Welcome FHS students! Please check your FHS gmail! We'll use this blog to talk about our summer readings. Sign into Google with your Fairview Schools login. Speak, Never Fall Down, and The Age of Miracles discussion questions are all on this page. Scroll down to find each novel's questions. Then, click on Comment link following the questions you wish to answer. Click on the page links on the left to access additional information.
Discussion Questions for All Novels
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Speak: 5: Sanctuary
5. Sanctuary: In
what places is Melinda able to find sanctuary at school? How
do the characteristics of these places provide a window into her character?
Melinda finds sanctuary in her school in very few places. On page 25, Melinda stumbles into an old janitor room that smells like sour sponges. “This closet is abandoned-it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me.” She personalizes her new sanctuary and goes there often to escape the horrors of her school. She describes the closet as having no purpose or name. Melinda feels that she has no purpose and no name because she is hated by everyone. The closet is abandoned by the janitors, like Melinda was abandoned by all of her friends. The closet is remote and quiet, allowing Melinda to escape from her worries. The janitor’s closet is the perfect sanctuary for Melinda.
I like how Nina points out the similarities between a particular sanctuary of Melindas and Melinda herself. “This closet is abandoned-it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me.” Nina suggests that Melinda immerses herself within an environment that has similar qualities as herself. This points out an interesting angle to the definition of “sanctuary” and how it relates to “Speak.” Melinda feels safe surrounded by qualities that are alike herself, almost as if being inside her own head. Because this is a safety zone, Melinda confines her thoughts to these private “sanctuaries.” She appears withdrawn and mildly hostile at school, not speaking casually or to share her story because her expressions remain private. I believe that Melinda’s external sanctuaries are simply extensions of the private world inside her head. I also agree with the following statements from Rosie’s response: “Melinda states that “the first thing to go is the mirror,” and although this may just seem like a minor detail, I think this is an important look into the life of Melinda. She is obviously not pleased with her physical appearance, as seen throughout the novel, so she believes that in order to make this janitor’s closet a peaceful place for her, she must first forget who she has come to be in reality, and by eliminating the mirror, she does just that.” Melinda customizes her external sanctuaries to represent the idealistic version of her life that involves her general exile at school, almost as a means of coping with her situation. I believe also that the customization process that Melinda goes through has to do with being in a position of control. Between her rape, her social situation at school, and her home life, Melinda appears to have little control over many aspects of her life. What she can do is control her own thoughts, and extensions of these, which I believe is present in the customization of her sanctuaries.
To Melinda, the school is not a very peaceful place, but she is able to find sanctuary in a few places in the school. One of these places is the abandoned janitor’s closet. Melinda decorates this closet to be her own personal paradise with sketches from art class and a poster of the writer famous for her autobiographies about her difficult life struggles, Maya Angelou. Melinda seems to really care about this closet because she takes the time to clean it up and make it her own. I believe that her character is seen by the way she decorates the space; for example, on page 30, Melinda states that “the first thing to go is the mirror,” and although this may just seem like a minor detail, I think this is an important look into the life of Melinda. She is obviously not pleased with her physical appearance, as seen throughout the novel, so she believes that in order to make this janitor’s closet a peaceful place for her, she must first forget who she has come to be in reality, and by eliminating the mirror, she does just that. Another place Melinda is able to find sanctuary at school is art class with Mr. Freeman. Art is one of the only ways Melinda is able to express herself, and this class allows her to do that. Also, she doesn't have to worry about anybody in this class judging her. The teacher, Mr. Freeman, is more or less a supervisor rather than a teacher. He helps the students find inspiration rather than telling them what to do, so Melinda feels very comfortable in the class. Melinda’s character is most eminent when she creates a “memorial for the turkey,” as stated on page 61, out of the bones of the turkey from Thanksgiving. The end result is a turkey body made out of bones with a Barbie’s head with tape on the mouth and a fork and knife as the legs. I believe that Melinda made this project to be herself: a mouth that isn't able to speak with a body that is being picked away to almost nothing possibly by the struggles of high school, close to how Mr. Freeman interpreted it on page 64. All in all, the school was not a very enjoyable place for Melinda, but she did find sanctuary in a few places: the janitor’s closet and art class.
Even though I did not choose to answer this specific discussion question, I feel as if Rosemary definitely did an excellent job on it. While reading through the book, I personally did not catch some of the things that Rosie did, such as the mirror. The mirror part scene of the book has really become significant to me now because it really does allow us a window into her mind. It shows the reader the deep hatred that she has for herself, so much that she can’t even bear to look at herself. As far as the Art Room goes, I feel as if Rosemary hit the nail on the head with her dissection of the bone sculpture! The sculpture shows a girl, picked clean to the bone, who is unable to speak, and I feel this is a great representation of Melinda at this point in the book. Also, I think she finds comfort in the Art Room because it contains one of the few people in the book that I think she really had a genuine friendship with, even if it didn’t play that large of a role in the book. Ivy is kind to Melinda, and even helps her at certain parts of the book. Making her one of the few people that I think genuinely liked Melinda in the book, as horrible as that sounds. Melinda finds comfort in areas where she can cut off the outside world and focus on something she cares about, and both of these areas allow her to do just that.
In the book ‘Speak’, there are two places of sanctuary for Melinda. Both the janitors’ closet and the school’s art room provide her with the things her mind needs to help cope with her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Because Melinda experienced such a traumatic situation, she falls into depression and becomes mute. She can’t tell anyone what had happened to her in fear of being called a liar. Not only that, but she has no one that she can share this with due to her being rejected by the majority of the school for calling the police the previous summer. Both of these places allow Melinda the serenity she needs to organize and express her thoughts. Art is one of the most common forms of expressing one’s own emotions, and the art classroom’s teacher, Mr. Freeman, pushes her to express these feelings. Her assignment of creating a tree takes Melinda’s mind back to the setting of where she was raped. This forces her to explore her own mind and assess all the events that have occurred since that incident. The fact that the reasoning for these two places being sanctuary for Melinda are because of the opportunity for self-expression show that, internally, she feels she cannot express herself publicly without ridicule. From this reasoning, we know that Melinda prefers to spend time alone, and away from people. This provides insight on her character, showing us that she is insecure and harbors a low self-esteem.
