Change In The Novel Speak

What would you do if the person you care the most about was suffering from depression? In Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the narrator, Melinda Sordino, suffers from depression and insecurity after being molested by a senior, Andy Evans. Over time, her emotions change positively. In her art class, she was assigned trees as her project to express emotion. In this novel, trees speak for her because they represent her life, growth, and her refusal to speak.

Everybody changes throughout life, either it from being around certain people, having people persuade you into doing something, or by seeing a certain event happen. Everyone goes through a type of change that can make a big difference in their life. I argue that people in the play “Witness” by Karen Hesse can change from being around others because Sara Chickering changed from being around the Hirsh’s, Viola ended up joining the KKK because of her husband pressuring her to, and Merlin by seeing Leanora saving Ester.

Over time, many have realized that people have the power to change others, however some believe that people cannot and will not change. One side of this argument is that though people will be the same their whole life, and never change. On the contrary, people have been changed by others over time and throughout history. It is a fact of life that people have the power to change others through their actions, perspectives, and ability to persuade their point of view.

It can happen quickly, in a matter of minutes. It can also take its time and happen over a period of several years. In the case of racism, it took peaceful action to change the wrongs that were being committed. It took 30 years for someone to see that acting violently was not going to help the problem, but strengthen it. This person was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent protests finally were the answer to a problem that had gone on for such a long time. Between the 1930s and the 1960s there were really no changes having to do with racism. Whites treated blacks so lowly and that hadn’t changed between the time when Harper Lee’s story is set and the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was able to show people how they could get their word across through non violent protesting, he was able to captivate people and move them to see what was right and what was wrong, and he was able to change an ongoing problem for the

Speaking out is a tough task for many people that have dealt with horrible, traumatic situations. In the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character, Melinda, is one of those people who lost their voice. To be able to understand another person’s emotions, feelings, and situations is very difficult to do, especially because of how our society has formed and became a very judgmental place. Melinda Sordino starts her freshman year at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York, to a terrible start; she is a victim of a sexual assault and loses her confidents and voice to speak out. The more she interacts and makes new friends is how she starts to reach out and become more self-sufficient. Few weeks into school Melinda’s only

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson tells the story of Melinda Sordino, a ninth grader that attends Merryweather Highschool in Syracuse, NewYork. The author has a unique way of writing Melinda's story. She uses subtitles instead of chapters, nd goes into detail of Melinda's everyday life, by using Melinda's perspective. The author sets a depressed mood in the story because of what the main character has gone through. The central idea of the text is communication which in the beginning Melinda lacks. August before her freshman year, Melinda and her friends show up at a senior party. At the party, Melinda ends up drinking. Andy Evans takes advantage of her drunken state and rapes her. She is too drunk to defend herself. Afterward Melinda deals 911 and the police arrive at the party, but Melinda is unable to confess what happened. When the entire school knows that Melinda was the one who called the police, everyone, including her friends, stopped speaking to her. No one knew the real reason behind the 9-11 call. Throughout the school year she cuts her wrist, skips school, and fails her classes. Melinda goes through a tough time in high school. She has one friend (who later on in the book betrays her), a difficult family, and was a victim

Have you ever wondered how some people enact change? Mother Jones protested for child labor laws. Melba integrated a white high school in order to get rid of racism. Nelson Mandela joined South Africa’s congress to help racism. They all persevered to enact change, but they took different approaches for their problems.

Change can be seen as a form of transformation or conversion. A form of change can be seen in “Victory Lap” by George Saunders, a short story written in such a way that the events that are enrolling throughout the story are being processed and told through the minds of three main characters. Having the perspective of each character allows us, the readers to get a much greater understanding about them and to make a better character analysis. Having said that, this story is simply about a girl, Alison getting kidnapped by an unnamed kidnapper. What were really captivating were the changes spotted on characters as the conflict progresses. One character in particular is very intriguing and his name is Kyle. One of our main character, Alison

Individuals can make a difference and enact change within society. Even though people may have beliefs and opinions that differ, it is still possible to make changes that help to put all citizens on a more equal footing. In chapter one, Virginia Ramirez teaches us that we are never too old to find our inner strength to stand up for what is right. This is exactly what she did for her elderly neighbor who died because she could not get the help she so desperately needed. Virginia spoke up and advocated even though it angered her husband at first. Her story like many others found throughout this book inspire me to want

Change is something you are probably familiar with. In “Beneath the Smooth Skin of America,” Scott R. Sanders talks about many changes in his life. The author starts the story looking throw the eyes of himself as a child. As a child he remembers that all that was in his sight was all he could see. The author’s best example of this is he says, ”Neighbors often appeared…where they came from I could not imagine” (27). As the author begins to see more by leaving the area he was around so often he starts to see more and more things. He started moving around to different places and started seeing the things that he had not see before. The author points out many things that he began to see like the stores

It is commonly said, as well as believed, that change is inevitable. It is bound to happen, whether we choose to believe in this concept or not. An excellent example of change, change of character specifically, would be Eliezer Wiesel in his book Night. He wrote about his time in concentration camps, and the traumatizing experiences he went through, some of which most people can’t even begin to imagine. His mentality changed and developed more and more as the book progressed, he has clearly changed from the once religious and faith-based boy, into an anguished and desolate man.

(O-S1)The changes we see in people do not always come from the most suspecting person. The people we think never change can be influenced by just one thing and be changed forever.(O-S2) In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, the events that occur to the people in the book prove that hope it a factor in the changes of people.(O-S3) In the book the hope that Jefferson ,an unsuspecting character, will be changed by a teacher to see himself as a human and be seen as a true man.

In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda a young incoming freashman starts off high school depressed and avoided by her classmates and friends. Over the summer Melinda attends a party where she has no choice but to call the police, resulting in all her friends to dismiss and turn against her completely including her best friend Rachel. When Melinda begins high school detached from all of her classmates she tries to befriend Heather, a new student who is unaware of the party conflict. “...we kind of paired up at the beginging of the year when I was new and didnt know anyone and that was really sweet of you but I think its time for the both of us to admit that we...just...are...very...differnt” (105 Anderson) Heather soon realizes

A lot of things can shape a person’s identity. In the book Speak by Laurie Hale Anderson Melinda is the protagonist. Many things happen in the book that shapes Melinda’s identity. Two things that shape Melinda’s identity is when she called the cops at the party, and when she tells herself that she’ll get better.

In the book "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson, tow adults are Mr. Neck and Mr. Freeman. Mr. Neck is know to not like Melinda and believes she is nothing but trouble, however Mr. Freeman one the other hand is a very positive teacher that doesn't hate his students. Mr. Freeman is the art teacher that tries to teach life lessons through art to help interest the students in what there drawing, he has helped Melinda by helping her express her feelings she is going through. On the other had Mr. Neck is a history teacher that only cares about the teaching subject at hand and not how it can relate to the students he is teaching, the first sighs of Mr. Neck being out to get Melinda is because all she has done is walk into the classroom and he already