He’s more care free and laid jack. “Opposites attract” isn’t clearly the case here therefore Melinda parents could try to understand each other, in contrast, give Melinda their main attention. The context in my first proof is when Melinda parents visit the guidance office with Melinda to talk about her speaking issues, as well as her grades. Once Joyce replies rudely towards her husband during the meeting.. Guidance counselor: “Do the two of you have marriage issues? ” “Mother responds with unladylike language The guidance counselor keep quiet. Maybe she understands why I keep it zipped. (Anderson 1 1 5) Describing Melanin’s relationship with her parents could be summarized in the word “fractured. ” The relationship between Melinda and her parents is a fragmented one. They seem more concerned with navigating the difficulties in their own lives and in their own worlds, as opposed to helping Melinda navigate through her own challenges. Their vision of a child is one in which the child is perfect, devoid of any troubles. When in reality, avoiding challenges faced in the teenager years always comes back to parenting skills and bonding – parent to child.
As signified in the quote Melinda is feeling excluded or neglected to talk to her parents having her rather keep silent than speaking. Neglecting is caused by how they would be to busy arguing therefore, neglecting what Melinda has to say. Also she feels as if her parents aren’t able to apprehend between them two, hence, how will they be successful with understanding her. To rejuvenate the “fracture” of Melinda and her parents, counseling and parenting in the right direction is essential. In the novel, Melanin’s lip biting, wrist scratching, and silence are all signs probably meant most of all for Mom and Dad.
She doesn’t know how to ask or help, so gets more and more extreme in the hopes they will do what Mr.. Freeman does: ask, not demand that she talk to them if she wants to. Melinda exhibits some signs that seem to be common among victims of violent attacks and other trauma. Through Mom and Dad, Speak makes the argument that parents need to be educated too, in hopes that they can respond helpfully if tragedy strikes their child. Bringing us to the next proof, which also takes place in the guidance office meeting, during the discussion of why Melinda doesn’t speak.
Mother: “She’s jerking us around to get attention. ” Father: “I onto know where you picked up that slacker attitude, but you certainly didn’t learn it at home. Probably the bad influences up here. ” (114 & 116) Subsequently, Anderson established Jake and Joyce, her parents, making assumptions regarding why Melinda doesn’t speak, instead of sitting down with Melinda to engage a deep conversation that would have Melinda spilling her feelings, emotions, and especially tragic events that led her to not speak.
That would be the smart way to hand the situation. Her parents only think she wants attention and just assume but never attempt to find out what the real problem is. Melinda clearly wants to tell them about the rape however, because they seem unwilling or unable to see that Melinda really needs help and that something has hurt her, Melinda is less willing to confide. Mom goes as far as to say that Melanin’s bad grades, silence, and skipping school are pleas for attention. Well, yes… Or we could call them cries for help. Dad almost gets it.
He thinks Melinda is under the influence of some bad high school kids or teachers. Yes again, but he’s so not stretching his imagination far enough. Without going an extra mile to get a conclusion they can simply ask Melinda, which even portraits good parenting ethics. In the final analysis I do not feel that Melanin’s parents helped her find her voice at all. Before Melinda was raped she was an outgoing person, then all of a sudden she became severely depressed. Most parents would not only notice the sudden change, but they would also give their child help.
Melanin’s parents did not. There was one instance where Melinda feebly attempts to cut herself. When her mother notices her wrist all she says is, “l don’t have time for this, Melinda” (88) As throughout the novel, neglecting and inadequate parenting has been recently showing up. Melinda is trying to communicate to her parents from symbolizing her pain from the cuts made by the opened paper clip, and even though her mom sees the cuts she is neglecting the fact Melinda is hurting inside and out to speak to them because she needs to figure out some way to get help.
The quotation just shows how much of an “effort’ Melinda parents out in for her. Even bad parenting occurs since although Melanin’s parents knew something was not right, they never reached out to Melinda or made Melinda feel comfortable enough to reach out to them. Ending off, If a parent as even the least amount of respect for his or her child, in this situation they should seek help immediately or at the very least begin talking to her about the problems that she is going through.
I understand that Melinda parents are extremely busy throughout the day and may become frustrated easily. I find this to be a very lame excuse because when the consequences of such ignorance could be potentially devastating to Melinda and, in the long run. Having summed up some points within my argumentative paragraph, I conclude Joyce and Jack of being guilty for neglecting and bad parenting towards their daughter, Melinda Sordid
