1.Book Review

The book “Speak” has been written by Laurie Halse Anderson with this book she was the first time nominated for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. “Speak” was initial published by the penguin group in 1999. Laurie Halse lives with her second husband, Scot Larrabe, and her children in NY. The book told about a 14 years old girl who was raped on an end of summer party by an older boy.

In the summer of her freshman year of high school Melinda Sordino has been raped by an older senior called Andy Evans during the party. There upon Melinda called the cops and these broke up the party immediately. After this night she is an outcast at her school. Even her closest friends stop talking at her. The only person who wants to talk to her is Heather from Ohio which dismissed Melinda later for the Marthas”. So at least she only trust at school Mr. Freeman, her art teacher. Melinda has not been talking to somebody about her rape until one of her former friends Rachel starts dating Andy Evans but Rachel don’t believe her unfortunately.

I think Laurie wants show us how people are concentrated on them self, nowadays. Melinda called the police but nobody ask why, everyone just blamed her to broke up the party.

So even Melinda blamed herself. And at school, no teacher noticed that she didn’t speak, or her parents. Why they didn’t do anything? Why didn’t anybody recognize her situation?

I like this book because it shows a girl which overcomes her fears and become another person. I think it’s a very realistic story which could happen to everyone. I don’t like that Laurie writes very detailed how Melinda blamed herself in contrast to the end, when she overcomes her fears. This part was very short and besides to few detailed.

2. Description of the main character

Melinda doesn’t like and blame herself for the rape. After her rape she decided that it would be the best to stop to speak and so she redlines herself from everything. Melinda thinks that everyone at school hates her but over the story it turn out that some of her ex friends still like her. Also Mr. Freeman, the art teacher, likes her and helps her on his own way. After all she was never alone unlike she ever thought.

Melinda is a 14 years old girl which doesn’t have a lot of friends. Basically she had only three people which with she peak and that are Heather, David Pertaki, her lab partner, Mr. Freeman. Before the end she also can speak sometimes with Ivy. Melinda can’t talk to her parents, because they are very busy and that is the reason why she doesn’t want to charge her parents with her problems. In fact she has only Heather as a friend but after some time Heather dismissed her for the Marthas. Therefore the only person she trusts at school is Mr. Freeman and at the end she tells him about her rape what shows that they have a very strong connection.

The most pupils at school don’t like her because she broke up the party. If they would know what happens really at that time they would probably understand why she called the cops. The other people don’t even take a look at her except for David Pertaki. He likes her and invites she to come to a party at his house but she was too afraid and so she defeat. Her parents notice that she doesn’t speak and also her teachers, but they don’t help her, with the exception of Mr. Freemann tries to help her of on his wise.

I think only Melinda will change in the book namely at the scene with Andy Eavens when he tries to rape her again. There she remarks that it wasn’t the fault of her. He was the one who done something wrong and in this moment she overcomes her fears and she changed from the girl who stopped to speak to a self – confident girl who don’t think to keep her mouth. I think the best where you can see her change at her art, as her tree on her pictures changes also herself changes. At beginning her art looks like trees from a child and at the end the trees were not perfect but very good. With this dispartion trying something again and again she shows to me that she is a fighter and wants to live.

Sa

We will start our tour through Cambridge in Drummer street at the bus station but we won’t take the bus, we will walk all the way. First we walk straight ahead and on the right hand side you cn see Christ’s haouse. We move on and walk into St. Andrew street where we pass the post office. After a few minutes we turn right and walk into Prembrake street where we stop at the Whipple Museum which is a historical science museum. This museum is very popular among tourists because it’s one of the greatest in the country. Now we will walk again for some minutes then we get to our third stop, Corpus Christi, where you can study theology. This college is very famous because the building is very old. It’s one of he oldest churhces in Europe. It was foundes in 1352. Currently we walk to the market, which is open once every week. This market is very amazing because you find all you need here and at the stalls get the bset vegetables. We move on and walk straight ahead and get to the next stop: Trinity College. It was founded in 1546. Here you can study biology. After some minutes we will reach the university in Cambidge the Melhodist university. The university is an amazing building where a lot of people study theology because it’s one of the best in he world. Now we finally get to the shopping center and as I can see the ladies are amused. From outside it looks small but inside it’s great. Here you find everything you want. For the ladies it’s a paradise. We now come tho the last stop of our tour and as you can see it’s the place we started. I hope you ‘ve enjoy the tour. As I can see you’r tierd from walking so we atke a bus back to our hotel.

A virtual tour

A virtual tour

I’m going to take you to a virtual tour through Sulz. You will see that Sulz is a small town with only 2500 inhabitants. We start our tour in the Müsinenstreet at the restaurant “Altes Gericht”. A long time ago, in This building restaurant was one time one of the only courts of the district Feldkirch. Nowadays it’s a very popular restaurant. We will walk straight ahead on this street until we get to the new adult education institute. Through the week this building is a school and clubs can use it at for their training at the evening. At the weekend the borough uses it for activities. Now we are walking in the Kreuzstreet. In a few minutes we will come to the swimming pool.