I believe Ty is spot on in choosing the janitor’s closet and the art room as Melinda’s places of sanctuary. She most definitely finds comfort in these places. I love how Ty says, “Art is one of the most common forms of expressing one’s own emotions.” The arts are a huge way for me to express my personal emotions, even though I prefer the art of music. The art room and Mr. Freeman certainly help Melinda to feel better and express herself. In the janitor’s closet, she is able to be alone and think for herself without interruption. I feel that she needs this time to collect her thoughts. If Melinda didn’t have these places, maybe she wouldn’t have begun to heal in the end. As Ty said, these sanctuaries provide an insight to Melinda’s character, showing that she would rather be alone and she’s not confident.
Mel was able to find sanctuary in two places in her school; her art classroom and the janitor’s closet she discovered. Mel is in many ways similar to her places of sanctuary, whether she realizes it or not.
The art room, I would suppose, would be relatively quiet while students are hard at work on their works of art. Mel prefers silence, because she herself is silent. During Art class, Mel has the opportunity to express herself through art. When Mel is in Art class, she can do whatever she wants. The times when Mel stays after school to work on her project, she feels comfortable in the silent and empty room.
The janitor’s closet, also, is silent and empty of human presence. Mel’s janitor closet, I imagine, is dark. I imagine a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, a long piece of string dangling down, waiting to be pulled on to dimly illuminate the small room. Mel, being depressed, is also dark. Like the janitor closet, Mel doesn’t have much light in her life, having no friends and hardly a family. Her closet is closed off from everybody, just like she is.
Day after day, Mel cleans the closet. Slowly, her closet becomes clean and more full of life. This is a window to her character because Mel is slowly becoming more lively, by talking to Ivy and writing about Andy in the bathroom stalls, to gardening in her front yard.
Florence's observation of Melinda's similarity to the art room and janitor's closet is entirely accurate. Melinda becomes mute from her depression, making the silence of the art room and closet give off idea that these areas represent her. The closet, as Flori had mentioned, is dark and dingy. Melinda's personality is similar, however; as time goes on, the closet begins to liven. The progression of Melinda's rising from her depression is symbolized within the closet's continuous change. This makes the closet possibly the best sort of sanctuary as it is a dynamic representation of herself throughout the story.
Melinda is having a hard time at school with no one except Heather talking to her and she needs places to take refuge. Melinda likes areas where she can seclude herself, and where she can find sanctuary at school. Two locations that Melinda is able to find sanctuary at school are the janitor’s closet and the Art room. While running from Mr. Neck, when he was demanding a homework assignment, she stumbles into an old abandoned janitor’s closet. Melinda thinks that it is the perfect place because it has no purpose. Melinda believes that she also has no purpose. The closet is not a very nice place, being smelly. As Melinda stays there longer, the nicer the closet becomes to her. She hangs pictures and cleans up the closet. It soon becomes her secret place where she can escape to. She enjoys her closet because she can be alone, and she does not have to talk to anyone else. Another place that Melinda is able to find sanctuary at school is the Art room. Art class is actually one of the few classes Melinda enjoys. She can keep to herself in Art class. In Art, the radio is on and the students are having a fun time. Mr. Freeman believes that Melinda is a good kid. He also believes that she has a lot to say, and he would like to hear more from her. He is one of the few teachers that understands Melinda and likes her. Melinda enjoys the Art room, and she even stays after on the last day of school. In both of these places you can tell that Melinda has a very secluded life. Melinda has a secluded life mainly because she is afraid to talk, and can’t trust anyone. In the closet she doesn’t have to see anyone, she can just be alone. In the art room, it must be an independent place to make art. I would imagine the art room to be a quiet place other than the radio. In both of her places she can keep herself separated, and she doesn’t have to talk which is a window into her character.
Melinda is able to find sanctuary in very few places in her school. The only places where Melinda is truly comfortable and where she can sort of express herself is in the abandoned janitors closet and when she is in Mr. Freeman's room. These places help us readers better understand Melinda and show us more of Melinda’s character. When Melinda is in the abandoned janitors closet she can relax and get away from outward pressures, and has a place where she can think. She decorates the room with her drawings, and occasionally falls asleep in the room showing that she is comfortable and relaxed in the room. Melinda continually goes into the room whenever she is feeling uncomfortable which shows that she tends to shy away from her fears and anything that makes her uncomfortable. In addition, Melinda is also able to find sanctuary in the art room. The first time Melinda steps into the art room Mr. Freeman gives a short but very powerful speech. He says, “This is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you that you never dared look at before.” This initial statement most likely makes the rest of the class feel as if Mr. Freeman is a bit quirky, but I believe with Melinda she feels like this is an opportunity to share her feelings rather than keeping them bottled inside her. With art class, Melinda finally starts to open up and find comfort in an unfair and unforgiving world that until that point had not given her any reason to enjoy life.
A sanctuary is a safe place or refuge. In Speak Melinda finds two areas she uses as sanctuaries. The first place that she finds she does so consciously, and it is an old janitor’s closet. When she discovers the closet it is only a place to hide from teachers when she is skipping class. But at the beginning of the second marking period she begins to make it her own and this quote explains how, “The first thing to go is the mirror. It is screwed to the wall, so I cover it with a poster of Maya Angelou that the librarian gave me” ( Anderson 50 ). Melinda is deeply troubled by the way she looks and is afraid of what she sees in the mirror. So naturally the first thing she does to make this space safe is hide the mirror by covering it with a poster of Maya Angelou. Putting up the poster of Maya Angelou is an important step for Melinda because she becomes a role model for Melinda and later in the book becomes the embodiment of Melinda’s conscience. But with the exception of the poster of Maya Angelou the closet is a safety blanket that allows her to hide from her fears and this only makes her worse. The second sanctuary Melinda finds refuge inside is Mr. Freeman’s classroom. She does not deliberately attach herself to this place, but all the same she feels safe. The classroom is her real safe haven because not only does she feel safe, but she is in a healthy environment where she can work out her problems and express herself in a safe and creative way. The time she spends in this room is productive and free of the difficulties she faces on the other side of its doors. Of the two places that Melinda finds sanctuary, Mr. Freeman’s art classroom is the healthy one.
