Speak
Book: "Speak" is a novel about a depressed girl, Melanie, who is entering her freshman year in high school with a secret nobody knows. The author, for the majority of the book, hints about an event that took place at a party that changed Melanie forever. This is also the same event that caused her to lose all of her closest friends.The story is written from Melanie's point of view, describing the thoughts in her head about her teachers, peers, and parents. The author is able to tell the story using vivid figurative language so that readers can picture what is going on in the story. Melanie apathetically goes through the school year performing worse in classes as the year progresses. Her teachers are all strange though they all exhibit a passion for the subject they teach. The one class she does enjoy is Art where her teacher, Mr. Freeman, encourages her to use her emotions as inspiration for the tree she is developing. She befriends a girl, Heather, at the start of school who ends up using her to become popular. Later on, Melanie reveals that she was raped at a party by a boy named Andy. She sees that her ex-friend, Rachel, is dating him and gains the courage to tell her what happened to prevent additional rapes. After Melanie tells her, things begin to look up. Everyone then realizes Andy's true character, though there were quite a few girls who knew that already. He tries to rape her again, but unlike the first time, she screams so that someone will hear. She is found by a few peers and Andy is caught red-handed. After this, Melanie goes to her art class and finishes her tree as she is crying. She has grown a lot and is learning to speak up for herself with confidence. I believe the author wanted us to know the growth and freedom we have when we speak out about abuse that has happened to us.
Head: I was surprised that the main character told Rachel about the abuse before she told Ivy. Though looking back now, it would make sense to tell someone who was in danger, rather than just telling a friend. Heather's character also shocked me. I thought she was genuinely trying to be Melanie's friend at the start, but she just wanted her to help her get into a clique. I noticed the significance of Melanie's progress on the tree was reflective of her emotional health. Her growth was also mirrored by the change of the seasons. I liked Mr. Freeman who encouraged her to develop her artwork through her emotions and what she was feeling. He was able to acknowledge when she wasn't okay. On the other hand, I believe he could have inquired more about what was going on with her. I was surprised the novel had a happy ending. I hear a lot of stories of women who do not share their experiences of abuse because of the shame they feel. I like the encouraging message the author gives to speak out.
Heart: My favorite part was the poem on the first couple of pages. It was remarkable because it showed me how I could relate with so many others who have gone through some form of abuse. It is almost like being in the same family because we share history together. On another note, this book helped me realize the importance of paying attention to students. I am preparing to become a high school teacher, and this book reveals a lot of the issues and struggles my kids will go through. I want to pay attention and show students that I care for them. One of the takeaways I got from this book is the importance of speaking up about my pain because it can prevent others from hurting so much by themselves. I could relate to the beginning of the school year, where I felt I was no longer welcome with the friends I knew in elementary and middle school. I was going through a transition, just like Melanie was. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it helped prepare me for the high school students I will have in my classroom. I want to be able to identify with them in their pain. I think that is something that they desire more than anything else, which ultimately is to know that someone else cares about them. This book also helped me think of the literature I want to incorporate in the classroom.
From the book, head, and heart connections I learned how important it is for readers to identify the content, personal thoughts, and takeaways from this story. I realize how I generally emphasize the heart over anything else. I would like to use this method for other readings to come away from a book with a holistic outlook. This structure makes it easy to focus on one aspect at a time to organize my thoughts and reflections from the story. I think it will be helpful in the future as well, because I will know what I should be looking for. I also hope to use this with my high school students in the future to create dialogue between peers and to show their comprehension of a text.
Head: I was surprised that the main character told Rachel about the abuse before she told Ivy. Though looking back now, it would make sense to tell someone who was in danger, rather than just telling a friend. Heather's character also shocked me. I thought she was genuinely trying to be Melanie's friend at the start, but she just wanted her to help her get into a clique. I noticed the significance of Melanie's progress on the tree was reflective of her emotional health. Her growth was also mirrored by the change of the seasons. I liked Mr. Freeman who encouraged her to develop her artwork through her emotions and what she was feeling. He was able to acknowledge when she wasn't okay. On the other hand, I believe he could have inquired more about what was going on with her. I was surprised the novel had a happy ending. I hear a lot of stories of women who do not share their experiences of abuse because of the shame they feel. I like the encouraging message the author gives to speak out.
Heart: My favorite part was the poem on the first couple of pages. It was remarkable because it showed me how I could relate with so many others who have gone through some form of abuse. It is almost like being in the same family because we share history together. On another note, this book helped me realize the importance of paying attention to students. I am preparing to become a high school teacher, and this book reveals a lot of the issues and struggles my kids will go through. I want to pay attention and show students that I care for them. One of the takeaways I got from this book is the importance of speaking up about my pain because it can prevent others from hurting so much by themselves. I could relate to the beginning of the school year, where I felt I was no longer welcome with the friends I knew in elementary and middle school. I was going through a transition, just like Melanie was. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it helped prepare me for the high school students I will have in my classroom. I want to be able to identify with them in their pain. I think that is something that they desire more than anything else, which ultimately is to know that someone else cares about them. This book also helped me think of the literature I want to incorporate in the classroom.
From the book, head, and heart connections I learned how important it is for readers to identify the content, personal thoughts, and takeaways from this story. I realize how I generally emphasize the heart over anything else. I would like to use this method for other readings to come away from a book with a holistic outlook. This structure makes it easy to focus on one aspect at a time to organize my thoughts and reflections from the story. I think it will be helpful in the future as well, because I will know what I should be looking for. I also hope to use this with my high school students in the future to create dialogue between peers and to show their comprehension of a text.
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