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* judgmental
* "Girls who have it all"
On page 30 it states "They all have beautiful lips, carefully outlined in red and polished to shine."  This represents that Melinda is jealous of them because they have it all and Melinda's lips represents her messy life."

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- symbolizes communication
-this communication is the type of lack of communication
-'' I hear dad turn on the television. He drops ice cubes in a heavy bottomed glass and pours in some booze."
-This means Melinda leaves and locks herself in her room. She doesn't talk to her dad.

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The mirror is a symbol in the book because it symbolizes Melinda's frustrations towards appearance. She is unable to face her own reflection after getting rape.
-"I watch myself in the mirror across the room. Ugh My hair is completely hidden under the comforter. I look for shapes in my face. Two muddy circle eyes under black-dash eyebrows, piggy nose nostrils."
-judgement against herself."

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The frog is a symbol that symbolizes the night Melinda got raped.
-"He spreads her froggy legs and pins her froggy feet. I have to slice open her belly. She doesn't say a word. She is already dead. A scream starts in my gut- I can feel the cut, smell the dirt, leaves in my hair."

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Maya Angelou is a symbol in the book because She is a reflection of what Melinda wants to be.  "Ms. Angelou is one of the greatest American writers. The poster was coming down because the school board banned one of her books." This means the school board didn't like her, and Melinda thinks they don't like anything, so Melinda looks up to her.

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May 28, 2014: Legendary author, poet, educator and all-around inspiration Maya Angelou has passed away at the age of 86.

As a chronicler of her own story and the larger civil rights movement in which she took part, Maya Angelou was remarkable in equal measure for her lyrical gifts as well as her distinct sense of justice, both politically and personally.

Angelou was among the first, if not the first, to create a literary franchise based on autobiographical writings. Beginning with the classic I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and followed by Gather Together in My Name, Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas, The Heart of a Woman, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, and A Song Flung Up to Heaven - Angelou told her life story in language both no-nonsense and intensely spiritual.

More unforgettable works by Angelou include the personal essays in Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, Even the Stars Look Lonesome, and Letter to my Daughter, the reflective cookbooks likeHallelujah! The Welcome Table and Great Food, All Day Long and even books for kids, including the adventuresome Maya's World series.

Angelou's facility with language, both on paper and as a suede-voiced speaker, made her a populist poet. Her 1995 poem " Phenomenal Woman " is still passed along the Web among women as inspiration ("It's in the reach of my arms/The span of my hips/The stride of my steps/The curl of my lips./I'm a woman/Phenomenally/Phenomenal woman/That's me"), and her 1993 poem "On the Pulse of the Morning" written for Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration, was later released as a Grammy-winning album.

Angelou often cites other writers (from Kenzaburo Oe to James Baldwin) both in text and name. But as often as not, her major mentors were not writers - she had been set to work with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. before each was assassinated, stories she recounts in A Song Flung Up to Heaven.

Given her roller-coaster existence - from poverty in Arkansas to journalism in Egypt and Ghana and ultimately, to her destiny as a successful writer and professor in the States - it's no surprise that Angelou didn't limit herself to one or two genres. Angelou also wrote for stage and screen, acted, and directed. She is the rare author from whom inspiration can be derived both from her approach to life as from her talent in writing about it.

(Christina Nunez)
Good to Know
Angelou was nominated for an Emmy for her performance as Nyo Boto in the 1977 miniseries . She has also appeared in films such as How to Make an American Quilt and Poetic Justice, and she directed 1998's Down in the Delta.

Angelou spoke six languages, including West African Fanti.

She taught modern dance at the Rome Opera House and the Hambina Theatre in Tel Aviv.

Before she became famous as a writer, Maya Angelou was a singer. Miss Calypso is a CD of her singing calypso songs.

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May 28, 2014: Legendary author, poet, educator and all-around inspiration Maya Angelou has passed away at the age of 86.

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The turkey bone is a symbol in "Speak" because on page 64 it states, "I see a girl caught in the remains of a holiday gone bad with her flesh picked off day after day as the carcass dries out. The knife and fork are obviously middle-class sensibilities. The palm tree is a nice touch. A broken dream, perhaps?"

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*symbolizes silence
* she doesn't want to tell anyone what happened the night of the party
* "I can't stop biting my lips. It looks like my mouth belongs to someone else, someone I don't even know."

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The tree symbolizes pain. On page 65 Mr. Freeman says "This has meaning. Pain". After he said Melinda left class before he can say more.

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Composite Tree is a composite of all the tree species known on Earth. It possesses the high-end capacities of all trees.

Powers and Stats

Name: Composite Tree

Gender: None

Age: Up to 5,000 years for individual barks, up to 80,000 years for clonal colonies

Classification: Plant, Tree, Clonal Colony

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Durability, Regeneration (Low-Mid over time), Duplication (Over time), Plant Manipulation, Toxin Manipulation (Sap and Fruit), Absorption, Longevity, Limited Fire Resistance (can still be burned by direct application of fire, but is resistant to forest fires)

Attack Potency: Below Average Human level (Moves at a very slow pace and usually can't attack), higher over time (They can eventually carve their way into solid stone). Can ignore durability using its various toxins

Speed: Below Average Human (Can grow at a maximum speed of 10 centimeters per day)

Lifting Strength: Class K (Some trees can weigh up to 1636 tons, if not higher)

Striking Strength: Below Average Class

Durability: Unknown (Can be cut and eventually killed by Wall level slashing attacks. However it can withstand considerably higher blunt force)

Stamina: Endless as long as it has food

Range: 486 meters for an individual crown, 43 hectares for a clonal colony

Standard Equipment: None notable

Intelligence: Mindless, only reacts to terrain around it

Weaknesses: Cannot move over a short period of time. Mindlessly responds to stimuli

Notable Attacks/Techniques:

Reproduction: All trees can reproduce themselves through various means, often spreading their offspring over a wide area. However, they take a very long time to grow. Some can also produce new trees by growing a complex underground root system, creating a clonal colony.

Toxins: Contains skin irritants in its sap which can contaminate water and cause blisters on contact. Smoke created by burning the tree can damage eyes. Its fruit can be fatal if eaten.

Notable Victories:

Notable Losses:

Inconclusive Matches:

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Composite Tree is a composite of all the tree species known on Earth. It possesses the high-end capacities of all trees.

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The closet is a symbol in the book because it symbolizes Melinda's freedom. When Melinda is in the closet she is her true self and it 'represents' her. In the story, "This closet is abandoned- it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me."
-"My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them."

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The setting is in Syracuse, New York. The weather drastically changes from deadly cold to humid and hot. Melinda is either off in her own mind at school or secluded to herself in her room. She a has a special place that she goes to hide when she is at school.