Speak

__**APA Reference**__

Anderson, L.H. (1999). //Speak.// Harrisonburg, VA: Macmillan.

__**Summary**__

Laurie Halse Anderson’s //Speak// is a truly moving and life changing narrative about a teenage girl who is dealing with unimaginable circumstances. Told through the point of view of 13 year old Melinda we witness her struggles as a new high school freshman after experiencing a traumatic sexual experience the previous summer she has not told anyone about.

She has a figurative Scarlet Letter across her chest only her’s as she notes should be an “I” rather than Hawthorne’s symbolic “A” standing for invisible.

Melinda has to deal with this experience and seeing her rapist on a daily basis alone as her friends have moved on due to a misunderstanding occurring on the night in question. Melinda barely speaks to anyone and we as the reader are able to experience what she is going through by her thoughts and what she observes. She has a strained home life with very uninvolved and unsympathetic parents who cannot begin to understand how their once precious baby has morphed into a class-skipping, course-flunking, teenage delinquent. Her teachers see her silence as arrogance and rudeness not knowing or understanding the pain she feels inside. On several occasions she attempts to tell her parents and former friends about what happened but she cannot get the words out. It is not until the novel’s end after she is forced to face her fear head on that she gets her voice back is finally able to //speak//.

__**Critical Review**__ Laurie Halse Anderson has the ability to reach deep inside her characters soul and illuminate their struggles and strengths in such a way that they feel real, vulnerable and relatable. Having only previously read young adult historical fiction by Anderson I was unsure how effective she would be in capturing the voice of contemporary youth. However the language she uses and the issues we see her characters face constantly kept me thinking, “Oh I knew someone in high school like that.”

//Speak// possesses many of the attributes commonly found in young adult literature. It is centered on and told through the point of view of the main character who is a teenager. It deals heavily with contemporary coming-of-age issues such as problems with sexuality, identity, substance abuse and maturity. Melinda’s parents are pretty much vacant from her life and she is at odds with them at several points throughout the novel which is another trait often times found in young adult literature. Anderson carefully chooses her language and focuses in on things that really have an affect on teenagers. Young adolescents tend to place themselves at the center of their universe. With that, every little thing that may seem inconsequential to an adult, seems like the end of the world to a teenager. Anderson is able to bring this idea to life without losing sight of the complexity and severity of the crisis Melinda faces.

I found //Speak// touching, eyeopening and inspiring. Melinda is still very much a child and is undergoing so many changes that all teenagers face. This alone would be overwhelming. She though has to deal with circumstances that are debilitating to adults. Her strength is motivating and her voice, or lack of voice speaks volumes to the struggles of young adolescents and the victims of sexual abuse.

__**Uses in the Classroom**__

//Speak// is a tough novel so I could see it being somewhat controversial due to the delicate nature of the issues it touches on. I do think if given the chance though it would be so powerful. So often, young adolescents are forced to read only the classics and never really develop a love for reading because they cannot relate in anyway to what they are reading. By introducing a novel like //Speak//, students would be able to see a little bit of themselves in that Anderson gives a good picture of what many high schools are like, or feel like to a teenager.

__**English/ Language Arts**__

-Reading Comprehension. -Thematic studies. -Comparison to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s //The Scarlett Letter.// -Journal writing: //Speak//’s Melinda is not writing a journal per say however as readers we witness her innermost thoughts and concerns. Journal writing activities would allow students to explore their own experiences by putting hand to paper.

__**Social Studies**__

-Social justice issues and concerns. -Case study on different court cases concerning sexual abuse (suited for upper grade levels). -Lessons on “Freedom of Speech”.

__**Health**__

-Dangers of substance abuse. -Discussion of sexual abuse, rights to your own body and how to pursue help and who to reach out to in times of crisis.

__**Psychology**__

-How personal traumas (sexual, physical, substance) affect young people.