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Speak: By Laurie Halse Anderson (First Marking Period) (Characters (Nicole…
Speak: By Laurie Halse Anderson (First Marking Period)
Characters
Nicole
Nicole was one of the former friends of Melinda. Melinda describes her as very athletic and very good at sports. Melinda says that Nicole almost made a comment about her, but decided against it in the end. She says how she is cute and is actually nice, which makes her even harder to hate.
Rachel
Rachel was Melinda's best friend before the whole incident occurred. Melinda says she changed her name to
Rachelle
since she is hanging out with the foreign exchange students. Melinda is furious at Rachel, since she "didn't even bother to find out the truth".
Melinda
Melinda is the protagonist of the novel Speak. She is hated by most of the student body after he apparently called the police on a party. She is in an internal fight with herself and constantly convinces herself to stop thinking of "it", presumably a thing that caused her to call the police on the party.
Heather
Heather is now Melinda's only friend. She comes from Ohio and became the new kid, which made her perfect as a friend to Melinda. Melinda finds her annoying, but hangs out with her since it's the only thing she's got. Heather tries to hang out with other kids, but Melinda refuses to.
Figurative Language
Sanctuary
"Art follows lunch, like dram follows nightmare. (page 9)" This piece of figurative language is a simile, saying how Art is Melinda's safe place or "dream", but lunch is her "nightmare".
TV
"I hear Dad turn on the television. Clink, clink, clink. (Page 16)". This figurative language is an onomatopoeia, since it describes with words the sound the TV remote makes.
Hairwoman
"My English teacher has no face. She has uncombed stringy hair that droops on her shoulders. The hair is black from her part to her ears and then neon orange to the frizzy ends. (page 6)" This piece of figurative language is a metaphor. Melinda describes her teacher as having no face when in reality she does but her hair is covering it up.
Room
"Skirts together, pants hanging by their cuffs, her sweaters stacked in plastic bags on shelves. The room screams Heather. (Page 33)." This is an example of personification, how the room isn't actually screaming Heather, but rather shows that Heather is living in it.
Conflicts
"I am not going to think about it. It was ugly, but it's over, and I'm not going to think about it. My lip bleeds a little. (Page 5)" This quote shows the inner conflict Melinda is having. In one side, she wants to desperately tell her ex-best friend about what really happened in the party, but in the other she wants to forget entirely about it.
"Nothing. The clubs are stupid. Want some popcorn? (Page 23) This quote initiates a conflict between Melinda and Heather. It shows the conflicting mindsets of each character. In one side, Melinda thinks clubs are a waste of time, in contrast Heather thinks they are they key to popularity.
"The girl behind me jams her knees into my back. They are as sharp as her fingernails. I inch forward in my seat and stare intently at the team. The girl with the arrested brother leans forward. As Heather shakes her pom-poms, the girl yanks my hair. (Page 29) This quote shows the conflict between the student body and Melinda. Everyone is mad that she snitched on the party, and one girl even got his brother arrested. Physical abuse is shown in this quote, as well.
Important/Relevant Quotes
"I don't want to be cool. I want to grab her by the neck and shake her and scream at her to stop treating me like dirt. She didn't even bother to find out the truth-what kind of friend is that? (Page 21)" This quote shows Melinda's repressed anger and how she feels like hurting Rachael. How she didn't bother to find out what really happened, and just judged her by what she did.
"You don't understand, my head voice answers. Too bad she can't hear it. My throat squeezes shut, as if two hands of black fingernails are clamped on my windpipe. (Page 28)" This quote shows how what happened in the party affected her, so much that she literally cannot talk about it, even if she wants to.
" Definitely not a dryad face. I can't stop biting my lips. It looks like my mouth belongs to someone else, someone I don't even know." This quote shows how Melinda's self esteem is very low. She feels like her body isn't even hers now, it belongs to someone else. Someone she does not even know.
"It is the most hopeless idea I have ever heard, but I nod and pour the remover on the carpet. (Page 35)". This quote shows how different Melina is from Heather. Melinda shows no signs of interest, but still tries to maintain her friendship by nodding and pretending like she understands.