Joey baxter english 1a character analysis part 1 the character of delaney mossbacher is quite intriguing. Speak is written for young adults and high school students. In laurie halse andersons powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. Get an answer for who are the main characters, or the most prominent characters, in speak. The turing test judges a machines ability to exhibit humanlike intelligence, as envisioned by alan turing 19121954, one of the characters in louisa halls novel speak. Melinda sordino begins her freshman year at merryweather high school in syracuse, new york, with a heavy secret weighing on her. She is depressed, does not enjoy company of others, and has a lot of internal conflicts going on in her head. I liked the lucid exposition of character analysis and the discussion of the emotional plague. Speak is the story of melinda sordino, a high school freshman. This study guide consists of approximately 53 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of speak.
Identifying the character type and personality traits can help you better understand what the larger role of the character is within the story. Essay about laurie halse andersons speak 1277 words bartleby. Melinda sordino is the main character of speak along with the narrator of the book. The protagonist of speak, melinda begins high school and the novel traumatized by a rape that occurred at the hands of upperclassman andy evans at a party the summer before. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in speak, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Melinda sordino she is a sophomore in merryweather high school, syracuse, new york. Labeled a problem novel, it centers on a character who gains the strength to overcome her trauma. Character list and analysis melinda sordino melinda, a high school freshman, is the protagonist in laurie halse andersons speak. She used to be very social, outgoing, and loved until one night at a party. While his good friend brutus worries that caesar may aspire to dictatorship over the roman republic, caesar seems to show no such inclination, declining the crown several times. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Melinda struggles internally with speaking up about her traumatic experience. The symbols, hairwoman claims, give clues to character s emotions. She tells her story in her own words, in the present tense. I believe the character, melinda sordino, should be diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd with selective mutism. Freeman in speak by laurie halse anderson 549 words 3 pages speak, is a novel written by laurie halse anderson, about a girl entering high school, for the first time, with a heavy secret weighting on her. Free study guide for speak by laurie halse anderson. Like melinda, the main character in the story, laurie halse anderson grew up in syracuse, new york. This is the underlying message of speak and the message laurie halse.
This simple rule can directly reflect on his character because of his selfesteem. She is terribly unhappy, because she is the victim of a vicious rape, and so spends her entire ninthgrade year trying to come to. Speak is set in syracuse, new york, in the specific neighborhood and schoolmerryweather high schoolof melinda sordino in the present day. Character analysis the book speak, written by laurie halse anderson, is about a young girl named melinda who throughout the book is tormented by other students because, over the summer, she called the police at a party. Melinda is a smart, intelligent student and person but after what happened in the summer, her visions and goals are clouded by judgement and her own. While brutus loves caesar as a friend, he opposes the ascension of any single man to the position of dictator, and he. What makes this books exploration of that subject particularly poignant and pointed, however, is that melinda has. You can use these quotes to make valuable conclusions or to apply as illustrative examples while writing your analysis. I will be analyzing her character and role in the book. Because starr feels torn between her two worldsthe poverty and violence of garden heights and the wealth and respectability of. Julius caesar a great roman general and senator, recently returned to rome in triumph after a successful military campaign. Most major characters go through some kind of significant growth as a story unfolds, often a direct result of dealing with some sort of conflict. Neck, while he is teaching his history lesson in the 8th grad at an american high school and.
The rule that piggy initially introduced, and can be seen pushing throughout much of the book, is the idea of the conch. The title of the book is ironically based on the fact that melinda, the protagonist, chooses not to speak again after the incident. Learning how to write a character analysis requires a thorough reading of the literary work with attention to what the author reveals about the character through dialogue, narrative, and plot. The book speak by laurie halse anderson, is about a teenage girl who stops talking after she gets raped. Speak characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Speak study guide contains a biography of laurie halse anderson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Character analysis outline tybalt actionplot topic sentence tybalt caused romeo to get banished introduce tybalt finds mercutio, benvolio, and other montagues tybalt provoked them, starting a fight romeo appears, and tries to break up the fight mercutio accidentally gets killed cite page 129 act 3 scene 2 line 196197 and for that offense. One may start to form an opinion on such a character and yet still be questioning themselves as they keep reading on. Who are the main characters, or the most prominent. Rachel and melinda have been best friends since grade school at least.