I think Mia has chosen two very good places where Melinda can be herself and find refuge, the first place being the old janitors closet. I liked how Mia said that at first when Melinda stumbled upon the room she viewed it more as an out from the stresses of school and class. As time went along Melinda started to personalize the room, showing her growing comfort towards the area and willingness to find some place where she could be herself and relax. I liked how Mia mentioned the mirror that Melinda covers. Melinda truly does not like the way she looks and does not want to have to see that when she is taking refuge in the room. The second place Mia chooses where Melinda can take refuge is in the art room with Mr. Freeman. Melinda can release her feelings in the art room through her drawings and sculptures. She can constantly talk to Mr. Freeman and Mr. Freeman helps her to broaden her thinking and supports her and consistently tells her that he is always available when she needs help.
Melinda finds sanctuary mainly in two places in her school. The first place she finds sanctuary is in the art room. You can that she is very comfortable in the art room when she describes it as “Cool Central” on page 77. Her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, is a huge part of why she really feels comfortable in that room. The art room is a place that she feels nurtured, safe, and secure. Melinda even feels safe enough in that room and with Mr. Freeman to confide in him about the rape at the end of the book (page 198). She is also able to express her creativity in the art room. This is very important because after the rape the only thing that she was able to find comfort in was her artwork. Her love for the art room shows really shows her personality. It shows that she needs to be accepted and able to grow after her difficult experiences that school year and during the summer. Another place Melinda finds sanctuary is in the secluded janitor’s closet she finds on page 25. She puts decorations that describe her personality such as a poster of Maya Angelou (page 50). She decorates this closet with her artwork and tries to make it feel like the room she never had that really describes her. She goes to the closet whenever she needs time alone or feels overwhelmed. This is seems to be very often due to the fact that she seems disconnected to the human population after her traumatic experience. Melinda’s love for this room shows an insight into her character. It shows that now because of the rape, she feels somewhat disconnected to people and lonely. I made this inference because often when she feels overwhelmed with life and people she flees to the closet to be alone and contemplate. Also, I could infer she feels disconnected because she often prefers to be in her closet than interacting with the people in her school.
Harold brings up plenty of goods points, including that Melinda is disconnected from her classmates and enjoys the seclusion. However, I disagree that she enjoys being so apart from the rest of her school. Throughout the book, Melinda says she wishes she could have her friendly, talkative self back. She cannot seem to break her silence, even when she wants to, until the end of the book when she finally accepts what has happened to her and who she is as a person. Melinda truly likes being popular for the last few days of school, and cannot believe how far she has come since the being of freshman year.
One of the places Melinda is able to find sanctuary is the art room. In that particular room, she feels that her life holds a meaning that does not revolve around Andy Evans. Art provides her with an option to speak without truly speaking. Expressing herself was the only leak of happiness she could express. The art room provided her with the friendly faces and supporting teacher that she needed to succeed.
The second place Melinda looks to as a sanctuary is the janitor’s closet. She feels more at home in the janitor’s closet than she does in her own home. Melinda feels she must escape the turmoil of class work and socialization, so she retreats to her very own closet. She fills the room with her personal artwork and posters, making her feel as if she is sitting in the only room she can call hers. In the closet, Melinda thinks over her life and attempts to come up with a solutions to her many problems. The room provided her with a “thinking corner” to brood over the confusing thoughts in her mind. If someone would walk into the room, they would see a little bit into the mind of Melinda. The artwork, posters, couches, and cobwebs all point to the type of person she is.
In the novel Melinda is having a tough time dealing with high school. She always ends up arriving late to class, she struggles to make friends, and can't seem to find a "clan" that fits her best. With all of this chaos going on, she seems to find a couple places throughout the school where she feels the most comfortable and safe.
I believe the first sanctuary she discovered was the abandoned janitors closet. Even though it wasn't such a pleasant place to be, she used it as an escape from her struggles of freshman year. Melinda actually takes the time after school to personalize it and make it her own by cleaning it up, hanging up posters and drawings, and bringing a few items from home. You can definitely tell by the work she puts into it she likes spending time in there. One thing about the closet that definitely relates to her character is how empty and abandoned it is. Melinda is very lonely, and in a way she was abandoned too by her old group of friends because she wouldn't speak up and tell them what really happened. In the book it actually says on pg. 26, "This closet is abandoned-it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me" Melinda is basically saying that she believes she doesn't have a purpose or a name either, because she doesn't know where to fit in and high school.
Another place that could represent a sanctuary that Melinda had would be the art room. Even though she struggled to complete the assignment that was given, she pushed herself and made a lot of progress throughout the year. From the support and advice from her teacher, Mr.Freeman, she seemed to find ways to express herself with art as well. As she progressed on her tree project, she also grew as a person, and began to find herself. The fact that Melinda spent so much time in the art room by getting passes to stay later, and even staying after school sometimes, made it clear that she felt comfortable. She felt like it was another escape from the reality of the school that she dreaded. Although she didn't converse with him much, Melinda had a close relationship with her art teacher through the lessons he taught her and that definitely helped her feel safer in the room.
I believe that Lea was correct when she said Melinda’s sanctuaries in her school are the old janitor’s closet and the art room. Melinda made the janitors closet her personal room away from home. She feels completely comfortable there and she is able to find sanctuary in the closet. Lea points out the quote on page 26 when Melinda said, “"This closet is abandoned-it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me" Melinda, like the closet, is abandoned and unwanted. She can escape the hatred of her school in the janitor’s closet. Also, she can escape from her school in the art room. Even though she struggled with her assignment, she was eventually able to express herself through her art. When Melinda wasn’t in the janitor’s closet, she was in the art room. Lea also said “Although she didn't converse with him much, Melinda had a close relationship with her art teacher through the lessons he taught her” I believe Melinda was able to find sanctuary in the art room not only because she was able to express herself through her art, but also because of her relationship with Mr. Freeman. Melinda did not feel comfortable around anyone, but she felt extremely comfortable around Mr. Freeman.
There are two specific places that Melinda is able to find sanctuary at, ironically at her high school. She was able to find her first safe haven in the art room, where she was greeted everyday by her favorite teacher Mr. Freeman. She is able to portray her emotions through her artwork, letting it speak for her. Although she is silent, she was able to make pieces that accurately display what words could not. The reader can see this through her creation with the turkey bones, found on page 61 of the novel. Mr. Freeman and Ivy were able to have a glimpse of the pain that Melinda was experiencing just by looking at her art, making Melinda feel more understood than she had been since the incident. Finally being able to speak about her pain and emotions, even if it wasn’t through words, was another reason why the art room was a sanctuary to her.
