Speak part 2

Okay, what can I say, Speak has been a good and interesting book so far. I thought it was going to be a typical high chool book dat was cheesy, corny, and cleshay, but it is not. It is actually something that I can relate to. For example, I can relate to the fact that Melinda has her doubts about herself and her friends because I too have the same doubts and thoughts about my life.

During my group discussion on Thursday there way many high and low points. One low point my group members and I had was when the conversation was basically dead, but Mr. Sutherlandbrought the conversation back to life by posing an interesting question, "So in talking about Melinda having nicknames for the students and teachers, do you think that all kids give nicknames and judge other people?". I responded to his question by stating that I believe every person is entitled to have their nicknames and thoughts about others, but only so many people actually express out these names and thoughts. Melinda does not actually say these names because she is already viewed as weird at school, so if she were to tell people what she thought of them then people would not like her even more. The people who typically speak their thoughts out tend to have a large group of friends who has his or her back. In the case of Melinda has but only one friend Heather, therefore she is most likely not to speak her thoughts.

Another interesting topic that was brought up during the discussion was the fact that Melinda's parents are usually not home and are not really supportive or care about her. I said that the relationship she has with her parents is one of the main reasons why her grades are so low and why she feels lonely most of the time. Her relationship with them is what also leads to her thinking she is worthless and that she sucks. I connect this to socirty because many kids who do not have a strong relationship with their parents are more likely to commit suicide, crimes, and be depressed.

I am looking forward to finishing the book.