SPEAK DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
Part 1
“The first marking Period”
What happens in the cafeteria that
makes Melinda run out of the lunchroom?

Mashed potatoes are thrown on her
How is Melinda’s attitude in her art class different from
her attitude towards her other classes?


She likes and appreciates art class.
She interacts and does her work.
Describe the globe Mr. Freeman uses in her class,
and explain how he uses it.

Part of North America is kicked in and he uses it so
they can choose their subject for their projects
Describe how the students at Merryweather High School
treat Melinda. Give at least three examples from the
text to support your answer.



Mean: they knock her books out of her hand.
Mean: they pick on her at the pep rally
Mean: Everyone acts as if she isn’t there
Describe Melinda’s new hiding place at
school.


It’s the old janitors closet
It has cobwebs, a broken mirror, a sink, dirty mops,
and it’s dusty and dank
What did Melinda do that has caused
everyone in school to hate her?

Called the cops at the party over the summer
What is friendship? Describe the important elements of
Melinda’s relationships with Heather, Ivy, Nicole, and
Rachel.




Heather: only there when she needs something.
Ivy: use to be her best friend and she no longer
speaks to her
Nicole: doesn’t speak to her but she is not mean
Rachel: is mean to her and makes fun of her and
doesn’t really acknowledge her
Is she really friends with any of them? Can
friendship mean something different to different
people?


No
Yes because some people are only friends with
certain people to attain something
 Social
Status
 Materials
Discuss the social hierarchy of Merryweather
High. What role does the concept of identity
play in the novel?

Cheerleaders/jocks
 Marthas
 Everyone
else falls under them
Why is belonging to one of the many clans so
important to Heather and so unimportant to
Melinda?


Heather wants to fit in and be like by people
Melinda knows everyone is fake and doesn’t really
care to be in a group.
Discuss the title of the novel and its significance.
What role do silence and truth play in the story?
Can you give an example?

Melinda is the one who can’t speak. Her secret is
eating away at her and she can’t get words out.
We see through her silence that most people don’t
care to hear what she has to say anyway.
Analyze Melinda’s reaction to the first day of school
and why her fears seem more intense than that of
others. Analyze why she says, “I’m Outcast.”

She realizes she no longer fits in and those fears
are intensified when she gets to school and comes
face to face with all her fears. She doesn’t wear the
right clothes, doesn’t know where to go, doesn’t
have any friends.
Examine the meaning of the “clans” and the prevalence of high
school cliques. Why do we sometimes not like people who are
really good at things, like sports, music, art, or school? Is this fair?
Are adults like this?

People develop or evolve into a clique of some kind
because everyone wants to fit in and belong.
Therefore, when they are not accepted into a
particular clique they cope and act like it doesn’t
matter by making fun of them.
Discuss the “First ten lies they tell you in high school.”
Compare with your first day. So you think Melinda’s
assumptions that they are “lies” is valid?
Examine Melinda’s characterization of the
teachers. What do these descriptions reflect?


She describes the teacher by how they act and
dress.
It reflects what she thinks of them and whether or
not she likes them.
Discuss Mr. Freeman’s approach to teaching art. Have
you had similar experiences in classes with this type of
teaching style?

He has them choose a subject out of a globe and
everything they do in that class has to be with that
subject somehow
Discuss Melinda’s home life. How does communication breakdown
in Melinda’s family? What could each person do to improve it? If
you were a parent, how would communication be in your family?


It’s as if she lives alone.
They don’t communicate other than through notes or
yelling and arguing.
Discuss the interaction between Melinda and
Heather. Are they friends? What brings them
together?


Heather does all the talking.
They aren’t real friends b/c Melinda never confides
in her.
SPEAK DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
Part 2
“The Second Marking Period”
What book does Melinda read on Halloween instead of
going tick-or-treating?

Dracula
Describe Melinda’s lips.

Scabby, Cracked, Dry
The school has decided to change the mascot 4 times. List all
three of the previous mascots that have been used and explain
why the school felt they had to change each one.



Tigers- endangered species
Blue Devils- evil connotation
Trojans- sexual connotation
What author has the school district
banned from the library?

Maya Angelou
Explain why David Petrakis walks out of Mr. Neck’s
class. Give enough details in your answer to fully
explain why he is upset.

