https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb Made with a wish on a star en-us 2017-10-17 15:42:14 UTC 2017-10-20 15:34:26 UTC hello@padlet.com 2008562 https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/197869548 The closet is a symbol because it is Melinda's safe place. The closet is the only place she can go and have no worries. It keeps her from the dangers and discrimination that the school and her classmates posses. Blocking out these influences is very therapeutic for her and this makes her recognize the closet as a positive place where she can clear her mind.  

"The closet is abandoned, it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me" (26)

]]> 2017-10-17 15:53:51 UTC https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/197869548 2008562 https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/197876611 The mirror in Melinda's room at the beginning of the book is one of the first examples of symbolism that we see in Speak. This symbol shows Melinda's insecurity and lack of confidence with who she is. All the negative comments and experiences that she has endured come to the surface as she doesn't want to look at herself anymore.

"It looks like my mouth belongs to someone else, someone I don't even know. I get out of bed and take down the mirror, I put it in the back of the closet, facing the wall"]]> 2017-10-17 16:05:37 UTC https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/197876611 2008562 https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198320200 Melinda's lips are a very relevant symbol in the story because they represent her internal frustration and bottled up anger come to the surface. This is how we see her emotions displayed in a physical way. The chapped and scarred lips are telling us that she is resisting from "speaking" so she bites her lips in exchange.

"She's creepy. What's wrong with her lips? It looks like she's got a disease or something." This quote is said by the Martha's about Melinda. It shows other people's opinions of Melinda's appearance, they might not judge her as hard if she didn't have the chapped lips.

]]> 2017-10-18 16:02:13 UTC https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198320200 2008562 https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198501491 The tree is a powerful symbol as it evolves throughout the story, much like Melinda. It represents the power of change and how events can change a persons personality and perspectives. Much like Melinda, the tree undergoes advancements over the course of the year. It gains faith and becomes a great symbol for Melinda.

"I find knives and forks in the odds n ends bin and glue them so it looks like they are attacking the bones." (63) Here we see Melinda's perspective changing on the tree project. She began to care about it and apply more effort. She evolved along with the project.

 ]]> 2017-10-19 01:13:32 UTC https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198501491 2008562 https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198505564 Art is more than just a class to Melinda, it is a sanctuary. It is her only safe place in school. She can be herself and not worry about the frustration she has throughout the day.  It keeps her isolated and lets her be creative. This serves as a safe place for Melinda. This allows her to be herself and not worry about the other kids and what they think of her.

"His room is Cool Central. He keeps the radio on. We are allowed to eat as long as we work." (77) This is said by Melinda on her opinions on her art class. She is a huge fan of her teacher and the freedom that he allows his students to have.

]]> 2017-10-19 01:38:53 UTC https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198505564 2008562 https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198512448 Mr. Neck is a symbol to Melinda as he represents the  bad things in life. There will always be downers and Mr. Neck is one of those people. He is blatantly rude to Melinda for no reason. Showing his lack of empathy and selfishness, he is a negative symbol in the story. 

"You just earned a demerit for wandering the halls" (9) This quote is said said from Mr. Neck to Melinda on the first day of school. He gave no warning and didn't hesitate to give her a detention, when she was honestly lost as a freshman on the first day of school.

]]> 2017-10-19 02:32:03 UTC https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198512448 2008562 https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198516011 The apple is a theme because it created a nostalgic moment for Melinda, as she was dissecting it. It brought back her happy memories of childhood. This is only a relevant symbol because of how it contrasts Melinda's current life. Her lack of positivity and pride is very far from how she used to be. So the apple is very powerful as it takes Melinda back to her positive childhood.

"all the apple picking parents and children smiled for a long, long minute." (66) This quote is apart of Melinda's nostalgic trip when they were supposed to dissect an apple in biology class.

]]> 2017-10-19 03:05:48 UTC https://padlet.com/2008562/wsgditi7jvzb/wish/198516011