Rape in the Book Speak Essay

Having to go through sexual assault and then a year of bullying made Melinda speak up. Melinda went down a rough road in her life. Through all this Melinda grew strength and wisdom. At the school Melinda warned the girls about what Andy is capable of doing. She told Rachelle to watch out and to be careful around him. In Melinda’s later years she began writing her about story to help her express her feelings. She began warning others what sexual assault can do people and the harms of bullying. Even tho Melinda’s experience harmed her in many ways it gave her a story to help

One of MElinda’s ex-friends starts dating the guy who raped her. She sent anonymous letters trying to make her stay away from him. That proves she has grown, and she doesn’t want others to suffer because of him like she did. “I dig my fingers into the dirt and squeeze. A small clean part of me waits to warm and burst through the surface. Some quiet Melinda girl I haven’t seen in months. That is the seed I will care for,” (chapter 86, page 188-189). Melinda is facing her fears. She went to the place where it all happened. She wanted to have peace. She was ready to move on from the situation. The bottle was now open, and her feelings were flying

As seen throughout the novel, Melinda presented major symptoms of self-destruction to the audience as a result from the rape. First of all, there are many signs of this type of behavior, one that Melinda has shown on various occasions are acts of physical harm. The most serious example of this is was in “Rent Round” on page 87 when Melinda was in her closet after a rough day. “I open up a paperclip and scratch it across the inside of my left wrist…… I draw little windowcracks of blood, etching line after line until it stops hurting”. At this point in the novel, we know this quote proves an act of attempted suicide, which greatly relates with self-destructive behavior. This quote/event is great evidence of how the rape affected Melinda mentally.

Melinda Sordino is a troubled freshmen because she has no friends and she feels the whole world is falling around her because she got a party busted because she was shocked because she was sexually assaulted. Melinda's family affected her growth mentally, physically, and emotionally. It is common for a girl, after being sexually assaulted, in result of that her growth in all three of those areas. Melinda's family life is not abusive, but she has problems communicating and connecting with them.

Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is sometimes clouded by her suffering. She's only fourteen-years-old, and she's dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a person: rape. Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman, was abused by a senior student, Andy Evans. She calls the cops to report the rape, but leaves before they show up. The party is busted and everybody thinks Melinda got them in trouble on purpose. Nobody at school will talk to Melinda, including Rachel Bruin, who's been her best friend forever. Worse, just about everyone bullies her. She wants to explain why she called the cops but she can't find the words. Due to her trauma and inability to tell anyone about what happened, Melinda spirals into a dark

Rape is defined as sexual intercourse that is forced on a person without his or her permission. There is an average of 293,000 instances (victims age 12 or older) of sexual assault each year and 98% of rapists will never spend a day in jail. However, Melinda a character from the novel "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson fought and spoke about her story. Melinda Sordino was raped at a party for the upcoming school year. She falls victim to the effects of rape; anxiety, PTSD, and depression all alone in her freshman year because she couldn't speak.

The main character in this book struggles the normal reaction to rape throughout high school. The harshness of false accusations, manipulative teenagers and gossip (slut/whore) show throughout the book. She also struggles with the fact of keeping the truth a secret. A secret her best friend won't believe because she's too wrapped up with her “loving” and “caring” boyfriend and thinks this is melinda's way to get back at her for leaving as a friend. But the fact is she was raped at the party, her parents don’t know, she doesn't talk at home, school is a separate hell and she feels trapped and alone. The schools closet and her friend maya are her tiny glimpse of sanity.

