November Portfolio

Speak

As you walk along the halls, no friends stop you to chat. No one says any friendly hellos, nobody's asking how the test went, you're not discussing how much you hate math or social studies or whatever. The only human contact that you do have are the dirty glances in the hallways from those who were your friends. You lay on your bed and no one calls to talk to you about how the homework is so unfair or how so and so is SO cute. You are alone. This is what is happening to Melinda in the book "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson after one phone call.During the course of the book "Speak", Melinda is constantly being ignored by her former friends and you really don’t know why at the start of the story. However, as the book progresses, you start to learn more about the event that caused this outcome in flashbacks and little hints throughout the book.

Melinda also has flashbacks of the incident herself that are triggered by things that remind her of that night. In biology for example, when they were dissecting frogs as she pinned down the frog's legs, she remembered being pinned down and helpless on the night of the party.

One more hint:

The book "Speak" is a perfect example of how your entire world can change in an instant based on the actions you take. You should be careful with what actions you choose to take part in because it may have worked out for Melinda in the end, but that doesn't mean it will turn out that way for you and your actions.



The Storm

"Is it still raining out there?" I asked.
"Affirmative." was the cold, metallic response of the smart house.
"Any idea how long its gunna last?"
This question took the computer a little longer to process. "There is no information that could lead to an accurate conclusion." it said after a few seconds.
"Yea, but can you make a guess at least?"
"I do not guess."
"Fine. Can you tell me how long we have been down here?"
"Affirmative."
"……. Well?"
"Please specify your question."
"What do you think I want to know!?"
"As I stated earlier, I do not guess."
"God you are so hard to talk to! How long have we been down here!?"
"1 year, 3 months, 14 days and 47 minutes."
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome sir."
"Did you just make a joke."
"Negative. It is not in my programming to make comedic responses."
"I swear you just did."