What is the climax of Speak? The climax here occurs when Melinda finally confronts Andy as he tries to rape her the second time. The first time she couldn’t find a way to speak or call for help, but this time she does and the evil he has perpetrated on her and other girls in the school finally comes to an end.
What is the plot of the book Speak?
Speak Summary. Speak tells the story of Melinda Sordino, a ninth grader at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York. August before her freshman year, Melinda and her closest friends attend a party with seniors and beer. At the party, Melinda feels uncomfortable and out of place.
What does Mr Freeman say to Melinda in the last chapter?
In the last chapter of the novel, Melinda sits in Mr. Freeman's room on the final day of school finishing up her yearlong art project. After she turns it in, Mr. Freeman gives her an A+. He says that he knows she has been through a lot.
How does Melinda describe her mother and father in speak?
Melinda’ describes her workaholic mother and disinterested father. She discusses her hatred for her babyish bedroom, decorated when she was in fifth grade. In the bedroom, Melinda hides her mirror; she loathes her appearance, especially her raw, bitten lips. Get the entire Speak LitChart as a printable PDF.
What is the falling action of Speak?
Falling Action- The lacrosse team sees this and calls 911. Melinda needs to finish her art for a final grade. Mr. Freeman sees how now the Melinda did something about what happened that summer night, she's finally let go of things.
What is the main plot of Speak?
After a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak. In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino is forced into the worst year of her life.
What is the conflict of the book Speak?
Melinda's primary internal conflict is over whether or not to tell anyone that she was raped by one of the older students at her school. On the night that the attack occurs, Melinda dials 911 from a phone at the party, but finds herself unable to speak to the dispatcher and explain what has happened.
What is the exposition in the book Speak?
Zaituni Gatwaza The exposition of the book Speak is when the introduces readers to the narrator. Her name is Melinda Sordid. She is riding on the bus on her way to her first day of high school at Merry weather High. That tells readers her approximate age.
What is the rising action of Speak?
Exposition: Starting high school, characters, setting, and conflicts. Rising Action: Marking periods 1-3. (Meeting Heather) Climax: NNNOOOO! in the closet when Andy tries to rape her. Falling Action: Finishes her art project Resolution: Speaking up and telling her story.
What happens at end of Speak?
It also includes "symbolic speech" – such as writing, art, and other media. For example, at the end of Speak, Melinda finally draws a tree that expresses her emotions. At the very, very end, Melinda is about to tell Mr. Freeman, her art teacher, her story.
What is the theme of speak?
Theme of "Speak" Melinda was raped at the party by a boy named Andy Evans. After the rape, Melinda is unable to speak about what happened to her and quits speaking altogether. Rape and the consequences for the victim is the main theme, along with losing one's voice and the tremendous courage it takes to find it again.
Is speak a movie?
Speak is a 2004 American independent coming-of-age teen drama film based on the award-winning 1999 novel of the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson. It stars Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman who practically stops talking after a senior student rapes her.
What does Melinda do to get in school suspension?
MISS. Melinda is put in Merryweather In-School Suspension – MISS, for short. This is her "Consequence" (56.1) for skipping school. She had to sign a contract.
What happened at the party in speak?
However, over many months of painful silence and self-harm in the form of lip- and nail-biting, Melinda finally admits to herself that Andy Evans raped her at the party last summer. After facing the fact that she was raped, Melinda begins to recover from the trauma of the event.
What is in the exposition?
This is called the EXPOSITION. It is the background information on the characters and setting explained at the beginning of the story. The EXPOSITION will often have information about events that happened before the story began. The EXPOSITION is often the very first part of the PLOT.
What is the theme of speak?
The main themes of Speak include trauma and recovery, authenticity and integrity, and finding one's voice. Trauma and recovery: Melinda is so devastated by her assault that she can barely acknowledge it to herself—let alone confess it to anyone else.
What is the main setting in speak?
Speak is set in Syracuse, New York. This location is most significant because of the weather, which Melinda Sordino is very tuned in to.
Is the movie speak based on a true story?
SPEAK is a work of fiction. However, the kind, positive influence that Mr. Freeman has is very much like the kind, positive influence Mr. Procopio had on me, and countless other students.
Did Melinda tell her parents about the party?
She didn't tell them her secret before, because they weren't home when she came back after the party. By the time they got home, Melinda had showered and was in bed.
What does Melinda mock in Merryweather?
Cynical but perceptive, Melinda mocks every aspect of Merryweather. She only becomes excited in the art room, where the passionate Mr. Freeman tells his students that they will each spend the year on a single subject; Melinda gets a tree. Melinda’ describes her workaholic mother and disinterested father.
What does Melinda tell Rachel about her rape?
Feeling empowered, Melinda decides to talk to Rachel; the interaction goes well, up until the moment when Melinda tells Rachel that she was rap ed at the beginning of the year.
What happened to Melinda in The Scarlet Letter?
School continues. Melinda’s English class discusses symbolism in The Scarlet Letter, and she tries to work on her tree. She becomes deeply depressed after Heather decides to stop being friends with her, telling her that she needs “professional help.” On Valentine’s Day, Melinda receives a valentine that she hopes and fears might be from David Petrakis. It is actually a friendship breakup valentine from Heather, which causes Melinda to break down in her closet. She cuts school and ends up hiding in a hospital.
What is Melinda Sordino's freshman year?
Melinda Sordino begins her freshman year at Merryweather High depressed and alone. Throughout the day, students bully and isolate her. Her former best friend, Rachel, is particularly cruel. The only person who will talk to her is Heather, an annoying new girl in town who is focused on social advancement. Cynical but perceptive, Melinda mocks every aspect of Merryweather. She only becomes excited in the art room, where the passionate Mr. Freeman tells his students that they will each spend the year on a single subject; Melinda gets a tree.