Speak by laurie halse anderson by bianca gambina on prezi. The title of the book is ironically based on the fact that melinda, the. He wants to get the students involved and make them look past everything and really use their creativity in his class. For those being trained to be qualified as trained and in a sense certified as analysts, this book was a required study in the first year of the psychoanalytic institutes or at. From the time she was young, she enjoyed typing and pounding away on her fathers typewriter while he would read or write poetry. Melinda is starting high schoola difficult enough challengebut its even harder for her. Starrs witty and relatable narrative style contrasts with her reluctance to speak out at the start of the novel. Throughout the story, she comes across new characters in her life that help her to find her voice in various ways. Jan 21, 2020 every year several books are challenged and banned across the nation by individuals and organizations who believe the content of the books is inappropriate.
A very useful book to read his pioneer work on character analysis. What are some character traits of melinda in speak melindas character traits. In the novel speak by laurie halse anderson, melinda sordino is entering her first year of high school. This lesson presents a framework for analyzing the characters in a book. Due to her trauma and inability to tell anyone about what happened, melinda spirals into a dark depression. When you write a character analysis, you must define that characters role. The test is conducted as a written conversation between a human and a machine, externally monitored by a human observer. Speak themes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Notice, as you read, which main characters grow stronger, fall apart, develop new. Melinda called the police at a summer party because a boy she didnt. Character analysis of piggy a broken perspective of. There was drinking and drugs at the party, but this isnt the reason melinda decided to crash the party. The book is about a girl, melinda, who stops speaking at school. About speak speak summary character list glossary themes quotes and analysis part 1.
She also does poorly in school, and doesnt socialize very easily with other students. Death of the wombat our lady of the waiting room part 3. Sep 30, 2018 when you are asked to write a character analysis, you will be expected to explain how a character changes and grows. Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by laurie halse anderson that tells the story of high school freshman melinda sordino. Colman 2009 stated that it is a mental disorder of childhood or adolescent whose essential feature is a persistent failure to speak in a certain social situations in which speaking is expected, such as at school or among peers, despite a proven ability to speak in other situations. Character analysis of sordino in the book speak 932 words. Speak opens up a debate on symbolism through rachels challenge to hairwomans belief that nathaniel hawthornes scarlett letter has a code of symbols for the reader to crack. There is a time to be quiet and a time to speak out, and on the issue of sexual assault, a young woman needs to find the courage to raise her voice and ask for help. Since shes also the narrator, everything we learn about the other characters is filtered through her. Neck, while he is teaching his history lesson in the 8th grad at an american high school and thus in the class from melinda, the narrator of the given text. What are some character traits of melinda in speak. Character analysis can help you understand a story better, because you realize why characters want the things they do, or are behaving the way they are. Also considered the protagonist, she is the character that readers watch bloom from the tormented, quiet girl at.
Nov 01, 2014 the main character in my novel, speak by laurie halse anderson, is melinda sordino who is a girl who called the police at the end of summer party to save everyone else, but no one sees or understands why she would do that. Shes important to the story because shes important to melinda. Melinda, a high school freshman, is the protagonist in laurie halse andersons speak. Book summary over the summer, she and her friends went to a party and melinda ended up calling the police, causing her friends and everyone at the party to socially reject her. Since shes also the narrator, everything we learn about the. Plot analysis of speak by laurie halse anderson by taite. Neck novel speak written by laurie halse in the given text from the novel speak written by laurie halse anderson we find a lot of information about the character mr. I recommend this book to anyone interested in reichs theories and psychiatry in general. I would recommend this book to the age group of 1216, because the theme, to my surprise is a little bit more mature, yet its at an easier reading level. Overworked and distracted, melindas mother is aware that her daughter has suddenly. Complete comprehensive study guide and summary of speak by laurie halse anderson.
Speak is a novel about empowerment and it is a book that every teen, especially teen girls, should read. Speak is set in syracuse, new york, in the specific neighborhood and schoolmerryweather high schoolof melinda sordino in the present day character list. Unable to verbalize what happened, melinda nearly stops speaking altogether, expressing her voice through the art she produces for mr. Throughout the novel, she is attempting to deal with the social and emotional outcome of the rape and, of course, is. Art art is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Speak was a 1999 national book award finalist for young peoples literature.
