Another archetype in Speak is Mentor. Melinda thought she was all alone but throughout the book she had her art teacher cheering her on. Her art teacher understood her pain, even though he physically didn't go through it. He kept letting her redue her painting even though she was supposed to have done it months earlier. He kept failing all of her pictures because he couldn't see the life in them. On the last page of the book Mr Freeman says
"You get an A+. You worked hard on this.' He hands me a box of tissues. 'You've been through a lot, haven't you?' The tears dissolve the block of ice in my throat. I feel the frozen stillness melt down through inside me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor. Words float up. 'Let me tell you about it."Sorry for the long quote but this ties both the transformation and the Mentor archetype together. I really liked this quote, because it showed how much Melinda had grown throughout the book. Before she couldn't tell anybody about herself. But after Andy tried to rape her again and got caught, people finally saw who she was. She was finally comfortable sharing her story with the world. The block of ice in her throat was melting at last.
I like how this story ends. She gets past the hard problems in her life and finally realizes that she can be happy. Melinda just needed to open up and push herself through the pain.
ReplyDeleteTransformations could be a good and a bad thing... This book shows very valuable life lessons. Overall, I would want to put this on my reading list!
ReplyDeleteI like how you used the transformation archetype for Melissa. She changed throughout the story and got more comfortable with telling people her story. It really shows how people can affect your life.
ReplyDeleteSpeak is the name of the book? I like after her difficulties she came out and was confident about the situation, this shows strength and forgiveness. I can see this book has a lot of life lessons! I like this, I might want to read this.
ReplyDeleteFrom where Melinda was to were she is now is a truly remarkable story, and offers many good life lessons. Her mentor helped show her that people believe her, allowing her to find those who understand her and listen to her, removing that ice cube from her throat and casting aside Andy after his actions.
ReplyDeleteAs a side question: Do Rachel and Melinda make amends? Considering they were best friends before, would they make amends after Rachel hears about Andy's actions.
Hey thanks guy. I think this book definitely has some valuable lessons. I love how Melinda figured out her life and grew as a person. To fournallen, I personally think Melinda transformation was a good thing. She was no longer scared of what could happen to her at any moment. She finally felt comfortable in her skin.
ReplyDeleteTo Trey yeah Speak is the name of the book. I would command this book to anybody. It has a lot of life lessons and anybody can relate to feeling like Melinda even if you have never been in her situation. To Sean, Rachel and Melinda actually make amends. After Andy tries to rape Melinda again, Rachel finally listens to Melinda. She dumps Andy (because she had been dating him) and becomes friends with Melinda.
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