What are your first impressions of Melody? What have you learned about this character so far? Does she remind you of anyone else we've read about this year?
Be sure to fully support your answers with evidence from the book. Re-read your comment before you post to see if your thinking is clear.
Wow! I am so pumped to read this book again.
ReplyDeleteGood reading.
Ms. Fahey
I think Melody reminds me of Helen Keller in many ways. First of all, Melody and Helen both can't speak. Also, they both wish they could say things that they have only one way of expressing their thoughts, which is by flailing their body in every which way. Finally, Melody reminds me of Helen because they both inspire others. They both have taught me to not take things for granted, such as being able to speak. They have also taught me to be kinder to others who might have a disability.
ReplyDelete~Natalie Moore
I agree with the lesson that they teach you in the first three chapters. Is is awesome that you were able to identify that! Nice job Natalie!!!
Delete~ Maggie M.
In my opinion, the impression I got of Melody from reading out of my mind is that it is hard for her to express herself . This is because of her disability witch includes not being able to talk. Despite this, melody is very intelligent and has a wide vocabulary that nobody knows about. She can also get frustrated easily because she knows she is capable of great things but can't even control her own body in reality. Let alone make people understand that she is not just a disabled dummy. So far I have learned that this character struggles with her disabilities and often feels trapped inside of herself with all of her knowledge overflowing inside of herself, wanting to be let free. Another thing I have learned about Melody is that she has a great memory. In the text she even compared herself to a camera, taking pictures of every event in her life and then permanently saving each one. Never to be forgotten. A fun fact about Melody is that she loves country music. This being said, Melody reminds me of Helen Keller, because both of their disabilities never stopped them from learning and having great vocabulary and knowledge in general.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Melody from Out Of My Mind is that she is very misunderstood. Her mother at the grocery store thought that Melody wanted the toy, but she was actually trying to warn her that it was dangerous because of the lead paint. I feel very bad for her because she can't express her feelings well enough to have people understand her. She is really an extremely smart person, and it's not fair to her that people can't see that and think she isn't even close to being bright because of the way she acts. I have learned that Melody has disabilities that enable her from doing things that most other people can do. Melody cannot move her body the way she wants it to move and, as a result, can't move her mouth well enough to form words. She has a photographic memory and remembers any thing that she sees or hears. She gets very frustrated when she can't express herself and throws what she calls "tornado explosions." This character reminds me of two remarkable individuals that we have read about so far this year. On of these is Helen Keller, which is an obvious choice because of her disabilities. Helen cannot speak, just like Melody. Their other disadvantages are different, like Melody isn't able to move well, when Helen isn't able to see. They both throw tantrums though. Another person Melody reminds me of is Wilma Rudolph. Both of them couldn't move at least some part of their body well, with Wilma's leg and Melody's entire body. Over all, I feel very bad for Melody because of the way she is treated and challenged. I could never imagine what my life would be like if I were Melody.
ReplyDeleteMelody gave me the impression that she is smart and intelligent. And although she couldn't share it that didn't stop her. Along with that Melody has a voice, her parents and everyone else may not be able to hear it, but she has one. And no matter how deeply she desires to share, her body won't let her. However, in my opinion, I think that her real problem is that she isn't ready to share herself and thoughts, or feelings with the world, maybe it's because she is afraid of getting hurt. Melody could go forever without taking a chance, a leap of faith, but does anyone want to be stuck inside a turtle shell their whole life? From what I could see and learn, Melody doesn't take that one more step that could change her life. Although she has disabilities she has enough spirit to make a change in what life she has, she could chose a different path. And I believe she will! Melody reminds me of Helen Keller. They both had a disadvantage, Helen couldn't see, talk, or hear,( she had a triple wamy). Melody can't talk or move. With the strength that they have in the beginning they only do what they are able to, not what they chose to do. My opinion is a bit different but my opinion shows that Melody doesn't have to hide in her pink turtle shell or her shut mouth her whole life she has the strength to chose her own path, her own destiny!
ReplyDelete~ Maggie M.
One of my first impressions on Melody is that she seems very smart. I say for many reasons. One reason is that she uses very advanced vocabulary such as Neapolitan, iridescent, and jumbled. She also uses a lot of figurative language. So far I have learned that Melody has some sort of special needs, a photographic memory, she can't talk,or walk, and sometimes she can't control her body parts or her temper. She reminds me of Helen Keller because they both can't talk. Melody is lucky she acually knows what words are unlike Helen Keller.
ReplyDelete~Timothy Murphy
My first impression of Melody is that she is intelligent and wants to express herself but can't find a way to do that. She has a strong voice and can't use it to express herself to the people around her, including her parents who have been with her for so long. Although she had never used her voice or her legs because of her disabilities she was able to think about her surroundings. In fact she had a photographic memory so she remembered every thing she is told and every thing she sees. While Melody was able to obtain this information she was still unable to share her experiences with others. Was she worried what would happen if she did? Was she afraid? Although I have never read this book before I believe Melody will find a way to share her thoughts and feelings and overcome the obstacles on the way. In my opinion Melody is stuck inside herself. Melody is not the only one who is in this situation that we have read about this year. We have read about Helen Keller this year as well. Helen was blind, deaf and mute. She, just like Melody, couldn't get her point to other people as easy as you or me. I think that Melody will overcome her disabilities as Helen Keller did. Helen became a well known writer and Melody, I think, will come out the same way. Melody doesn't need to hide behind her disabilities she has to over come them.
