Summer Reading Project: Blog 4

Prompt: How does the author use symbolism throughout the book?
Speak  by: Laurie Halse Anderson
Pages read: 93 - finished

            Throughout the book it talks about the description of her lips and mouth. The descriptions about her mouth and lips tell that she is unable to speak after what had happened the day of the party.  In the book it describes her mouth as dry, cracked, and swollen. This shows that the description of her lips represent what is inside of her, and what she is keeping hidden. It also shows the shame she feels inside, and how she is unable to take care of herself. Towards the end of the book Melinda begins to talk about the truth of what had happened during the party. The condition of her lips also improve. Melinda's lips and mouth change as Melinda does too. 

            Trees in the book shows a lot about Melinda. A tree is what she had to work with her whole year of art class. I think trees are mentioned in almost eery chapter of the book. It shows how Melinda is growing in her year of high school. In the beginning of the year Melinda struggled to draw realistic trees. This represents her struggle and depression in her life. As she gets better, and starts to talk about herself, and starts talking more, she improves the way she draws trees. It shows that she has grown, and is still growing since the beginning of the school year. Trees grow like Melinda has grown in that high school year.

            In the book she didn't like to look at herself in the mirror. She tried to avoid them, because she wasn't able to face her own reflection. This represents how she wasn't able to face her own feelings as well. In the book she says that she can't see herself. Which shows that her appearance has changed, because of what had happened in the past. In the book she looks at a three-way mirror in a dressing room. One side of it was broken. This represented a part of her that was broken as well.

            Melinda often hides in a supply closet that is in the school. This shows that she needs to hide from the outside world, so she doesn't have to talk to anyone. It also shows her isolation. She isolates herself, and her friends have isolated her. No one knows about the closet space, it is kept a secret in the book. Like how what happened to her at the party was kept a secret as well. Towards the end of the book when the secret is out, she stops hiding in the closet. This represents that she doesn't need to hide the secret anymore. A her secret got out, she began to change in a very good way.

Summer Reading Project: Blog 3

Prompt: Pick 3 pictures that represent your reading. Write a paragraph for each, telling what each item says about what you've been reading. 

Speak by: Laurie Halse Anderson
Pages read: 0 - 93

            The first picture that represents my reading is of a tree. In the book, Melinda has to take an art class. In that class their whole year was to to pick an object to draw, and they would have to work with that picture throughout the whole school year. The object they got they had to have to draw, paint, carve it, and more. The art teacher had pieces of paper with the object they had to draw in a broken globe. They had to randomly pick one piece of paper out without looking. The word she got was "tree". Just as she was going to put it back, because it was "too easy", he told her that she couldn't. He said "You just chose your destiny, you cant change that." Every drawing she draws of a tree, is too simple, and isn't good enough for her art teacher Mr. Freeman. She gets better at it though the year.

            The second picture that represents my reading is of Melinda (from the  movie) have her lips stitched together. In highschool Melinda is very quiet. Many people dislike her because of what she did one year. One year there was at party, and she felt the need to call the police, because something bad had happened to her, and she was scared. Everyone found out it was her who called the police, and were very angry at the fact that people got busted for going to that party. Now she keeps quiet, and tries not to talk to anyone. It is not like she doesn't want friends. She wants to have a group to hang  out with but it is very hard for her to do that, because so many people  knew what she had done. She has made one friend named Heather, but only because she was new and didn't know her. In the book she only talks to a few people, and tries to keep quiet.

            The third picture that represents my reading is of a person alone. She had friends before the whole party incident. She even had her own "clan" like everyone else. They would do everything together. They even dressed as the same thing for Halloween. Now all of her old friends won't even talk to her, or even make eye contact. In the beginning of the year she was completely lonley. She didn't have anyone to talk to, and everyone just ignored her, and looked at her weird. Until she met Heather, but even she didn't seem to like how Melinda acted sometimes. Melinda felt like they were both invisible, so it was no use to join clubs so more people know them. She can't even talk to her parents, because they wont understand her. Melinda and her parents argue sometimes. Her parents sometimes just leave notes for Melinda to read when she gets home.

