Speak Literary Analysis

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Literary Analysis of Theme in Speak In Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson develops the idea that you should learn to speak for yourself and admit your past to others so you can move on to your future, and your life. The main character is named Melinda Sordino, her first day of highschool wasn’t the best day she thought it would be. Everyone that was best friends with her, now turned into her ex-friends. Throughout the book Melinda is trying to figure out why everyone is mad at her, and trying to find her voice. Then Melinda finds a friend who is new to Merryweather High School, named Heather. Through the book she starts to get her own voice, and by gaining her confidence. Heather finds new friends but is still friends with Melinda, one of Heather's …show more content…

They were both in the library talking about who they were going to prom with, and Melinda decides it was the right time to tell someone, especially the person who was dating IT. She tells Rachel that she got raped the night of the party, and was too scared so that's why she called the cops. Rachel helps at first and is sympathetic, but when she hears that the person who raped Melinda is her boyfriend Andy Evans she couldn’t believe it. She told Melinda that she was a liar and just jelous of her, and her boyfriend (183-184). But the next day everyone was on Melinda’s side saying that “Andy Evan’s a creep, he thinks he’s all that, and stay away from him”(185). She now somewhat built up her confidence by not letting Andy get to her or anyone get to her, and now seeing that people are on her side. The way Melinda says it is “I feel like I can fly” (185). In the book Melinda stands up for herself when, Andy Evans trapped Melinda and him into a closet. She realizes that she has a voice of her own and can speak up for herself. “Somebody slams into my chest and knocks me back into the closet. The light flicks on and the door closes. I am trapped with Andy Evans,”“Oh, no. You're not going anywhere. You really screwed things up for me. He reaches behind and locks the door. Click”(193). Andy is pushing up against Melinda and she doesn’t really know what to do at first. Then Melinda finds her voice, and …show more content…

Melinda finds the theme through the tough parts of the book and learning how to get them. When everyone is mad at her for calling the cops at the party she tries to get over it, but she still doesn’t know why she did it. So when she realizes why she called the cops, because Andy Evans/IT raped her. Melinda finally finds her voice, she decides to tell someone about what happened, even though they didn't take it well. Everyone at her school finds out what Andy did to Melinda and sides with her. But yet again she is acquainted with Andy Evans, and Melinda was locked in a closet with him and he tried to fight her but she used her voice and said ‘no’. Words are definitely powerful than actions, and when Melinda said ‘no’ she left Andy when no words. When Melinda found her voice I don’t think that she could let anything stop her, by the end of the book she decides to tell someone who will actually listen. So I think the theme of this is learning to find your voice, and not caring about what everyone will say. Finding that one person who will listen to you and that you can trust, and speaking up for yourself when you know something is

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