What is the storyline of the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson?

Answer 1

Melinda: Shy, quiet and doesn't speak. She is scared to talk to anyone. She is depressed.

Dave: Brave, stands up for himself, angry at times/annoyed at times

Heather: Talks alot. Always happy.

Melindas Parents: Not very happy. Always fight and seem to not notice Melinda's depression. They are mostly concentrated at what is going on with themselves and work.

rachelle: Very rude. She is a changed person since she became a freshman and also Dating Andy Evans, The guy that raped Melinda.

Andy Evans: Thinks hes all that. He is a very powerful person that thinks he can have pser over everyone.

Answer 2

Melinda Sordino- the main character who gets raped

Andy Evans- raped Melinda

Heather- new girl, friends with Melinda until she ditches her for the "Marthas"

Ivy- ex-best friend who becomes Melinda's friend again in art class

Rachel/Rachelle- old best friend, dates Andy

Nicole- jock, old best friend

David Petrakis- he has a crush on Melinda, tells her to speak up, and he stands up to Mr. Neck

Mr. Neck- cruel history teacher

Mr. Freeman- nice art teacher who tells Melinda to express herself through art

Melinda's parents- close to divorce, mean to Melinda; they don't care about her

The "Marthas" - a group who does good deeds; Heather ditches Melinda for them, but they are very mean to her and treat her like a slave

Answer 3

A few weeks before her freshman year of high school, Melinda Sordino and her friend Rachel are invited to a high school party. There, Melinda gets drunk and meets a senior, Andy Evans, who takes her to a secluded part of the woods and rapes her. She calls 911 and the police break up the party for underage drinking, arresting some of the kids. Numb and alone, Melinda walks miles home to an empty house. In the following weeks she tells no one what happened, and as a result, no one realizes she was raped. She becomes depressed.

All her friends and the party-goers are angry with her for getting them into trouble, and ostracize her once school starts. Desperate for friends, Melinda becomes friendly with a new girl, Heather, who clings to Melinda only to abandon her when she gets the chance to join a popular clique.

As Melinda's depression worsens, she begins to skip school, withdraws from her parents, and aspires to do nothing more than take a nap. She creates a makeshift hide-away in an abandoned janitor's closet at school, where she sleeps during the day or hides when she is feeling anxious. Her only solace is art class, taught by Mr. Freeman, who encourages his students to express themselves. Over time, Mr. Freeman seems to have an impact on Melinda's view of things.

When the school year is almost over, she befriends David Petrakis, her lab partner. She also begins to question her feelings about him. When her former best friend, Rachel, begins dating Andy, Melinda feels obligated to tell her about the rape. The response is intense hostility, but eventually Rachel acknowledges the truth and dumps Andy.

As the school year comes to a close, Melinda returns to her janitor's closet to gather some things she left inside it. Andy confronts her, accusing her of fabricating the assault, saying that she consented and is jealous of his relationship with Rachel. When he attempts to rape her again, she screams, breaks a mirror, and she holds a shard of glass up to his neck, saying, "I said no." Fortunately, Melinda's former friend Nicole and the Lacrosse team hear her scream from the closet and come to her aid.

On the last day of school, Melinda stays late to finish her art project and finishes the course with an A+, though she is facing summer school for failing the rest of her classes. As the student body hears the story and realizes the truth about what happened at the party, Melinda goes from social pariah to something of a hero. Mr. Freeman prompts her to tell him her story, helping Melinda to finally come to terms with what happened to her and move on with her life.

Answer 4

"Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson tells the story of a high school freshman named Melinda who becomes an outcast after calling the police to break up a party where she was raped. The novel follows Melinda's journey as she navigates the trauma and isolation she experiences, ultimately finding her voice and healing.

Answer 5

Melinda Sordino

Rachel bruin

Mr. Neck

Heather

Ivy

Mr. Freeman

Mrs. Sordino

Mr. Sordino

Nicole

David Petrakis

Andy Evans

Answer 6

The storyline of the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a sexual assault victim named Melinda. It concerns the assault, her recovery, and eventually confession.