Reading Response on "Speak" By Laurie Halse Anderson

                  Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a book about a 9th grade girl, Melinda, who gets bullied and harassed by people that don’t know her story.  Melinda was previously popular and surrounded by friends, but everything changed one night.  Melinda gets raped by an older guy named Andy Evans, calls the police and then gets blamed for calling the police because of the alcohol at the party.  She never tells anyone about how she got raped, her friends stop talking to her and she goes into high school friendless and depressed, and she stopped caring about her schoolwork.  I think that the many symbols in this story represent the overall theme of fear everyone faces as a teenager.

                   One symbol in this book is trees.  In art class, Melinda is instructed to make trees out of anything as long it was art.  I think that all of the trees in this book represented Melinda.  One day when Melinda is in art class she gets really into what she is making.  She attached a bald barbie doll onto a linoleum square, put tape over its mouth and attached branches to the arms and body of the barbie.  This shows Melindas inability to speak and her pain.  She feels as if all her hair has been ripped out and too many things all over her and consumed inside of her that it almost covers her completely.  She’s too scared to even admit it to herself.  Another example of how trees represent Melinda’s feelings is when Melindas dad cuts down the infected tree in their front yard at the end of the story.  When Melinda finally decides to clean herself up a bit, she decides to clean the front yard of her house.  She wakes up early and rakes her yard for hours.  Her dad sees how committed she is and decides to help.  Him cutting down the infected tree in their yard was a sign of Melinda trying to fix everything that had gone wrong or got “infected” in her life.  Since the infection wasn't there anymore, it couldn't get worse.

                  Another symbol portrayed in this book is Melinda playing tennis at school.  Melinda playing tennis at school symbolizes how that even though more things keep coming at her, with more intensity than the last, she is passionate and and at least trying to hit back in the other direction to protect herself.  In gym class, when Melinda is forced to play tennis she feels really passionate about doing it right.  She wants to show that she isn’t as weak and as incapable as many people think she is.  When each ball comes flying towards her she feels more passionate and excited about hitting it back in the other direction.  She longs to do that in her everyday life and she wishes that she could just tell everyone about how she was raped, but she doesn't because she is too afraid that people won't believe her.  I think that this shows fear in Melinda, although she wishes she could be brave and strong.  I think that she resents herself for not being able to tell anyone .

                   The last symbol that I will talk about that was portrayed in this book is Melinda’s jeans.  Melinda’s jeans symbolize how although Melinda doesn’t think she cares about anything, she does.  It is obvious from everything that Melinda does that she doesn't care about her appearance anymore.  She bites her lips until they are scabby and bloody and she starts to gain weight and wear old, baggy and comfortable jeans.  Her mom gives her money to go to the cheapest store, Efferts, and buy new jeans that actually fit.  Although she thinks she wants to buy more disgusting jeans, deep down she is embarrassed about being in the store, even though she doesn’t realize why at the time.  Everytime she talks about her jeans, she makes sure to say that they are from Efferts, and that symbolizes that she does care.  This is because if she actually doesn't care, she wouldn't have to feel embarrassed about shopping from Efferts.  Because she is such a wreck, Melinda is too terrified to admit that she cares.

                   In conclusion, these many symbols portrayed in this book show that Melinda is too scared to admit anything to herself or anyone else.  She is afraid she won't be taken seriously, she is afraid she will be laughed at, and she is also too afraid to admit that she is afraid.  I think that this is a problem that many teenagers have.  They are too panicked and emotional that they just let people take advantage of them and ignore them like they are garbage.  This is book puts a really important message out to teenage girls who are scared and unaware of it. Let your your guard down and people will respect the real you.