Name ______

English 9 ___

Mrs. Lopez

Speak final questions

Directions: Answer these questions in complete sentences. You should provide FULL, COMPLETE responses. A few sentences will NOT suffice! This will count as 50% of your test grade.

1. Mr. Freeman often says some pretty “weird” things in art class. Explain how the following lines from Mr. Freeman could really be “life advice” for Melinda [in other words, how do Mr. Freeman’s lines have a deeper meaning for Melinda]?

  1. “Your imagination is paralyzed. You need to take a trip. You need to visit the mind of a great one. Picasso. Who saw the truth. Who painted the truth, molded it, ripped it from the earth with two angry hands. See Picasso. I can’t do everything for you. You must walk alone to find your soul.” P.118
  2. “Art without emotion is like chocolate cake without sugar. It makes you gag. The next time you work on your tree, don’t think about trees. Think about love, or hate, or joy, or rage-- whatever makes you feel something, makes your palms sweat, or your toes curl. Focus on that feeling. When people don’t express themselves they die one piece at a time. It’s the saddest thing I know.” P.122
  3. “You are getting better at this, but it’s not good enough. This looks like a tree, but it is an average, ordinary, everyday, boring tree. Breathe life into it. Make it bend-- trees are flexible, so they don’t snap. Scar it, give it a twisted branch-- perfect trees don’t exist. Nothing is perfect. Flaws are interesting. Be the tree.” P.153

2. Find one turning point in the novel where something occurs that helps Melinda heal, recover, or admit the truth. Explain what happens and why it helps push Melinda to “get better”.

3. Spring time brings about change in the world. Snow starts to melt, grass becomes green, birds return from the south, the sun begins to shine again, the days become longer. Explain how the season of Spring is a symbol in the novel. WHAT does it symbolize and HOW?

4. Describe Melinda’s final tree and explain how the project reflects Melinda’s first year in school.

5. David Petrakis understands what Melinda was trying to do with her report on the suffragettes. Why though, does he say it didn’t work out? What was wrong with the way Melinda went about her oral report?

6. Melinda’s father hires men to work on the tree in their front yard after Melinda cleans up all of the mess left over from winter. A little boy asks Mel’s dad why he is chopping down the tree. He replies, “He’s not chopping it down. He’s saving it. Those branches were long dead from disease. All plants are like that. By cutting off the damage, you make it possible for the tree to grow again. You watch—by the end of summer, this tree will be the strongest on the block.” P.187

How is Melinda’s dad commenting on Melinda and her life?Moreover, how is the tree another symbol in the novel?