Conflict/Problems

She was raped at a party. -The biggest problem in the novel is the Melinda was raped. Melinda was raped at a party. It happened because she was out alone in the woods and everyone was drunk. The only people involved in this part of the book are Andy and Melinda. The problem does get solved but it really takes a while. Andy gets in trouble and Melinda moves pasted it by speaking up about the events. From this big problem a lot of small problems grow and come up.

No one liked her. - After she was raped she called the cops and that ended the party. Many people got arrested; since she called the cops everyone was upset. Once she went to high school that followed her around; everyone was pushing her, making fun of her and putting her down. For example when she went with Heather to a football, someone pointed Melinda out as the girl of called the cops at that one party; after someone poured a soda down her back. Also heather sold her out for a clan named the Marshans. It seemed that no one cared and it was almost like that. The problem got fixed at the end because she became some sort of a hero after holding a mirror to Andy’s throat. Since that everyone then found out what really happened at the party, and was not mad at her anymore.

Couldn’t speak her mind- Since no one liked her or noticed her she never talked. Her parents were worried because she never talked it was rare when she did. Also she was going through a lot and had no one to talk to; that made her feel the pain more. Once she got Heather that only made things worst because Heather didn’t help her at all, while Melinda did. A teacher of her named Mr. Freeman tried to help her talk in the beginning of the book but Melinda didn’t have the right support at the moment and so much was going on that she couldn’t or didn’t want to talk. There were to ways this book ended the problem, the first one was that she was really in to art and that helped her express her self. The second way is that Melinda in the end spoke up and talked things out with Mr. Freeman. From there he helped her move on from those harsh events.


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Dear Melinda,

Hello, Melinda you were through a lot, so many things that it’s just inspirational that you kept going. I like that you really are head strong it may not seem like you are throughout the book but you kept going which is amazing. I also liked that you are into art and it’s a good way to express some emotion. You are a good girl very polite I like that; it means you know and have manners. Throughout the book you went through so much, from being raped to being hated by everyone and on top of that, you wanted to speak up but you couldn’t because you didn’t know how. My thoughts on the events are just speechless, one of the reasons being that going through what you did is more than most girls go through, at your age. I was just very surprised that all of that can happen to you. I was also sad; I mean the things that happen too you really hit me in the weak spots. If I could have done anything really to help you I would. In the story I saw that you were struggling to speak your feeling, I could have helped with that by just talking it out or helping you find your outlet. I also could have became s close friend because sometimes that all someone really needs. I would have been there for you and just talked things out and really just help you move on by motivating you and helping you find a way out. I saw that art was your way out, your outlet; I could have maybe pushed you to continue on the road to becoming an artist. I could have been the person that is by your side until you feel better. Well I can say now is that I’m happy that you got through it all and you will be a great artist from what I have read.
Your loving friend,
Elvis

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Setting

The book takes place in Syracuse New York at Merryweather High School, in the late 90’s. The little places that Melinda are her school, janitors closet, class rooms, her house, her room, the woods and Heathers house. Firstly lets start with the woods, When Melinda ditch maybe for the first time she went to the woods to face have a little bit of closure but going there didn’t really do nothing. The woods are filled with trees, at night are cold, and pitch black. Now the second place is Merryweather High, a school with funds that are being cut back. The school is a two floor building and is somewhat big. Since funds are being cut back in some classes like art they have limited supplies. For example they need more paper to draw and some more painting materials. The food that the high school gives is described as food that no one should eat. The third place is Heather’s house. Heather I think is a rich girl because her house is big. Her room is filled with pop stars and the color is sky blue.
The forth place is Melinda’s house. Melinda’s home has many rooms, a kitchen, a living room, one bathroom, and two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms is Melinda, her bedroom is girly very girly. It’s like this not because she wanted it like that but because her mother when smaller painted it that way. She has tried to paint it but her parents don’t let her. Well when you go in her room the walls are painted pink with flowers at the edges, her covers and pillows are pink, there is a mirror in front of her white desk were she does her work.
The last setting is the old abandoned janitor’s closet. At first the closet was old and dirty, but during Melinda’s free time she cleaned it up. She hanged up a poster of Maya Angelou in the front, she also has a bung of drawing that she did in art class, and she hanged up projects that she did good in. It’s a small room with maybe only a chair to sit in and a mirror beside the Maya poster.

