Speak Discussion Questions

Second Marking Period—p. 49-92

1.  How does Mel start making her closet more livable? (50)

2.  How does this closet now have a deeper connection to her bedroom? (50)

3.  Explain quote, “Mostly I watch the scary movies playing on the inside of my eyelids.” (50)

4.  Why is it actually getting harder for her to talk? Inference not directly from passage. (50)

5.  When does her mouth relax? (51)

6.  Once again, how is her slightly twisted sense of humor displayed while expressing her views about her Spanish class? (51)

7.  Why does she choose translate the words she does in Spanish? Explain each word she chose? (51)

8.  A pun is a humorous play on words using homophones, homonyms, and other tricks of the English language to provide a deeper and oftentimes, a sarcastic meaning into something. Explain the pun Melinda uses and why does she use it? (52)

9.  On job day, she mentions three sample questions on a career based test. What would be her answers to these questions and why? (52)

10.  Heather is always planning ahead. However, all Melinda is worried about doing is what? (53)

11.  Why does Mr. Neck start a somewhat discriminating debate? When it takes a turn he doesn’t like, he immediately stops the debated. What do these actions say about Mr. Neck as a teacher? As a father? As a person?

12.  How does Melinda withdraw or retreat into herself, once again, while the heated debate in Social Studies was occurring? (56)

13.  What is xenophobia? (56)

14.  What does Melinda mean by, “I have never heard a more eloquent silence.” (57) What is she referring to and how does it relate to her?

15.  How is Thanksgiving at her house a metaphor of her own fractured emotional and personal problems? (57-61)

16.  What does Mel’s dad do with the destroyed turkey? What does she do with the bones? What do you think her sculpture represents? Explain (61-64)

17.  Why is Mr. Freeman’s canvas better than TV? (62)

18.  How is Ivy’s opinion of Melinda’s bone sculpture significant to the story? (64)

19.  Is Mr. Freeman right or wrong about his view of the sculpture? Explain. (65)

20.  How is David Petrakis Melinda’s hero?

21.  How does David represent Melinda’s altar-ego (her opposite or inner self)? (68)

22.  The school board is working hard to make everything from school names, mascots, holidays, etc. to politically correct and a better environment for all students. However, how is this ironic in connection Melinda and what is going on with her? (69)

23.  The school is now known as the Merryweather ______. What is significant about Mel’s use of adjectives of alliteration in her description of the new mascot? (69)

24.  Melinda believes that Christmas requires a ______. How does she wonder if she could get one? (70)

25.  When does Melinda believe her parents gave up the magic of Christmas? (70)

26.  How does she believe she is just like her parents? (70)

27.  What is odd about her thoughts on giving up as a family and getting divorced? (70)

28.  What cause Melinda to almost SPEAK the truth? (72)

29.  What does she “open up” about, letting us in on a little more of her secret? (72)

30.  What do you think Melinda could be alluding to when she mentions her parents coming home separately and at different times? (72)

31.  What causes an image of IT to pop into her head? (74)

32.  Why does Melinda’s dad mention the need of professional help for her? (74)

33.  What talent of Melinda’s is discovered? (75)

34.  Who is Brendan Kellar? (76)

35.  She metaphorically compares herself to ______when she is commanded to be a robotic free thrower in front of the boys’ basketball team. (76)

36.  What deal is she offered by both basketball/gym coaches? What is her response? (77)

37.  Why does Heather invite her over? What does this say about Heather? (79-80)

38.  Provide some major inside or deeper meanings or connection to the frog in relation to Melinda? Why does she make it female? What does she start to think about? What does the frog symbolize? (81)

39.  What happens to Melinda during her lab? (81)

40.  What is briefly mentioned again at the top of the page? (82)

41.  What does she metaphorically compare herself to this time? What does it mean? (82)

42.  What occurs while she is hanging poster’s for Heather? What are your thoughts on this? (86)

43.  What metaphors does she use in regards to her parents when they confront her, once again, about her depleting grades? (87)

44.  Why doesn’t she tell her parent the truth when her mother asked Melinda what was wrong with her? (87)

45.  What does she do with a paper clip? What do you think it means or why did she do it in the first place? (87)

46.  What literary element is used when Melinda mentions “Tough love. Sour sugar. Barbed velvet. Silent talk.” To what is she referring? (88)

47.  What is shocking about when her mom sees her wrist? How is this reaction worse for Melinda’s deteriorating mental health and self-worth? (88)

48.  IT finally has a name. What is it? (90)

49.  What does she call him? (metaphor) (90)

50.  How does he toy with her? (90)

51.  What lets you know she wants someone to help her, but she can’t SPEAK? (91)

52.  What does Heather not do? What can you say about their friendship at this point in the novel? (91)

53.  By seeing, “..a blue broken cricket husk”, what does she mean Mr. Freeman has become? Why or whose to blame? (91)

54.  How does this relate to her? (91)