Speak Melindas Trees Melinda selects the tree as

Speak Melinda’s Trees Melinda selects the tree as her project ~ she has to make it “speak” (12). Melinda is having a hard time drawing trees (91 -92). Melinda and David draw a tree together in class (110). With Mr. Freeman’s help, Melinda draws the cubist tree (118 -119). Melinda and Ivy draw a tree together in the mall (146). Melinda is having a hard time drawing trees (152 -153). Melinda is working on drawing her trees as Mr. Freeman has showed her, when Andy Evans surprises her in the art room (160).

“I get out of bed and take down the mirror. I put it in the back of “I have worked so hard to forget every my closet, facing the wall” (17). second of that stupid party … I can’t even look at that part of myself” (28). “The first thing to go is the mirror; it is screwed to the wall, so I covered it with a poster of Maya Angelou” (50). “I saw my face in the window over the kitchen sink and no words came out of my mouth. Who was that girl? I had never seen her before” (136).

Melinda has been in school for two weeks and she is in bed, hiding from the world: “I get out of bed and take down the mirror. I put it in the back of my closet, facing the wall” (17). While cleaning, Melinda covers the mirror in her janitor’s closet: “The first thing to go is the mirror; it is screwed to the wall, so I covered it with a poster of Maya Angelou” (50). While trying on jeans, Melinda finally looks in a mirror – not just one, but thousands of reflections of herself: “I scurry out to the three way mirror… I adjust the mirrors so I can see reflections of reflections, miles & miles of me … My face is dirty … Eyes after eyes stare back at me. Am I in there somewhere? “ She decides to make a change (124 -5). Remember your Ratio: 1 CD : : 2 CM

While trying on jeans, Melinda finally looks in a mirror – not just one, but thousands of reflections of herself: “I scurry out to the three way mirror… I adjust the mirrors so I can see reflections of reflections, miles & miles of me … My face is dirty … Eyes after eyes stare back at me. Am I in there somewhere? (124 -5). Remember your Ratio: 1 CD : : 2 CM Your commentary must be thoughtful, avoid summary, and be twice as long as your CD.

What important scenes / moments fit into this motif? Please provide page numbers.

Prey / Predator 5 - “I … a wounded zebra in a National Geographic … a predator approaches. ” [“There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the insides of my ribs. ” - 51] 86 - “IT creeps up. … IT found me again. … I can smell him over the noise of the metal shop and I drop my poster and the masking tape and I want to throw up and I can smell him and I run and he remembers and he knows. He whispers in my ear. ” 90 - “Andy stands behind me. . . [he] must be talking too, I can feel deep vibrations in my backbone, like a thudding speaker. … I mumble something idiotic and run. . . ” 96 -97 - Melinda runs into IT at the doughnut store. She freezes, hoping he won’t see her. She compares herself to a rabbit in the presence of predators. … Andy “wolfsmiles, showing oh granny what big teeth you have. ” He offers her a bite of his doughnut he was eating. “Bunny. Rabbit bolts, leaving fast tracks in the snow. Getaway getaway. Why didn’t I run like this before when I was a one-piece talking girl? ” 117 -8 - Andy Evans is in MISS with Melinda and sits down next to her. He charms Mr. Neck. “I am Bunny. Rabbit again, hiding in the open. I sit like I have an egg in my mouth. One move, one word, and the egg will shatter and blow up the world. ” He blows in her ear. “Andy Beast joined the International Club. ” – 143

Coping in Speak How does Melinda cope with what happened to her at the party? Examples of Melinda Ignoring what happened to her Things Melinda does to Why Ignoring what happened doesn’t work make a positive change, & Face what happened to her

Melinda’s Coping Strategies Melinda Ignoring what happened to her:

Melinda’s Coping Strategies – Melinda Ignoring what happened to her: 113 - “It is getting harder to sleep at home. How long would it take for the nurses to figure out I don’t belong here? Would they let me rest a few days? ” 123 - “‘You’re a good kid. I think you have a lot to say. I’d like to hear it. ’ I close the door. ” 124 - “The third pair is huge. Exactly what I’m looking for. ” 125 - “What does it feel like to walk in new skin? … I will make myself normal. Forget the rest of it. ” 135 - “I’m not really here, I’m definitely back at Rachel’s, crimping my hair and gluing on fake nails”

