Retelling

After trauma from the summer, Melinda enters high school as an outsider. Struggling with everything, even family, she decides to tell what happened over the summer, and why she wouldn’t speak.

If She Told Her Friends Earlier

 Author’s Note: This is an “alternate scene” for the book Speak by Laura Halse Anderson. In the book Mel decided to just watch her friends ignore her instead of trying to tell them what actually happened. In this piece my purpose is to show what would’ve happened if she tried to go tell her friends what happened. This book is written in (the main character) Mel’s point of view and so will my piece.

          It’s the first day of school; and I already know I am going to be ignored. I am expecting this. It’s all because that stupid party. I know I had a reason to call the police but I know they won’t believe me. When I sit down on the bus I see Nicole. What should I do? Should I tell her what happened, or will she just ignore me? I decide to go up and say hi. Just as I predicted, she ignores me. I try to speak again, but she signals for me to leave. I decide it would be in my best interest to walk away. Afterschool on the bus ride home after a horrible day of being ignored I decide to try again. I walk up to her again, but before I can mutter a single word she signals for me to walk away again. I decide instead of walking away this time I am going to just spill all my words out.  At that party over the summer I didn’t mean to ruin an…

“I don’t care what you say I know that you called the police and that ruined my party”, Nicole said blatantly.

I wanted to hurt her at this point! I didn’t call the police at that party for no reason!! Andy Evans it was him.

“What are you talking about?” Said Nicole confusedly.

He raped me. I was too scared to tell anyone but I can’t take the heat from everyone picking on me.

“What would make me believe that?” Stated Nicole

Nicole, we used to be best friends. Why wouldn’t you trust me?

“I don’t know, it just seems like that is a crazy thing that could happen.”  Murmured Nicole

Well it happened. It seems like she feels bad for me. I just walked away. I didn’t say anything else. I go to bed feeling so confused. Not knowing what to expect the next day.

I wake up feeling refreshed. As I’m walking in to the kitchen I see my parents.  There fighting…… again. I am going to just ignore it today. I walk on the bus, and Nicole sits by me? She must feel bad for me. We arrive at school and everyone is talking to me. How many people know? I think I could get used to this.

Later On

It’s almost the end of the year and I think I had a great freshman year. I am keeping my grades up! All my friends took my side and like me and my parents stopped fighting. I’m glad I made the choice to tell my friends what happened at the party.

Your Past Affects Your Future

Authors Note: This is a prediction essay on the book Speak by Laura Halse Anderson. The purpose is to show what I predict will happen later in the book.

Speak by Laura Halse Anderson is a book about a girl that used to have a lot of friends in middle school but then during a party over the summer she called the police. First year of high school is hard enough but now with no friends it is even harder. I predict that she will eventually find a group of friends that like her and will accept her even after what she did. I also predict that something happened at the party and that is why she called the police. There are many reasons to support these predictions.
           Supporting the first prediction, I feel that she will find a group of friends because she has one friend now that moved from Ohio and she doesn't know what happened over the summer. This girl is very involved and does a ton of school activities. Also she is starting to get people to like her so maybe she will get them to like the main character too.

           This is a scene showing what would happen if my prediction came true: Heather seems to have been meeting a lot of new people. I think this is a mistake. I don’t think she should be doing this. They are probably going to hate her. She’s walking towards me, what should I do? I think she’s going to tell me to talk to her so called “friends”.

“Hey, Melinda!” Heather said excitedly. “I met some new people! Their names from left to right are John, Sarah, Sidney, Jack, Carter, Lillie and Gabe. I wouldn’t want you to get them mixed up. Do you want to go talk to them?”

………………

“No? Are you sure?” Heather stated.

Well I guess we can go talk to them.

“Great!” Heather shouted.

Hi guys…. (I don’t want to be here). They look like a nice group of people, they kind of look like nerds. Oh well, at least Heathers making friends.  I probably won’t make any this year because of what I did over the summer. I can’t believe people could hold such strong grudges against me. It was one party, won’t there be more?  What am I supposed to do, or say or think around her “new friends”? Maybe some of them might talk to me. I don’t recognize any of them so maybe they weren’t at the party.

“Hi, Melinda is it?” Carter muttered

I reply with a simple and nervous “uh uh”, I felt like a nervous wreck, I didn’t know what to say. All these eyes were peering on me and no one else. 

“Sidney why don’t you show Melinda your talent?” Murmured Sarah

Talent? What talent?

“If you don’t understand something Sidney can figure it out for you and help you with it.” Uttered Gabe.

Oh really? Well I am really struggling in some subjects, could you please please please tutor me or at least help me?

“I guess I could.” Muttered Sidney

These people are becoming my friends. I hang out with them more and since that everything has been working really well. I’m finishing everything and I’m doing well on tests. Sidney is the best. I can’t believe I left other people control my life before.

