The Symbolism Of Mascots In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

In “Crime and Punishment: The saga of Richie Parker” published in Sports Illustrated, Gary Smith helps to explain just how many people are affected by a single sexual assault case. He does this in a very unique style by giving 12 sections explaining the incident from different points of view and the effects of a single crime. One person affected was Jill Agostino, the sports copy editor for Newsday. Her unnamed colleague had given her a copy of an article he was writing on Richie Parker and called asking if she liked it. Little did he know, stories like his were keeping her up at night, reminding her of the time she was raped nine years earlier.

Laurie Halse Anderson pours in so much care for the character that the reader cannot help but feel concern for her well-being. Melinda’s rough freshman school year is quite similar to the lives of those who are victims of sexual assault. The author is trying to get the point across that sexual assault is a terrible thing and that victims need to speak up. Having an anonymous way for women to report rape and for the attackers to be found guilty would promote an environment of safety

Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island (2013) by high-powered attorney Regina Calcaterra is a memoir of her extremely abusive childhood and the path she and her sisters took toward success. The book became a bestseller around the globe. Its themes include resilience, abuse, and the drive to help others. The memoir is conveyed in the present tense.

When a young person is sexually assaulted, they often do not understand what has happened and will not come forward immediately. Often their feelings and thoughts are internalized which can help to create more trauma due to not coping in a way that will promote healing. The vicious cycle of isolation is prominent in Melinda’s coping strategy. When Melinda isolates herself from her peers by hiding in the janitor’s closet, the rejection she feels from her peers is being negatively reinforced; therefore, encouraging Melinda to continue isolating herself. Isolation is not always productive because it allows for rumination which can be damaging to a youth’s self-esteem and confidence.

“A person, animal, or object adopted by a group as a symbolic figure especially to bring them good luck”. This is the definition of a mascot and Willie the Wildcat is one of them. The Mascot Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for the United States mascots. To get into the Mascot Hall of Fame you have to have an impact on the sport and community, have groundbreaking performances, and is memorable and unique. It’s important that Willie the Wildcat should be nominated for Mascot Hall of Fame because they want to remember the mascots and their great effects on the community.

When people talk about mascots being named after Indian cultures they think that the Indians being recognized should feel honored. However, when that team plays their rival the other fans are taught to hate those people causing them to hear hateful and degrading comments throughout their lives. “If it’s the team’s tradition, then it’s a legacy of bigotry.” (Wulf). People don’t show respect for Native Americans they use them to create a profit.

Macy Scharpf Chin Honors English 9, Period 4 23 January 2023 Past events can often define the actions someone takes and who they are in the present. If society takes the time to analyze these actions, individuals can figure out the feelings of one another in a certain moment. “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson delineates the thoughts and feelings of a teenage girl, Melinda, as she navigates the highs and lows of high school, while carrying the weight of a past traumatic event. In the passage from the book, “Speak”, author Laurie Halse Anderson uses different types of figurative language such as similes and metaphors, as well as repetition to reveal Melinda’s negative thoughts on her past and current feelings about high school.

Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak is a novel that makes a definite argument. In short, the novel argues that if you are a victim of a sexual assault, you will need to speak about it in order for yourself to grow and heal. As you probably know, there are lots of difficult reasons why victims of sexual assault might have a hard time speaking up about what's happened to them. Like Melinda Sordino, main character of Speak, they might be ashamed or afraid of what will happen if they tell. Speak is the story of Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman.

The state of California vs Brian Banks In early 2002 a 16 year old football prodigy, Brian Banks was excused from class with a hall pass to use the restroom, where he met up with 15 year old female, Wannetta Gibson. The two went into the elevator with intent to go to the infamous “ make out “ spot, when Wannetta was allegedly raped by her fellow classmate. When Wannetta went back to class she wrote a note to her stating that, “ she use to be a virgin but she ain’t one anymore because Brian had raped her.” After school that evening she informed her sister that she had been assaulted, and then her sister urged her to report it to the school administration.

At first glance, the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker appears to be a typical gothic horror novel set in the late 1890s that gives readers an exciting look into the fight between good and evil. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that Dracula is a statement piece about gender roles and expectations for men and women during the Victorian age. Looking at the personalities, actions, and character development of each of the characters in Dracula bring to light startling revelations about Victorian society and how Stoker viewed the roles of men and women during this time period. To really understand Dracula, it is important to note that this novel was written during a time “of political and social upheaval, with anxieties not just about the

The horror genre of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, combined with mild eroticism is able to draw in readers due to the fact that Stoker is able to intricately weave suspenseful sexual scenes/scenes of desire throughout the novel—making it clear that

Throughout the excerpt from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Stoker utilizes diction to convey the central idea that peoples’ worst fears lie in the unknown. In this section, the narrator is being held captive by an unknown entity. He begins to feel that his only hope is to understand the captor and starts to question the manner of the individual. In an effort to express the central idea, Stoker employs diction.

Gothic horror novel Dracula, the title character makes only several relatively short appearances, some of which are while in disguise. Throughout the novel, Stoker keeps Count Dracula in the shadows, both literally and figuratively. This essay will describe these appearances and analyze Stoker’s use of them to determine what effect they might have on the impression of the character and the novel overall. It will be claimed that by keeping his title character hidden for much of the novel, Stoker’s Dracula is made much more frightening to the reader. Human beings tend to fear the unknown, and by leaving Dracula to the imagination,

The main character of Speak is named Melinda and she faces social affiliation throughout the book. My first reason is her group of friends that stopped being her friend after she called the police on a party. “I am outcast” as Mel said when nobody in the school will talk to her. Her former best friend, Rachel, became the popular person and Rachel hates her. Second reason is Heather and Melinda not being friends anymore.

Laurie Anderson’s young adult novel “Speak” is fulfilled with symbols, good and bad, static and not static. The high school girl, Melinda Sordino, stops speaking after being raped by a classmate. The author uses symbolism in order to illustrate Melinda’s emotional trauma, and how Melinda tries to overcome it. Three the most complex symbols in the novel are a poster of Maya Angelou, an oak tree, and a name of her teacher –Mr. Freeman.