Melinda was popular, fun, and friendly. What could have changed her so much that she started her year of high school with everyone hating her? It all started when Melinda went to a party. The night goes well until she gets drunk and meets a senior named Andy Evans. Andy rapes Melinda, induced by alcohol, leading her to decide to call the cops. Everyone hates her because they think she called the cops just to get people in trouble. Throughout the school year, Melinda suffers from severe social problems and depression. The only class she does well in is art. The art teacher, Mr. Freeman, gives Melinda a tree as her project for the year. It is extremely difficult for her to bring a tree back to life and she goes through many difficult artistic phases. Andy Evans starts dating Melinda's ex-best friend Rachel, but Melinda knows the result would be nothing but trouble. She confesses to Rachel what happened at the party, but Rachel thinks Melinda is lying. Later, Rachel discovers the truth and breaks up with Andy. Andy then attempts to rape Melinda again, but this time she fights back. After this ordeal, Melinda regains her popularity and finds inspiration to get an A on her artistic project. Getting back on your feet after being raped takes enormous courage and willpower, especially when “victims of sexual assault are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression and 4 times more likely to consider suicide” (WHO para. 11 ). In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the author uses allusions such as Picasso, Maya Angelou, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Dracula to help Melinda develop and not give up. Cho 2One of the most important allusions Anderson uses is that of Picasso. He is first introduced when Mr....... middle of paper ...... makes allusions such as Picasso, Maya Angelou and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Dracula to help Melinda develop as a character and going through the struggles. The lessons Melinda learned from these characters are why she ultimately succeeded. The thesis proved that obstacles could be overcome with simple things like a book (Dracula) or a poster (Maya Angelou). This book is very interesting to read for students because many people could relate to the problems Melinda is going through. They might learn more about the seriousness of rape and realize “[that] some mental health problems are life-threatening” (Kilpatrick par. 12). Speak also uses many literary devices that add to our understanding of images, metaphors/similes, allusions, and archetypes. . The Speak book is like a shell; It doesn't look special from the outside, but inside there's a world of meaning.