Melinda’s Coping Strategies Why Ignoring Doesn’t Work:

Melinda’s Coping Strategies – Why Ignoring it doesn’t work: 38 - “I sit in the back row, where I can keep my eye on everyone, as well as whatever is going on in the parking lot. I think of myself as the Emergency Warning System of the class. I plan disaster drills. How could we escape if the chemistry lab exploded? What if an earthquake hit central New York? A tornado? 39 - “I wear … smelly gray turtleneck and jeans. I just this minute remember that I need to wash my hair. ” 51 - “Even if I dump the memory, it will stay with me, staining me. ” 81 - The frog dissection triggers a flashback 86 - “IT found me again. I thought I could ignore IT. . . But he whispers to me. ” 87 - “I open up a paper clip and scratch it across the inside of my left wrist. Pitiful. If a suicide attempt is a cry for help, then what is this? A whimper, a peep? I draw little window crack of blood, etching line after line until it stops hurting. ” 125 - “…my feelings. How can I not find them? They are chewing me alive like an infestation of thoughts, shame, mistakes. ”

Melinda’s Coping Strategies – Why Ignoring it doesn’t work: 131 - “This is my mistake, thinking I belong. … I want to be a part of it all. … Then he invites me back to his house fir celebratory pizza. ‘David: ‘Come on, Mel. You gotta come with us!’’ … Nope. I don’t do parties. No thanks. I trot out excuses: homework, strict parents, tuba practice, late-night dentist appointment, have to feed the warthogs. I don’t have a good track record with parties. ” 132 - “I think it’s some kind of psychiatric disorder when you have more than one personality in your head. That’s what it feels like … The two Melindas fight every step of the way. Melinda One is pissed that she couldn’t go to the party. ‘Melinda One: ‘Get a life. … He wasn’t going to try anything. …” Melinda two … carefully watches the bushes along the sidewalk for a lurking boogeyman or worse. ‘Melinda Two: ‘The world is a dangerous place. You don’t know what would have happened. … He could have been lying. You can never tell when people are lying. Assume the worst. Plan for disaster. Now hurry up and get us home. I don’t like it out here. It’s too dark. ”

Melinda’s Coping Strategies Melinda making positive changes, & Facing what happened to her:

Melinda’s Coping Strategies – Melinda making positive changes, & Facing what happened to her: 72 - “I almost tell them everything right then and there. ” 120 - “I am a good girl. I go to every single class for a week. ” 124 -5 - Melinda looks at herself in the three-way mirror: “I adjust the mirror so I can see reflections of reflections, miles and miles of me. … I have to stay away from the closet, go to all my classes. I will make myself normal. Forget the rest of it. ” 151 - “Stupid room. What a dumb idea, sitting in a closet like this. ” (Things are changing within her – not so passive and submissive. ) 152 – “I write [Rachel] a note … ‘Andy Evans will use you…’”

pgs. 113 -152 Coping in Speak How does Melinda cope with what happened to her at the party? Examples of Melinda Ignoring what happened to her Why Ignoring what happened doesn’t work Things Melinda does to make a positive change, & Face what happened to her Hiding mirrors – Not facing what happened to her Not talking to people Not telling what happened to her – not naming it Not standing up to the girls at the pep rally She hides in the janitor’s closet Use names like “IT” – keeping detached from what happened, avoiding naming either Andy or the rape She’s tired all the time; takes a lot of naps – avoiding the problem Has escape fantasies that allow her to either disappear and avoid what happened, or to pretend that it didn’t actually happen to her Ditches class and doesn’t do any of her homework She senses that forgetting what happened won’t make it go away –She no longer feels safe – envisioning disasters… She has no friends She gets depressed (Symptoms: she’s tired, her hygiene suffers) She has a flashback, and is always afraid (she is unable to trust people or to feel safe) – she is unable to forget what happened to her She tries to cut herself w/ a paper clip Andy continues to harass her (he still has all the power) – he is getting away with what he did – she is still scared, and can only run and vomit Her grades get worse & worse, & she gets in trouble at school & with her parents; ends up in MISS She isn’t able to accept David’s She’s making friends with Ivy and David She does her homework and goes to class She looks in all the mirrors at her mother’s store and decides to make a positive change She begins to face what happened to her (Ex: she names it) She starts telling people what happened (Ex: note to Rachel)