Rachel/Rachelle she felt so much better, but Rachel/Rachelle didn’t believe her and told