Antagonist in the book speak

I was thinking the antagonist was the guy that raped her but my friend tells me that the main character is her own antagonist because she chooses to make her own life hell. Throughout the year, he continues to torment melinda with comments referencing their. He is a flat character whose motivations and background arent explored. Outcome the outcome involves the catharsis that both neely and the town of messina experience as a result of the death of eddie rake. They dont have to be a villain, or even morally objectionable in any sense though they often are. Main ideas antagonist the primary antagonists of the play include the capulet and montague families, whose longstanding feud restricts romeo and juliets freedom and ultimately thwarts their love. Im one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no one would listen to the guilty, but i did not speak and thus became guilty myself. Antagonist this character, or group of characters, causes the conflict for the.

Film production occured over a period of only 21 days in columbus, ohio. I am bound by that book carried by the creator of the universe and it doesnt allow me to speak or write the true name. An example of a metaphor from the book speak education. Antagonist definition of antagonist by merriamwebster. The summer before starting high school, she was raped by a senior student, andy evans.

The antagonist is the opposite number to the protagonist. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on laurie halse andersons speak. Oct 08, 20 with the antagonist, lynn coady demonstrates all of the gifts that have made her one of canadas most respected young writers. Antagonist definition is one that contends with or opposes another. Nicolae jetty carpathia nickolye carpaytheeah, also known as the antichrist, is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in the left behind book series written by tim lahaye and jerry b.

Andy evans, the boy who raped her, is the books antagonist. This doesnt make the everyday antagonist any less ofwell, an antagonist. Agatha prenderghast lived in the small town of blithe hollow, massachusetts, and had the ability to speak the the dead. S peak is a compelling, oftentimes brutal comingofage story about melinda, a high school freshman. Writers use characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story. Last week, i gave an overview of each supporting character in the comic and film, v for vendetta. He is a sleazy, but attractive, senior boy with a reputation for inappropriate behavior with girls. And when finally they set the structure to burn the books, using the firemen, i grunted a few times and subsided, for there were no others grunting or. Mute is enough if you disagree with its deletion, please explain why at category talk. Speak symbols from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The book has both characters undergoing change, very dynamic, as they. Sep, 2011 who are the dynamic and static characters in speak.

Speak study guide contains a biography of laurie halse anderson. He is the main antagonist of the book, and spends much of the narrative harassing melinda in various subtle but menacing ways. Birds appear multiple times in the text of speak the most memorable of these appearances, of course, being the doomed turkey that melindas mother attempts to cook on christmas. The four main types of epic antagonists wellstoried. No antagonist means exactly what it says on the tin. After what had happened she called the cops and a lot of people got arrested for under aged drinking and taking drugs.

If you arent sure if someone is an antagonist or protagonist, remember that the antagonist antagonizes the protagonist. Against his will and his nature, the hulking gordon rankin rank. The antagonists explores that, as well as some of the very real challenges the disabled deal with daytoday. Who are the main characters, or the most prominent.

This is because the antagonist exists for the purpose of opposing the efforts of the protagonist. The novel deals with the sensitive subject matter of rape and depression, while allowing students to relate to and empathize with the narrator and discuss these topics in a constructive and safe setting. Above all, though, what happened to job lets us know that god, our creator and sustainer, is in charge of everything and has a right to do whatever he wishes to do. Ralph, the protagonist of the novel, stands for civilization, morality, and. After raping melinda at a summer party, he continues to antagonize her throughout the novel, showing his inability to. Need help on characters in laurie halse andersons speak. I am an avid crime fiction reader and in this genre it can be very appropriate to start with the antagonist. The story revolves around fu yuinfah, the son of a widow from the countryside of western china, who wishes to become a coppersmith in the big city on the yangtze river, chungking now spelled chongqing. He is a narcissistic senior in high school who is used to getting his way, either through charm or by force. Ivy and nicole are two other former friends who are more understanding, and eventually come to help melinda.

Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Jack, the antagonist, stands for the desire for power, selfishness, and amorality. The antagonist does not always have to be a single character or even a character at all. One of the antagonists is andy evans, a senior who raped melinda at the. During a strike, for example, representatives of labor and management become antagonists. Complications plot internal conflict resolution the sequence of related events that make a story hang together. Anderson visited the set during filiming and appears in one scene as a lunchlady serving potatos. The creators of sparknotes speak characters from litcharts.