This is evident in the novel Speak, since Melinda goes through a traumatizing school year with frequent bullying as well as a sexual assault. Not only is she able to pull through ultimately, she also accepts what happened and asserts that she is willing to learn from the experience. For instance, near the end of the book, Melinda asserts “IT happened. There is no avoiding IT, no forgetting. No running away, or flying, or burying or hiding. Andy Evans raped in August when I was drunk and too young to know what was happening. It wasn’t my fault. And I’m not going to let it kill me. I can grow” (Anderson 198). Again, this quote greatly implies that Melinda has developed a growth mindset which has allowed her to move on from this traumatizing experience and she is essentially stating that she will not contemplate on the horrific incident endlessly but she will instead try to learn and acquire some insights after going through the frequent bullying and the assault. Melinda’s experience is also extremely similar to Maddy’s experience of being sexually assaulted in the book The Pain Eater. Maddy also contemplated on the horrific incident a lot throughout the book, but ultimately, she acknowledged that contemplating on the incident over and over will not change anything and she decided that it was time to stop this mental illness and learn to move on. Melinda also states “let’s talk about it” (Anderson 198) towards her art teacher at the very end of the book when her art teacher inquired her about her school year. This passage reflects her growth mindset even more since this is strong evidence that Melinda is now willing to open up and talk about her troubles. Although Melinda suffered through a school year full of

The life of a teenage girl is already difficult enough but Melinda’s past makes it even harder. The book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a realistic fiction novel. It expresses the themes of isolation, depression, and the importance of communication after traumatic events. The main characters of the book are Melinda, who narrates the book, Andy, Rachel, Ivy, Nicole, and David. Speak takes place at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York in present day. Throughout the story, Melinda interactions with people lead her to become more inclosed until she finally is able to speak out with the help of friends.

The coming of age genre focuses on the coming of age and rites of passage of an adolescent for how it educates its readers about personal growth and self consciousness. The main focus is the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist. The goal is to achieve maturity and the protagonist is often in search of answers and seeks to gain an identity of his own. It is also often seen in coming of age novels that the protagonist becomes disillusioned or disappointed as the reality does not match his high hopes and dreams. Gaining of self- knowledge is the key to the ultimate level of maturity of the protagonist

In the book Speak, Melinda was very popular, and happy with her life, until Andy Evans raped her. This traumatic experience changed her forever, and she became mute. In the book speak it explains Melinda’s struggle with herself as she goes threw her years in high school. One example of this is on page 132, when Melinda has self talk with herself. “I think it’s some kind of psychiatric disorder when you have more than one personality in your head. That’s what it feels like when I walk home.” (132 Anderson) This quote shows Melinda’s struggle with herself, and how she never can make up her mind. One experience like rape in Melinda’s case can change you forever and make you suicidal.

Rape culture is prevalent on all college campuses, and many fail to realize this and what rape culture is. It is in the party scene, athletics, in dorm rooms, and everywhere else around campus. It is the acceptance of sexual jokes, saying “she was asking for it because of what she was wearing,” not taking sexual assault seriously, and so much more.

I feel that many people who are going through mental illness due to rape can relate to Melinda. I found this book to be really empowering and to see how Melinda began to learn the importance of telling the truth and speaking up for whats right. She is depressed and goes through a lot trying to cope with what she went through. People around her ignore her, having problems and concerns of their own, especially her parents. The novel not only gave a realistic perspective of the life of a high schooler, but also showed readers the benefits of seeking help and speaking out after a tragic situation. I believe that many young

Rape is an atrocious crime where rapists are rightfully despised. There are several severe laws against rape and sexual assault. The media, leftist politicians, and feminists say that 1 in 5 women will get raped in their four-year college career. While rape has been a serious problem for decades, there is certainly no evidence that there is a national rape epidemic, or that rape or sexual assault is the social norm in this age. Rape rates, in fact, have been on a decline for the past century. The 1 in 5 number is not true.

“She was drinking, what did she expect?" This is the first thing that goes through some people’s minds when they hear the tragic story of a woman who was taken advantage of while she was intoxicated at a party. Rarely, do people think of the man who could have stopped what he was doing and realized that the woman was not in her right state of mind. This is just another real-life experience and example of Rape Culture. Rape culture has had an impact on everyone in today's society. While it is sometimes noticed and most times unnoticed, it is a big social issue that needs to be stopped.