There are a lot of supporting details on that prediction as well as my second prediction. I think someone raped her at the party because it doesn't seem like she would've called the police for no reason. Also there is this guy that she calls a bunch of different names. At the begging she calls him IT, then she calls him by his real name Andy.  She also calls him names like Andybeast. She says this sentence after IT comes by her and tries to talk to her, "IT found me again. I thought I could ignore IT."(pg.86) I think she calls him these names and says these things because he is the guy that raped her.
          This girl had many friends but because of one mistake no one likes her anymore. My predictions (she will eventually find a group of friends that understand and like her for who she is and she will tell the reader or a friend what really happened at the party, which I believe she got raped but just never told anyone) have many supporting details and many reasons why they may come true. What had happened in the past has very much affected her future.

Thoughts From the Brain

Author's note: This is a point of view piece on the short story Thank You, Ma'am.

       
            Right foot, left foot, right foot left foot. Don’t forget to breathe. Right fo…. Aghhhh whats that. Quickly react, something's touching my purse. It’s a boy, about fifteen years old. Now what is he doing? He is trying to steal my purse, aghhh don't let him. Pull back. Pull! Oops he fell. Should I pick him up or leave him there? Ah whatever I'll just kick him in the blue jean sitter. Lets pick him up. Now what does he think he's doing? He was probably just hungry. Oh he doesn’t have a family, that makes me feel bad.

          I'm hungry, do you think he wants anything to eat? I will make some food. I wonder if he actually liked it. He's walking away….. Hmmm should I trust him? I guess if he runs I could just call the police, so I'll trust him. Wow he is changing, I feel maybe I shall let him get those shoes. I guess I will give him some money to buy those shoes. I really hope he doesn’t go stealing more purses.

Have you ever gotten that feeling,

 you don’t want to let go?

Then it starts heating,

and you almost blow.

Once it starts to fade,

you go hide in the shade.

Then you realize what you’ve gained,

but still you feel the pain

The feelings lost,

and so are you.

Your heart feels like frost,

really cold and very blue.

Even though it’s in the past,

you try not to but you still look back.

Your heart sinks very low,

you let it drop until you let go.

Family Conflicts Caused By War

Author’s Note: This is a compare and contrast piece, comparing the characters from the movie “The Patriot” and the book April Morning.

            The decision by a young man to go to war has an impact on all of his family members. In the book April Morning by Howard Fast many conflicts arose due to Adam’s (the oldest son) desire to enter the Revolutionary war and the father’s reluctance to see his oldest son put himself in danger. In the movie “The Patriot” by Mel Gibson there are similar challenges faced by the family regarding the decision to enter the war. For example the father not wanting his son to go to war, but in this case Gabriel (Benjamin’s oldest son) is old enough to make his own decisions. Adam’s mom also has opinions about his decision but Gabriel’s mom is not there to give that type of advice. In these two stories there are many similarities and differences with how the characters respond to the conflicts created within the families as a result of war.

In this case Moses and Benjamin’s sons want to enter the war but both adults are aware of the dangers they may encounter and are afraid they might get hurt. Having served in a prior war Moses felt he had more experience than his son Adam. Moses did not want Adam to fight in the war because he felt he was too young and was not aware of the dangers that can be encountered in war. In contrast Gabriel is old enough to make his own decision on entering war but Benjamin was a great war hero in the French and Indian war and so he has great knowledge and knows that Gabriel is not ready for the risks. Benjamin cannot stop Gabriel so he decides to join the war to watch over him unlike Moses because Moses can overrule Adam’s decisions. These characters face many similar conflicts but have different ways of solving them.

            Gabriel and Adam were young men in their late teens, with desires to enter the war to defend their freedom from Britain. Neither of the boys were concerned about their personal safety and with little experience did not understand the dangers of war. They both argued with their fathers over the same reasons. Their fathers did not believe that they were ready for war and thought that they were too young and inexperienced. Adam was only 16 and as a result his father was able to overrule his decision to enter the war. Gabriel on the other hand was 18 and considered a man. He was allowed to decide on his own if he should enter the war or not. Adam’s mother (Sarah) is also a big factor in his decision. She gives him advice, as all mothers do. Gabriel does not have a mother anymore. She had died when he was young and now when Gabriel and his father are away at war his other siblings are left to be cared for by his aunt (Charlotte). Adam and Gabriel both wanted to fight, not just to fight but to fight for their freedom and both fathers are oblivious to it.

            Both of the female characters Charlotte and Sarah exhibited a strong giving nature just like mothers even though one was not. Sarah was the mother of Adam and played a key role in his life, but Charlotte was only the aunt of Gabriel and the other siblings, although she had acted as a substitute since their mother had passed away. Charlotte as only being an aunt did not offer an opinion on Gabriel wanting to go to war but Sarah being Adam’s mother advised him that he shouldn’t go. Both women also experienced the tragedies of war first hand since the battles occurred close to their homes. From both perspectives they saw the violent side of war but Charlotte also saw and experienced the cruel side of it. When the war was occurring the British soldiers burned down her house because they knew that she was related to Benjamin. These female characters played an important role that was affected by the decisions of the male characters during the war.

            War creates many conflicts between family members. The youthful inexperience is shown in these two stories by the two eldest sons who are unconcerned and unaware of the dangers of war. The more experienced fathers want to protect their sons from the dangers of war and the other family members are left to deal with the ramifications of the decisions. These characters have many similarities and differences despite the different challenges that occur in their lives.