Melinda made some mistakes and poor choices in the book, but no body is perfect and life is all about learning from the mistakes you have made in the past and striving for a better future. In fact, Melinda needs to forget about the mistakes she has made in the past, because that is dragging her high school experience down. Mr. Freeman and Melinda are talking one day and he tells her “Art is about making mistakes and learning from them.”(122) Mr. Freeman is talking about more than just art to Melinda. He realizes that Melinda is holding something in and that she needs to talk. He thinks that maybe she made a mistake, or something went wrong that she needs to talk about. Mr. Freeman is one of the only people in her life that actually pay attention to her, and that actually partially understands her.
In high school life, Melinda has made some mistakes but everyone does in this game of life. The mistakes that she has made in high school affect her experience; and mostly in a negative way. But, by the end of the book she realizes that she needs to speak up for herself. And speak up she does. “I said no.”(195) is what Melinda says the second time that Andy is trying to rape her. She screamed and people helped her. This is when people started to realize what she went through and why she was the way she was. But in the end she learned to speak up for herself. She did indeed learn from her mistakes she found her voice to speak. That is what Mr. Freeman basically teaches her, but instead it is taught through artwork. The main point he is trying to get across is that people will listen to your story and try to understand you; you just have to have the courage to speak up.
I agree 100 % with you I think that Melinda should leave all of her mistakes behind her because when it comes down too it that won’t matter after you get out of high school. If you hold grudges like that all that does is make things worse and that is not what you want in life you want to be happy. And you are right nobody in this world is perfect I know that some people may think that they are but they really aren’t. So that is why I agree with you.
First off I have to say that this is a really great blog post. It is very thorough and insightful and I have to say that I agree with this totally. Maybe you could have considered this, the reason that Melinda doesn’t speak is all because, of one person in particular. Andy Evens. Andy is the bad boy that every girl wants and if she came forward about what Andy did to her, not one soul would believe her. Like when she tried to tell Rachel about what he did to her she just stood up from the table screamed “Liar!” and calls Melinda “Jealous” and a “Twisted little freak.”(184) Another idea to take into consideration is the lack of communication that occurs on a daily basis in Melinda’s own home. In the book Melinda states “My family has a good system. We communicate with notes on the kitchen counter. I write when I need school supplies or a ride to the mall. They write what time they’ll be home from work and if I should thaw anything. What else is there to say?”(14) Maybe the reason she refuses to say things is because of the fact that she was never taught how to do so. To wrap it up I like your use of symbolism, Melinda doesn’t just find her voice to speak, she finds the key to the rest of her life. Melinda can now enjoy the rest of her life now that she has found the will to speak and learned to communicate with others. I love your writing style and you have a great point of view on things. It’s different, but I like it.