https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i To what degree do you agree with the statement of inquiry? (Communication is a privilege for those who can speak with little thought for the consequences.) Also, there are multiple critiques of our society within the novel. Please comment on one or more of them, and attempt to generate an area of interest to research further. en-us 2017-01-18 18:17:38 UTC 2017-01-19 19:42:40 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931164 I somewhat agree with this statement. Speaking is a privilege for when you are heard, but if you speak out without thinking of the consequences, it could be ignored or usen against you. Saying what you feel can be twisted in many ways if you speak to the wrong people. In this book, Melinda loses sight of what should be said and what shouldnt and decides that no one would listen if she spoke anyway. It impacted her greatly and shows that there should be a balance between speaking and keeping thoughts in your head. ]]> 2017-01-18 19:34:40 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931164 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931271 I agree with this statement of inquiry to a certain extent, that extent being when what is actively mentioned or said is damaging to the good of society. For example, Melinda finally speaking up about her tribulations at the end of the novel is an example of what speaking truth with out consequence can bring, but, for example if someone went on a xenophobic, intolerant rant (much like Mr. Neck's), and could do so without fear of adequate reprisal, the privilege of free speech would be harmful and destructive to the society we live in.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:01 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931271 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931276 I agree with this statement. Society treats free speech as a privilege. Because Melinda is stigmatized and bullied, she is forced to fear the consequences. However, people like Mr. Freeman, David, and Heather speak their minds because they are obnoxiously unafraid of the consequences. 
I have also noticed a theme of freedom of speech as it relates to gender. There is a parallel between David who is ENCOURAGED to speak his mind, and Melinda who is forced to do the exact opposite. This theme would make sense coming from Laurie Halse Anderson, a staunch feminist.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:01 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931276 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931292 2017-01-18 19:35:03 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931292 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931293 I agree with this statement because people should speak what they want without thinking what is going to come next. Speaking is definitely a privilege, some people don't have the privileged of free speech.  ]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:04 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931293 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931303 I agree with this statement because in this novel, Melinda feels trapped in silence. She feels as if she can't speak about what happened to her at the party. Those who can speak and not have to hide anything are privileged. All our lives we have been told we have "freedom of speech" and we can say what we want because we have a right. For those who feel they do not have this right, whether legally not having the freedom to say what they need to say, or emotionally, they feel as if they cannot speak. Melinda feels emotionally silenced; like she can't say anything. When she sees others around her speaking, she feels as if they have a privilege to speak, because she cannot speak herself.
 ]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:05 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931303 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931308 2017-01-18 19:35:06 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931308 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931323 I strongly agree that communication is a privilege for those who can speak with little thought of the consequence because not everyone has the ability to say everything on their mind without second thought of consequences. Many individuals struggle with voicing their opinions no matter the consequences so to be able to speak without any thought of consequences seems like a great privilege. It is always good to speak up for yourself. For example, when Melinda finally writes about Andy on the bathroom stall a whole new community supports her and can relate to her problem. It took loads of courage for her to speak up about Andy without thinking about what he would do if he found out. ]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:08 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931323 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931335 I think communication is a privilege to an extent, because it can allow people to express themselves and generally has the power to make life better. BUT if you are speaking without thinking of the consequences, there will obviously be some downsides. I think that this novel really showed that we can continuously reject people, but we will never know what is really going on in people's lives unless we make an effort to speak to them.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:10 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931335 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931339 I agree with this statement. Melinda is scared to speak up because she does not want to get hurt again. If there is someone in power they can force another to be quiet. Andy uses the power of fear and social status over Melinda in the book. Communication is a privilege most of us take for granted because a lot of people are born in a country with the freedom of speech, but in some other countries people may be hurt for trying to stand up for what they believe in. We don't have to think about what we say in fear but some others do.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:11 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931339 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931341  I think communication with little thought of the consequences is a privilege because whoever is speaking doesn't have to worry about anything they say. 
     When Heather joins The Marthas, she enters a group of privileged prodigies who have earned a special reputation. This reputations allows them to communicate within the school freely and without worry, all because they are part of The Marthas. 
