Speak 3 Discussion Questions

Speak 3

Discussion/Study Question

pp. 95-137

 

1.  Discuss what precipitates Melinda’s skipping school and what she does.

 

• Melinda skips school because she missed the bus. Melinda decided to go to the hospital and walk around.

 

 

2.  Was being a child better then being a teenager? In what ways? In what ways is it better to be older? Why is it harder to be in between childhood and adulthood?

 

• Being a teenager is better than being a child because you learn how to drive and you learn more interesting facts as you get older.  It is hard when you are in between childhood and adulthood because you are still too young to do what adults do but want to.

 

3.  Analyze the reference to the symbols in The Scarlet Letter and how Melinda would adapt the letter “A.”

 

• Hester adapts the letter A and Melinda adapts the letter “S”, for stupid, silent, scared, silly, and shame.

 

 

4.  Discuss the dissolution of Melinda and Heather’s friendship and the effect it has on Melinda. What is the meaning of friendship?

 

 

• Melinda and Heather are no longer friends and Melinda is affected by this because she has no one to talk or eat with at lunch. The meaning of friendship to me is some one that always has your back and they respect you.

 

 

5.  Analyze the events and affects of Valentine’s Day on Melinda and the aftermath.

 

• Melinda found an envelope on her locker when she got to school. She was so surprised and thought it was a joke. She tried to figure out who had put the Valentine note on her locker all day but never did.

 

 

6.  Melinda wishes her science teacher would teach them about love and betrayal instead of about the birds and bees. Where do we learn about things like that? Can we learn love from a book? Explain?

 

• We learn about love and betrayal when we experience those kinds of situations. There are books written which can help you with your love life.

7.  Discuss what happens when Melinda is placed in In-School Suspension. How would you react to this situation?

 

• When Melinda goes to ISS, her worst enemy, Andy Beast, sits right next to her. If I had to sit by my worst enemy, I would ask to change seats.

 

 

8.  Analyze Mr. Freeman’s effect on Melinda, inside and outside the art class. Do you agree with his statement, “When people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time?”

 

• Yes, I do agree with Mr. Freeman’s statement.  I feel that when a person expresses themselves, they learn who they are and what they stand for.

 

 

9.  Mr. Freeman tells his class, “You must walk alone to find your soul.” What does that mean? Is it true? What is a soul?

 

• I think you soul stands for what type of person you are and what you believe in.  If you are always surrounded by friends, you will start to act like them and not who you really are.  I think this is true.

 

10.  Mr. Freeman also says that, “art is about making mistakes and learning from them.” What else is like this? Explain?

 

• Relationships and life are like art because when you make a mistake or make the wrong choice, you learn from those them.  Just like when you colored out of the lines as a child, you learned not to do that.

 

 

11.  Examine Melinda’s self-image and her survival techniques after Heather’s rejection.

 

• Melinda became depressed and started skipping school which kept her away from Heather.

 

12.  Examine Melinda’s revelation about the night of the party and its residual effect on her.

 

• Melinda sleeps on the porch roof when she gets home and wonders if the sun will ever come up again.  Melinda’s next report shows many bad grades except for art.