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Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson was born Oct. 23, 1936 in Potsdam. She was born as Laurie Beth Halse. Ms. Anderson for years loved to write, but mostly saw it as her hobby. She tried writing books but kept getting rejected. She then soon became a picture book writer for children. Most of mothers love her picture books, but in 1999 she wrote her most famous book Speak.
The novel was a New York Times and Publisher Weekly bestseller. Speak in the year 2000 was a Printz Honors book. Also in 2003 it became a motion picture. Ms. Anderson’s second book was Catalyst. Many believe that Catalyst is somewhat of a sequel to Speak, mostly because it takes place in the same high school, also takes place a year after the events in Speak, and lastly because we see Melinda Sordino but through someone else’s eyes.
Teenreads.com put Catalyst on its ultimate teen reading list. In 2005 she published Prom. Prom was moving around when on the New York time’s bestsellers list. Prom was nominated for LA best book for teens and won many state awards. In 2007 she published Twisted. Twisted is Ms. Andersons only book that is from a man’s point of view. This book won ALA best book for young teens. Her most recent book Winter Girls Debuted on the New York best seller’s list and got great reviews from publisher weekly, school library journal, booklist, and kirkus. It’s gets a lot of attention because of it’s unflinching and it’s raw perspective on eating disorders.

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Speak

The book starts with Melinda Sordino going in to Merryweather High School as a freshman. She introduces her classes, her school, and she calls her self an out cast. No one likes her, she has not friends and everyone treats her wrong because of what happened that night of the party. All the teachers are different and have there own style of teaching. Melinda doesn’t speak her mind at all, for events that she lets the reader know later in the book. Until then you just see her struggle with depression and bad parents. She gets desperate for friends, but then becomes friends with a new girl Heather.

Melinda’s depression gets worst, she starts skipping school, and drifting away from her parents. What she mostly likes to do is sleep, its like maybe the only place where she’s safe. Soon Melinda occupies an old janitor’s closet. She uses it when she ditches or when she needs time to get away and think. The only class that might be her escape to all the pain is art class who is taught by Mr. Freeman. Who tells the students to express them self through art. He gives them all an assignment to pick a topic out of a hat and draw it giving it some sort of emotion. Ms. Sordino gets a tree and at first she thinks it’s easy but then its gets harder and harder. She then begins to think about what happen at the party and how it came to happen. Okay back before Melinda came into Merryweather everything was okay, but one day she went with her best friend to a party. Melinda was left out in the woods alone. Andy a senior in Merryweather kisses Melinda, at first Melinda liked it and way happy that she finally got a boyfriend. After the kiss Andy raped her, she couldn’t say anything because Andy put his hand over her mouth covering up all sound. Afterwards Andy just smiles and walks away. The last thing Melinda remembers is her calling 911 and being slapped. Back to the normal times, Melinda is dieing inside because of what happen. Soon her ex best friend beings to go out with Andy. Melinda ditches from school again and gets detention. She goes and sits next to Rachell (her ex best friend). Melinda tries to patch things up and tell her what happens but when she does Rachell claim that Melinda is just jealous and that she hates her. The word tore through Melinda’s heart like a knife tears through meat. Eventually Rachell finds out the truth and dumps Andy. It’s the end of the year and Melinda goes to collect all of her things from the closet. Andy confronts her in side the closet, he tells her that she’s just jealous of them two and that she wanted him. He then hits her and tries to rape her again, but she breaks a mirror and holds it saying “I said no”.

Some girls hear her and help her. On the last day of school, Melinda stays late to finish her art project and finishes the course with an A+, though she is facing summer school for failing the rest of her classes. As the students hears the story and realizes the truth about what happened at the party, Melinda goes from being a loser to becoming something of a hero. Mr. Freeman give has always told her that when ever she needs to talk that he’s there to listen. The book ends with Mr. Freeman handing her a box of tissues say “you have bin through a lot haven’t you?” Melinda feels almost relieved that its all over and she ends the book by saying “Let me tell you about it”.

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