Discussion Center

7. What is Melinda’s favourite subject in school?

Melinda loves art class. She says that art follows lunch which is sort of like how a dream follows a nightmare. In the class there is a radio that plays her favourite station. She thinks her teacher Mr. Freeman is weird but she likes him. She also thinks the project Mr. Freeman assigned is way too easy which is a good thing.

-Anastasia

8. How do you know that Melinda is a nice friend and still cares about Rachel/Rachelle?

Melinda knows that Andy is taking Rachel/Rachelle to prom so she tries to convince Rachel/Rachelle that she shouldn’t go with him. Melinda starts asking Rachel/Rachelle what’s going to happen to her relationship with Andy after he graduates until she can’t take it anymore and tells Rachel/Rachelle Andy raped her.

-Anastasia

9. Does Andy feel bad for what he did to Melinda?

Andy feels no remorse for raping Melinda. He torments her at school by hanging around her old friends and worst of he starts dating Melinda’s old best friend. When Melinda walks by Andy in the halls he laughs at her and calls her “little freshman”. Also towards the end of the book Andy finds Melinda in her sanctuary and confronts her on telling everyone what he did. He asks her why he would rape her when she isn’t even pretty and that he can have any girl he wants.

-Anastasia

10. What was Melinda’s first impression of Andy?

Melinda described Andy as a gorgeous cover-model guy. His hair was way better then hers, his every inch a tanned muscle, and he had straight white teeth. Melinda was so excited because he was a senior and she thought he would be her boyfriend. The thought of entering high school with an older boy made her so happy.

-Anastasia
when Heather decided to be her friend again and ask Melinda for help to decorate prom?

 At first Melinda was quiet and didn’t say a word as usual. Two minutes later Melinda explodes. She finally says how she feels and Heather isn’t happy about it.  Melinda tells Heather she won’t help her and when Heather asks why, Melinda tells her that she was nice to her at the begging of school when she didn’t even like Heather. Melinda tells Heather that she blew her off because she is self-centered, social climber.

Anastasia


2. How does Melinda tell Rachel/Rachelle who raped her at the party?

Melinda decides to approach Rachel/Rachelle at the library and start the conversation of by asking her is she’s working on homework. Melinda talks about a memory they shared during the summer when she notices that Rachel/Rachelle’s and Andy’s initials written on her arm and asks her is she’s going to prom with him.  The Melinda picks up a pen and writes on Rachel/Rachelle’s notebook “I WAS RAPED”.  When Rachel/Rachelle pulls Melinda outside to ask who raped her, Melinda tells her it was Andy Evans. Upset Rachel/Rachelle storms off calling Melinda a liar and sick.

Anastasia


3. Why does Heather ask Melinda to have a heart to heart conversation at lunch?

Heather tells Melinda that they shouldn’t be friends anymore. Heather says that Melinda is the most depressing person she has ever met and that she should get professional help. Melinda is confused and asks her why it matters if she’s a little bit depressed. Heather tells her that when she gets over “this life sucks phase” a lot of people will want to be friends with her.

Anastasia 


4. How does Melinda describe her English teacher?

 Melinda says her teacher has no face and she calls her “Hairwomen”. Hairwomen 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. Melinda says Hairwomen takes twenty minutes to take the attendance because she won’t look at the student. She keeps her head bent over her desk so the hair flops in front of her face. Hairwomen wants the class to keep journals and write in them every day and she promises not to read them. So Melinda writes how weird Hairwomen is.

Anastasia

5. What are some character traits of Melinda?

Melinda is a very independent girl. Since the party she has done mostly everything alone. During art when she made her tree sculpture Mr. Freeman was really impressed with what she accomplished herself. Melinda is also depressed because she doesn’t talk very much to people. She keeps all her thoughts and emotions on the inside.

Anastasia


6. Where is Speak set?

Speak is set in Syracuse, New York, in the specific neighborhood and school-Merryweather High School-of Melinda Sordino in the present day even though the book was published in 1999. In the book everything takes place mostly at Merryweather High School and Melinda’s house.  I think the the story takes place in the ‘90’s because it definitely feels like back in the day by the description of clothes but not too long ago either.

Anastasia

1.       What is the main internal conflict of the novel Speak?

The main internal conflict of the novel speak is that Melinda is emotional and mentally destroyed by the situation that had happened between her and Andy. Only leading her to be depressed, misunderstood, miserable, and rejected. This also affects her high school communication which continues on also in her house hold. Melinda has a conflict with herself, trying to not express how she feels and what has been going on with her but eventually later in the novel everything goes so deep down hill that Melinda believes there is no other choice than to tell someone that can possibly help her, everything.  -Marwa

2.       What is the main external conflict of the novel Speak?

The main external conflict of the novel Speak is when Melinda was raped by Andy.

This basically had effected and ruined her grade nine freshman year, leaving her to be very unhappy because Melinda does not have the mental strength to explain herself to anyone causing her to be depressed thinking it is the opposite. That no one will put the effort into Melinda to see what was going through her head at the time of the party and the solutions that can be done, but reality is both are the issue. -Marwa

3.       What is the major conflict between Melinda and her ex best friends?

The major conflict between Melinda and her ex best friends are the fact that her ex best friend’s are irritated from the night Melinda got raped by Andy and called the polices even though no one knows why she called the police, leaving the ex best friend’s and everyone else at the party to believe that is was to get everyone in trouble and arrested. Once high school beings, all the girls were now part of different clicks in the school and were no longer a group of best friends due to the argues between them regarding the situation from the night of the end of the summer party the girls attended. -Marwa

4.       What is the second conflict that happens between Melinda and Andy?

The second conflict that occurred between Melinda and Andy is when Andy had finally realized through undirected signals from Melinda’s ex best friend as well as Andy’s girlfriend that her and Melinda had talked about the situation the night of the end of the summer party. Only leading Andy to Melinda’s sanctuary from surprise and attempting to rape her again but Melinda was fighting back, just until the female sports team had opened the closest to place their equipment and saw them both. -Marwa

5.       What is the conflict regarding Melinda and her parents?

Melinda’s parent absolutely pays no attention to Melinda what so ever. There is a section in the novel where Melinda’s mother walks in on Melinda cutting herself. Instead of rushing to solve such terrifying situation she simply tells Melinda she does not what such time to deal with this issue and storms out. Causing Melinda to be forced to believe that she is not loved by her parents only neglected by them, which is true and shown many times in the novel.  -Marwa

6.       Why does Melinda’s ex best friend get upset with Melinda at school?

Melinda’s ex best friend gets upset at Melinda at school because when Melinda and her were sitting together, Melinda simply wrote on a piece of paper “i was raped” causing the ex best friend to pull Melinda out of the school an outside to ask her who raped her.  Melinda struggle to her but forces it out, and reveals that it was Andy her boyfriend, causing Melinda’s ex best friend storm back into the school but away from Melinda thinking she is jealous of her relationship with Andy.  Overtime as Melinda’s ex best friend started to question Andre and he got more nervous each time, prove to her that it was all true. She has dumped him the night of prom. -Marwa