Summer Reading Project: Blog 2

Prompt: In the  book how does the main character's actions make the people around her feel?

The Pregnancy Project by: Gaby Rodriguez
Pages read: 75 - finished

            Her mother was one one of the few people who were in on her project, and promised to keep it a secret. She helped her make her fake pregnant stomach, and helped her at times when she wanted to quit, because of how stressful it was. She also was extra careful in making sure none of Gaby's siblings would find out about her fake pregnancy. Her sisters and brothers were pretty upset about this. At family gatherings they wouldn't even make eye contact with Gaby and her boyfriend, Jorge. Her older brother, Javier, was the one who was the most upset about this. He was very disappointed knowing that Gaby had broken her promise to do better in her life and achieve her goals. Finding out that she was pregnant, Javier, was very upset. Javier thought that she would be the one to be different and make their mother proud.

            Gaby's boyfriend, Jorge, was also in on it, because he obviously needed to know that it was fake and she wasn't actually pregnant. He also helped, like her mom, to keep her from getting too stressed out, and by making sure it was kept a secret. His parents did not know that she had faked her pregnancy. They were not happy at all, when they found out Gaby was "pregnant". Many of her classmates would be very mean to her at times. One of he friends said that she made a huge mistake and that she was dumb to do that. Most people had low expectations for her future since they thought she had gotten pregnant. They would say that her life is over, would question if she would graduate, and say things like they saw it coming.

            She had to tell the principal about this to make sure that her project could be approved. He helped with getting her project approved by the school board, setting up the assembly for her to present her project, and with dealing with interviewers and news casters.  He overall wasn't against her project but instead was shocked that she wanted to try and pull it off. One teacher was very upset with her. He expected more from her, and was very disappointed to hear that she had "thrown her life away". After revealing that her pregnancy was fake her teacher was even more sad to hear that she had been lying to him this whole time. He felt as if Gaby didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth about the project. Other teachers were very supportive to her.

Summer Reading Project: Blog 1

Prompt: What inspired the author to do this project?

The Pregnancy Project by: Gaby Rodriguez
Pages read: 0 - 75

            One reason why the author was inspired to do the project was the background of her family. This helped inspire her, because every girl from her big family, including her mother, went through teen pregnancy. Gaby, showing the sign of being the most mature one, promised herself that she would never get pregnant as a teen, and focus on her education. When her senior year came around, so did her senior project. The senior project was a project that every senior had to do. It had to include research of some sort, and impact their fellow classmates when they later presented them. Gaby, being the bright student as she was didn't want to do any old project. Instead she wanted to truly impact the lives of her classmates and teachers. To do this she decided to fake a pregnancy, and collect data. The data she collected included the reactions of people from her school, and how people treated her, especially because of her family's background. 

             Another reason why the author was inspired to do the project was, because she wanted to have a different and impact full Senior project. What made her project different was how it wasn't just on paper or shown as a presentation. Instead Gaby decided to actually live her project to collect the data she needed for it. What she did was not only show her class, but show the whole school.  She held an assembly to reveal her secret fake pregnancy. After the truth was discovered by her follow classmates and teachers, many of them had different feeling towards it. Some of them were very upset that she had lied to them for so long about such a serious topic just for a project. Others felt bad, and regretful after hearing and spreading rumors over Gaby's pregnancy, and assuming things about her just because she was "pregnant", and now finding out it was all fake. In the end Gaby's project really did impact people's many lives.

          

            The last reason why Gaby was inspired to do the project was, because she wanted to prove to people that she would have a successful life, and not end up pregnant as a teen like her sisters and mother. As Gaby grew up, she would always be told that she would end up becoming a teen mom. Gaby wanted to prove them all wrong. When Gaby told the school that she wasn't actually pregnant, and she only faked it for her project, it showed the people who thought little of her that she was going to have a great future for herself. During the project many people thought that since she was someone who was smart, she had ruined her chance of having a bright future. This whole project taught many people about stereotypes.