Jennifer Garcia

Mr farrell

9 March 2017

Ela 9

At one point in our life, we have had anxiety even if we don't even know. Speak by Laurie Halse

Anderson is a fiction novel diary about a freshmen girl named Melinda Sordino who lost her friends after she

called the cops at a party over the summer. Now she is a lonely girl who has trouble communicating with

people. Melinda wants to tell her friends what happened that night but she’s afraid her friends won't believe her

so decides to be silent. How might keeping a telling secret lead to anxiety? keeping a secret lead to anxiety

because anxiety harms people emotionally. Whenever someone keeps a big secret from some people they don't

know what to talk about with them and they just keep thinking how not to blurred out that big secret then you

get anxiety from just that simple secret.

Anxiety is caused by a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or

something with an uncertain outcome. Melinda claims “I just want to sleep the whole point of not talking about

it of silencing the memory is to make it go away it won’t. I’ll need brain surgery to cut it out of my head”(81).

This quote illustrates Melinda’s struggle with her own mentallity. As hard as she tries to forget what happened

at the party. In this point of the book, Melinda is beginning to realize that silence and depression will not lead to

forgetting or healing. Her anxiety won’t let her sleep at night and she would like to physically fall asleep but she

can’t. In addition, in beverlyweinhold.org it says “Anita E. Kelly, a doctor of psychology at the University of

Notre Dame has studied and written a lot about secrets. She and her researchers found that “self-concealers” do

show more stress, anxiety, and depression as well as overall body aches and pains. Those who were more self-

revealing did see health benefits causing her to conclude that “secretive people tend to be sick people (Journal

of Personality, October: 2006.)”. As you can see it has been studied that not revealing a secret can hurt

someone’s health.

Additional anxiety can hurt people health emotionally. Melinda points out “I know my head isn’t

screwed on straight I want to leave transfer to warp myself to another galaxy. I want to confess everything hand
over the guilt and mistake and anger to someone else there is a beast in my, gut, I can hear it scraping away at

the inside of my ribs. Even if I dump the memory it will stay with me staining me. My closet is a good thing, a

quiet place that helps me had these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them”(117). Melinda does

not realize that she has anxiety and wants to tell someone her secret so baddy because she can't hand the

pressure. The pressure from keeping her secret is not letting her be herself. She has a lot of anxiety because she

feels guilty and she wants to be somewhere else where nobody bothers her.

Many might argue that keeping a secret does not necessarily lead to anxiety. For instance, in the Can a

secret be one of the causes of my anxiety? The article states “I am 18 years old. I have been living with anxiety

for as long as I can remember but it got worse the older I got. It has nothing to do with keeping a secret. I got

anxiety when my parent's divorce and I was bullied in elementary school through high school I tried telling my

parents but they are too busy fighting.”. This makes me realize that the girl has had anxiety for a long time and

it not about keeping a secret it from her getting bullied and her parents getting divorced that affected her a lot.

On the other hand, Melinda said “ I should probably tell someone, just tell someone just tell someone get it over

with. Let it out, but it out.”(99) This shows how Melinda has a lot of anxiety because she just wants to tell

someone what happened to her that night.

Overall, anxiety can hurt your health. People should realize how important it is. It up to you to make

sure you don't keep a big secret so you won't get anxiety.
 TASK RUBRIC

Learning Goals 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0

I can create an
I can select an
PROBLEM original Personal I can create an With help, I Even with
Essential
FORMULATION 1: Essential original Personal can select (or help, I cannot
Formulates testable, Question (EQ)
Question (PEQ), Essential create) and select or
researchable, and relevant and describe the
take a position, Question (PEQ) answer an answer an
questions, problem relationship
statements, or hypotheses and justify that and develop an Essential Essential
between my
that demonstrate clarity position as the argument in Question Question
about the nature of the task. selected topics
best amongst response. (EQ). (EQ).
and themes.
other positions.

RESEARCH 3: I can investigate

With help, I Even with
Collects information and outside sources I can classify I can identify
data necessary to solve the can identify help, I cannot
for relevant textual textual evidence textual evidence
problem as formulated, textual identify textual
evidence to as support for as support for my
drawing evidence from evidence as evidence as
informational texts, support claims claims and claim, topics, or
support for my support for my
conducting an investigation, counterclaims, counterclaims. themes.
or generating data. claim. claim.
and rebuttals.

INTERPRETATION 2: I can critique I can annotate

I can critique Even with
Evaluates the claim(s), ideas and take an with an open mind With help, I
evidence, and reasoning ideas within a text help, I cannot
informed using strategies can annotate
behind currently accepted by thinking with an annotate ideas
explanations or solutions to position on an such as ideas within a
open mind and a within a
determine the merits of issue raised by a summarizing and reading.
skeptical mind. reading.
arguments. text. clarifying.

I can create a I can describe

Even with
principle (or rule) the relationship With help, I
I can identify help, I cannot
regarding topics or between topics or can introduce
instances of topics introduce and
COMMUNICATION 1: themes within and themes within and and groups
Incorporates ideas and or themes and groups ideas
across across ideas and
supporting evidence group my ideas and
paragraphs, using paragraphs, using information
purposefully using through a basic information
structures that demonstrate transitions in a transitions in a through a
use of paragraph through a
the line of reasoning. way that clarifies way that allows basic use of
structure and basic use of
the reasoning and the audience to paragraph
transitions. paragraph
logic of my follow my structure.
structure.
argument. argument.

PRECISION/ I can submit a I can submit a

ACCURACY 7: final product that final product that I can submit a With help, I
Assures that the final meets or exceeds meets all ELA final product that can submit a Even with
product meets all discipline- all ELA standards standards for attempts all ELA final product help, I cannot
specific standards for
for language, language, standards for that attempts submit a final
language, terms,
expressions, rules, academic academic language and ELA product.
terminology, and vocabulary, and vocabulary, and conventions. standards.
conventions. conventions. conventions.
To request re grading of this assignment after the grade has been entered on JumpRope:
1) Meet with Mr. Farrell after school to discuss proposed changes and receive approval
2) Email dfarrell@originshighschool.org when your changes have been made