By chance, Melinda stumbled upon her second sanctuary. She found it in an attempt to avoid one of her teacher’s demands for a homework assignment that she hadn’t completed. Although what she had found was just an old janitor’s closet, she was able to fix it up into a personal hideout where she could think. At first, her “closet space” was an old and filthy area that hadn’t been touched in years. Throughout the school year Melinda created a safer and safer environment in the closet for herself. Slowly but surely, she refurbished the space and made it her own. She added books, posters, her very own artwork, blankets, and much more. She always had the closet space when things went wrong, and felt comfortable going there at her most vulnerable moments. The reader can see this after she receives the Valentines Day card from Heather, which she had hoped was from a secret admirer. After finding out it wasn’t from a boy, she subconsciously runs to her sanctuary. To the average person, these sanctuaries would just be a classroom or a place to store a mop. To Melinda they are places that enable her to find herself again in the safety of silence.
The characteristics of these places provide a window into her character in many ways. The art room allows the reader to see that although Melinda is quiet on the outside, she is exploding with emotion inside. The old janitors closet is quiet and unused and when she is in there she is alone. This enables the reader to understand that she enjoys being alone at times but she is also very lonely.
In the novel 'Speak' by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character Melinda finds sanctuaries throughout the school, specifically in the art room and the old janitor closet. She discovers the closet during the first marking period. Melinda describes the closet as 'the perfect place' for her. Throughout the year, she decorates the closet, cleans it up, and makes it her own. She hangs up a poster, her drawings from art class, and brings stuff from home to make it comfortable. The dark, secluded characteristics of this closet provides a window to Melinda's character by showing that Melinda has been abandoned, like the closet, by her friends and everyone else. That room is hers, and only hers.
Whenever Melinda's in her sanctuaries, we can truly see who she is. The art room is another sanctuary for Melinda. Even though she believes she is not fit for the class at the beginning, she becomes more open with her art teacher throughout the year. Mr. Freeman helps her with her tree sketches and exposes her to different art styles to help her add feeling into her art. Cubism really relates to her. It's seeing beyond what's on the surface to her. Once she starts with cubism, she gets better. She finds the art class the only class she can express herself in. Mr. Freeman was someone Melinda could almost open up to, which is why she felt safe in that room.
When Anna describes the abandoned janitor's closet as one of Melinda's sanctuaries I think that she is correct. She talks about how the room belongs only to Melinda, which is why she likes it so much. It gives her time and space to get away from everyone that hates her in the school, making it a safe place. I agree with Anna when she talks about the art room as a sanctuary for Melinda as well. She mentions that Mr.Freeman acts as a guide for Melinda, not only in art, but relating to life as well. Melinda has a difficult time opening up to people, and like Anna said, Mr.Freeman was a person she felt pretty comfortable around. Her ability to almost open up to her art teacher made it so she felt safe in the art room.
There are two main places Melinda uses as sanctuaries. The first is the old janitor closet. Melinda finds this in the beginning of the year, and she spends a lot of time hiding and decorating in the closet. This closet represents Melinda’s character after she was raped. She feels alone, secluded, and forgotten, just like the closet. I also believe that her attempts at decorating the closet mirror her attempts to cover up how she is really feeling. Melinda also finds sanctuary in the art room, and with Mr. Freeman. She spends her time here trying to perfect drawings, pastels, carvings, and paintings of a tree. This place is a sanctuary because Melinda feels safe here, and she seems better able to connect with herself when she is doing art. Melinda struggled with drawing a tree because she wanted it to be perfect, even though her art teacher repeatedly tells her that he wants it real, not perfect. Melinda’s attempts at making it perfect are representing her attempts at making herself perfect.
In the high school Melinda is able to find two locations that provide for her a place of refuge: Mr. Freeman’s art room and the abandoned custodial closet. In those places, Melinda discovers protection and solitude from Andy and also from the unfair treatment of her peers. In Mr. Freeman’s art room, Melinda was encouraged to be herself and she was able to freely express her true feelings. In there she was free from gossip and concentrate on her artwork. In art class she was assigned a tree to design and create throughout the year. She tried a countless number of times to bring the tree to life, but she was unable to succeed because of her reluctance to show her true feelings. Throughout the year, though, she is able to learn how to finally express herself, and her tree improves. Mr. Freeman says on page ten, Melinda finds her soul through art, and uncovers her real self. The second sanctuary Melinda discovers is and abandoned custodial closet. When Melinda stumbles upon the deserted closet it is empty, lonely and dirty. In a way, the closet represents Melinda’s life. Her experience at the party left her scarred, alone and in need of comfort so the closet almost becomes a friend of hers. On page fifty-one, Melinda says, “My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside of my head where no one can hear them.” The closet becomes a place of comfort in which she feels a sense of belonging. In her closet she has a poster of Maya Angelou. Melinda is oblivious to the fact that Maya had also experienced the same hardships as a child. She, too, was raped as a child and was unwilling to talk until she found a way to express herself through her words. As she tidies up her closet she hangs up some of her trees, symbolizing her desire to be free from her pain and loneliness.
Melinda finds sanctuary in a old janitors closet in her school, she also finds the art room to be some what of a sanction. The closet tells us that she likes to be alone with her thoughts, when she first goes into the closet she finds it to be disgusting, then she personalizes it. Melinda brings in blankets from home and she brings in sponges to clean the dust and rat feces. The art room is Melinda’s secondary sanctuary, in the art room. Mr. Freeman, the art teacher, lets Melinda vent so to say through art, although she isn’t the best at it, it helps her sort of cope.
Melinda finds sanctuary in the art room with Mr. Freeman and her hidden closet. Both of these places are old, drab, and decidingly imperfect. However, both have a person she looks up to. In the art room, Melinda believes in Mr. Freeman and trusts him like no one else in the school while in her closet, she looks to Maya Angelou for advice. Honestly, the second example is just a picture, but Melinda talks to the poster and thinks she can understand what Maya would want her to do. These places show a glimpse of Melinda’s needs. Melinda is imperfect like the rooms, but each of these rooms are made whole by guidance. I believe her sanctuaries are representative of Melinda herself. She is broken down by Andy, but when she first danced with him, Melinda thought he would be her guide and protector. When he abused her, her need for a mentor increased tenfold, but she also developed a problem trusting anyone. These sanctuaries prove a need for guidance in Melinda’s life.