The swimming pool belongs to Rankweil but it is built on the ground of the local authority Sulz. Exactly to our right site we can see the football club from Sulz. I’m not very interested in the football sport of Austria so I can’t say you if our team is good. At last we take the next bus to the hotel Rössle. The hotel Rössle, which is very popular by tourists and has a very good cuisine. A lot of clubs order their dishes for meetings there. As you saw now Sulz is a very small village which hasn’t t got a lot of sights but I showed you the most popular ones. Although the village is very small, Sulz also has supermarkets and a train station. I hope you enjoyed the tour.

Verbesserung der SA

Dear Alice,

Sorry that I didn’t write earlier. Recently in school we’ve learned a lot about drugs especially about their generell effects. I understand that you think that taking drugs isn’t as dangerous as the most people say because at the beginning you notice nothing. But when you take drugs over years you can get brain damaged and you can get depressions and you develop dependence.

It gives a lot of theories why people take drugs. Some take drugs because they have problems, some because the get them form friends and other again take drugs because they like the feeling. Your situation like they theory about the person who get drugs form there friends but if I would be you I don’t try it because first you take drugs at parties but then it will get to a habit and faster then you will notice it your dependence.

You wrote me that he was smoking marijuana and this is a heavy drug I mean if you would tell me that he takes some designer drug at parties I wouldn’t be as shocked as now. I don’t think that he will stop taking drugs and because of that I have the opinion that he won’t have a good future. For me people who take drugs have one future they will spend there whole money on drugs and they have no job, no family in the end they have nothing.

I think Jason isn’t a good friend. I mean he wants you to take drugs too and I think that it shows who a person he is. I wouldn’t try it but you must decide that.

Your Rebekka

The Mosquito Coast

Dear John,

Since we leave America my live changed completely. I had to live a life without my friends, TV, school and any other electricity. On the ship which we drove to Honduras I met Emily who became my first girlfriend.

When we arrived Honduras Haddy, he is a new friend of my father, took as to Jeronimo. There lived some people called Zambuz, Jeronimo was the place my father dreamed of. At the same day my father began to build a machine called Fat Boy, which with he could create ice.

After some time the Zambuz left Jeronimo. One time some with people came from the mountain, they wore guns. AT first my father was very friendly but when he noticed that the wanted to stay here he lend them to over Fat Boy and they went in. As my father noticed that the fire of Fat Boy still burned he noticed that they will die. Because the people in Fat Boy began to shoot we had to leave the jungle because Fat Boy could blow up every moment.

When we arrived the coast my father didn’t want to live in a village so we had to live in a boat. Here nobody was happy, my mother and my siblings because we saw other people but we weren’t allowed to went to tem and my father because we were to close to the civilization.

On time when he wanted to cam back on the boat he got a shot in to his neck. We carried him to a tree, my mother wanted to call help but it was too late he died.

On the one hand I’m very sad because of my father bur on the other hand I’m happy because now we can come back to America. We only go into the jungle because my father wanted it, he lied at us he always said that America was damaged but it wasn’t true.

Some times in my dreams I hear him screaming that he is the only man on the world. In a way a piece of me dies with my father.

I miss him very much but I’m happy that I will be back in America soon.

Yours Charlie

Questions:

Why did your family go to the jungle?

My father always wanted to live in the nature and as one time the boss of my father said that his concept wasn’t good he decided to go to the jungle. This was the life dream of my father.

What do you think about your father?

He was a good man. Sure for some he was a strange man also sometimes for me but I love him. He is a very important part of my life.

What do you think about his death?

I’m very shocked. I don’t know why the shoot. They didn’t know him, I can’t understand that. I’m very sad, sure now we can go back to America but who should earn the money??

Who is Mr.Haddy?

He is a nice man, he always help us. My father met him on the ship to Honduras and they get friends. He will help us to start a new life in America.

How you feel now?

I don’t know…..I can’t explain it. I should be sad and that I am but I’m also very relieved. Because back in America I can go into school and meet my friends.

"Thank you Charlie and good luck in America".
"Thank you".

Happiness

Happiness

It’s hard to explain what makes me happy. For some people it would be money or if the get presents or something like that but for me, I don't knwo I never think about this topic. Sure sometimes I think if I had this or that I would be much happier but I when I used to think so I was very little. I think for me it’s very important to life with my parents in freedom. Because they are very important people for me, sure I think for everyone are parents very important but I love my parents and without them I couldn’t be happy. What I also need to be happy are my friends. Without friends would be only half as funny as it is with them. With friends you can do a lot of crazy things what makes your life wonderful. I think it doesn’t care what kind of friends you have if they are popular or freaks it doesn’t matter if they like you as you are.

I couldn’t say that it is the most important thing for me but it is very important for me to be happy, my dog. Maybe she isn’t the best dog on the earth but she is my dog and I love her as she is. Without her, ok I can’t say that I wouldn’t be happy anymore but there would be something absence of my life.