Melinda Sordino Character Analysis

The big idea that I get from this book is that some burdens are just to big and the only was to handle them is together. The problem is that so many people are ashamed and would rather hide it that handle the situation. If all girls, or boys, who were put in situations like Melinda would speak up maybe there would be more justice in our

The first example of courage is when Melinda is told that she needs to read her suffragette report in front of the class. The easy option would've been to just read her paper in front of the class but instead she took a different approach, an approach she considered the right option. Instead of reading her report she writes on the board, "The suffragettes fought for the right to speak. They were attacked, arrested, and thrown in jail for daring to do what they

Again, throughout the whole book, Melinda has this odd feeling, she thinks that nobody likes her and is always down on herself. An example from the book that shows this behavior is at the beginning of the book, her first day of high school. "I have entered high school with the wrong hair, the wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don't have anyone to sit with. I am outcast." (Anderson 4) As soon as she enters high school she doubts herself. It's almost as that she believes that since she has entered with the wrong clothes, the wrong hair, and nobody to sit with, that she will never fit in. This shows a sign of hopelessness, she is doubting herself to much. Another example of when Melinda shows sadness and hopelessness is when she hears about Rachelles Halloween party she is throwing. She says, "I knew I wouldn't get an invitation. I would be lucky to get an invitation to my own funeral." (Anderson 41) This shows Melinda again, being

Melinda isn't speaking to anyone, and no one will talk to her, except the new girl, Heather, who moved from the state of Ohio. Realistically, Heather being the new girl just wants to make friends. Heather doesn't know what is really going on with Melinda because she just moved to town. Heather has no idea what happened the night when Melinda called the police, which busted a summer party. In fact, no one knows, except for Melinda, what happened to her at the party? She is convinced that because she is a victim, no one understands her. The whole world, including her world, is out to get her and so it is best for her to remain silent.

The story started in an ambiguous atmosphere ,as readers don’t know what happened to Melinda she refused to speak she only wants to live in her isolation. some people in their depression tries to speak, and others chooses to keep themselves silent and get stressed when they are given a heavy workload, like “why me ?” ,as they are too weak or shame to face the world around them ,and this exactly what happened to Melinda in this novel .People experiencing passive anger may not even realize they are angry, because passive angry maybe repressed, it can be hard to recognize. In this long term, these suppressed angry feelings can easily be a main reasson for psychological suffering. As readers can only notice that she carried a folded story that will be displayed through flashback

Melinda started off in the story afraid, lonely, and out of place. “I have entered high school with the wrong hair, the wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don’t have anyone to

Melinda was an outcast and loner in high school who was overwhelmed, fearful, and confused with her life and her environment at school. She was always silent in class and afraid to speak in front of people. Many students today might feel the need to fit in with other people so they wouldn’t have to be looked down upon. As we take a look at Melinda’s life we’ll be able to see how she handles her daily conflicts. In the book, Speak, Melinda Sordino, an incoming freshman at Merryweather High, starts her year off with a terrible start. She’s stuck with a mean history teacher, by who she calls Mr. Neck and a whole bunch of other weird teachers like her English teacher of who she calls, Hairwomen, because of her crazy, uncombed

Courage is something people need to have almost everyday. A firefighter has courage every time they run into a flaming building to save someone. Cassie is a strong and brave girl. She’s willing to do almost anything for her family. Cassie posed courage most of the time during Roll of Thunder, Hear Cy Cry by Mildred D. Taylor by stick to her convictions because she was treated unfairly throughout the book.

This part of Melinda wants to have fun. This part of her is ready to trust others and move on. “Melinda Two: The world is a dangerous place. You don’t know what would have happened. What if he was just saying his parents were going to be there?

Another indication of Melinda’s self-destructive behavior is her loss of concentration. This can proven by Melinda’s declining grades which started off as “Playing Nice- B, Social Studies- C, Spanish-C, Art- A, Lunch- D, Biology-B, Algebra-C+, Clothes-C, English-C , Gym-C+.” After, her grades ended at, “Social Life-F, Social Studies-F, Spanish-D, Art-A, Lunch-D, Biology-D+, Algebra-F, Clothes-F, English-D+, Gym-D.” these quotes demonstrate that Melinda puts little effort into her work, meaning she is distracted and that her school isn’t her main priority. Certainly, her distracted behavior is because she is constantly rewinding the memories of what happened to her; she unable to get this out of her head. Seen from the evidence it is good to say Melinda is having difficulty stay focused. In addition, Melinda has found numerous ways to isolate herself from others. Throughout the book, Melinda takes us to her place of choice, being the abandoned janitor’s closet at her

Towards the end of the year, there is a clear change in Melinda and she is confident of herself. When Andy tries to attack her again she says “NNNOOO!!!"(188) This shows how much she has grown because she decides not to be a silent victim anymore. Now she is a “definitely breathing”(197) tree. She came up struggling and feeling alone by herself, but she knew that she made a lot of progress from the start.

One of the bigger turning points in her life happened when she is raped at a high school senior party. What made it traumatizing was that they are young girls and Melinda didn't realize

The most courageous moment in the book was Melinda telling Rachel about Andy. Melinda wanted to protect Rachel even after what Rachel did that past year. Melinda says “I didn’t call the cops to break up the party, I write. I called- I put the pencil down. I pick it up again- them because some guy raped me. Under the trees.”(Anderson 183). This was a monumental step for Melinda, after months of not talking to anyone but Ivy and Heather she opened up to her ex best friend.

Courage can not be told or said, it has to be shown by actions. In the novel, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor uses a young black girl, by the name of Cassie Logan. She shows us that, for a young 9 year old she has courage to stand up for what is right. Cassie shows courage when she stood up for her brother Little Man, when she stood up for what was right at the Barnet store, and when she was willing to help T.J. even though he had put her family through a lot. Cassie is a sassy and outspoken girl, who loves the land she lives on. When she finally understood why blacks were treated the way they were, and even before, she stood up for what was right. Cassie shows to everyone around her, that she is willing to fight for what is right, and stand up for her convictions.

Just before school ended, she started communicating with her lab partner and friend, David Petrakis. She also met Ivy, a kind girl in her art class. As Melinda finally met people that she felt comfortable and happy around, she gained confidence. Her teachers and parents were pleased to discover that this also improved Melinda’s attendance and grades. Melinda finally opened her mind enough to think through the events of the party. She had blamed herself the whole time, just like the rest of the school. As Andy pointed out, Melinda never explicitly told him, “ no” during her rape. She thought it was wimpy that she called the cops. She let her friends and peers convince her that she was an idiot and a wimp. Melinda eventually allowed herself to figure out that she was a victim. She never gave permission to Andy, and she was right to call the police because she was in pain and in danger. Once Melinda opened up and let herself and others in, she was able to defend herself. Melinda proved her confidence and power when she told Andy, “No!” when he tried to attack her in her closet. With Melinda’s new found confidence, she was able to drastically improve her life and save herself from her