Symbolism In 'I Am An Outcast'

Trees stand there, not saying a word, frozen. Melinda doesn’t talk a substantial amount in her class and social life, therefore, it is like she is frozen, not speaking. A dead tree can represent how Melinda wasn’t able to speak, the leaves on the dead tree are still clinging onto it, hoping it can live longer. Like that, Melinda would cling onto the idea that she would return to her happy self, maybe being able to freely express herself again. During Melinda’s science class, she draws a willow tree drooping into the water, this represents her sadness. “I look out the window. No limos... Now when I really want to leave, no one will give me a ride. I sketch a willow tree drooping into the water” (page 147). This shows how the willow tree expresses her negative emotion without saying a word. When Melinda’s dad was chopping down their tree; of course, it couldn’t say anything because it is only a tree. “ He is killing the tree... The tree is dying... There’s nothing to do or say. We watch in silence as the tree crashes piece by piece to the damp ground,” (page 187). This shows that when Melinda got raped, she did not say anything, instead she was dying inside, depression taking over. A tree in its various stages was an object that describes Melinda’s freshman year from the beginning to the

The mood of the speaker changes to guilt as the speaker and her mother realize they would "crawl" with "shame" and leave an "emptiness" in their father's heart and yard. The author negatively connotes "crawl," "shame," and "emptiness" to invoke a more serious and shameful tone. The beginning of the conveyed a more matter-of-fact and pragmatic tone, but changes into a more sentimental one by the end to convey family is more important than the money. The symbol of the tree represents the family, and connects it to their father's hard work and dedication to the family. If they were to cut it down, it would be symbolic of their betrayal. Imagery of the tree is used to describe the freedom and beauty of the tree as it "swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit." The tree represents their family bond and how strong it is even through the "whip-crack of the mortgage."

The diction in the excerpt is an essential component to the dramatization of the plot’s central incident. Jewett uses rich language to intensify the simple nature of the main character Sylvia’s journey up a “great pine-tree.” For example, in describing the tree, the narrator uses personification as he mentions the “huge tree asleep yet in the paling moonlight.” The use of personification harkens back to those universal moments in childhood in which everything alive had human feelings, and creates an emotional attachment between the reader and the tree. Jewett also uses other figurative language, like similes, to relate the grandeur of the tree to the audience. She writes, “It [the tree] was like a great main-mast to the voyaging earth…” In comparing the tree to the great mast of a ship, the author invokes feelings of awe at its size.

The narrator's vision of her ancestors expanding a plentiful life is emphasized with the picturesque “blue fields…with leaves and vines and orchards.” This then strikes the narrator with the realization that cutting down the tree would be a betrayal to their ancestors, their dreams and the demise of the heritage of the

In Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, trees symbolize Melinda’s growth throughout her life to stay sane and pass the horrific time of her life. Depression is her first phase, when she starts to paint the trees that were hit by lightning. It is also shown by her not talking to many people. She starts to realize that she cannot be perfect when she imagines a beautiful oak tree but really cannot carve it properly. Her third phase comes when the trees outside her house has a few sick branches and she decides to let go of the present Melinda who is not letting her grow and nurture the old Melinda, the one before the party, the fun and outgoing one. The last phase, and tree was the one she drew for

Have you ever drawn a picture to express something, or just drawn it for fun? Well Melinda uses her drawings to express her feelings and get away from the world. I think the in the story “SPEAK,” by Laurie Halse Anderson, She uses Melinda's artwork and the tree to express the fact that Melinda got raped and afterwards, when she looked up... and saw... a tree.