Because Mr. neck had started a debate and when
David stood up to give his opinion Mr. Neck didn’t
want to hear it and decided to cut off the debate.
Describe what art project Melinda
makes with the turkey bones.



A wasting away tree/human
Abstract
Had a palm tree and then a barbies head
Why does David Petrakis video his
social studies class?

Because he is getting documentation of Mr. Neck’s
misconduct
Why is Melinda so overwhelmed by the
Christmas gift her parents gave her?

Because she realizes that they have been paying
attention to her and that they really do care.
Who is the “IT” Melinda refers to?

Andy Evans
Why does Melinda isolate herself from
her friends? Is she justified in doing so?

Because she has a horrible secret she feels like she
can’t talk about and she knows her friends won’t
listen to her side anyway.
In what places in Melinda able to find
sanctuary at school?



Mr. Freeman’s art class
The janitor’s closet
Her bedroom
Discuss Melinda’s decline, including
physical symptoms.






She has bad dreams
Panic Attacks
Grades
Friendships
Less speaking
Lips
Analyze the social studies “debate” and its aftermath. Note who challenges
the teacher and the position each person takes. How do you feel about this
type of debate? Is the teacher right or wrong? Do students have a right to
challenge a teacher?
Who is a “real” American? What do you think of Mr. Neck’s
opinion? Going by his definition, are some of you not really
Americans?
Discuss the Thanksgiving dinner for Melinda’s
family and why this is significant.



Chaotic
First time that we see they are all together and they
aren’t really fighting.
The turkey doesn’t turn out because the mother
forgot to thaw it out.
 Could
show that she doesn’t think or care much about
the family b/c she doesn’t spend time.
 End up ordering pizza
Analyze Melinda’s statement about her parents, “I bet
they’d divorce by now if I hadn’t been born.” What
does this reflect about her self-esteem?


She has a low-self-esteem
Her parents are only together because of her
Examine Melinda’s references to her secret and what this reveals
about her relationship with her parents. What do you think
happened at the party?


Her parent’s didn’t even realize that she was home.
Her parents are stuck in their own separate lives.
Discuss Melinda’s athletic ability, her attitude toward
being on the basketball team, and the comparison she
makes between basketball and life.


Not very athletic but is able to shoot free-throws
Comparison: it’s routine…just like her life
Analyze the deterioration of the relationship between Melinda and Heather.
Why is it that people sometimes like us more when they can get something out
of us? Are the Marthas good friends to Heather? Why or why not?

They spend less and less time together. Heather is
more concerned about impressing the Marthas and
uses Melinda to help her with problems she is
having.
What should we value in other people? What qualities are important in a
person? What do you usually notice first about people? Does that really
matter?
Examine Melinda’s reference to IT. Pg
85-86 & 89-90







Seems to be an upper classman
Rich
Handsome
Dangerous
Gets what he wants
Manipulative
Sleeps with whoever he wants
Discuss the school conference with Melinda’s parents and the aftermath. What
do you think about Melinda’s suicide attempt? Was it real? What does it
indicate? What do you think about her mother’s reaction?



They call home to talk about her grades on her
report card.
Suicide Attempt: a way to try and get someone to
notice her and to make her open up about what has
happened to her.
Mother’s Reaction: She’s too busy to deal with her
child so she passes it off on a book.
 Again
she shows that she doesn’t have enough time for
her family.
SPEAK DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
Part 3
“The Third Marking Period”
What animal does Melinda compare
herself to whenever she sees Andy?

A rabbit
What reason does Heather give Melinda
for no longer sitting with her at lunch?

She’s depressing and weird
Who gives Melinda a Valentine card
on Valentine’s Day?

Heather
Who is the one person that Melinda
speaks to?

Mr. Freeman
Melinda takes inspiration from Picasso in her tree
drawing. What unique artistic method does she take
from him and apply to her tree?

Cubism
What is Melinda’s reward for going to
all her classes for an entire week?

Shopping for new clothes
Describe Melinda’s conflict over the party David
Petrakis is throwing at his house to celebrate the
basketball victory.

She wants to go and have fun but she remembers
what happened at the last party she attended and
so she decides not to go
What was Melinda’s initial reaction to Andy
when he approached her at the party?


Wow! What is this hot, sexy senior talking to me???!!
“I wish Rachel could see this!”
Discuss what precipitates Melinda’s
skipping school and what she does?

