Asked by: Evonne Eisenman
hobbies and interests candle and soap making

Why is Melinda Sordino an outcast?

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Melinda Sordino is a really shy teen, hiding from kids at school. on the first page she say that she is an outcast that she has entered high school with the wrong clothes , wrong hair ,and the wrong attitude. throw out the story the things she says about herself change.


Furthermore, why is Melinda an outcast?

Melinda Sordino, the main characters, struggles with being an outcast. Speak is about her life, her story, but it's all up to her if she wants to tell it. It all began at a party when she called the cops at the end. The reason is because she didn't feel secure when she was with Andy Evans.

Also Know, why does Melinda Miss Rachel so much? Although she and Melinda used to be best friends, Rachel now hates Melinda, believing (like the other students at their high school) that Melinda called the police on a summer party in order to get others in trouble, when really she was attempting to report her own rape.

Similarly, you may ask, what does Melinda Sordino want?

Melinda desires to be popular again and have a tight-knit group of friends. She wishes to live a carefree life and not have to walk the halls of her high school as an outcast or live in fear that Andy Evans might assault her again. Melinda also wants people to know that Andy Evans is a rapist.

What happens when Melinda talks to Rachel?

When Melinda learns of Andy dating Rachel, she realizes that she must speak out if she wishes Rachel to avoid what happened to her. Essentially, Melinda is confronted with a choice to remain silent and permit him to win again or speak out in order to stop a rapist.

Related Question Answers

Amelie Diz

Professional

What does the tree symbolize in speak?

In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda is given the task of working with a tree as her object for the year in Mr. Freeman's art class. This is not coincidental, as the tree symbolizes Melinda's growth throughout the novel. In the beginning of the year, Melinda has a difficult time working with the tree.

Arafa Bak

Professional

What keeps Melinda silent?

Melinda stays silent due to trauma and fear. The summer before entering high school, Melinda was sexually assaulted at a house party. She ends up calling the police which causes her peers to hate her for being a "snitch." However, they are unaware of the real reason she calls which completely isolates her.

Ward Persio

Professional

What does Melinda look like in Speak?

Melinda Sordino is, personally, the most interesting character in the book 'Speak' by Laurie Halse Anderson. Her physical appearance is small and skinny, but always wearing baggy clothes. Melinda's personality somewhat coincides with her physical appearance; She is very shy, anxious, an outcast, and insecure.

Waclaw Mandiola

Explainer

How is Melinda's behavior a cry for help?

Melinda's behavior is a cry for help because all the things she does indicates that she needs someone to talk to and someone to understand what she has been through.

Anjos Yeadon

Explainer

What are some characteristics of Melinda in speak?

Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is sometimes clouded by her suffering. She's only fourteen-years-old, and she's dealing with one of the worst things that can happen to a person: rape. High school senior Andy Evans rapes Melinda at the end-of-summer party just before Melinda starts 9th grade.

Denzel Ashworth

Explainer

What are the conflicts in speak?

The man versus self conflict concerns Melinda's personal struggles to cope with her sexual assault and love herself. Melinda struggles to express her inner feelings and view herself in a positive light. She struggles with low self-esteem and even stops speaking for an extended period of time.

Virgilio Billhardt

Pundit

How has Melinda changed in speak?

Melinda Sordino, fourteen-year-old high school freshman, is drastically transformed when she's raped by high school senior Andy Evans. Speak follows Melinda through her freshman year. We watch as she struggles to change back into the girl she used to be, while becoming someone newer and stronger.

Anuska Babad

Pundit

What does the janitor's closet symbolize in speak?

The janitor's closet represents Melinda's feelings of isolation and abandonment throughout the novel. When Melinda is trying to hide from Mr. Neck, she discovers the empty maintenance closet and decides to make it her own. The closet is a place she can be alone, and she makes it a home throughout the story.

Xiaoxiong Gorosabel

Pundit

What is the theme of speak?

One theme of Speak is finding one's voice. Another theme in the novel is identity. The story can also be viewed as speaking out against violence and victimization. Melinda feels guilty, even though she was a victim of sexual assault.

Lieselotte Hagenhoff

Pundit

What did Melinda learn in speak?

Melinda, a high school freshman, is the protagonist in Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak. The summer before starting high school, she was raped by a senior student, Andy Evans. She learns that the only way to counter evil is to speak out against it.

Sadaqat Babenkoff

Pundit

Why does Melinda call the cops in speak?

She calls the cops to report the rape, but leaves before they show up. The party is busted and everybody thinks Melinda got them in trouble on purpose. The novel begins on Melinda's first day in high school.

Volodymir Rello

Teacher

Ariday Jmaev

Supporter

What is Melinda allergic to?

Why does Melinda dislike the school mascot, the hornet? a) She is allergic to hornets. She is allergic to hornets.

Faride Kliefoth

Supporter

How does Petrakis influence Melinda?

David is a brainiac and one of the few people who treats Melinda decently. He's in Melinda's social studies class and is her lab partner in biology. But Melinda's conflicted feelings make more sense when we learn Melinda's secret. The memory is so painful for her that she bites through her lip and needs stitches.

Mayme Rodiño

Supporter

Who is the main character of speak?

Melinda Sordino
Andy Evans
Rachel Bruin
Ivy
Heather

Pusa Elagin

Beginner

How did Mr Freeman help Melinda?

Freeman Character Analysis. Melinda's free-spirited, kind, warm art teacher, Mr. Freeman is the only adult whom Melinda respects or trusts. He tells his students to use art to express their emotions, and helps Melinda to once again find her voice by forcing her to focus on a single subject—a tree—over the entire year.

Osane Aizpurua

Beginner

Why does Melinda pass out while dissecting the frog?

This chapter is so poignant, because we understand that cutting into the frog doesn't make Melinda faint, because she can't stand the sight of blood; it make her faint, because it brings back the memory of what happened to her at the party. The vividness of the memory is what causes her to pass out.

Unax Wellnhofer

Beginner

How does Melinda feel about Christmas?

Melinda doesn't feel very enthusiastic about Christmas, and this is in large part because of how the Christmas period affects her mother. She jokes that she would like to “rent” a child for Christmas, which implies that she is very aware of how relatively boring Christmas will be for her without one.