Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Essay Example

Melinda Sordino is a perfect representation of the teenagers of contemporary times. She is 14 years old and faces some of the toughest situations a teenager, and even an adult can go through. She was sexually assaulted by someone she had admired, Andy Evans, and typical of teenagers, Melinda opts to remain silent on the matter altogether. The silence gets her on the journey towards recovery, with the novel acting as her voice and opinion on the events that led to her speaking up on the events that led to her getting raped by her friend. Additionally, Melinda acts as a good representative of teenagers by viewing the bad choices that she made, leading to her being sexually assaulted. For example, being 14 years old, she should not have been drinking alcohol, yet she was drunk when Andy Evans took advantage of her. She should not have been out at a party without adult supervision, but she still went, and this represents the rebellion phase that students go through and the effects that the rebellion has. Additionally, Melinda is a representation of teenagers today, since she is in pursuit of love and affection through having friends and seeking attention and a romantic connection to Andy Evans. He ends up taking advantage of her.

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Melinda is an excellent spokesperson for Generation Z. At the same time, she is only 14 years old. Melinda has experienced the harshest situations, and through her ordeals, the reader can learn about the issues that Generation Z faces, their effects, and how to overcome the circumstances. Through her experiences with Andy Evans, we get to experience the pitfalls which the members of Generation Z fall into due to the influence of bad company, as well as the effects of alcohol and drug abuse. When Andy takes advantage of Melinda, we get to see the effects of alcohol consumption, since had Melinda been at home as she was supposed to be, or if she had abstained from taking alcohol, none of the events that occurred would have happened to her. Again, many, just like her peers misunderstand Melinda for having called the police. Generation Z has been criticized for behaving in the laid-back manner it does. Still, none of the critics have tried to find out the motivation behind their actions, just like Melinda’s schoolmates do not try to understand her reasons for calling the police.

Melinda is an embodiment of my classmates and I. this is because, she experiences the same issues as my classmates and I. first, Melinda comes from a loving family, as her parent’s love is seen through their checking up on their daughter as well as their gift of art supplies for their daughter’s art project. Secondly, Melinda has friends, just like my classmates and I. Rachel Bruin is Melinda's best friend who has known each other for a long time. She is also an embodiment of me since she is in pursuit of happiness and satisfaction in life, which leads to her relationship with Andy, who took advantage of her desperate need for love and affection to convince her to take alcohol, sexually abusing her when she was unconscious. Additionally, Melinda is a representation of my classmates and me since she faces pressure in her life, from her academics, her social life, as well as the dilemma to speak out or not to. For example, her decision to speak out on what happened to her breaks up her friendship with Rachel, and she is bullied for having called the police. Finally, Melinda is an embodiment of my classmates and me since she shows how peer pressure leads to bad decisions that haunt us for longer than one would expect. For example, the decision to drink alcohol at that party set off a chain reaction, which has been discussed in the novel. Although not in the same intensity, I have also suffered the consequences of bad decisions.