Melinda finds sanctuary in her school in very few places. On page 25, Melinda stumbles into an old janitor room that smells like sour sponges. “This closet is abandoned-it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me.” She personalizes her new sanctuary and goes there often to escape the horrors of her school. She describes the closet as having no purpose or name. Melinda feels that she has no purpose and no name because she is hated by everyone. The closet is abandoned by the janitors, like Melinda was abandoned by all of her friends. The closet is remote and quiet, allowing Melinda to escape from her worries. The janitor’s closet is the perfect sanctuary for Melinda.
ReplyDelete
DeleteI like how Nina points out the similarities between a particular sanctuary of Melindas and Melinda herself. “This closet is abandoned-it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me.” Nina suggests that Melinda immerses herself within an environment that has similar qualities as herself. This points out an interesting angle to the definition of “sanctuary” and how it relates to “Speak.” Melinda feels safe surrounded by qualities that are alike herself, almost as if being inside her own head. Because this is a safety zone, Melinda confines her thoughts to these private “sanctuaries.” She appears withdrawn and mildly hostile at school, not speaking casually or to share her story because her expressions remain private. I believe that Melinda’s external sanctuaries are simply extensions of the private world inside her head.
I also agree with the following statements from Rosie’s response: “Melinda states that “the first thing to go is the mirror,” and although this may just seem like a minor detail, I think this is an important look into the life of Melinda. She is obviously not pleased with her physical appearance, as seen throughout the novel, so she believes that in order to make this janitor’s closet a peaceful place for her, she must first forget who she has come to be in reality, and by eliminating the mirror, she does just that.” Melinda customizes her external sanctuaries to represent the idealistic version of her life that involves her general exile at school, almost as a means of coping with her situation. I believe also that the customization process that Melinda goes through has to do with being in a position of control. Between her rape, her social situation at school, and her home life, Melinda appears to have little control over many aspects of her life. What she can do is control her own thoughts, and extensions of these, which I believe is present in the customization of her sanctuaries.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTo Melinda, the school is not a very peaceful place, but she is able to find sanctuary in a few places in the school. One of these places is the abandoned janitor’s closet. Melinda decorates this closet to be her own personal paradise with sketches from art class and a poster of the writer famous for her autobiographies about her difficult life struggles, Maya Angelou. Melinda seems to really care about this closet because she takes the time to clean it up and make it her own. I believe that her character is seen by the way she decorates the space; for example, on page 30, Melinda states that “the first thing to go is the mirror,” and although this may just seem like a minor detail, I think this is an important look into the life of Melinda. She is obviously not pleased with her physical appearance, as seen throughout the novel, so she believes that in order to make this janitor’s closet a peaceful place for her, she must first forget who she has come to be in reality, and by eliminating the mirror, she does just that.
ReplyDeleteAnother place Melinda is able to find sanctuary at school is art class with Mr. Freeman. Art is one of the only ways Melinda is able to express herself, and this class allows her to do that. Also, she doesn't have to worry about anybody in this class judging her. The teacher, Mr. Freeman, is more or less a supervisor rather than a teacher. He helps the students find inspiration rather than telling them what to do, so Melinda feels very comfortable in the class. Melinda’s character is most eminent when she creates a “memorial for the turkey,” as stated on page 61, out of the bones of the turkey from Thanksgiving. The end result is a turkey body made out of bones with a Barbie’s head with tape on the mouth and a fork and knife as the legs. I believe that Melinda made this project to be herself: a mouth that isn't able to speak with a body that is being picked away to almost nothing possibly by the struggles of high school, close to how Mr. Freeman interpreted it on page 64. All in all, the school was not a very enjoyable place for Melinda, but she did find sanctuary in a few places: the janitor’s closet and art class.
Even though I did not choose to answer this specific discussion question, I feel as if Rosemary definitely did an excellent job on it. While reading through the book, I personally did not catch some of the things that Rosie did, such as the mirror. The mirror part scene of the book has really become significant to me now because it really does allow us a window into her mind. It shows the reader the deep hatred that she has for herself, so much that she can’t even bear to look at herself. As far as the Art Room goes, I feel as if Rosemary hit the nail on the head with her dissection of the bone sculpture! The sculpture shows a girl, picked clean to the bone, who is unable to speak, and I feel this is a great representation of Melinda at this point in the book. Also, I think she finds comfort in the Art Room because it contains one of the few people in the book that I think she really had a genuine friendship with, even if it didn’t play that large of a role in the book. Ivy is kind to Melinda, and even helps her at certain parts of the book. Making her one of the few people that I think genuinely liked Melinda in the book, as horrible as that sounds. Melinda finds comfort in areas where she can cut off the outside world and focus on something she cares about, and both of these areas allow her to do just that.
DeleteIn the book ‘Speak’, there are two places of sanctuary for Melinda. Both the janitors’ closet and the school’s art room provide her with the things her mind needs to help cope with her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Because Melinda experienced such a traumatic situation, she falls into depression and becomes mute. She can’t tell anyone what had happened to her in fear of being called a liar. Not only that, but she has no one that she can share this with due to her being rejected by the majority of the school for calling the police the previous summer.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these places allow Melinda the serenity she needs to organize and express her thoughts. Art is one of the most common forms of expressing one’s own emotions, and the art classroom’s teacher, Mr. Freeman, pushes her to express these feelings. Her assignment of creating a tree takes Melinda’s mind back to the setting of where she was raped. This forces her to explore her own mind and assess all the events that have occurred since that incident.
The fact that the reasoning for these two places being sanctuary for Melinda are because of the opportunity for self-expression show that, internally, she feels she cannot express herself publicly without ridicule. From this reasoning, we know that Melinda prefers to spend time alone, and away from people. This provides insight on her character, showing us that she is insecure and harbors a low self-esteem.
I believe Ty is spot on in choosing the janitor’s closet and the art room as Melinda’s places of sanctuary. She most definitely finds comfort in these places. I love how Ty says, “Art is one of the most common forms of expressing one’s own emotions.” The arts are a huge way for me to express my personal emotions, even though I prefer the art of music. The art room and Mr. Freeman certainly help Melinda to feel better and express herself. In the janitor’s closet, she is able to be alone and think for herself without interruption. I feel that she needs this time to collect her thoughts. If Melinda didn’t have these places, maybe she wouldn’t have begun to heal in the end. As Ty said, these sanctuaries provide an insight to Melinda’s character, showing that she would rather be alone and she’s not confident.
