i had a great language arts teacher in seventh grade and she would let me stay inside for recess b/c i didn’t have friends so i would read books and write poetry in her class. i never thought of myself as a poet even when my highschool freshman teacher published some of my poems in the newspaper. my fifth grade teacher whom had a writing club would tell me that i would make a great author some day, but i never really took the idea. i have always been naturally good at writing. i used to like history, but ever since sixth grade i found my passion for science which has still continued. i wonder if i’m a better writer now or i was better then. my inner bully tells me that i was better then, but seventh grade was the time when my inner bully was the worst.

here is a funny poem (also i’m great at frisbee, but i never shattered someone’s car window, only dented their door):

May 29, 2012
Language Arts Tongue and Cheek Poem

Frisbee Frenzy

I hadn’t expected to shatter the window of your car.
The disk, it flew so far.
I was out practicing frisbee for the first time.
My arm must have been strong, for when it came into contact with you window; your face was more sour than a lime.
I could not help feeling excited as you gave a chase.
I picked up the frisbee in a haste.
You never did catch me.
However, I’m sorry; I was too joyous to actually pay a fee.

May 21, 2012
Language Arts Color Poem

“Sparkling Sapphire” (my special friend’s eyes are sapphire and his favorite color is emerald)

I am the color of the sky.
My friend, Emerald, is down below as the grass.
A blue jay as it flies.
The vast seas, their color I own.
I give berries an azure tone.
Too much of me can dampen your spirits.
Every newborns’ eyes share my color.
Tranquility and pleasant dreams radiate from me.

Shirley Liu
English I-H/Recipe Poem
5/13/14

Recipe for Love (freshman year when i realized i loved my special friend, first poem in a poetry book, i also drew pictures by hand for the book and the book was called “A Garden of Verses with a flower garden and green cover with a purple backing)

Begin with a batch of kindness.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of trust.
Add a pinch of acceptance.
Stir in a cup of loyalty.
Mix in a cup of caring.
Chop up all insecurities.
Blend in an ounce of patience.
Makes a lifetime of happiness.

Eulogy for a Rose (hardest poem to write, but while i was planting flowers, i noticed the roses wilting and i was thinking of my special friend and how much he meant to me)

Summer and spring have faded away.
But I still remember your bright red petals and sweet scent.
The way the rain kissed your petals.
When you danced in the wind, you seemed to sing
Oh! How you would open your petals to butterflies and bees.
Blooming for all the world to see
Drinking in the fertilizer I gave you.
You were always optimistic, bending toward the sun.
Now your colors have faded
But your spirit lingers forever more
Your beauty remains in my memory.
You were the reminder of all that was beautiful, of hopes and dreams.
May you rest in eternal peace.

