Speak
Symbol Essay
The purpose of this essay is to prove how the tree in the book Speak served as a symbol for Melinda
herself, or her struggle throughout the book. You are to use detail and quotes from the book to
support and develop the ideas that you presented in your thesis.
Your essay should follow a five paragraph essay structure. You need to:

Begin with an introduction. You should start by getting the attention of your reader in some
way. Include background information and a lead in to your thesis. Your intro should end with a
thesis statement that clarifies the importance of your symbol.

Your three body paragraphs should go on to elaborate on your thesis by detailing the symbolic
nature of your symbol further proving the significance you point out in your thesis.
Remember to rely on imagery to bring the importance of your symbol to light. Use specific
events and details to support your point. Use quotes as the evidence.

Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence in which you point out the focus of your
paragraph. Your topic sentence should be an extension of your thesis statement so that you
are constantly connecting your ideas. It should also start with a transition word. Then
provide a context for your quote before you present it, which means explain using detail and
imagery what is happening at the point of the book from which your quote comes. Remember
to introduce quotes without directly referencing them, and use complete sentences.
Following the quote, provide analysis that deals directly with your quote and explains how it
supports the point established in your thesis.

The conclusion should revisit your thesis statement using detail from your essay to reword
perhaps using more detail. Put your symbol into perspective by reflecting on the journey you
have taken us on in your essay by summarizing the points you made in your body paragraphs.
Then, much like the end of the novel, reveal what you intend for your reader to learn. This
should be implied, not directly stated.
Intro example:
She should be hanging out with friends, making plans for homecoming and attending football
games, but instead she sits holed up in a closet. The dank room littered with cobwebs comforts
the girl who wants to remain concealed from view. If she could only disappear into the concrete
walls that surround her, she might be able to avoid the pain she must inevitably face. This girl,
Melinda, the main character from the book Speak struggles to fit in as a freshman in high school since
her friends have disowned her after she called the cops at a party over the summer. Little do her
friends know that Melinda was raped at the party. Throughout her entire freshman year, Melinda,
uncomfortable in her own skin, struggles to find her voice and hides in a janitor’s closet at school in
order to avoid everyone, even her own family. Melinda identifies with the closet right away
because she herself feels abandoned and disregarded. The people in her life have cast her off
not bothering to attempt to find out her truth. Like the closet, Melinda feels forgotten, stagnant,
and anonymous.
B.P. example:
Since Melinda feels a sense of abandonment she related to the closet in this way. At the beginning of high school, she
longs to go unnoticed. She shrouds herself in a space covered in dust, dirt, grime, and cobwebs. In this place, she feels
safe, concealed from the view of her classmates and teachers. Melinda seeks refuge in her closet almost immediately
after school starts and often escapes to it when her school day ends rather than going home. Even when she reaches her
safe haven, she still cannot escape the emotional struggle within her, and laments that she cannot escape from her
reality:
I know my head isn’t screwed on straight. I want to leave, transfer, warp
myself to another galaxy. I want to confess everything, hand over the guilt
to someone else. There is a beast in my gut…my closet is a good thing, a
quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one
can hear them. (Speak, pg. 51)
Melinda, conscious of her fragile mental state, wishes to vanish from her school, her home, and her reality. While
Melinda is not suicidal, she does not know what to do with her pain. She knows that to “confess” what happened will
lead her to heal, she does not know how to allow herself to speak. The personifies the secret she keeps as “the beast”
within her, indicating that keeping her violent meeting with Andy a secret gnaws at her insides and reeks havoc on her
physically and emotionally. Because Melinda feels that no one in her life can make themselves available to help her
through this, she feels deserted. She holes up in her closet which she appreciates because she thinks hiding out is
helping her, when in fact, it ultimately hinders her from healing. Melinda is only able to overcome her strife when she
determines that she no longer needs the closet.
Conclusion example:
Since the closet embodies the negative qualities that Melinda sees in herself, she calls it home for most of her
freshman year. The grotesque closet allows her to heal her pain by giving her the physical space she needs to
sort through her emotions. Eventually, Melinda decides she no longer needs the space and gathers her things.
She ultimately proves that she has regained her strength and voice when Andy attempts to attack her again in
her sacred space, she stands up to him, physically threatening him. Melinda still suffers because of her ordeal,
but she no longer wallows in her pain; instead, she allows herself to grow from her experience. Everyone
experiences some strife at some point in their lives, and without the support of someone or something, it is nearly
impossible to heal emotional wounds.
A good conclusion with revisit your thesis, reflect on your experiences, and reveal what you
have learned through this journey.
A typed rough draft of your essay is due ____________________. It will be worth 30 points.
A final draft (100 pts) will be due ___________________________.
Your essay will be graded on the following:

Do you have a creative title? (5)

Do you have an introduction that begins by getting the attention of your reader, describes
your symbol, and builds up to your thesis statement? (8)

Does your thesis statement discuss your symbol and its importance? (5)

Do each of your three body paragraphs effectively explore the significance of your symbol
providing topic sentences and analysis along with quotes? (33)

Does your conclusion revisit thesis, reflect on your journey and reveal a theme? (9)

Do you make a valid attempt to use your voice in your writing using diction? (10)

Do you focus on imagery throughout your essay to enrich the story of your symbol? (10)

Is it typed and double-spaced? (10)