Speak EssayMelinda was an outcast and loner in high school who was overwhelmed, fearful, and confused with her life and her environment at school. She was always quiet in class and afraid to speak in front of people. Nowadays, many students feel the need to fit in with others so as not to be looked down upon. By examining Melinda's life, we will be able to see how she deals with her daily conflicts. In the book Speak, Melinda Sordino, a new freshman at Merryweather High, begins her year with a terrible start. She's stuck with a mean history teacher, who she calls Mr. Neck, and a whole bunch of other weird teachers like her English teacher who she calls, Hairwomen, because of her crazy, uncombed hair. Her favorite teacher seems to be her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, as he seems to be the kindest and most reasonable. Every student, even her ex-best friend, Rachel Bruin, gives her nasty looks and treats her rudely. All this trouble started when Melinda called the cops at an end-of-summer party. Everyone thinks she did this just to stop them and get everyone in trouble, but instead she called the cops for something more terrifying. During the night of this party, she was raped by a senior who attends Merryweather High, Andy Evans, whom she calls IT or Andy Beast. She was too scared and didn't know what to do, so she called the cops. Because of this, now everyone at school is disgusted and hateful towards her. Even though most of the students didn't like her, she became sort of "distant" friends with Heather, Ivy, and her science lab partner, David Petrakis. Despite all the drama, sadness, and conflict involved in Melinda's life, she still seems to manage and complete the school year without ...... middle of paper ...... emotional and mental growth following this that happened to him through his works of art. As Melinda had said in the book, she had gone through different phases in her artistic images, from those with dead, leafless trees to trees with cubism and beautiful leaves and branches. It shows his growth and recovery after what happened that night at the party. Ultimately, for Melinda, life is like a tree. You start as a little seed, then you grow into a sprout. You learn from your mistakes and life lessons and start to grow into a big, strong and powerful tree that no one can harm you or stop you from being yourself. Works Cited Anderson, Laurie Halse. Talk. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999. Archetypes: Color. Home page. The professional model II, November 12 2013,.