what page does melinda find the closet

In the closet, Melinda unfolds a paperclip and uses it to scratch her wrist. Me: “I said no.”, Instant downloads of all 1413 LitChart PDFs  It is her escape.Â. She puts decorations that describe her personality such as a poster of Maya Angelou (page 50). She leaves the closet to walk home, but is instead drawn in by the end of the game. They use their closet as a sanctuary to hide from reality, often times because of something that has happened in the past. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the inside of my ribs. closet. 2. When someone has skeletons in their closet that means they have something they do not want anyone to know about. The librarian gave Melinda the poster. When Melinda looks into the mirror, she sees a Picasso sketch, her body slicing into. She needs this room to collect herself. She gives Melinda a pillow. One moment that … It is where she goes to hide her secret from the world, and thus one of the few spaces she feels comfortable and safe. She ignores most people and is ignored by all. She's been redecorating it. Melinda's parents tell her she must get tutoring from her teachers every day after school. "Pearl broke away from her mother,and, running to the brook, stooped over it, and bathed her forehead... “There was more than one account of what had been witnessed on the scaffold” (Hawthorne, 304). It was a positive place that held her highly symbolic sculpture, a poster of a famous author known as Maya Angelou and a chair to sleep in. It symbolizes her life because she's been forced intro isolation by the people around her, in addition to imposing isolation on herself. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. everyone else and be "normal." Why is Melinda worried about Rachel/Rachelle? Neck (also after missing homework), and stumbles upon an old janitor’s, ...to use the distraction of the Homecoming pep rally in order to clean up her, ...after school for extra help from her teachers, but she responds by hiding in her, ...that she will never be able to “dump the memory.” She is grateful for the, ...begins to have a panic attack; she hears “a cracking inside me,” rushing to her, ...Melinda sketches “a willow tree drooping into water” to tape on the inside of her, ...algebra class, Melinda realizes with a start that she doesn’t want to hide in her, Feeling assaulted by even his words, Melinda tries to leave, but he locks the, ...potpourri and her books at him. Closet: her closet has her pictures of trees on the wall, a portrait of Maya Angelou, her turkey-bone sculpture from the ruined Thanksgiving, a chair. Next stop: the closet. It is the perfect place for me. When Melinda returns to school, she often finds the academic aspects challenging and the social pressures and bullying unbearable. this change. How do you interpret the artwork that Melinda makes with the turkey carcass and the Barbie head? We learn why Melinda is an outcast at the Homecoming pep rally. Melinda's statement that she has to stay away from the ... Melinda is cleaning out the janitor's closet when Andy comes in there. No Rachel, no Heather, not even a silly, geeky boy who would like the inside girl I think I am. that the closet is not the answer to her problems. "This Closet is abandoned - it has no purpose, no name.  It is the perfect place for me" (26). Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze. "(125) Melinda is realizing at this point in the story -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the symbol Melinda’s Closet appears in, ...Melinda then evades Mr. The closet is like a bubble, where it is only Melinda and her thoughts, and no one can interrupt her. Melinda brought books in to read, while she was skipping class, as well as a pad of excuse notes that the teachers at her school used. Although Mel seems to be showing how dreadful her life is, she is quietly expressing where she finds true peace and comfort. Definition: sad and outcast. Teachers and parents! 4. Term: What happened in Melinda's past. Melinda thinks that Greta-Ingrid has come a long way with her English. It … It’s like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis. represent her desire to change, now she needs to find out how to accomplish I reach in and wrap my fingers around a triangle of glass. "The first thing to go is the mirror" pg. The phrase "Skeletons in my closet" comes to mind when I read about Melinda and her love of closets. Mel's lack of confidence is a driving factor behind this because she does not have to be judged by anyone in these places. It is getting harder to talk. A janitors closet. What is wrong with me? To go to his house for a party. ", "Let me tell you about it/ Words float up". As he pins her by the throat against the, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. I stuff my mouth with old fabric and scream until there are no sounds left under my skin. May finally brings warm weather to Syracuse. The closet also represents the prison of silence that Melinda has fashioned for herself; it makes her feel secure, but isolates her from all others. I hold it to Andy Evans’s neck. Not symbols, but interesting and important metaphors and images, The A on Hester and Dimmesdale's toombstones. At first he confronts her and then he attacks her. In Laurie Halse Anderson's novel Speak, the main character Melinda creates a safe haven for herself in an unused janitor's closet in her school.Over the course of … 1.  The closet is like a bubble, where it is only Melinda and her thoughts, and no one can interrupt her. Where does Melinda go on the last day of spring break and whom does she see there? Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart.”. Melinda notices that her yard is a mess and decides to clean it up—a significant undertaking. The closet is now becoming that place as well. Melinda's closet functions in a similar manner. (43.6). "I am trapped with Andy Evans"(193).  Throughout the novel the Janitor's closet has been a place where Melinda has gone to hide from the harshness of her life. I rock, thumping my head against the cinder-block wall. Her father is impressed with her work and invites her to the hardware store. This represents Mel's self estem, specifically her lack of it.  It shows because she doesn't want to see herself because she sees herself as ugly and unattractive.  