DeleteMel was able to find sanctuary in two places in her school; her art classroom and the janitor’s closet she discovered. Mel is in many ways similar to her places of sanctuary, whether she realizes it or not.
ReplyDeleteThe art room, I would suppose, would be relatively quiet while students are hard at work on their works of art. Mel prefers silence, because she herself is silent. During Art class, Mel has the opportunity to express herself through art. When Mel is in Art class, she can do whatever she wants. The times when Mel stays after school to work on her project, she feels comfortable in the silent and empty room.
The janitor’s closet, also, is silent and empty of human presence. Mel’s janitor closet, I imagine, is dark. I imagine a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, a long piece of string dangling down, waiting to be pulled on to dimly illuminate the small room. Mel, being depressed, is also dark. Like the janitor closet, Mel doesn’t have much light in her life, having no friends and hardly a family. Her closet is closed off from everybody, just like she is.
Day after day, Mel cleans the closet. Slowly, her closet becomes clean and more full of life. This is a window to her character because Mel is slowly becoming more lively, by talking to Ivy and writing about Andy in the bathroom stalls, to gardening in her front yard.
Florence's observation of Melinda's similarity to the art room and janitor's closet is entirely accurate. Melinda becomes mute from her depression, making the silence of the art room and closet give off idea that these areas represent her. The closet, as Flori had mentioned, is dark and dingy. Melinda's personality is similar, however; as time goes on, the closet begins to liven. The progression of Melinda's rising from her depression is symbolized within the closet's continuous change. This makes the closet possibly the best sort of sanctuary as it is a dynamic representation of herself throughout the story.
DeleteMelinda is having a hard time at school with no one except Heather talking to her and she needs places to take refuge. Melinda likes areas where she can seclude herself, and where she can find sanctuary at school. Two locations that Melinda is able to find sanctuary at school are the janitor’s closet and the Art room.
ReplyDeleteWhile running from Mr. Neck, when he was demanding a homework assignment, she stumbles into an old abandoned janitor’s closet. Melinda thinks that it is the perfect place because it has no purpose. Melinda believes that she also has no purpose. The closet is not a very nice place, being smelly. As Melinda stays there longer, the nicer the closet becomes to her. She hangs pictures and cleans up the closet. It soon becomes her secret place where she can escape to. She enjoys her closet because she can be alone, and she does not have to talk to anyone else.
Another place that Melinda is able to find sanctuary at school is the Art room. Art class is actually one of the few classes Melinda enjoys. She can keep to herself in Art class. In Art, the radio is on and the students are having a fun time. Mr. Freeman believes that Melinda is a good kid. He also believes that she has a lot to say, and he would like to hear more from her. He is one of the few teachers that understands Melinda and likes her. Melinda enjoys the Art room, and she even stays after on the last day of school.
In both of these places you can tell that Melinda has a very secluded life. Melinda has a secluded life mainly because she is afraid to talk, and can’t trust anyone. In the closet she doesn’t have to see anyone, she can just be alone. In the art room, it must be an independent place to make art. I would imagine the art room to be a quiet place other than the radio. In both of her places she can keep herself separated, and she doesn’t have to talk which is a window into her character.
Melinda is able to find sanctuary in very few places in her school. The only places where Melinda is truly comfortable and where she can sort of express herself is in the abandoned janitors closet and when she is in Mr. Freeman's room. These places help us readers better understand Melinda and show us more of Melinda’s character.
ReplyDeleteWhen Melinda is in the abandoned janitors closet she can relax and get away from outward pressures, and has a place where she can think. She decorates the room with her drawings, and occasionally falls asleep in the room showing that she is comfortable and relaxed in the room. Melinda continually goes into the room whenever she is feeling uncomfortable which shows that she tends to shy away from her fears and anything that makes her uncomfortable.
In addition, Melinda is also able to find sanctuary in the art room. The first time Melinda steps into the art room Mr. Freeman gives a short but very powerful speech. He says, “This is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you that you never dared look at before.” This initial statement most likely makes the rest of the class feel as if Mr. Freeman is a bit quirky, but I believe with Melinda she feels like this is an opportunity to share her feelings rather than keeping them bottled inside her. With art class, Melinda finally starts to open up and find comfort in an unfair and unforgiving world that until that point had not given her any reason to enjoy life.
A sanctuary is a safe place or refuge. In Speak Melinda finds two areas she uses as sanctuaries. The first place that she finds she does so consciously, and it is an old janitor’s closet. When she discovers the closet it is only a place to hide from teachers when she is skipping class. But at the beginning of the second marking period she begins to make it her own and this quote explains how, “The first thing to go is the mirror. It is screwed to the wall, so I cover it with a poster of Maya Angelou that the librarian gave me” ( Anderson 50 ). Melinda is deeply troubled by the way she looks and is afraid of what she sees in the mirror. So naturally the first thing she does to make this space safe is hide the mirror by covering it with a poster of Maya Angelou. Putting up the poster of Maya Angelou is an important step for Melinda because she becomes a role model for Melinda and later in the book becomes the embodiment of Melinda’s conscience. But with the exception of the poster of Maya Angelou the closet is a safety blanket that allows her to hide from her fears and this only makes her worse. The second sanctuary Melinda finds refuge inside is Mr. Freeman’s classroom. She does not deliberately attach herself to this place, but all the same she feels safe. The classroom is her real safe haven because not only does she feel safe, but she is in a healthy environment where she can work out her problems and express herself in a safe and creative way. The time she spends in this room is productive and free of the difficulties she faces on the other side of its doors. Of the two places that Melinda finds sanctuary, Mr. Freeman’s art classroom is the healthy one.
ReplyDeleteI think Mia has chosen two very good places where Melinda can be herself and find refuge, the first place being the old janitors closet. I liked how Mia said that at first when Melinda stumbled upon the room she viewed it more as an out from the stresses of school and class. As time went along Melinda started to personalize the room, showing her growing comfort towards the area and willingness to find some place where she could be herself and relax. I liked how Mia mentioned the mirror that Melinda covers. Melinda truly does not like the way she looks and does not want to have to see that when she is taking refuge in the room. The second place Mia chooses where Melinda can take refuge is in the art room with Mr. Freeman. Melinda can release her feelings in the art room through her drawings and sculptures. She can constantly talk to Mr. Freeman and Mr. Freeman helps her to broaden her thinking and supports her and consistently tells her that he is always available when she needs help.
