Trying to yell and scream but the hands grip my throat and say no. I can’t breathe, I can’t scream, I can’t speak; no stop, stop, STOP! Someone help me, please help me. ‘Speak’ by Laurie Halse Anderson, it tells you to speak, and not stay quite when someone is hurting you. This tragedy starts with a teen, Melinda; she is a normal girl who has friends and a life. Then everything goes wrong; a wolf came and takes something from her, she never said a thing, she tried but couldn’t. Something that happens in life, something people are afraid to talk about, something the can make you depressed and tried. This thing is and was in the story rape, a predator named Andy caught her and raped her.
This subject couldn’t be more tabooed; it is shunned and looked down upon by society. It like a rule don’t hear, don’t talk, don’t tell; this may have been one reason Melinda didn’t speak. But as it went you think someone her parents or teachers would notice the signs she showed of being a rape victim the depression, lack of effort, skipping, muteness, and panic attacks. But as must cases go no who did notice that she was raped, even though they had hints, Melinda’s own father said “What happened to my sweet little girl. She comes here and now look at her.” Though out this everyone thought she was being a depressed teen not anything else and they really didn’t seem to care. The only person who knew was Andy, her rapist, and he didn’t care entire
Then we hit the end where finally the poor girl gets what she needs, hope. People start to see who Andy really is and shun him. Then Melinda gets her voice, a symbol of new life for her, and is free from the bonds of her memory. The pain may still be there but it doesn’t hold her down anymore that is what is shown throughout the ending. Everyone is stunned and probably regretting that they never noticed the signs. But the reason they didn’t notice was because they didn’t know the signs r ignored them; that most often leads to a bad ending, but thankfully it didn’t, this time. In the world there are as many “happy” endings like this one, most led to things that are unmentionable in this easy. People should be ashamed that we can’t seem to handle the truth, we thing we can ignore it and it will go away but the more we pay attention the more “happy” endings will happen. We speak the truth, and then will be free from the pain and suffering, that is the message from ‘Speak’ by Laurie Halse Anderson.
