Classroom Details
Before our most recent anchor unit in class, I encouraged my students to sample a selection of books in a “book tasting.” After the students finished sampling the variety of books, I asked them to vote for the book they’d like to read as a class, and the majority chose Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel, Speak.
I believe most of them enjoyed the opportunity to choose what we read in class. While some students voiced that they preferred their book choice to win the vote, I believe most enjoyed Speak and the activities we did during the unit.
The end of the unit culminated with an essay. My group of 8th graders this year are very intellectually gifted; however, they have struggled in their writing. That said, I was very proud of the growth so many displayed in their latest essays. While I won’t publish them all, here is an essay that made me particularly proud.
Writing Task
You have read Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak, about a teenage girl treated as an outcast because no one knows her secret. In an essay, explain how the differences in the points of view between Melinda and the reader create dramatic irony. Be sure to include evidence from the text to support your response.
Student Response
“I am Outcast.” This memorable line from Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak summarizes how Melinda Sordino sees herself. Melinda is a 9th-grade girl who is disliked by just about everyone because she called the cops at the end of the summer party, but none of them know what really happened to her that night. Meanwhile, she knows and has experienced exactly what Andy Evans did to her at the party. While the reader knows Melinda’s thoughts and emotions in the present, the audience is limited to only what she describes from her past throughout the story, creating suspense through dramatic irony.
Initially, only Melinda knows why she called the cops to the party. At the bottom of page 45, Melinda says, “IT is my nightmare and I can’t wake up” (Anderson, 45). This internal dialogue shows that Melinda is traumatized by what Andy has done to her, but at this point, the reader does not know what exactly happened. This proves that Melinda knows everything happening while the other characters and readers are limited to only what she says throughout the story. The audience can sense something is wrong, creating a feeling of suspense as the reader tries to figure out what has happened.
Later, Melinda has already told the reader about what happened at the party, but the other characters do not yet know, creating more dramatic irony for the audience. When Melinda finally talks about the party in the novel, she says, “We were on the ground. When did that happen? ‘No.’ No I did not like this. I was on the ground and he was on top of me…Blue and cherry lights flashing in the kitchen sink window. Rachel’s face—so angry—in mine. Someone slapped me” (Anderson, 135). Through this flashback, the author creates a sense of dramatic irony by describing Melinda calling the cops after being raped. Yet, everyone is angry at her, not knowing what truly happened. This shows that only the reader and the narrator knew she was raped, further developing suspense through the dramatic irony.
When considering Anderson’s methods to create dramatic irony using the different points of view between Melinda and the reader, it is easy to see the toll it has taken on Melinda’s life. Melinda was raped by Andy Evans at the end of the summer party and kept a secret throughout much of the story, but through the story, she shows growth by overcoming the traumatic experience. While everyone around her hates her for calling the cops, little do they know what happened, but by the story’s end, everyone sees her as brave and hopes she is OK.
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