1. Symbol Pre-Assessment
Take a look at the following images and identify who the logo is for.

7. But now, look at the image and decide what it is that the logo or symbol represents.

8. 1.
What does it represent though?
What could it mean?

9. 2.
What does it represent?
What could it mean?

10. 3.
What does it represent?
What could it mean?

11. 4.
What does it represent?
What could it mean?

12. 5. Sometimes the images (or words) have a deeper meaning, or a hidden meaning….

13. 6.

14. In Speak, the author shows Melinda’s (and other teenager’s) attitudes towards symbolism in an exchange during English class.
Pages

15. But….. In Speak, the most recurring symbol is that of…….

16. Trees as Symbols in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

17. Art Project, Mr. Freeman:
Mr. Freeman said, “This is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you that you’ve never dared look at before.” (Speak, pg. 10)
When the class picked their object, he told his students, “There’s a catch-- by the end of the year, you must figure out how to make your object say something, express an emotion, speak to every person who looks at it.”(Speak, pg 12)

18. OBJECTIVE So…. Today what I want you to understand is:
Students will be able to understand symbolism and see how the author wanted readers to see trees as a representation for Melinda's character and growth.

19. Examples of trees in the novel…..

20. Throughout the presentation, questions are listed in red that you’ll need to answer on your paper and will be turned in at the end of the class period.

21. WHAT IS A SYMBOL? A word, phrase, or image that has complex meanings.
In other words, when a certain object, picture or idea is used in literature to really represent something else, it is a symbol.
If you are reading and a certain idea or object keeps reappearing, being described in interesting and complicated ways, there is a good chance it is meant to be looked at on a deeper level…perhaps a symbol of something else!
For example:, we notice that Laurie Halse Anderson continually brings up trees in Speak, so it becomes our job as the reader to look deeper into why she makes such a big deal about trees. What is she really trying to get us to see?
1. In your own words, what is a symbol?

22. What is a tree, really?
A tree is a plant that occurs in many different forms. Trees show a variety of formations—including different leaf type and shape, bark characteristics, and reproductive organs.
Compared with most other plants, trees are long-lived, some reaching several thousand years old and growing to up to 379 ft high.

23. Melinda’s Connection to Trees…
When does Melinda first start thinking about trees?
- What does she think about that assignment, and trees, initially?
As the novel continues, we start to see that Melinda has a deeper connection to trees than just an art assignment…it’s up to us to find the other meanings that lie within the text
1. Melinda first starts thinking about trees when
She draws “TREE”” out of a globe for her year-long art assignment in Mr. Freeman’s class.
2. At first she is annoyed, thinking, “Tree? That is too easy! Anyone can draw a tree." But she soon comes to realize the complexity and beauty that lies within the subject.

24. The edges of my pictures curl in the damp
The edges of my pictures curl in the damp. There has been some progress in this whole tree project, I guess. Like Picasso, I've gone through different phases. There's the Confused Period, when I wasn't sure what the assignment really was. The Spaz Period, when I couldn't draw a tree to save my life. The Dead Period, when all my trees looked like they had been through a forest fire or a blight. I'm getting better. Don't know what to call this phase yet. 152

25. The Roots of a Tree and Melinda:
The roots of a tree are embedded in earth, providing an anchor and a way to absorb water and nutrients from the soil.
While ground nutrients are essential to a tree's growth, the majority of its growth comes from carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere.
The roots systems of trees are intricate and complicated…
2. What are Melinda’s “roots”? In her past, what “embeds and anchors her”?

26. What happens when “roots” become damaged?
Damaging roots on a tree may cause branches to die.
You cannot have healthy branches if the roots are damaged. Eventually the “disease” will spread throughout the tree, taking over.
3. How have Melinda’s “roots” been damaged?
4. Once her roots were damaged, what were the consequences that followed? What “branches” withered and died?

27. For a solid week, ever since the pep rally, I've been painting watercolors of trees that have been hit by lightning. I try to paint them so they are nearly dead, but not totally. Mr. Freeman doesn't say a word to me about them. He just raises his eyebrows. One picture is so dark you can barely see the tree at all. (page 30-31)
5. Throughout most of the book, how might this tree connect to Melinda?

28. The branch system of a tree…
A tree branch is a woody structural piece connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree.
Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs.
A bough can also be called a limb or arm.
6. What are Melinda’s “branches”?
Think: what SPECIFIC people or things does she feel connected to but not necessarily a part of?

29. Pruning 101…
Pruning is when branches are cut back.
If you do not prune branches, the tree will become overgrown.
If you prune too much, the tree will bear less fruit and leaves, and will not appear “beautiful”.
Removal of deadwood or diseased limbs will usually result in an ugly plant.
7. Who is responsible for breaking down these branches?

30. What happens when tree branches are pruned?
Pruning can be harmful to a newly planted tree’s health.
Pruning branches on trees not yet planted does not help a tree grow better or establish a balance between the roots and the branches.
A newly planted tree needs all the leaves it has to help support the growth of new roots. Pruning trees before they are ready hurts the tree’s ability to become established.
8. How do you think the events in Melinda’s life will shape the way she grows and develops in the future?

31. Dad: "He's not chopping it down. He's saving it
Dad: "He's not chopping it down. He's saving it. 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. You watch—by the end of summer, this tree will be the strongest on the block." 187
9. How can pruning of the tree be compared to Melinda’s life?

32. Trees + Symbolism = Melinda?
Clearly Laurie Halse Anderson has a plan when she “plants” the idea of trees in this novel.
The tree gradually becomes a symbol in the text that represents Melinda’s suffering and recovery.

33. Mr. Freeman: "You are getting better at this, but it's not good enough
Mr. Freeman: "You are getting better at this, but it's not good enough. This looks like a tree, but it is an average, ordinary, everyday, boring tree. Breathe life into it. Make it bend—trees are flexible, so they don't snap. Scar it, give it a twisted branch—perfect trees don't exist. Nothing is perfect. Flaws are interesting. Be the tree.“ 153
10. In your opinion, why does Mr. Freeman tell Melinda that flaws are interesting and she needs to be the tree?

34. Group Work You’ll need a writer, a speaker, and an illustrator.
I’m going to give you a tree from the book. You’ll connect it to Melinda, draw it, and then share your answer/picture with the class.