Personality…
intelligent, artistic, and reserved
. Melinda can be quite witty and eloquent in her own head, but now has trouble expressing herself to others. Instead, she uses sarcasm, nicknames, and nail-biting to distance herself from the pain she feels.
What does Melinda look like in Speak?
Melinda's physical appearance is rarely described, except in the context of what clothing she is wearing and how her lips are chapped and scabbed over. It is also mentioned that she is a size ten while trying on jeans at the store her mother works at. It is also mentioned she has
black eyebrows and “muddy” brown eyes
.
How does Melinda describe her room in speak?
Adorned with pink roses, the room looks like a child's, and throughout the novel,
Melinda feels out-of-place and uncomfortable within it
. Of course, all high school students sometimes feel uncertain and scared about growing up.
Why does Melinda put the mirror in the closet?
Melinda takes her mirror to the back of her closet and faces the reflective side towards the back wall. She does this
because she does not want to look at herself
.
Which room in her house is Melinda dissatisfied with?
On Columbus Day, Melinda goes to
Heather's house
because they have the day off from school. Melinda is jealous of Heather's room, how in its neatness it totally expresses Heather's personality whereas her own room doesn't express anything about her.
What do the mirrors symbolize in speak?
The mirrors in Speak symbolize
Melinda's perception of herself
—she sees herself in a negative light and therefore cannot stand to look in a mirror.
How does Melinda fix her closet?
She tapes a mirror to the back of her closet and faces the reflective side towards the back wall
. She does this so she doesn't have to look at herself. Why do you think Melinda is having difficulty talking?
Why is the janitor's closet so important to Melinda?
The closet also
represents the prison of silence that Melinda has fashioned for herself
; it makes her feel secure, but isolates her from all others. She has created herself a safe space, but she has done so at the cost of her grades, her relationships, and the possibility of human connection.
Who is Melinda's lab partner?
David
is a brainiac and one of the few people who treats Melinda decently. He's in Melinda's social studies class and is her lab partner in biology.
What habit has Melinda developed recently?
Melinda has developed
the nervous habit of biting her
.
What does Melinda reveal about the preceding summer?
What does Melinda reveal about the preceding summer? Melinda reveals that
she went to a party during the summer and she called the cops
. Some people got arrested.
What does the tree symbolize in Speak?
As the narrative progresses, Melinda's attempts to draw a tree come to symbolize
her ability to move past her rape, and to mature as a person
. Trees, and plants in general, are powerful symbols because of the life, strength, and fertility that they represent.
What is the theme of Speak?
One theme of Speak is
finding one's voice
. Another theme in the novel is identity. The story can also be viewed as speaking out against violence and victimization. Melinda feels guilty, even though she was a victim of sexual assault.
What are some symbols in Speak?
- Trees, Seeds, Plants, and Forests. Near the beginning of the novel, Melinda is assigned a tree as her yearlong assignment in art class. …
- Birds. …
- Melinda's Closet. …
- Melinda's Bedroom. …
- Mirrors. …
- Lips. …
- Blood. …
- Water, Ice, and Melting.
How does Melinda feel about the janitor's closet?
The janitor's closet represents
Melinda's feelings of isolation and abandonment throughout
the novel. When Melinda is trying to hide from Mr. Neck, she discovers the empty maintenance closet and decides to make it her own. When she finds it she thinks, “This closet is abandoned – it has no purpose, no name.
What does Melinda do in the closet?
The closet acts as
a safe retreat from the world
, a place where Melinda can hide and nap and read and escape the responsibilities of her young adult life.
