Characters definition, the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. With over 220,000 names in our database, you can also specify language, nationality and other factors to give your character the perfect name. First, decide whether youll refer to your character by his or her full name, first name, surname, or a nickname. With kristen stewart, elizabeth perkins, richard hagerman, allison siko. As melinda points out, linda means pretty in spanish. About speak speak summary character list glossary themes quotes and analysis part 1. All i can remember is that the cover is of a girl and her hair is braided to the side.
It sounds cheesy, we know, but by the end of the story melinda is starting to see herself as pretty again. Speak network, a christian student campaigning network. The constitution does not recognize different classes of citizenship based on time spent living in the country. The story follows the experiences of social outcast, melinda sordino, during her freshman year at merryweather high school in syracuse, new york. If you think about itcharacter names are actually a specific literary device you can use most sneakily and if you want readers to love, adore, and care for your main character, giving them the best and most memorable name can make all the difference. This allows the teacher to hone in on each students weaknesses and tailor a curriculum to maximize the improvement of. All that crap you hear on tv about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Speak test, the speaking proficiency english assessment kit from the educational testing service. He can assume any form, adopting both glorious and humble shapes. Finding a book when youve forgotten its title by gwen glazer, communications november 22, 2017.
Follow these suggestions for naming fictional characters and then have fun choosing one at the bottom of the page with the random character name generator. Book summary over the summer, she and her friends went to a party and melinda ended up calling the police, causing her friends and everyone at the party to socially reject her. I would categorize the students of merryweather high school as the foreign exchange kids, the goths, the cheerleaders, the artists, the marthas, jocks, country clubbers, and those who are clanless. There are probably thousands of movie examples where names reflect the core essence of a character, some primary value they have, or function they carry in the plot from john book, harrison fords character in witness, a good cop who goes by the book the letter of the law in opposing his friend and mentor, the bad cop chief paul schaeffer, to malcolm. In most cases, each name should clearly represent only one character and keep them distinguished from the others. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak. Rebecca the casual one, who is selfless, but doesnt know how to react in certain situations. Fiona the smart mature one, who always has the answer. It is made very clear from the beginning of the story that melinda is not like everyone else. Who are the characters featured in the book speak by.
Speak is a novel written and published by laurie halse anderson in 1999. There are a few more who appear in the poems and several more who dont speak the members of. Melinda even says herself, i am outcast anderson 4. These things speak volumes about peopletheir background, personality, sensitivity to certain situations. In this post, we have included 5 simple ways to describe characters in your stories three of these ways involve interior characterisation and two, exterior characterisation. I have looked in my personal copy of this book as well as on several websites and can not locate the last name of this character.
The first time he did this i was totally confused, as he had never before mentioned the color of the characters hair. Although melinda is a round character, she is also static. Throughout the story, she seems to be holding on to a secret thats killing her internally. Laurie halse anderson is an author that i hadnt really heard of until i started book blogging, but once i started noticing her name on lists of teen favourites and favourite issue books, i knew i had to try at least one of her books, and speak was by far the one most often mentioned. Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by laurie halse anderson that tells the story of high school freshman melinda sordino. She is very insecure and tries hard to stay as invisible as possible, for the fear of being seen or heard. Also considered the protagonist, she is the character that readers watch bloom from the tormented, quiet girl at. Of course these lists are flexiblenames can often be used either way looking for more help with character development.
She is terribly unhappy, because she is the victim of a vicious rape, and so spends her entire ninthgrade year trying to come to terms with what happened. Head to a baby name website and search for names by gender, popularity, and alphabet. If shown, the year indicates when the book was first published. The writers toolbox faculty articles gotham writers. Speak is set in syracuse, new york, in the specific neighborhood and schoolmerryweather high schoolof melinda sordino in the present day character list. Character speaks is a narrowly focused program designed to address this specific problem. Melinda sordino is the main character of the book speak. Sort using filters such as language, gender, and fantasy and even discover the meaning behind your favorites. Finding a book when youve forgotten its title the new. Anne the loving, skilled girl who is creative, fun, but serious when needed. How characters speak, what they choose to talk about, how they relate to the world verbally. The summer before starting high school, she was raped by a senior student, andy evans.