Alternate Ending of Speak:
Fresh Start
After relieving myself of the burden I held for so long, I can’t help, but feel lighter. The teachers gave Andy a suspension for two months. The whole school knows about it and everywhere I go people ask me if I’m okay. I know that I can never forget what happened, but I can let go of the pain. Start over from scratch. Grow new roots, build a stronger foundation. Oh, speaking of new roots, my linoleum tree that I was carving in art received an “A”. On the last day of school, I finally finished my carving of a tree growing up to reach the sun and a blackened lower branch. That branch won’t affect the tree’s growth because it’ll fall off and fade with time like me memories of that August night. When I showed it to Mr. Freeman, my art teacher, he looked at me and told me that if I needed to talk anytime, he was there. Then, he began to tell me about how much my tree seemed to represent my rebirth from the pain. I burst into tears and my story started spilling out. Mr. Freeman was very sympathetic. Rachel came up to me today and told me how sorry she was for not realizing. She and I are friends again. Rachel asked me to hang out over the summer, but I told her I had summer school. I’m really disappointed at not being able to hang out with Rachel, but I have to bring up my grades from freshman year. Ever since, that drinking party, I had gotten terrible grades. However, this summer, I aim to work hard so I can move on to sophomore year.
Plot Overview:
Exposition: Melinda Sordino is fifteen years old and attends Merryweather High School. Her friends avoid her because they are angry she called the police at the August drinking party. She has started high school as an outcast. Melinda cannot speak of what happened to her at the party, so she becomes mute. Everyone who was at the party harasses her, but she cannot speak up for herself. Her only friend, Heather leaves her for popularity with the Marthas.
Rising Action: Melinda constantly thinks about Andy Evans. He follows her around like a dark shadow. Every time he comes close, Melinda runs away like a scared rabbit. Melinda is haunted by memories of the August party and being raped by him. Her grades start sinking to C’s and D’s. Her only A is in art, where she forms a friendship with Ivy.
Climax: Melinda hears Andy is going out with her ex-friend, Rachel Bruin. She warns Rachel with a note and later in study hall tells Rachel about Andy. However, Rachel does not believe her. Rachel ditches Andy at prom when he tries to sexually touch her.
Falling Action: Andy finds Melinda in the closet in the art room after school and tries to rape her again. He tells her that she ruined things for him because of either her hurt feelings or jealously that he was going out with Rachel. Melinda has the courage to scream and alerts the lacrosse team. She also grabs a piece of glass that shattered from the mirror that was behind her turkey-bone sculpture. She holds it to Andy’s neck and presses hard enough to draw a drop of blood. She then unlocks the door.
Resolution: On the last day of school, Melinda finishes her linoleum tree and receives an A from Mr. Freeman. She then tells Mr. Freeman about what she had been through. As she talks through her tears, her voice starts growing stronger and all that was blocking it melted. The students at school ask her if she is okay.
Choice of Novel:
Speak was chosen because I had read other books by Laurie Halse Anderson and enjoyed them. Also, I can relate to Melinda about being afraid to speak up. I hide my emotions and do not like to talk about myself often. After the drinking party, Melinda had to face the hatred of the other students who blamed her for getting them in trouble. Melinda did the right thing by calling the police, but was harassed because of it. Starting high school, Melinda was excluded by her friends and people often talked behind her back. She did not fit in and was continually haunted by memories of the party and Andy Evans. In middle school, I was an outcast much like Melinda and every time I did the right thing, people would spread rumors about me.
Book Review: Speak was an awe-inspiring novel. It would be an excellent read for all high school students. It teaches students to speak up for themselves in times of adversity. Melinda does not speak up for herself when the people who were at the August party were harassing her. The novel teaches about courage and depression. Melinda battled depression and loneliness because all her friends excluded her after she called the cops at the party. Melinda admires David Petrakis, a student in her biology and history class because he is eloquent with his words and never gets bullied for being intelligent. Melinda makes friends with Ivy in Mr. Freeman’s art class. Melinda still cares about her ex-friend from the August party (at Rachel’s house), Rachel because she goes out of her way to warn her about Andy. Melinda warns Rachel during study hall that Andy Evans would use her. Unfortunately, Rachel does not believe her. This is the first time Melinda spoke to a person that went to the party. Before, she had been too scared to speak about her being raped to others. In the novel, Melinda keeps saying in her mind “Why do they keep telling me to speak? What if I have nothing to say? What if I don’t want to incriminate myself? Self incrimination.” (Anderson 157). Melinda’s parents notice her behavior when they see her terrible grades and keep asking her to speak. Melinda is afraid that if she speaks out, people may hate her more. Also, Andy has a big reputation with girls and she is afraid of him. When Ivy says that Andy Evans is trouble, Melinda seems to want to talk. She starts a conversation on the bathroom wall that says “Guys to stay away from: Andy Evans” (Anderson 185). Later when Ivy takes her back to the bathroom, she sees all the negative comments other girls wrote about him. This shows that it takes one person to speak up to give others courage. At the beginning of the story, Melinda hides in the art room closet in darkness, afraid to face reality, wanting to wash away the pain the memory gives her. On the last day of school, Melinda hands in her finished linoleum tree to Mr. Freeman, her art teacher. Her tree is growing up toward the sunlight to signify her rebirth and a new beginning. The bottom blackened branch symbolizes how she will never forget that night, but she will not let it send her into darkness. Speak is a tale of rebirth, letting go of pain and finding the courage to speak up.
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Bildungsroman- Coming of Age:
From the beginning of Speak, Melinda is an outcast and harassed by people who went to the August drinking party. Melinda meets Heather, who is new to Merryweather High School, and the two become friends. Heather keeps talking about getting involved in her school and being popular, while Melinda continues to hide in darkness. Melinda is still trying to rid herself of the memory of the party where a senior guy raped her. Heather becomes so involved with the Marthas, a community service organization, that she ditches Melinda for popularity. Melinda is shattered because she now has no friends. As the weeks go by, Melinda becomes more withdrawn and reluctant to speak. Her grades curve downward exponentially. Furthermore, Andy lurks like a dark shadow and appears whenever he wants to. Melinda is too afraid to face him after what happened at the party. Staying behind to work on her linoleum tree for art, Melinda sees Ivy give her a shy smile. Ivy had asked Mr. Freeman, their art teacher, if she could stay behind to work on her clown project also. This is the beginning of her friendship with Ivy. When Andy and Rachel go out, Melinda warns Rachel, but Rachel does not believe her. Melinda tells Heather she will not help her with prom decorations. At prom, Rachel ditches Andy after he tries to sexually touch her. Melinda is able to scream and fight back when Andy tries to rape her again after school in the art room closet. The lacrosse team comes running and the next day, the whole school knows about it. On the last day of school, Melinda finishes he linoleum tree and receives an A. In her tree, she depicts rebirth and re-growth up toward the sunlight. She tells her story to Mr. Freeman and as she talks through her tears; her voice melts all the blocks of ice in her throat. Speak is a tale of a girl who tries to find the courage to speak out and finally does. Melinda learns that she cannot let the pain of what happened overcome her, but she will never forget the event. She also learns that it is better to speak and let your voice be heard than suffer in silence.