Speak

In the book Speak written by Laurie Halse Anderson, the protagonist, Melinda Sordino, starts off the book saying how everyone hates her, because she called the police at an end of the summer party. But what her peers didn’t know at the time was that she was raped, by a guy named Andy Evans. Because of the fact that she was raped, and hasn’t admitted it to anyone, Melinda suffers from severe depression. In art class Melinda has the task of creating a tree for her yearlong project. I believe that Mel’s tree symbolizes her growth.

For instance in the beginning of the book, Melinda’s tree symbolizes depression and her struggle with herself. But as months pass, Melinda starts to become stronger and happier. For example, her father arranges for a person to come cut the dead branches off the tree outside her house. When a little kid approaches her father, to ask why he’s cutting down the tree he replies, “He’s not chopping it down. He’s saving it. Those branches were long dead from disease. All plants are like that. By cutting off the damage, you make it possible for the tree to grow again. You watch- by the end of summer, this tree will be the strongest on the block.” I think that her father is referring to Melinda, when he says this tree will be the strongest on the block because he knows this depression will pass. On Melinda’s last day of school, she hands in her very detailed tree. The growth of her tree, symbolizes how she has grown as a person. She realizes that, yes she was raped, and she was too drunk and young to understand what it all meant but she’s not going to let it kill her. Melinda knows that she has to keep growing just like her tree. When Melinda finally admits she was raped, her tree begins to grow.

Laurie Halse Anderson writes a very captivating story about a freshman in High school named Melinda Sordino. Melinda suffers from depression, because she was raped that summer at a party. When Melinda admits to her peers that she was raped, she becomes happier and stronger. This being because, a terrible burden was lifted off her shoulders.

 

The Scarlet Letter

     In  the book The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the protagonist, Hester Prynne commits adultery. Because of this, she is sentenced to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest. The scarlet letter represents adultery, but as the story unfolds, various people believe that it represents able. I believe that one of the major symbols of The Scarlet Letter is the actual scarlet letter.

            For instance, in the beginning of the book, the scarlet letter is meant to symbolize shame and for everyone to look down upon Hester Prynne. But as time passes many people start to believe that the “A” that she is wearing symbolizes able. For example in the beginning of the book, Hawthorne describes the letter in detail. The book states that the scarlet letter “ she bore on her breast, in the curiously embroidered letter, a specimen of her delicate and imaginative skill, of which the dames of a court might have availed themselves, to add the richer and more spiritual adornment of human ingenuity to their fabrics of silk and gold.” I think Nathaniel Hawthorne chose to describe the scarlet letter and the placement of the letter in such detail, so that we can get a better visual of Hester Prynne and her punishment. At first many people thought that since Hester bore a letter “A” on her chest, that she was committed to Satan. I believe that the most interesting thing about Hester Prynne is that even though many people gossiped about her and were scared of her, she still walked out in public with her daughter Pearl. She even still took care of the needy. Hester Prynne is a true protagonist, because she doesn’t let what others say about her affect her well-being.

            Nathaniel Hawthorne writes a very compelling story about a women named Hester Prynne, who commits adultery and is sentenced to wear a scarlet letter. Hester Prynne inspires readers to not care about what people say about them. She also inspires people to only do what they feel is right. In the beginning of the story the scarlet letter symbolized adultery, but by the end its meaning changed to able.