Cause/Effect Paper

What would you do if you were placed in an uncomfortable situation that you couldn't escape from easily? In the book, "Speak", by Laura Anderson, a thirteen year-old girl faces such a decision when she attends a wild party at a friend's house. This was a drinking party where a bunch of teenagers had met to have a good time. During the party her best friend's boyfriend. named Andy, approached her to talk, but quickly the situation got out of hand when he made "his move." Melinda did not know what to do or what to say, so she did nothing. There were many causes for her reactions and a number of effects that occurred, as a result.

The causes of how this excruciating event came to be was very complex. Melinda was a teenager who didn't have very many friends, because she was very self-conscious about her physical appearance. She always wanted to fit in with the other students at school, so when she got a chance to go to a party she was excited, yet terrified, because of how she might be perceived. At the party, they were pouring unlimited quantities of alcohol, which Melinda was not used to consuming at all. As a result, she became intoxicated and lost her sense of good decision-making.

Andy, a much older teenager who is dating Melinda's best friend, introduces himself to her at the party. He is a smooth operator, who is handsome with a muscular build; this is appealing to Melinda. Despite at first trusting Andy, she got caught up in the moment, so he decided to take advantage of the situation and raped her. This caused her to feel isolated and confused as to what to do. Should she tell the truth to somebody?

When the police had been called, Melinda was ignored by the students at school, who thought she wanted to shut down their fun. The effect on her was to experience an emotional meltdown with crying spells and long periods of silence along with her grades beginning to plummet, except for in art class. As an effect of her not turning in Andy to the proper authorities, he attempted to rape her again in a closet. This time she screamed and began to throw things at him violently. Andy ran out of the closet and left quickly. Once Melinda returned to school she talked aloud to herself about the raping incident and was overheard by a member of the school's lacrosse team. As a result, in the end, rumors flew and most students at the school realized that she had been horribly abused and mistreated, felt sorry for her and they tried to make her feel better about herself.

Life experiences that teenagers go through can be unbearable, as read in the book, "Speak". They should realize that an event like this can happen in today's world and if it does they should speak out to their parents and/or an authority figure, so that it never happens again.