Aunt spiker is one of james two cruel aunts and one of the two main antagonists of the 1996 liveaction film, james and the giant peach, the other being aunt sponge. This is a great book well written and well researched even if its just fiction. I have seven new note books, a skirt i hate, and a stomachache. Trying to sincerely share your heart, or speak into the life of an antagonist is fruitless. Candidates for deletion or improve the page and remove the tag remember to check what links here and the. Sep 17, 2018 the antagonist is the primary opponent of the protagonist, and the biggest obstacle standing between the main character and their goal. Like the protagonist, the antagonist can take many different forms. If one or more sentient beings get in the way of the protagonistsmain characters, however wellintentioned they are and however justified their actions, it is not an example. This book was an interesting start to what i hope will be a great series. Who is the antagonist in speak by laurie halse anderson.

Coming back to the example of harry potter movies, the antagonist is voldemort who is seen creating obstacles in the path of harry all the time. The second book will lead them to a different antagonist with national and international ramifications. This is a problem when you have to write 80 000 words and your. Melinda struggles internally with speaking up about her traumatic experience.

Iago actively works to thwart othello by convincing othello that desdemona is being unfaithful to him, knowing that this belief will torment othello. I find that beginner writers have often not thought through the role of the antagonist in their novels. A concise biography of laurie halse anderson plus historical and literary context for speak. It is called speak because the protagonist, melinda, must learn to speak up for herself about a terrible thing that happened to her. After raping melinda at a summer party, he continues to antagonize her throughout the novel, showing his inability to empathize with others. It is unknown whether spiker and sponge are the sisters of james father or mother. On the other hand, they also feel drawn to european medicine, education, and religion. While the most common practice is for a hero to be the protagonist and the villain to be the antagonist this is not always the case. But this week, were moving on to the three most important characters in the book. Melinda, a high school freshman, is the protagonist in laurie halse andersons speak. Nearly every character in the play is complicit in this family feud, upholding it in some way or another. Get an answer for who are the main characters, or the most prominent characters, in speak. As the story unfolds, readers and melinda learn that shes only one of andys many victims.

The term antagonist comes from the greek word antagonistes, which means opponent, competitor, or rival. The protagonist hero main character of the story is melinda sordino. Laurie halse anderson booklist laurie halse anderson message board. For example, if the protagonist is evil, then the antagonist is the one standing between them and. It tells the story of elazer ben yair, leader of the jews, and flavius silva, general of rome s elite tenth legion. As an example, in the disney movie the lion king, the main antagonist is scar. He always puts up roadblocks and resistance to george. Agatha aggie prenderghast is the main antagonist turneddeuteragonist of paranorman. I checked out a book from the library, dracula, by bram stoker. In the book, speak by laurie halse anderson, a young girl, melinda, who used to be a popular girl is now an outcast. Who are the dynamic and static characters in speak answers. Oct 03, 2010 who is the antagonist in the book speak by laurie halse anderson. One moment the sky is a brilliant, azure blue, the next, it is grey and snowing like there is no tomorrow. Antagonist simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Asked in speak novel why is the book speak called speak. Whoever holds the conch shell will speak, and the others will listen silently until they. In tragedies, antagonists are often the cause of the protagonists main problem, or lead a group of characters against the protagonist. Most slice of life works have no antagonist, due to the conflict being life itself, but that doesnt apply to all such series, where the antagonist can easily be someone damaging the life of the protagonist for instance, the local school bully. Of course, stories can have multiple protagonists and antagonists, and dynamic characters can even switch between these roles as the story develops. Young fu of the upper yangtze is a book by elizabeth foreman lewis that won the newbery medal for excellence in american childrens literature in 1933. This is certainly due to the length of the stories and that they are more or less urban fantasy. In this post, we discuss 10 essential tips for writing antagonists. She used to be very social, outgoing, and loved until one night at a party. Writers write is your onestop resource for writers. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the antagonists.

He is the main antagonist of the book, and spends much of the narrative. Andy is important to the novel as an antagonist, but the focus of speak is melinda, like the focus of alice sebolds the. Shmoop guide to speak protagonist, antagonist, foil, guide, mentor, and character roles. Oct 29, 2009 person vs person would be melinda and andy person vs society would be her and the school since everyone dislikes her because of the party incident person vs self im not sure how i can back this up but it does fit since she shuts herself out from everyone which one sounds better because i need to answer a question regarding about who is the antagonist of the story. I was thinking the antagonist was the guy that raped her but my friend tells me that the. At the party there was drinking and drugs but the worst part was when melinda got raped by andy evans.