This is an update of a previous post by sharon rickson. Speak, the first album by the britishamerican dance band londonbeat, 1988. I recall a book i read recently where there was a character who was routinely called by name, but every now and then like once a chapter the author would suddenly refer to him as the redhead. Have two characters talk about another character by name nearby if having a character state her name outright in an introduction feels too clammy to you, concoct a scene where two characters talk about a third character nearby and use her name out loud as an alternative way to share the name with the audience. A book with jim, john, james, jules, and jerry can easily make for a very confusing read. For me, i knowtruly knowa character inside and out when their dialogue starts to come easily. It concerns the assault, her recovery, and eventually confession. Speak characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes.
In the beginning of the book, she seems to isolate herself from the world. A popular and handsome upperclassman, andy evans raped melinda at a party the summer before speak begins. Were talking about character descriptions, after all its quite literally in the name. The storyline of the book speak by laurie halse anderson is about a sexual assault victim named melinda. Overworked and distracted, melindas mother is aware that her daughter has suddenly. It was a series i believe but i am not sure how many books. After accidentally busting an end of summer party due to an unnamed incident, melinda is ostracized by her peers because she will not say why she called the police. She is 15 years old and is beginning her freshman year at merryweather high school. In fact, she and melinda begin to become friends after spending a great deal of time together in mr. As you read the first section of speak list reasons why you believe she might be feeling this way. I am a citizen, with the same rights as your son, or you. Your character names have the ability to transform the perception readers have of your book and story. If you use all five when you write, you will have threedimensional characters.
He is the main antagonist of the book, and spends much of the narrative harassing melinda in various read full character analysis melindas mother. She also does poorly in school, and doesnt socialize very easily with other students. Daphne the girl who always knows what to do and is a great leader. Satan often appears to speak rationally and persuasively, but later in the poem we see the inconsistency and irrationality of his thoughts. Our name generator allows you to create a name with up to five components, so a name can be short and sweet or doublebarrelled and swanky. A couple of clicks, and you may come away with a completely new and interesting name. A former member of the plain janes, melindas middle school friend group, ivy is never as cruel to melinda as rachel is.
Death of the wombat our lady of the waiting room part 3. Its just that if you give an evil character a middle name, you run a greater risk of somebody out there with that exact name and who, in spite of the fact that its fiction, might take offense. Character descriptions arent about doling out every detail in lavish language theyre about succinct characterization. Character name generator the ultimate bank of 2,000,000.
The main character is a girl, and her father is an important character by emma 5 posts 32 views. After a blurred trauma over the summer, melinda enters high school a selective mute. She is depressed, does not enjoy company of others, and has a lot of internal conflicts going on in her head. How to describe the main characters from speak pen and. The importance of character names go into the story.
Due to her trauma and inability to tell anyone about what happened, melinda spirals into a dark depression. These include novels, short stories, graphic novels and comic books. Melindas only friend is heather, a new student, who tries to get melinda involved in. Melinda called the police at a summer party because a boy she didnt. It can be tough to remember the title and author of a book you read a long time ago. Melinda is very perceptive and bright, but her vision is s. This list is comprised of some of the most recognizable names from fictional books. You may like the name jim for one character, but be wary what you name the others. Speak, an album by progressive rock band i and thou. Together, they write graffiti about andy evans melindas rapist on a bathroom wall, and are surprised to see how many other girls have had.
She is terribly unhappy, because she is the victim of a vicious rape, and so spends her entire ninthgrade year trying to come to. Speak campaign, an animal rights campaign in oxford. Shes important to the story because shes important to melinda. There are 28 characters who speak in the book alices adventures in wonderland. As a citizen, and as a student, i am protesting the tone of this lesson as racist, intolerant, and xenophobic. Check out selected results from nypl title quest 2019, held august 2, 2019, as well as title quest 2018. When the kids in spanish class get wind of this, they call her menolinda. Melinda, a high school freshman, is the protagonist in laurie halse andersons speak. Since shes also the narrator, everything we learn about the other characters is filtered through her. Rachel and melinda have been best friends since grade school at least. It was also made into a movie of the same name in 2004.
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