     On the contrary, Melinda has no faction. Not belonging to anyone and basically separating herself from almost every other student earns her a low reputation. This reputation subtracts from her respect and social image, causing her to be very careful about what she says so that she won't harm her reputation any further.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:11 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931341 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931372 I agree with this statement because people should be able to speak their minds without thinking about what others think or do about it. They don't worry or care what others say, and speak their minds weather or not they are agreed with or if the reaction to their communicating is positive or not. There are consequences for just about everything nowadays, and if we worried about them, we wouldn't say anything. That is why it is a great privilege to speak out whenever you feel it is necessary.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:15 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931372 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931415 I agree with this statement. Being able to say what you feel with out any thoughts can either be a blessing or a curse because it may help you feel confident about everything you say but it can also harm someone. Much like how Andy uses his power over Melinda to make her feel like she needs to be scared and frightened of what will happen if she does.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:22 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931415 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931479 I agree with this statement. In the novel,  Melinda finds it hard to speak out about being raped because she is too focused on the outcomes. She thinks nobody will believe her because our society tends to push the blame onto the victim. If she were to speak up, she would have been told it was her fault because she was drunk. Andy does not care for the consequences because he has a social privilege, which is one of the issues in society pointed out in the novel.

]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:35 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931479 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931498 I agree with this statement because you have to think about what you are going to say and if you do not think about it then you will abuse your privilege. For the people who do not have the power to speak out it is harder for them. For people like Andy it is easy to speak to people and to communicate because people think that he should have more say and more power. I want to expand more on all the little "clubs" they have. ]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:39 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931498 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931540 I agree with this statement fully because other people do feel the great burden of consequences when they communicate their opinions, so those that can communicate their thought w/o consequences have a great privilege because they are able to speak out whenever it is required, like if they were having problems, while if you couldn't communicate w/o consequences, or if you don't have the opportunity to, then no problems would get solved and you would end up in a pit of problems and despair.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:47 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931540 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931573 I agree with the statement that communication is a privilege because when someone does not have to consider the consequences, a large pressure to fit in is lifted. However, I also think that people can not assume/predict the way everyone will react to a statement. In the book, Melinda was too scared to speak out because she felt that she would not have been believed.

]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:55 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931573 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931585 I agree with this statement because many people tend to be shy or won't take the risk of saying anything because of the consequences that may come out of it since they may be too scared. Melinda had this problem because she was scared and didn't have a good life at home, with her parents arguing all the time and her friends from last year are no longer her friends anymore. But for those who do just speak out, they may get more of the help with their problems that they need even if something happens because of it.]]> 2017-01-18 19:35:59 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931585 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931628 I agree with this statement. Whether because  of emotional scars or political or societal repression, communication has always been a privilege of those who are either unafraid or unaware of the consequences. However, speaking with no thought for consequences in by no means always a good thing, especially when what you say has consequences more far reaching than one intends, like when the consequences affect other people than oneself.]]> 2017-01-18 19:36:08 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931628 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931632 2017-01-18 19:36:09 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147931632 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147932135 I agree with this because some people do not get the opportunity they need in order to speak out. Some of us take the opportunity of speaking for granted, but not everyone has the same privileges we do. It is hard when something really bad has happened to you, sometimes just keeping it to yourself makes it easier on you but in reality telling someone can make a huge difference.]]> 2017-01-18 19:37:54 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147932135 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147932239 i agree with this statement because if you think too much on what you are going to say you might begin to second guess yourself and not say what you want to and no one will know your true intentions or meaning]]> 2017-01-18 19:38:12 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147932239 https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147932463 I agree with this statement, because it is written in our Constitution that we have the freedom of speech, so we should not have to worry about what others think about our opinion. For example, one thing that stood out to me throughout the novel was how unconfident Melinda was when it came to speaking. ]]> 2017-01-18 19:38:48 UTC https://padlet.com/paul_bowers/zlszkr433z6i/wish/147932463