SPEAK

SETTINGS

SPEAK

By: Laurie Halse Anderson

PLOT STRUCTURE

Rebirth

Melinda's room: "I'm thinking about changing the rose wallpaper, but then mom would get involved and Dad would measure the walls and they would argue about the wallpaper."(pg. 16)

"My room belongs to an alien. It is a postcard of who I was in fifth grade. I went through a demented phase when I thought that roses should everything and pink was a great color."(pg. 15)

Heather's Room: " Heather's room is finished and ready viewing. It does not look like a fifth graders. Or

a ninth graders. It looks like a commercial for

vacuum cleaners, all the fresh paint and

vacuum lines in the carpet."(pg. 32)

In our case Melinda is trapped in her own head because of an incident that occurred at the end of middle school party. But after almost an entire year Melinda has gone through enough and tells Rachel. While Rachel doesn't believe her she is locked

in a closet with her enemy . People came

to help and everything was put

back to normal.

"The room screams Heather. Why

can't I figure out how to do that? Not

that I want my room screaming Heather- that

would be creepy. But a little whisper of Melinda

that would be nice."(pg.33)

THEMES

Merryweather High School: " It is my first morning of high school. I have seven new note-books, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache."(pg.3)

" The class room is at the far end of the building

and has long south-facing windows. The sun

doesn't shine in Syracuse, so the art room is

designed to get every bit of light it can. It is

dusty in a clean dirt kind of way."

(pg.9-10)

Isolation: " Oh my god, why didn't you tell

anyone? I couldn't tell anyone"(pg.183)

"I want to leave...hand over the guilt...even if I dump

the memory, it will stay with me...I need a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them."(pg.51)

Depression: "I just want to sleep. The whole point of not talking about it,of silencing memory, to make it

go away. It won't. I'll need brain surgery to cut it

out." (pg.81-82)

"I open up a paper lip and scratch it across

the inside of my wrist. Pitiful. If a suicide

attempt is a cry for help then

what is this? (pg.87)

Rachel: Rude;"Lair! I can't believe you.

You're jealous. You're twisted little freak and

you're jealous that I'm popular and I'm going to

prom and so you lie to me like, this and you sent

me that note, didn't you? You're so sick."(pg.184)

Angry;"The cops are coming! Blue and cherry red

lights flashing in the kitchen-sink window. Rachel's

face so angry -in mine."(pg.136)

Judgemental;"The kids behind me laugh so loud

I know they're laughing at me. I can't help

myself. I turn around. It's Rachel."(pg.4)

CHARACTERS

CONFLICTS

Melinda: Lonely;"We were never really friends were we? I mean it's not like i ever slept over at your house or anything." (pg. 105)

Courage;"I didn't call the cops to break up the party, I called the cops because some guy raped me. Under the trees."(pg. 183)

Fearful;"The next thing i saw was the telephone. I stood in the middle of a drunken crowd and I called 911 because I needed help."

(pg. 136)

Internal: Melinda doesn't know if she should tell people about what happened to her or if she should just keep it to herself. Because it's a larger more serious matter.

"I want to leave...hand over the guilt...even if I dump

the memory, it will stay with me...I need a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them."(pg.51)

External: All the bullying Melinda has gone through and with not having friends to go through it with her is a real hard thing for her.

"The kids behind me laugh so loud I know they are laughing at me. I turn around. It's Rachel. Her eyes meet mine for a second "I hate you" she mouths silently. (pg.4)

Heather: Organized;" All her clothes waiting patiently on hanger, organized by type-skirts together, pants hanging by their cuffs her sweater stacked in plastic bags on shelves." (pg.33)

Selfish;" We like to do different things. I have my modeling and i like to shop. You don't like anything."(pg.105)

Determined;" She is determined to

sign up for the musical."(pg.33)

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