An Garrulous Novel: Speak

Bibliographic Details: 
Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson, October 1999, Farrar Straus Giroux

Summary:
Melinda Sordino, the narrator and protagonist of the novel Speak, attends Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York. The novel starts off on the first day of high school for Melinda and she is outcast. Melinda had friends the year before but now she doesn’t because she called the cops at Kyle Rodgers’s party at the end of the summer. Melinda lost her best friend Rachel because of that and now Rachel hates her. As the outcast, Melinda gets things thrown at her and refuses to speak up about it. Melinda refers to a guy in her high school as “IT” and describes him as her nightmare. “IT” is why Melinda mouth is stitched up and can’t be able to talk to anyone without freezing up. On page 96, Melinda reveals “IT”, her nightmare as Andy Evans. Melinda keeps in a closet every day after school to hold thoughts of the beast (Andy) scraping away, inside her.

At the end of the book, Melinda finally describes what happened with Andy Evans before her first year of high school and why everybody hates her. Near the end-of-the summer of last year, Melinda was raped by Andy Evans and that is why she called 911. She doesn’t say anything though, just like when Andy was raping her. As the school year comes to an end, Melinda goes to her hiding place to pick up some things she left. Andy interrupts her, starts to complain about her stating she raped him. Andy accuses her of being jealous of Rachel. As he attempts to rape her again, she breaks her silence saying, "NNNOOO!!!" Melinda regains her friends back and even begins to SPEAK about the whole incident to Mr. Freeman.

Quotation:
“My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them” (Anderson 51).

Quotation Context:
The quotation above symbolizes the closet to her mind. Melinda refurbished the closet by hanging a poster over an unwanted mirror; sweeping and mopping the floor; and scrubbing down the shelves. Melinda refurbished her mind the same way by blocking things out and making sure nothing comes out. It’s like she trying to refurnish her mind to something that will hold the thoughts of her guilt and anger. The closest substitutes her place of comfort where she can read and talk alone. The closest allows her to keep to herself and is the only place where she is herself.

An Unbelievable Story: Confessions of a Video Vixen

Bibliographic Details:
Confessions of a Video Vixen, Karrine Steffans, July 1, 2005, Harper Collins

Summary:
Steffans was born in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and spent most of her childhood there. Steffans has a very close relationship with grandmother but sadly an abusive relationship with her mother. Steffans grew up in poverty, not having any hot water and living in a one bedroom apartment with her grandmother, aunts, and uncles living with her. Steffans was raped in a hotel room by a boy named Rodney during her childhood also. One of Steffans’ boyfriends mother introduced her into stripping but then she stopped and starting dating a rapper named Kool G Rap. While Steffans lived with her abusive boyfriend G and she attempts to kill herself by taking a full bottle of prescription pills and playing with his gun. Steffans eventually conceives a baby with her boyfriend G after numerous miscarriages caused by the abuse. Steffans moved to LA to leave her boyfriend. While in LA Steffans didn’t spent time with her son and spent most of her time partying and having sexual encounters with different men.

Steffans met famed music-video director Hype Williams and he had Steffans appear in her first music-video with Jay Z. Steffans did numerous music videos after that including Ja Rule’s “Between Me and You”, Mystikal’s “Danger” and “Hot”. Also Steffans met director F. Gary Gary and he had Steffans star in his film “A Man a Part” with Vin Diesel. Steffans became a drug addict and an alcoholic. Steffans spent so much money on drugs and alcoholic, she didn’t have any money for her bills. Steffans started dancing in clubs to pay her bills and met a lawyer who gave her money. In her epilogue, Steffans writes that because of what she went through, it made her a stronger woman. Steffans is on her own and providing for her son and herself only. She loves her son and the life that they have together.

Quotation:
“As I grow older, I realize that I had to go through it all in order to reach my destiny in life. ….I used to pity myself, but now I rejoice in who I have become and am excited about who I will be” (Steffans 204).

Quotation Context:
The quotation above shows how she realized her mistakes, what she was doing wrong and what she learned from it. Before that, Steffans underwent a lot of thematic violence including the physical abuse from her mother and ex-husband. The rape she encountered during her childhood and the exotic dancing she perform at clubs. Steffans was a teenage runaway, a drug addict, and an alcoholic. Steffans got so caught up in the party life that she missed any time with her son and became broke. After, Steffans began to see her life going around in a circle; repeating the same mistakes over and over. Steffans got her life back on track and was seeing her son more often. All of these events happened for a reason and motivated Steffans to a brighter light in the end. Steffans believed she made it through these horrible events because God was at her side and He still is. This quotation changed my thoughts after reading the last chapter because I thought she was mainly trying to get back at the dudes she slept with and put their whole business out there. After this quote, I felt she told us about the relationships because we needed to know how far she has come to get where she is now. We don’t know the impact unless we know the start.