Compare and Contrast Essay- Speak

These themes are very prevalent with the man in Not Waving But Drowning by Steve Smith and with Melinda from Speak by Laurie Hales Anderson. In the novel Speak, the mall character, Melinda Sordid has many tough problems to face. Sometimes, she chooses not to ask for help, but merely hang back and let It pass her by. After a while, her problems almost swallow her whole. She gets the help she needs when she acts well enough to deserve it again. However, in Not Waving But Drowning, the man did not treat people very well, did not deserve help, and did not et it.He lost his battle against the world and took his own life. In both cases, the choices you make decide whether or not you get the help that you need. The man from Not Waving But Drowning, whom will be called George for the time being, and Melinda Cordons seem to have many things In common. But there are some key differences between them. For one, Melinda lives through her pain. By the end of her story, she has gotten help and is w ell on the Journey of rediscovering herself, however, George was not so lucky.George was known for messing with people and being a prankster. Even though this could've been a defense mechanism, George may have brought his tragic death or pain on himself. Whether or not George actually died or he Just had extreme depression and pain In his heart from the world is not clear, but he clearly Is not able to deal with the amount of pain that he Is dealing with. A major difference between Melinda and George would be that one lived through their painful ordeal and one did not. Another major difference between Melinda and George would be suicide.By the ay that Not Waving But Drowning implies that it was â€Å"too cold for his heart to handle†, George sounds dead. The cause of death being the fact that his heart couldn't handle the cold, but not literally. This means that he couldn't take the pain, and ended his own life. Melinda, however, only made one attempt at cutting her wrists wi th paperclips. In fact, after that being her all time low, she picked herself back up and found her own strength in her flaws. The matter of suicide is another difference that Melinda and George have.There is, however, one major similarity that George and Melinda have. Nobody saw his or her cries for help. For George, â€Å"Nobody heard him, but still he lay a Joke because he loved â€Å"larking† or messing around. Melanin's cries for help were written off as well, such as when she cried on Christmas, her sudden drop in social skills, grades, and an effort at life. They are clearly cries for help when it is realized that she longs for a friend, no matter how much she pushes people away. Melinda and George Just want some help but nobody recognizes it.The help you get depends on how you treat others and whether or not you deserve it. George and Melinda treat people in certain ways. George treats everything like a Joke, therefore his cries for help and pain is written off as a Joke. Melinda treats people as awfully as she feels inside. One mistake made her from a normal carefree girl to who she is in most of the novel Speak. Her mistake does not make her unworthy of help, so she gets it. No matters how long it takes, better late than never, help with come to those who deserve it.