been so tortured to provide such a lousy dinner," (61). In the process of doing so, she is successful at expressing her feelings as Mr. Freeman's interpretation of her work illustrates:

I see a girl caught in the remains of a holiday gone bad, with her flesh picked off day after day as the carcass dries out. The knife and fork are obviously middle-class sensibilities. The Palm tree is a nice touch. A broken dream, perhaps? Plastic honeymoon, deserted island? (64)

Midway through the book, Melinda begins imagining what she'd like her finished tree to look like, and it's a pretty close comparison to how she probably sees herself, "a strong old oak tree with a wide scarred trunk and thousands of leaves reaching to the sun," (78). She has the ability to be strong again and to reach out to those around her, as soon as she accepts and deals with the scars the traumatic event she's suffered through has left her with.

Finally, when she explores a book on the art of Picasso, she gets it! The basis of cubism speaks to her: "seeing beyond what is on the surface," (119). Melinda's approach to the tree project takes on a different tone and Mr. Freeman rewards her attempts with a thumbs up (119).

Towards the end of the 4th marking period in the novel, the tree in her front yard gets pruned because it is sick. The dead branches are chopped off by the seasoned professionals as Melinda and the neighborhood kids look on in curiosity. Melinda's father explains this is to make room for new growth, "By cutting off the damage, you make it possible for the tree to grow again," (187). This tree symbolizes Melinda because she's going through the same kind of growth period. She just has to get rid of the "damage."

As the book comes to a close in the mini chapter "Final Cut," Melinda puts the finishing touches on her tree project, and she's pleased with the results. "It isn't perfect, and that makes it just right," (198). Mr. Freeman agrees and gives her an A+ on the assignment, realizing the growth she herself has undergone throughout the process, "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

Just as she is pleased with her final tree, Melinda is also pleased with her life at the end of the book: she has her friends in her life again, things are better at home, she's done well in art class and finally exposed Andy for the beast he really is. In fact, she's ready to speak about it. "Me: 'Let me tell you about it," (198).

Perhaps the best way to write this essay on symbolism is to focus on the archetypal aspects of trees and how Laurie Halse Anderson plays on your preconceived ideas about trees' symbolism in literature.

Throughout all of literature, trees play significant roles. In literature, the tree is almost always a symbol of life or growth, or something positive. The trees in  The Giving Tree and the tree in To Kill a Mockingbird are two quick examples, but one of the first examples of trees in literature is the tree of knowledge from the Biblical Adam and Eve story. In all of these instances, the tree is something positive (even though Eve eats the apple).

However, at the beginning of Speak, Melinda paints her trees "that have been hit by lightning" and "are nearly dead, but not totally." As readers, the idea of a "nearly dead" tree should be an obvious symbol. But, to Melinda, the tree is much more than a symbol for her emotions. She goes through a process of making the trees practical stand-ins for her at one point asking, "Could I put my face in my tree, like a dryad from Greek mythology?"

As suspected, these trees grow as Melinda grows. When Melinda's healing is "stunted," her ability to progress on drawing a tree "is frozen." When she accepts what has happened to her, Melinda realizes "perfect trees don't exist. Nothing is perfect. Flaws are interesting. Be the tree." By the end of the book, after Melinda confronts her rapist and saves her friend, her tree is an "A+."

Overall, Anderson introduces a familiar symbol that should help the readers understand the depths of Melinda's depression. As Melinda grows, so do her trees. 

Melinda Sordino is starting her freshman year at Merryweather High School. She is withdrawn and doesn't get along with her old friends anymore. Over the summer they had all been at a party, and she ended up calling the police, so now her friends shun her. She spends most of her time in the janitors closet. The only class she seems to enjoy is her art class. She picks a piece of paper out of a globe for her project, and she has to draw a tree.

Melinda thinks the project is too easy at first, but the more she tries to draw a tree, the more she sees that she can't. Melinda is hiding a dark secret. She won't talk to anyone about it, and the more her feelings overwhelm her, the more she draws trees. Trees represent life and death. They are a constant source of renewal. The symbol of the tree, is a symbol for Melinda, herself. She is having to come to terms with what happened to her. She is realizing that she has to talk about what happened.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. My fingers fly up and cover my mouth. What am I doing?...When people don't express themselves, they all die one piece at a time." 

Melinda realizes that she is slowly dying on the inside. Once she comes to terms with her rape, she is truly in control of her life.

"Those branches were long dead from disease. All plants are like that. By cutting off the damage, you make it possible for the tree to grow again."

Melinda knows that the silence of the rape is the disease that is destroying her, so she finally speaks about the trauma. Once Melinda does this, the tree, which is really herself, can finally grow into the full beauty it is supposed to be.

We can take the tree to represent a new form of growth, something that is pure and wholesome in a world that is far from it.  When Melinda goes back to the scene of the rape and wishes to replant herself in the dirt, it is a belief that the tree and the notion of being "reborn" or "replanted" can represent a new start, a new commencement.  This is certainly a part of Melinda's growth and her own rebirth.  The tree also represents the struggle to find oneself.  Just as Melinda struggles with drawing the trees, she struggles to find her voice.  Both processes involve frustration and do not come with a wealth of ease.  In this light, the tree is a symbol of that growth and strength that Melinda seeks to find in her own life following the rape.  When seeking to identify symbols that help Melinda understand what happened to her and the need to make sense of it, the tree becomes a type of towering symbol that provides structure to Melinda in a world devoid of it.

You might have to do much of this lengthened writing yourself.  I think that there is much here upon which to construct a strong answer, though.  Melinda's rape and the experience of being shunned from society forced her to have to develop a new "voice." This voice had to be personal, originating from her own experience  and authenticating what was endured.  The nurturing of this voice, of what the new identify of Melinda would consist, revolved around nurturing and cultivating something that would be subject to the harshest of conditions in the world.  It is in this light that the tree might be a good symbol to reflect this.  There has to be significant tilling of the soil (enduring and setting up the personal isolation element) and establishing the correct conditions for it to grow, and then over time, personal cultivation and care is needed in order for it to grow, sprout leaves, fruit, flowers, and experience what it means to bloom (finding her voice through art and creative expression and confronting Andy in the hallway.)  In the end, this is what Melinda has to undergo in order to establish her new voice and identity, where she experiences the power of being able to "speak."

In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, the tree symbolizes Melinda. In the end of the book, when Melinda finds her voice to speak once again and confront her past and her attacker, she is finally able to create a tree in leaf, a springtime image of rebirth after a long winter, just as Melinda herself is being reborn after her almost year-long ordeal. In the many false starts and variations of the tree Melinda creates, we see the range of emotions and reactions she has to her situation. From the leafless tree, to the "ugly" tree, etc. all of the thoughts and emotions Melinda shares with us about her creation are also descriptions of herself. The tree is a reflection of her.