She wakes up late and misses the bus and her mom
won’t take her so she has to walk to school and
instead of going to school she goes to the mall
Analyze the reference to the symbols in The Scarlet
Letter and how Melinda would adapt the letter “A”.



She would adopt the letter S- silent, stupid, scared,
silly, shame
Hester wore the letter A which meant adultery
which brought shame so they were alike in that
regard.
But they would also be alike in the sense that what
they felt shameful for had to deal with sex in both
instances.
Discuss the dissolution of Melinda and Heather’s
friendship and the effect it has on Melinda.


She no longer hangs out with anyone.
She sits by herself at lunch!
Analyze the events and effects of Valentine’s
Day on Melinda and the aftermath.




She thought that maybe someone likes her.
Then her thoughts go to Andy Evans and she gets
scared.
Then her thoughts go to David Petrakis and she gets
nervous.
Then she realizes it is from Heather and she is
defeated because she only wanted someone to like
her.
Discuss what happens when Melinda is placed in
ISS. How would you react to this situation?


Andy has ISS the same time and he toys with her.
Causes her to retreat further into her shell
Analyze Mr. Freeman’s effect on Melinda, inside and outside
the art class. Do you agree with his statement, “When people
don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time.”

He pushes her to open up and to feel again!
Examine Melinda’s self-image and her survival
techniques after Heather’s rejection.
Examine Melinda’s revelation about the night of
the party and its residual effect on her.

She’s finally able to “talk” about the event and by
her addressing the situation she progressively gets
better.
SPEAK DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
Part 4
“Fourth Marking Period”
Why does the PTA want to change the
hornet mascot to something else?

Because of the horny hornet cheer and dance
How does Ivy offer Melinda help?
What draws them together?


By helping her with her tree
Art
Why does Melinda’s dad always take
a taxi to the airport?

Because she was spooked out by the limo as a little
girl because she had fantasies that her real mom
and dad were going to come get her in a limo and
when the limo came she didn’t want to go.
Using details from the text, describe Melinda’s conflict over whether or not to a
warm Rachel about Andy. Discuss Melinda’s inner turmoil when she discovers
Rachel is dating Andy. What should she have done? Did she do the right thing?
How does Melinda warn Rachel about Andy?




She follows the around- 148
She writes her an anonymous letter- 152
Her and Ivy discuss their relationship- 174
Melinda and Rachel talk- 180
What event prompts Melinda to go home, crawl in her
closet, bury her face in her clothes, and scream a the
top of her lungs?

When Andy comes in looking for Rachel and he is
talking to Melinda and treats her like crap.
What happens at school that ruins
Melinda’s shirt?

Ivy had uncapped markers in her hair and she
turned around and it marked on Melinda’s shirt.
Describe how students decorate the
bathroom stall doors.

With gossip and comments
What do the entries under Melinda’s
initial graffiti in the bathroom reveal?

That a lot of people feel that way about him
What has happened to the people who were
supposed to help Heather decorate for Prom?

They have backed out because they are sick or
because they have to get ready for prom.
What conclusions can you draw based on the response
to Melinda’s “thread” on the bathroom stall door?

No one likes Andy
Where does Melinda go on her first
bike ride?

Back to the place where the party was….where she
was raped.
What happens at the prom?

Rachel confronts Andy and ends up leaving him
halfway through prom.
What happened between Rachel and
Andy at the prom?
What happens when Melinda decides
to talk to Rachel?

Rachel wants to know what has happened and then
when Melinda tells her who did it she doesn’t want
to believe her.
The first time Melinda was raped she couldn’t find her voice and she couldn’t
find the inner strength to fight back. How does she react when Andy attempts
to rape her again? How does she assert herself?

She screams and says NO. She fights back by
throwing things at him and pushing him away.
What is the symbolism of Mr. Freeman’s statement, “…trees are
flexible, so they don’t snap. Sear it, give it a twisted branchperfect trees don’t exist…Be the tree” (53)

There are no perfect humans
What is the correlation between Mr. Sordino’s treatment
and explanation of the diseased tree with Melinda’s
“survival?”

She needs to prune away the bad things to keep
living
What is the resolution to the story?



Melinda fights back
Her voice is heard
She becomes a normal teenager
Things to think about…


How is this book relevant to your life?
What is one thing we never hear about in Speak?