DeleteMelinda finds sanctuary mainly in two places in her school. The first place she finds sanctuary is in the art room. You can that she is very comfortable in the art room when she describes it as “Cool Central” on page 77. Her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, is a huge part of why she really feels comfortable in that room. The art room is a place that she feels nurtured, safe, and secure. Melinda even feels safe enough in that room and with Mr. Freeman to confide in him about the rape at the end of the book (page 198). She is also able to express her creativity in the art room. This is very important because after the rape the only thing that she was able to find comfort in was her artwork. Her love for the art room shows really shows her personality. It shows that she needs to be accepted and able to grow after her difficult experiences that school year and during the summer. Another place Melinda finds sanctuary is in the secluded janitor’s closet she finds on page 25. She puts decorations that describe her personality such as a poster of Maya Angelou (page 50). She decorates this closet with her artwork and tries to make it feel like the room she never had that really describes her. She goes to the closet whenever she needs time alone or feels overwhelmed. This is seems to be very often due to the fact that she seems disconnected to the human population after her traumatic experience. Melinda’s love for this room shows an insight into her character. It shows that now because of the rape, she feels somewhat disconnected to people and lonely. I made this inference because often when she feels overwhelmed with life and people she flees to the closet to be alone and contemplate. Also, I could infer she feels disconnected because she often prefers to be in her closet than interacting with the people in her school.
ReplyDeleteHarold brings up plenty of goods points, including that Melinda is disconnected from her classmates and enjoys the seclusion. However, I disagree that she enjoys being so apart from the rest of her school. Throughout the book, Melinda says she wishes she could have her friendly, talkative self back. She cannot seem to break her silence, even when she wants to, until the end of the book when she finally accepts what has happened to her and who she is as a person. Melinda truly likes being popular for the last few days of school, and cannot believe how far she has come since the being of freshman year.
DeleteOne of the places Melinda is able to find sanctuary is the art room. In that particular room, she feels that her life holds a meaning that does not revolve around Andy Evans. Art provides her with an option to speak without truly speaking. Expressing herself was the only leak of happiness she could express. The art room provided her with the friendly faces and supporting teacher that she needed to succeed.
ReplyDeleteThe second place Melinda looks to as a sanctuary is the janitor’s closet. She feels more at home in the janitor’s closet than she does in her own home. Melinda feels she must escape the turmoil of class work and socialization, so she retreats to her very own closet. She fills the room with her personal artwork and posters, making her feel as if she is sitting in the only room she can call hers. In the closet, Melinda thinks over her life and attempts to come up with a solutions to her many problems. The room provided her with a “thinking corner” to brood over the confusing thoughts in her mind. If someone would walk into the room, they would see a little bit into the mind of Melinda. The artwork, posters, couches, and cobwebs all point to the type of person she is.
In the novel Melinda is having a tough time dealing with high school. She always ends up arriving late to class, she struggles to make friends, and can't seem to find a "clan" that fits her best. With all of this chaos going on, she seems to find a couple places throughout the school where she feels the most comfortable and safe.
ReplyDeleteI believe the first sanctuary she discovered was the abandoned janitors closet. Even though it wasn't such a pleasant place to be, she used it as an escape from her struggles of freshman year. Melinda actually takes the time after school to personalize it and make it her own by cleaning it up, hanging up posters and drawings, and bringing a few items from home. You can definitely tell by the work she puts into it she likes spending time in there. One thing about the closet that definitely relates to her character is how empty and abandoned it is. Melinda is very lonely, and in a way she was abandoned too by her old group of friends because she wouldn't speak up and tell them what really happened. In the book it actually says on pg. 26, "This closet is abandoned-it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me" Melinda is basically saying that she believes she doesn't have a purpose or a name either, because she doesn't know where to fit in and high school.
Another place that could represent a sanctuary that Melinda had would be the art room. Even though she struggled to complete the assignment that was given, she pushed herself and made a lot of progress throughout the year. From the support and advice from her teacher, Mr.Freeman, she seemed to find ways to express herself with art as well. As she progressed on her tree project, she also grew as a person, and began to find herself. The fact that Melinda spent so much time in the art room by getting passes to stay later, and even staying after school sometimes, made it clear that she felt comfortable. She felt like it was another escape from the reality of the school that she dreaded. Although she didn't converse with him much, Melinda had a close relationship with her art teacher through the lessons he taught her and that definitely helped her feel safer in the room.
I believe that Lea was correct when she said Melinda’s sanctuaries in her school are the old janitor’s closet and the art room. Melinda made the janitors closet her personal room away from home. She feels completely comfortable there and she is able to find sanctuary in the closet. Lea points out the quote on page 26 when Melinda said, “"This closet is abandoned-it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me" Melinda, like the closet, is abandoned and unwanted. She can escape the hatred of her school in the janitor’s closet. Also, she can escape from her school in the art room. Even though she struggled with her assignment, she was eventually able to express herself through her art. When Melinda wasn’t in the janitor’s closet, she was in the art room. Lea also said “Although she didn't converse with him much, Melinda had a close relationship with her art teacher through the lessons he taught her” I believe Melinda was able to find sanctuary in the art room not only because she was able to express herself through her art, but also because of her relationship with Mr. Freeman. Melinda did not feel comfortable around anyone, but she felt extremely comfortable around Mr. Freeman.
DeleteThere are two specific places that Melinda is able to find sanctuary at, ironically at her high school. She was able to find her first safe haven in the art room, where she was greeted everyday by her favorite teacher Mr. Freeman. She is able to portray her emotions through her artwork, letting it speak for her. Although she is silent, she was able to make pieces that accurately display what words could not. The reader can see this through her creation with the turkey bones, found on page 61 of the novel. Mr. Freeman and Ivy were able to have a glimpse of the pain that Melinda was experiencing just by looking at her art, making Melinda feel more understood than she had been since the incident. Finally being able to speak about her pain and emotions, even if it wasn’t through words, was another reason why the art room was a sanctuary to her.