What does Melinda do in Martha?
School starts and Melinda struggles with her tree. She helps Heather with a Martha poster project, and faints during a frog dissection in biology (after identifying with the dead frog). Heather, having been hired as a model, asks Melinda to hang posters; as she does, Melinda encounters IT, who whispers “Freshmeat” in her ear as she stands frozen.
Why does Heather get angry with Melinda?
Heather becomes angry with Melinda for being an unsupportive friend, but quickly apologizes.
What does Melinda's mother do on Thanksgiving?
On Thanksgiving, Melinda’s mother tries and fails to cook a turkey (which she forgot to defrost). Her father can’t cook the bird either, and after fighting, the family eats pizza. The next day, Melinda creates a sculpture using the turkey’s bones. Mr.
What is the story of Melinda Sordino?
Speak tells the story of Melinda Sordino, a ninth grader at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York . August before her freshman year, Melinda and her closest friends attend a party with seniors and beer. At the party, Melinda feels uncomfortable and out of place. She gulps down a couple beers before walking outside for some fresh air. While outside, Melinda meets Andy Evans, an attractive senior boy. Andy begins dancing with and kissing Melinda, and Melinda is taken aback but too drunk to say anything. Andy pushes her to the ground and rapes her. In her confusion afterward, Melinda dials 911 and the police arrive at the party, but Melinda finds herself unable to tell anyone what happened. When the entire school discovers that Melinda broke up the party and got some students arrested, her friends stop speaking to her. No one knows that she was raped.
Why does Heather skip class?
Heather realizes that having Melinda as a friend hurts her social reputation, and she tells Melinda that they can no longer spend time together. As Melinda sinks deeper into depression, she begins to skip class. Her parents and teachers notice, but believe that it is just an immature attention-seeking ploy.
What happens to Rachel after Melinda names Andy the perpetrator?
Rachel is receptive until Melinda names Andy the perpetrator, at which point she angrily leaves the room. However, Rachel does, in fact, listen to Melinda's story. The next weekend, she publicly leaves and humiliates Andy at the prom. The following week, Melinda decides she is ready to move out of her janitor's closet.
What is the first marking period in speak?
Melinda tells her story in first person narrative. She describes events within the framework of the four marking periods of the school year. In the opening part of Speak, “First Marking Period,” Melinda begins high school, and we learn that former friends now hate her.
How old is Melinda Sordino in Speak?
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, chronicles the struggles of thirteen-year-old Melinda Sordino after she is a raped by at a party the summer before her freshman year of high school by another student. Melinda tells her story in first person narrative.
What does Melinda write on a stall in the bathroom?
She writes on a stall in the bathroom, “Guys to Stay Away From: Andy Evans.” Andy Evans continues to bully her.
What happens at the end of the marking period?
Toward the end of the marking period, Melinda’s parents hear from the school about her missing work, and she remains silent while they berate her for failing. Through it all, Melinda sees “IT” everywhere, the nightmare from which she cannot awaken. In “Second Marking Period,” school is a grind for Melinda.
How do Melinda and her parents communicate?
At home, Melinda and her parents communicate with each other by leaving notes on the refrigerator. In her bedroom, she no longer wants to look in the mirror and puts it in the back of her closet. Toward the end of the marking period, Melinda’s parents hear from the school about her missing work, and she remains silent while they berate her for failing. Through it all, Melinda sees “IT” everywhere, the nightmare from which she cannot awaken.
What does Melinda think of David Petrakis?
In biology, Melinda thinks that David Petrakis, her lab partner, might be cute without the braces. And in algebra, when Mr. Stetman has Rachel come to the board to help Melinda with a problem, Melinda is humiliated. Melinda often skips class using stolen late passes and doesn’t complete her homework.
First Marking Period
The novel opens on Melinda Sordino's first day of high school. During the summer before the school year begins, Melinda experiences an unnamed, traumatic incident that leaves her emotionally devastated and a social outcast at school. After Melinda calls the police during a summer party, her friends, including her best friend, Rachel, abandon her.
Second Marking Period
Melinda slips further into her depression as the holidays approach. Her social studies teacher, Mr. Neck, begins spewing racist rants in school, and Melinda's biology lab partner, David Petrakis, walks out in protest. He also begins tape recording the lectures at his lawyer's suggestion.
Third Marking Period
Despite her parents' threats, Melinda continues skipping school, particularly whenever she sees Andy Evans, the senior bully. At the end of this section, Melinda remembers the party where Andy raped her—although she doesn't yet name the act. Clearly, Melinda blames herself for the rape and feels as if she cannot tell anyone about it.
Fourth Marking Period
Melinda continues to struggle with her art project, but she receives some helpful advice from one of her classmates, Ivy, to try drawing. Melinda can't concentrate on her artwork, though, once she learns that her ex-best friend Rachel has started dating Andy, the boy who attacked her at the party.
What is Melinda's struggle internally?
Melinda struggles internally with speaking up about her traumatic experience. (page 28)
Why does Rachel ignore Melinda?
4. Rachel ignores Melinda because she hates her.
What is the most exciting moment in a story?
The story's most exciting or suspenseful moment, when something happens that decides the outcome of the conflict.
What is the basic situation in a story called?
Also called the exposition , the basic situation presents a main character who wants something very much and who encounters a a conflict while trying to get it. The exposition also includes the setting--where and when the story takes place.
