Courage In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

Imagine being too scared to try anything new. Imagine being too scared to take small risks, even if the rewards outweigh the risks 20 to 1. Sitting inside all day and fearing your own shadow is what you would be doing if you had no courage. Courage is extremely important to have, and award winning novel Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey shows it very clearly. So yes, courage is important, but why? It is important to have courage in order to try new things, help others in need, and change the world for the better.

When I think of Courage, I think of a superhero or a brave police officer, but actually courage is everywhere and in all of us, it’s just hidden in our everyday lives. The book “Jasper Jones” shows some examples of courage in everyday life. Courage is important because it´s the force that pushes us through times where we are really scared and the times where we are really nervous. We need courage in our lives or else we would never go outside our comfort zones and never take risks. Being courageous can persuade someone into doing something they fear.

Courage is important because if you’re not courageous you will not explore new things, get new experiences. An example of courage happens in the first couple of pages when Jasper and Charlie go out to explore late at night into the forest. If they haven’t gone out there they would’ve never found the body

Courage can be found in everyone big or small, mean, or nice. But sometimes it is hard to find your courage. In "Touching Spirit Bear" and " Maniac Magee" the author teaches us that people can be courageous by being friends with people they may not like at first and going to a place you might not want to go.

Putting Yourself Before Others It is important to have bravery because without it you won't be able to get anything done if you are scared. It is hard to be brave sometimes because you don't know what the outcome could be. In NightJohn by Gary Paulsen, NightJohn is a free man who escaped slavery, he is devoted to teaching slaves to read and write when they aren't supposed to know how to, this could get them killed. NightJohn shows bravery by sneaking in the quarters at night and teaching them how to write letters and spell. You need to be brave to take risks.

Courage is not facing a problem without any fear. Courage is facing an obstacle despite their fear. Standing up for what they believe in, even though there will be negative consequences. That is true courage. The book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee does a great job of showing this.

We have been asked why is it important to be courageous? In reality there are many reasons, but only few I can explain. We have to be courageous so we can try new things, do something different, or get out of our comfort zone.

There has always been times where everyone has needed courage, sometimes more often than others, and I believe that there are three main reasons to be courageous. I read a book full of courageous acts, called Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, which shares the story about a girl who has scares, making her an outcast. She meets a boy named Eric who is overweight and both are outcasts and later on, he stays fat just so she doesn’t feel so bad about her scars. It is important to be courageous because it helps make people creative, more daring, and overall just better people.

Sometimes we feel like we have no courage at all and then at other times we feel like we have all the courage in the world. There were many times in my life where I felt like I had a lot of courage, and times where I felt like I had no courage at all. Courage is also a theme in the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is important to have courage because it makes people happy, it can help people get out of risky situations, and it makes people more confident in themselves.

Through the ups and downs of life everyone makes courageous decisions to improve people’s life experiences and those that surround us. The book Speak written by Laurie Halse Anderson talks about the ups and downs of high school while coexisting our personal lives. The main character Melinda gets assaulted at a party and has to work up the courage to talk about that night. It is important to be courageous in life to overcome obstacles and positively reach milestones. Many courageous people have accomplished huge milestones. Melinda may not have accomplished anything huge but Melinda did talk to Rachel about what happened that night, tells Andy no, and opens up to Mr.Freemen about everything. There was many more important moments but these were Melinda's most accomplished milestones.

There are many valuable aspects in life that may mean a lot to a person. In this case, friendship is one of the most important relationships a person can have. Human interaction is something necessary to survive, having a friend is essential to the well being of everyone. However, not all relationships with people can be considered a friendship because some may take advantage of others to gain something for themselves. Whereas, other friendships may last years and remain strong between the two people, but if there is no trust then there is a possibility of losing a friend. On the other hand, positive friendships still exist and are the ones to cherish and appreciate the most. The novel Speak written by Laurie Halse Anderson is based on a fourteen year-old girl named Melinda, who was sexually assaulted at a summer party. She called the police for help but since none of her friends knew what occurred, they assumed she called to get them all in trouble. This made her an outcast and she spent her ninth-grade year by herself. The theme of friendship is evident in the novel Speak as it impacts the protagonist Melinda. This is seen through Melinda 's friendship with Rachel, Mr. Freeman, and Heather.

Everyone has the potential for courage, however, not everyone takes advantage of it. Imagine the nerd taking advantage of talking to the pretty girl in the lunch-room and compare it to not taking the chance. Similarly, in Harper Lee’s story,”To Kill a Mockingbird”, characters employ their wits in order to overcome adversity. Frankly, when used, courage can help with the impossible.

Courage can mean a lot of different things and can also be shown different ways. People are courageous almost everyday of their lives. They take risks on things not knowing whether it might or might not work. In order to have courage doesn't mean you have to wrestle a bear or maybe jump off a plane, courage can simply be a person helping an elder cross the street or asking a girl you like, to out on a date with you. Although big things can make you seem like a superhero, the little things can also do the same.

We all have opportunities to display courage in our life, but if we actually do is our decision. Courage is being able to do what is right even if it can be hard. In the book Speak by Laurie Halle Anderson I found three different examples of courage. In this book Melinda Sordino, David Petrakis and Melinda, again all show courage.

Courage is a necessity to overcome fears and achieve a desired goal. Fear is something that exists in all of us. There is no hero or any particular courageous figure that is without fear. Being fearless is not required to be courageous, one simply has to look past or overcome their fears to possess this great quality. When overcoming fears and going against the norm, there are always risks involved. There are different types of risks that come about. Someone could risk life or limb, while others risk their reputation. Either risk is serious enough that a person must have courage to endure that particular risk. Courage can occur anytime, anywhere, and often in our everyday lives. Everyone will experience courage no matter how young,