ReplyDeleteBy chance, Melinda stumbled upon her second sanctuary. She found it in an attempt to avoid one of her teacher’s demands for a homework assignment that she hadn’t completed. Although what she had found was just an old janitor’s closet, she was able to fix it up into a personal hideout where she could think. At first, her “closet space” was an old and filthy area that hadn’t been touched in years. Throughout the school year Melinda created a safer and safer environment in the closet for herself. Slowly but surely, she refurbished the space and made it her own. She added books, posters, her very own artwork, blankets, and much more. She always had the closet space when things went wrong, and felt comfortable going there at her most vulnerable moments. The reader can see this after she receives the Valentines Day card from Heather, which she had hoped was from a secret admirer. After finding out it wasn’t from a boy, she subconsciously runs to her sanctuary. To the average person, these sanctuaries would just be a classroom or a place to store a mop. To Melinda they are places that enable her to find herself again in the safety of silence.
The characteristics of these places provide a window into her character in many ways. The art room allows the reader to see that although Melinda is quiet on the outside, she is exploding with emotion inside. The old janitors closet is quiet and unused and when she is in there she is alone. This enables the reader to understand that she enjoys being alone at times but she is also very lonely.
In the novel 'Speak' by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character Melinda finds sanctuaries throughout the school, specifically in the art room and the old janitor closet. She discovers the closet during the first marking period. Melinda describes the closet as 'the perfect place' for her. Throughout the year, she decorates the closet, cleans it up, and makes it her own. She hangs up a poster, her drawings from art class, and brings stuff from home to make it comfortable. The dark, secluded characteristics of this closet provides a window to Melinda's character by showing that Melinda has been abandoned, like the closet, by her friends and everyone else. That room is hers, and only hers.
ReplyDeleteWhenever Melinda's in her sanctuaries, we can truly see who she is. The art room is another sanctuary for Melinda. Even though she believes she is not fit for the class at the beginning, she becomes more open with her art teacher throughout the year. Mr. Freeman helps her with her tree sketches and exposes her to different art styles to help her add feeling into her art. Cubism really relates to her. It's seeing beyond what's on the surface to her. Once she starts with cubism, she gets better. She finds the art class the only class she can express herself in. Mr. Freeman was someone Melinda could almost open up to, which is why she felt safe in that room.
When Anna describes the abandoned janitor's closet as one of Melinda's sanctuaries I think that she is correct. She talks about how the room belongs only to Melinda, which is why she likes it so much. It gives her time and space to get away from everyone that hates her in the school, making it a safe place. I agree with Anna when she talks about the art room as a sanctuary for Melinda as well. She mentions that Mr.Freeman acts as a guide for Melinda, not only in art, but relating to life as well. Melinda has a difficult time opening up to people, and like Anna said, Mr.Freeman was a person she felt pretty comfortable around. Her ability to almost open up to her art teacher made it so she felt safe in the art room.
DeleteThere are two main places Melinda uses as sanctuaries. The first is the old janitor closet. Melinda finds this in the beginning of the year, and she spends a lot of time hiding and decorating in the closet. This closet represents Melinda’s character after she was raped. She feels alone, secluded, and forgotten, just like the closet. I also believe that her attempts at decorating the closet mirror her attempts to cover up how she is really feeling.
ReplyDeleteMelinda also finds sanctuary in the art room, and with Mr. Freeman. She spends her time here trying to perfect drawings, pastels, carvings, and paintings of a tree. This place is a sanctuary because Melinda feels safe here, and she seems better able to connect with herself when she is doing art. Melinda struggled with drawing a tree because she wanted it to be perfect, even though her art teacher repeatedly tells her that he wants it real, not perfect. Melinda’s attempts at making it perfect are representing her attempts at making herself perfect.
In the high school Melinda is able to find two locations that provide for her a place of refuge: Mr. Freeman’s art room and the abandoned custodial closet. In those places, Melinda discovers protection and solitude from Andy and also from the unfair treatment of her peers. In Mr. Freeman’s art room, Melinda was encouraged to be herself and she was able to freely express her true feelings. In there she was free from gossip and concentrate on her artwork. In art class she was assigned a tree to design and create throughout the year. She tried a countless number of times to bring the tree to life, but she was unable to succeed because of her reluctance to show her true feelings. Throughout the year, though, she is able to learn how to finally express herself, and her tree improves. Mr. Freeman says on page ten, Melinda finds her soul through art, and uncovers her real self.
ReplyDeleteThe second sanctuary Melinda discovers is and abandoned custodial closet. When Melinda stumbles upon the deserted closet it is empty, lonely and dirty. In a way, the closet represents Melinda’s life. Her experience at the party left her scarred, alone and in need of comfort so the closet almost becomes a friend of hers. On page fifty-one, Melinda says, “My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside of my head where no one can hear them.” The closet becomes a place of comfort in which she feels a sense of belonging. In her closet she has a poster of Maya Angelou. Melinda is oblivious to the fact that Maya had also experienced the same hardships as a child. She, too, was raped as a child and was unwilling to talk until she found a way to express herself through her words. As she tidies up her closet she hangs up some of her trees, symbolizing her desire to be free from her pain and loneliness.
ReplyDeleteMelinda finds sanctuary in a old janitors closet in her school, she also finds the art room to be some what of a sanction. The closet tells us that she likes to be alone with her thoughts, when she first goes into the closet she finds it to be disgusting, then she personalizes it. Melinda brings in blankets from home and she brings in sponges to clean the dust and rat feces. The art room is Melinda’s secondary sanctuary, in the art room. Mr. Freeman, the art teacher, lets Melinda vent so to say through art, although she isn’t the best at it, it helps her sort of cope.
Melinda finds sanctuary in the art room with Mr. Freeman and her hidden closet. Both of these places are old, drab, and decidingly imperfect. However, both have a person she looks up to. In the art room, Melinda believes in Mr. Freeman and trusts him like no one else in the school while in her closet, she looks to Maya Angelou for advice. Honestly, the second example is just a picture, but Melinda talks to the poster and thinks she can understand what Maya would want her to do. These places show a glimpse of Melinda’s needs. Melinda is imperfect like the rooms, but each of these rooms are made whole by guidance. I believe her sanctuaries are representative of Melinda herself. She is broken down by Andy, but when she first danced with him, Melinda thought he would be her guide and protector. When he abused her, her need for a mentor increased tenfold, but she also developed a problem trusting anyone. These sanctuaries prove a need for guidance in Melinda’s life.
ReplyDelete