This contradiction makes the british a formidable antagonist. Speak the film was produced independently and released in 2004. Her ability caused the other townsfolk to believe she was practicing witchcraft, and she grew more distant from the village. Evaluate the effectiveness of the title and discuss the irony of the word speak as it relates to the book.

Also known as it or andy beast to melinda, andy is the primary antagonist in speak. Furthermore, there are many creative attributes about god in the book of job especially in chapters 38 and 39 for us to learn about. If your antagonist is a middleschool bully, the best he can probably do is to spread. Antagonist definition, a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. He was originally introduced as the main antagonist when the first books were written, but as more books were written, he was. The antagonists, the book by ernest gann, is also known by the title masada, tells the story of this small group of 960 jews who defied the roman empire by refusing to give in to roman demands. The history of two great peoples the romans and the jews come to life here in a vivid walk thru what happened in 73 ad in judea. Though not every story requires an antagonist, it often is used in plays to increase the level of drama. In the book speak, one of the biggest conflicts is when melinda was at a summer party.

In literature, an antagonist is a character, or a group of characters, which stands in opposition to the protagonist, which is the main character. Speak, by laurie halse anderson, enjoys the dubious distinction of making a regular appearance on the banned books circuit. Not all antagonists are bent upon evil for the sake of evil. The villagers mixed feelings speak to the contradiction of the socalled civilizing mission of european imperialism, which offers the gift of progress, but wrapped in violence. The reader doesnt expect him to be the one to speak well of his memories of his coach, because we have seen him turn away from rake and messina football so often throughout the book. Melinda from the book speak wanted to have friends again and get her life back, but some devastating things occurred that really affected and changed her life, so this experience lets melinda think about what she is going to do and she learns a lot about herself and gains courage and bravery. The antagonist of a story is the force that provides an obstacle for the protagonist. Everests weather is the hardest to get acustomed to and climb in.

May, 20 antagonist comes from a greek word that means an opponent or a rival. Melinda doesnt have and doesnt want access to information about andy. Speak study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Everest has experienced everything from snow to sleet, from rain to hail, and. A struggle inside the characters own heart or mind. Asked in books and literature, literary terminology why is the land. Antichrist christianity the adversary of christ or christianity mentioned in the new testament.

After melindas mother ruins the bird read full symbol analysis melindas closet. Antagonist protagonist and antagonist are the archetypal characters always present in a narrative, play, or a. The first time she couldnt find a way to speak or call for help, but this time she does and the evil he has perpetrated on her and other girls in the school finally comes to an end. Its far from perfect, but it has some nice elements, and i will probably pick up book two when i get a chance. He rapes melinda at a party the summer before her first year of high school.

The antagonist is the character who opposes the protagonist, often a villain. The book describes the weather as harsh and unpredictabe. The antagonist is the primary opponent of the protagonist, and the biggest obstacle standing between the main character and their goal. Your antagonists should have an effect on the world around themand how big or small this effect is depends on the scale of your villain, and on the kind of story youre trying to tell. Speak, published in 1999, is a young adult novel by laurie halse anderson that tells the story of high school freshman melinda sordino.

Curley is the antagonist in steinbecks novel, of mice and men. It identifies precisely what offenses can do in a persons life when they are unresolved, and how satans strategy is implemented through offenses. Speak, by laurie halse anderson, is a novel that tells the story of melinda sordino, a high school student who is raped at a party the summer before her senior year. Due to her trauma and inability to tell anyone about what happened, melinda spirals into a dark depression. The characters are as real you and me and you can see yourself standing along side them as the. She is unable to speak about the rape and gradually quits talking altogether. Continue reading abaddon of fragment by alvin atwater. Some simply act in opposition to the main character, creating conflict without a distinct goal of setting the world on fire. Here she gives us an astonishing story of sons and fathers and mothers, of the rewards and betrayals of male friendship, and a largespirited, hilarious, and exhilarating portrait of a man tearing his life apart in. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Melinda finds out she has a lot to offer and is able to speak once more. An antagonist is used as a plot device, to set up conflicts, obstacles, or challenges for the protagonist. Plot analysis of speak by laurie halse anderson by taite.