Welcome
back – this time with English Answer (Wo)man!
As you continue to read Speak, you need to respond to each of the
Free Write Journal Topics below. You can post these to your blog, but you
must also turn in a hardcopy at the end.
I recommend you complete these as you read and not all in one sitting. Each response needs
to be around 100-300 words.
Continue
doing excellent work!
1. 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? (20).
2. Mr.
Neck doesn't understand Free Speech as David Petrakis does, but through this
part of the novel, the reader can think about what it means to have the freedom
to say what one believes. What does free speech mean to you?
3. Are
we sometimes different people on the outside than we are on the inside? Which
characters from the novel fit this description? Why is this true about people,
do you think?
4. Melinda's
parents tell her that she's too old to go trick or treating and she pretends to
be mad. Why do you think Melinda is both relieved and sad not to go trick or
treating? What does it feel like to leave childhood traditions behind? (39).
5.
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? (82).
6.
Write
about one of Mr. Freeman’s “words of wisdom” and how it is either true or
false, based on your learning and experience: (choose another quote if you
like)
-"You
must walk alone to find your soul" (118)
-"Art is about making mistakes and learning from
them" (122).
-"Nothing
is perfect. Flaws are interesting" (153).
7.
David is a true friend to Melinda, but
he tells her something she may not want to hear. He says that people have to
speak up for their rights, referring to the suffragettes. What should his words
mean to her? (159).
8.
Melinda's father explains to her that
the arborists are cutting off disease and damage to make it possible for the
tree to grow again. How can the pruning of the tree be compared to Melinda's
life? (187).