Potentially more in a general sense, Mr. Freeman is an insightful educator who treats understudies in like manner creatures, and tries to show to them the truth of his life, past his part as an instructor. His tirades about the school board may exhaust Melinda, yet she sees Mr. Freeman talking reality as he sees it, especially to the understudies, in spite of while doing everything considered could cause him hurt. Despite whether this is mind boggling, appalling, or something in the midst of is easily shown off course. Undoubtedly, so Mr. Freeman gets way energetic, however, this is definitely what Melinda needs right now. Mr. Freeman moves down his acclaim by indicating Melinda something about her work she herself won't not be intentionally mindful of. He reveals to her reality and moreover can be typical. This in a like way proposes pushing her to upgrade the situation when her work fails miserably. Melinda's the sort of young lady who perceives such reliability, regardless of when it stings. Melinda thinks the task is too much essential at, making it difficult in the first place, yet the more she tries to draw a tree, the more she sees that she can't . Melinda is masking a dull confuse. She won't chat with anybody about it, and the more her emotions overpower her, the more she draws trees. Trees address life and end. They are an unfaltering wellspring of

The towering stack of chopped wood sat sturdily. The hard work that the person spent on stacking the pile paid off for a gorgeous work of art. The two trees express unity; without the two inosculated trees the pile would have no

The tree in Speak symbolizes Melinda’s emotional state when at first she finds no meaning in drawing the tree then she finds the courage to speak up about her rape experience. As Melinda is starting her artistic path, Mr. Freeman says his opinion on her artwork and she develops an understanding that her art work could compare to her life.

The first thing she did when she came into the classroom was draw a tree on the chalkboard because she felt that the classroom needed a tree. The kids, like myself, thought that was pretty strange gesture coming from a teacher. Within

This image foreshadows Lane’s sweet consideration about the girl. The author describes a basic asset of the relationship with: “Their postures on the picnic table were both the same forward kind…” (Wallace 927). Lane and Sheri’s collaboration to solve a problem is demonstrated in their similar postures. The torment inside Lane’s jumbled stream of consciousness is mimicked by the roots of a tree they see in front of them, uprooted by a recent storm: “… the downed tree in the shadows and its ball of exposed roots going all directions…”

Moreover, this drawing of the tree is representative of the mind growth of Melinda. For instance, the drawing was poorly drawn at the beginning of the book, Melinda’s pressure and her life were weighing her down. As the drawing got better throughout the school year, Melinda’s strength and mindset also began to get better as well. If the tree meant “to shelter”, then Melinda sure developed a very nice shelter for herself in the end.

In this childhood favorite, the story opens with the statement, "Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy." All that follows illustrates the love the tree has for the boy and the joy that is felt by the tree as she gives and gives to the boy. This is not unlike the relationship between a mother and a child. As a boy, the boy plays amongst the tree and finds refuge in her shade just as a mother gives of her body, time and attention to her child and her arms are a place of comfort and safety. Small children feel safest when their mother is near, and this brings joy to a mother. Later, the tree gives the boy her apples, so the boy can sell them and get money. Mothers may sacrifice and put their needs aside to help their children just as the tree gave of her apples and put her needs aside. The tree gives her branches to the boy so he can build a house and be "safe and warm". There is not much a mother won't do to ensure her children are safe and warm and have a roof over their heads. Even in the end, when a mother is old and appears that she has nothing left to give, she is still a source of comfort and peace, just as the tree, now a tree stump, is to the boy when he is an old man simply looking for a place to rest. Mothers find joy and happiness giving to their children and wish to feel needed. Sadness comes when a child grows and appears to not need their mother any longer as he or she once did, just like the tree feels sad every time the boy

The character archetype of the outcast is described as a figure that is banished from a community for some crime (real or imagined). “The outcast is usually destined to become a wanderer” . Society often times shuns people deemed different, making them feel like an outcast. This can be positive or negative, depending how the individual reacts to it. Being viewed as an outcast could inspire a person to resist popular opinion and encourage them to do great things in their life. While for others, it could cause them to retreat within themselves, preventing them from living a happy life or even causing their death. The archetype of the outcast in represented in the story “The Red Convertible”, by Louise Eldrich, through the

“We’re almost there, Ron. Just wait.” Katherine chuckled. Ron, a solid build for 25 year old, picked himself off the tiny bush. They tiptoed through dead brush around a forgotten path, lit by pale moonlight. The trees looked like death and the air was dry and empty, filled with silence. No birds chirping, no crickets, no wind in the leaves, only the crackle of dead weeds beneath their feet. Through the shadows of the forest stood two trees different from the rest, yet so subtle it’s almost invisible to see if you don't know what to look for. Two small branches at shoulder height, one coming from each of the trees, linked