Blog 8

Mellie, A QUIET FRESHMAN GIRL, is a powerful character that many young adults can learn from (POW 1, appositive set off by commas).  After being raped by a fellow student, Mellie becomes introverted and withdraws herself from everybody around her.  Though there are attempts by a few people (HEATHER, MR. FREEMAN, AND IVY) to reach out to her, Mellie continues to shut herself down from the world around her (POW 2, appositives set off by parenthesis).  Melinda goes through the motions of everyday life, but she does not talk or interact with people.  Her life—A MESS OF SADNESS AND LONLINESS—no longer seems important to her (POW 3, appositives set off by dashes).  The reader is able to see how depressed Melinda is after she was raped (POW 5, participial phrase). Though nobody knows of Mellie’s reason for shutting down, the reader is able to see the profound impacts and consequences that can result from sexual assault or rape.  This novel should be taught in the classroom because young adults should learn from Melinda’s horrible experience: THE INEXCUSABLE SEXUAL ASSAULT (POW 4, appositives set off by colon).  Speak, POWERFUL, CAPTIVATING, AND EMPOWERING, should be taught in high school classrooms around the United States (POW 6, adjectives out-of-order).