What is Laurie Halse Anderson’s writing style?

Point of View. Speak is written in the first person, in present tense, from the point of view of Melinda Sordino. Although Melinda is barely able to talk, through her first person narrative the reader is instantly intimate with her. We are drawn right into her head, experiencing her fear, anger and sense of humor.

What is Laurie Halse Anderson known for?

Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times-bestselling author known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. Two more books, The Impossible Knife of Memory and Shout were long-listed for the National Book Awards.

What is the genre of the impossible knife of memory?

Fiction
The Impossible Knife of Memory/Genres

What is the theme of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson?

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.

What influences Laurie Halse Anderson writing?

Several of Anderson’s experiences during her early life would have a significant influence on her later writ- ing. Her novel Speak, which chronicles a teenager’s trauma and recovery following a sexual assault, draws some emotional inspiration from Anderson’s own as- sault at the age of thirteen.

Why did Laurie write fever?

Anderson, a New York Times best-selling author of the award-winning young adult novels Speak (1999) and Chains (2008), conceived the idea for Fever 1793 after reading a newspaper article about the yellow fever epidemic while her family was stuck in traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway, driving into Philadelphia.

What is the moral of the book Speak?

Because no one knows what really happened to her, everyone makes ostracizes her, even her friends, making her a social outcast. She learns that she must speak about what happened, so people can sympathise with her. From this book, you can learn that you must not run away from your fears, but be strong and face them.

What is the theme statement?

A theme is a message or main idea that the writer wants the reader to remember after reading his/her work. … A thematic statement is a complete sentence (or two) that express a theme. A thematic statement could serve as a thesis in a thematic essay.

What is the significance of the title of the novel Speak?

Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak is a novel that makes a definite argument. The title gives us a pretty big hint as to what this might be. In short, the novel argues that if you are a victim of a sexual assault, you will need to speak about it in order to heal. furthermore, you need to report your attacker.

What genre is the book speak?

Novel

Young adult fiction

Speak/Genres

What did Melinda learn in speak?

Melinda, a high school freshman, is the protagonist in Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak. … Melinda’s introspection and dedication to her art allow her to grow and eventually see herself as a survivor rather than a victim. She learns that the only way to counter evil is to speak out against it.

Who are the characters in Speak?

Melinda Sordino

Andy Evans

Rachel Bruin

Ivy

Heather

Speak/Characters

How old is Melinda in Speak?

fourteen-years-old
Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is sometimes clouded by her suffering. She’s only fourteen-years-old, and she’s dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a person: rape. High school senior Andy Evans rapes Melinda at the end-of-summer party just before Melinda starts 9th grade.

Is Speak banned in schools?

In its 2010-2011 bibliography, “Books Challenged or Banned”, the Newsletter of Intellectual Freedom lists Speak as having been challenged in Missouri schools because of its “soft-pornography” and “glorification of drinking, cursing, and premarital sex.”

Is fiction based on real events?

Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying people, events, or places in imaginary ways that are not strictly based on history or fact. In its most narrow usage, fiction applies to written narratives in prose and often specifically novels, as well as novellas and short stories.

Did Melinda get raped in the book speak?

Her parents and guidance counselor try to get her to open up about her poor academic performance, but Melinda refuses to speak to them. 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.

What is wrong with Melinda’s lips in speak?

For much of the story, Melinda’s lips are described as cracked, swollen and dry. The ugliness of her mouth represents the ugliness and shame she feels inside as well as her inability to take care of herself. Later, as Melinda begins to heal and learns to speak about the rape, the condition of her lips improves.

What does it whisper in Melinda’s ear?

Melinda spends the next two weeks making and hanging the posters for Heather and the can drive. She is hanging one up outside the metal shop room when suddenly IT creeps up behind her and whispers in her ear, “Freshmeat.” IT keeps finding her and she cannot ignore IT.

How many marking periods are in speak?

four marking periods
Melinda tells her story in first person narrative. She describes events within the framework of the four marking periods of the school year.

What does Ivy Show Melinda in the bathroom?

In art class one day, Ivy accidentally gets marking-pen ink on Melinda’s shirt. The girls go to the bathroom to try to clean up Melinda’s shirt. Melinda removes her shirt and while Ivy scrubs it, Melinda stands in a toilet stall reading graffiti on the walls.

How old was Kristen Stewart in speak?

13Stewart starred in the Lifetime/Showtime television film Speak (2004), based on the novel by the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson. Stewart, aged 13 at the time of filming, played a high school freshman, Melinda Sordino, who nearly stops speaking after being raped.

How are Melinda and Heather different?

Unlike Melinda, Heather does not accept her role as outcast and does her best to win popularity by ingratiating herself with various groups at school. She is self-centered and unable to see that she uses Melinda (the same way Melinda uses Heather) to avoid facing the fact that they’re both friendless.