Out of all the things to do to improve the closet she covers the mirror, which shows how lowly she thinks of herself. What flashback does David's invitation spark in Melinda? I want to leave, transfer, warp myself to another galaxy. I look up. 1. He raises his arms over his head. Even if I dump the memory, it will stay with me, staining me. What does David ask Melinda to do that both excites and frightens her? She tapes a poster of Maya Angelou up over the mirror. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. She uses the paperclip to draw lines on her wrist. Term: What does the word sanctuary mean. ". “Mother, the sunshine does not love you. "... A quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them." Sometimes my mouth relaxes around Heather, if we’re alone. One day after school Melinda retreats to her janitor's closet, not quite ready to go home. His lips are paralyzed. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. These items such as the sculpture, the mirror and the potpourri  ultimately help her defeat that which has haunted Melinda the whole year. This is relevant to Melinda as she sees to be stressed over something she is afraid to let go off. What purpose does Melinda’s closet at school serve? Melinda, heartbroken and lonely, hides and cries in her janitor's closet. I see the stubble on his chin, a fleck of white in the corner of his mouth. How would you best describe Heather? Melinda turns in her last tree picture on the final day of school. Hester's strength and kind heart transformed the Scarlet Letter from a symbol of shame to a symbol of triumph. We'll make guides for February's winners by March 31st—guaranteed. Melinda does not explain, however, why she called the police at the party. It is no coincidence that Melinda had to face Andy in the closet. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. I want to insert the glass all the way through his throat, I want to hear him scream. She pretends to be someone that she is not at school. Mr. Freeman is Melinda’s art teacher who assigned a project to create art based on a word “the destiny” chosen by the students. dissecting cubes. After a couple of days of winter break, Melinda's parents decide she is not going to sit around the house. Why does she cover the mirror, and why do you think she covers it with a poster of Maya Angelou? The entire school now knows what happened in the janitor’s closet, and Melinda has become a kind of celebrity. Definition: sacred place of refuge and protection. "If I felt like talking, I would explain that she couldn't pay me enough to play on her basketball team. In Melinda's case, she definitely is haunted by the skeletons in her closet, and she feels that if she just went into her closet and never came out, everything would be okay, high school would pass by, and she could become a mime and never have to speak again. 3. My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them. Definition: She was raped at a party. After the rape, Melinda notices the sexual objectification of women all around her, whether it be the celebration of the two-sided, sexually promiscuous cheerleaders or Heather's swimsuit modeling career. Melinda does not know how to tell them about that night without also addressing their own whereabouts.  It is a place of refuge for Melinda, a place where no one can hear her, and she does not have to deal with anyone else. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Melinda's secret place (the janitor's closet), is a place where she can go to be alone with her thoughts and not have to "speak" to anyone. She does stay late at school, but she spends her time in the abandoned janitor's closet she found. Melinda leaves the door open a little while she gathers some of her tree drawings and her turkey bone sculpture. Soon she is called in for a conference with her … Melinda refuses but asks him to buy her some seeds. Examine the role that female sexuality plays in Melinda's world. She wants to be like How does it affect Melinda differently from those around her? Struggling with distance learning? "I have to stay away from the closet...I will His name could become a symbol for the novel because the project is like the ability to let out the emotions you have difficulty to release. Frog dissection begins in biology. Another place Melinda finds sanctuary is in the secluded janitor’s closet she finds on page 25. My hand quivers. Term: what is Melinda's mood at the beginning of the story. A famous African American writer, Angelou writes eloquently about her own rape in the memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird sings. Melinda is consatantly putting herself down and she does not care of what people say about her. What does Melinda find in the Senior Wing that delights her? The internal conflict Melinda has going on inside her head regarding Rachel. It's nearly 9 p.m. She races down the hall, but gets drawn into the game and watches the last few minutes from the sidelines. make myself normal. A popular and handsome upperclassman, Andy Evans raped Melinda at a party the summer before Speak begins. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.”, “Mr. (including. Heather's latest attempt to gain popularity is to become a model. A whimper, a peep?" Closet Space. After she finishes cleaning up and she is getting ready to leave, someone pushes her back into the closet and shuts the door; it's Andy. Melinda frequently hides in the supply closet at her school. Term: What is Melinda's art class like. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Farrar Strauss Giroux edition of. Melinda wishes for anything to get rid of the whispers in her mind. He freezes. The first thing Melinda does to feel more comfortable in her new space is to remove the mirror from the wall. "I have to stay away from the closet...I will make myself normal" (125). He cannot speak. Perky and enthusiastic. What does Melinda see when she looks into the mirror? At the beginning of Speak, Melinda despises mirrors. Melinda's hopes are crushed after class when she opens the valentine to find a message from Heather, thanking her for being so understanding about their ended friendship. Mel discovers her true location of peace whenever she is isolated from everyone and everything. What social group does …  The closet is now becoming that place as well. She goes there one last time after school to take her drawings and books. Our. One day she accompanies her mom to work. Mom finds the note on Melinda's desk, and she finds Melinda sleeping in her bedroom closet. He is the main antagonist of the book, and spends much of the narrative harassing Melinda in various subtle but menacing ways. It has been beaten and bruised, but there are new branches on it seeking sunlight. It also represents her isolation, not just how she isolates herself but also that she feels her friends have isolated her. Melinda discovers an abandoned janitor's closet at school, and she converts it a home-away-from home. She throws things at him and he hits her. I want to confess everything, hand over the guilt and mistake and anger to someone else. I know my head isn’t screwed on straight. This detail shows, in its most basic form, that one has to overcome their fears. Throughout the year, Melinda imagines the poster as an empowering force, such as when it … Definition: her art class as a dream following a nightmare.the room is dusty and … Sign in|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. These words are powerful because they (Page 51), Melinda is very insecure and scared by the real world. That’s good enough. She thinks, "If a suicide note is a cry for help, then what is this? Ironically enough this place where Melinda has gone to avoid the repercussions of the events at the end of the summer is the very same place where she must confront the source of her misery: Andy Evans. She sleeps longer than she intended and wakes up to the sound of cheerleaders at the last basketball game of the season. Melinda discovers Mr. Freeman's art class, which will be the silver lining in the cloud that is her school life. This symbolizes her need to hide from the world so she doesn’t have to speak to anyone. Melinda runs to her broom closet hideout and cries. Melinda feels unsafe and isolated in high school; and she responds by isolating herself even further, making an unused janitor’s closet into a hiding place where she can cut class and avoid seeing the peers who mock and despise her. Why? What does Melinda discover is going on at school when she wakes up in her closet? Mel goes through her days dreading every aspect and all of the people around her, but once exposed to an isolated situation, she is at peace and can act herself without being self conscious. Melinda feels lonely and isolated because no one will sit with her and her friends ignore her and people pick on her. How does Melinda feel about the cheerleaders? My throat is always sore, my lips raw. She needs her backpack to carry the blanket, and she leaves the closet to go get her bag from her locker. pg 33, "This Closet is abandoned - it has no purpose, no name. she thinks they are fake and annoying.  Earlier in the book she mentions her "halfway place" where she can escape reality and feel safe. Melinda continues skipping school. The two times that she has been completely alone, while in her house and bed, and the janitors closet, she has been happy and it is noticeable. Although Melinda doesn’t know it, her choice of a poster of Maya Angelou to cover her own reflection in her janitor’s closet is an appropriate one. The secret place is where she isolates herself from all of her peers. The closet is a secret place, reflecting the secret of the rape. One day after school, Melinda sneaks into her janitor’s closet to take a nap because she has had trouble sleeping at home. In algebra class, Melinda has the startling realization that she no longer wants to hide in her janitor's closet. Melinda’s closet represents the double-edged sword of her loneliness; on one hand, she makes the environment rich and creative, adding a … A boy Melinda calls IT scares her, and we suspect the boy did something bad to her at the end-of-the-summer party. She thinks her reflection looks ugly in her bedroom mirror, and covers up the mirror in her closet with a poster of Maya Angelou. Melinda uses the neglected janitor's closet for a place to get away to during school when she doesn't have any where to belong and just wants to get away from the rest of the other people. she is hanging out with Andy. closet shows her growth. A school basketball game. How does Melinda feel the first day of high school? A half-forgotten holiday has unveiled every knife that sticks inside me, every cut. When I close the closet door behind me, I bury my face into the clothes on the left side of the rack, clothes that haven’t fit for years. She falls asleep for several hours and wakes in a panic when she hears a basketball game going on down the hall. In fact, whenever Melinda sees her reflection in the novel, she notices her … She is a very negative person and disregards all the oppertunities that she has. When I wake up in the morning, my jaws are clenched so tight I have a headache. 50, "If I dropped out of high school, I could be a mime." Melinda is in charge of making the first slice down the frog's abdomen and as she does so, she has a flashback to the night of her attack, causing her to faint. Why do you think Melinda views David Petrakis as a hero? It smelled funny, and was quite small, but cozy. LitCharts Teacher Editions. She begs Melinda to come with her to the first photo shoot. It is a place of refuge for Melinda, a place where no one can hear her, and she does not have to deal with anyone else. Additionally, the items inside represent how she has grown since the end of summer. In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the protagonist is a girl named Melinda who is struggling with her identity throughout the book. She decorates this closet with her artwork and tries to make it feel like the room she never had that really describes her. During Melinda’s time in the closet, she imagines that the poster is watching her as she cleans, reads, and watches “the scary movies playing on the inside of my eyelids.” Although Melinda doesn’t know who Maya Angelou is, she still sees the poster as a strong, positive female influence—an appropriate role for the famous author. I push just hard enough to raise one drop of blood. ... Where does Melinda hang her sketch of a willow tree?

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