Character analysis of sordino in the book speak 932 words 4 pages melinda sordino is a character from the book speak, who has so many things to say but can not figure out a. After accidentally busting an end of summer party due to an unnamed incident, melinda is ostracized by her peers because she will not say why she called the police. This book was an eye opener for me and made me take a good look at myself and my attitudes. Complications plot internal conflict resolution the sequence of related events that make a story hang together. Although melinda is a round character, she is also static. This telling seems to be a kind of internal monologue. A struggle inside the characters own heart or mind. Analysis of speak by laurie halse anderson 1848 words 8 pages. Over the summer, she and her friends went to a party and melinda ended up calling the police, causing her friends and everyone at the party to socially reject her.
In the book speak, main character melinda sordino has been the victim of a rape. A popular and handsome upperclassman, andy evans raped melinda at a party the summer before speak begins. Essay about laurie halse andersons speak 1277 words. The writer may not have necessarily come outright and states that the character is strong, or brave, or even worthy, but you are able to conclude that a character trait exists simply by analyzing the behaviours of a character in the book.
Melinda even says herself, i am outcast anderson 4. Speak cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test. He is the main antagonist of the book, and spends much of the narrative harassing melinda in various read full character analysis melindas mother. Freeman is the art teacher and is very passionate about art. He thinks peak is epecially talented in writing and language arts, this is quite clear to the reader because peak is writing this documentary, the book, for an end of school project. To write a character analysis, you need to write an essay outlining the following.
Reading a book attentively, you may notice a lot of quotes that may speak about personality of a character. She is 15 years old and is beginning her freshman year at merryweather high school. Analysisquestions plot summary germination germination in what way is the discussion of seeds symbolic. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself. Melindas only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in her schemes to gain popularity. This character analysis frame helps students organize and better understand a character. Peak doesnt think of himself as extrordiarily talented at all, but his mentor, teacher, vincent feels otherwise.
The character either plays a major role, as a central element to the story, or a minor role to support the major characters in. Throughout the hate u give, starr grows from an uncertain teenage girl to an outspoken activist for change in her community. Speak by laurie halse anderson goodreads share book. His work has been superseded by his analysand alexander lowen who studied with him for many years. Throughout the novel, she is attempting to deal with the social and emotional outcome of. The summer before starting high school, she was raped by a senior student, andy evans. A literary analyst writes about the role each character plays in the work. Like many novels with high school settings, speak is deeply focused on ideas of growing up and coming of age. Melinda sordino is a character from the book speak, who has so many things to say but can not figure out a way to do so by herself. The symbols, hairwoman claims, give clues to characters emotions. Character analysis is a kind of academic work that trains your critical thinking, attention and logic. When laurie halse anderson was a student, she actually made this same challenge to her english teacher.
Neck from the novel speak written by laurie halse anderson characterization. Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is s. Melindas only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in. Melinda sordino is the main character of the book speak. Analyzing a character, particularly an interesting character, can be fun. In the given text from the novel speak written by laurie halse anderson we find a lot of information about the character mr. In the book, speak by laurie halse anderson, a young girl, melinda, who used to be a popular girl is now an outcast. Delaney mossbacher so far is a good person, but he is a very hypocritical individual. After accidentally busting an end of summer party due to an unnamed incident, melinda is ostracized by her.
The man, the myth, the legend, jay gatsby is the titular hero of the great gatsby nick first comes to know him as an incredibly wealthy, mysterious man who throws lavish parties, but we eventually learn his background. Speak character analyses character analysis the book speak, written by laurie halse anderson, is about a young girl named melinda who throughout the book is tormented by other students because, over the summer, she called the police at a party. It is made very clear from the beginning of the story that melinda is not like everyone else. Immediately download the speak summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching speak. Expert tips for writing character analysis designed for high. Character analysis of sordino in the book speak 932. Oct 22, 1999 in laurie halse andersons powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. Immediately download the speak summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more.