ReplyDelete~ Sarah Grozier
My first Impression of Melody is that she is misunderstood a lot. I think it is unfair because she is really a smart kid and nobody knows it. An example is when the song Elvira came on Melody screeched with joy because she really likes that song. She tries to tell her mom to play it again by pointing and flailing towards the radio but she just looked at her like she is a maniac. I have learned that Melody is one of the smartest kids in school and shes had to hold it all in all her LIFE! I can't imagine not being able to even speak but Melody can't speak, and on top of that she can barely move either! I think Melody is a pretty patient kid if she can hold all of her words for all that time. The only times she can move is when she has a random arm flail or any part of her body does the same thing. One person that Melody reminds me of is Helen Keller. They both have a disability that they have to overcome. Melody can't speak and can barely move while Helen is blind, deaf, and can't speak! Talk about bad luck. I can't imagine what they have to go through every day of their lives. If I were in their shoes I would probably be getting frustrated every day! It must be hard, but I guess you just have play the cards that life gives you and hope for the best.
ReplyDelete-p.s I loved the song Elvira by the oak ridge jersey boys, It was so funny!
I think Melody is that she is a very enthusiastic girl who is misunderstood. She warned her mother in the grocery store about the lead pipes and how they were dangerous. I learned that melody is smart and has a photographic memory. She reminds me of Helen Keller.
ReplyDeleteI already did my comment but I was reading everyone's comment and I agreed with a lot of them. I liked how Maggie used similes and metaphors in her writing!
ReplyDeleteSarah, I like how you asked questions in your writing! I also think that Melody will find a way to overcome her obstacles!
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Melody was that she was intelligent. I never thought at the very beginning that she had special needs because of the rich vocabulary and the terms she was using like figurative language. then as I read on I learned she had a photographic memory and she could remember every thing from phone numbers to special moments in her life. I was astonished at how smart she really was inside of her body and I feel bad she could not express that. I also thought Melody was a little humorous for example she made fun of her dad because she says when he walks up the steps from work he just starts letting farts go like he was holding them in all day at work. I also feel Melody is similar to a person we read about this year Helen i feel this way because she also can't speak which challenged Helen and Melody.
ReplyDelete- Henry Ball
My first impression of Melody was the emotion of how bad I felt for her because of her awful disability. She’s eleven years old and she hasn’t spoken a single word in her whole life. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to not speak for 11 years. I’m 12 and I’ve spoken at least a billion words probably in my life! Her disability also makes it so that she has very limited mobility in her muscles and her joints. She’s really misunderstood and she actually can’t be understood because of the fact that she can’t talk. For example, she was in a store with her mother and she remembered a TV ad about a toy recall for toys that were painted with lead paint. Melody started yelling and screaming and her mother thought that she wanted the toy, and that she was making a scene in the store, however, Melody was trying to warn her about the harmful lead paint in the toy.
ReplyDeleteThis book so far is a great example of triumph over adversity. Melody triumphs because although she can’t speak, she has an incredible memory. I like to read books like this because although it’s really sad to read, and I feel bad for Melody, it teaches you some great life lessons about accepting people for who they are. Everyone is different - Melody has special needs but she’s still a great and intelligent person. The challenge is that everyone doesn’t recognize this because of her disabilities. This book helps me to be more accepting and less judgmental of other people that are different than me.
Melody is very similar to Helen Keller in that they both face many challenges throughout every day life. Neither of them could speak, but some of their other senses like memory and touch improved because of the obstacles they faced.
I can’t even imagine how hard their lives must have been, yet they didn’t give up! Helen Keller became a writer and made the best life she could with what she had.
Overall so far I think Melody is an incredible person, and if she was real I would love to meet her.
~Mason Wasserman
My first impression of Melody is that she is of course misunderstood. Who can you blame though? I am sure that if this book came to life, that all students, teachers, and her parents would have no idea what is going on inside her head because it is all trapped inside. I would describe Melody as a struggling girl who is trying to overcome her disabilities. Melody hasn't said a word her entire life. That says a lot right there but if you dig deeper, that basically means she is completely isolated from the rest of the world. If only someone could see what wonders is going on inside this girl's head! If you knew almost everything in the world wouldn't you like to share it? I am almost positive that is why she has these so called "tornado explosions" think about the life she would have if she was not born this way? Ya she would be FAMOUS!!! On the flip side of things, I would make a connection to her through Wilma Rudolph hoping that she will be able to overcome her challenges like she did. It could happen, because Wilma's left leg was paralyzed and she became an Olympic Gold Medalist in three events. What I am trying to say is that there is a way for her to become extraordinary in whatever she wants to do with her life... I hope. Absolutely, it is more accurate to relate to her with Helen Keller because they both have this disability where they can not speak or hear. Fortunately, Helen Keller learned to read and write in Grail so maybe Melody can learn that too ( she can see ). If Melody can learn or already knows how to read and write, then she can learn how to communicate with her family an friends, and that can lead to more and more hope for this unfortunate young girl. I think the overall lesson in the first couple chapters is to be aware and be thinking of kids with not as much to look forward to when they go home from school... If they even can go to school.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Melody was she was very strong as she didn't break down and say "Why me?" She has challenges with things we take for granted. Just the ability to hold up a spoon is a big feat, which, in her condition, won't be possible. What I think of her so far is I admire her. Such a hard, complicated life and she takes it head on. Not having a voice her whole life is just so hard. As in the part with the blocks for example, she wanted to tell her mom they were poisoned, yet she couldn't. She was just so misunderstood. I feel like she reminded me of Helen Keller partly due to they both having disabilities. Helen had similar struggles except, she had no idea there was a world outside of her silent, dark, one. Melody on the other hand knew very well and she couldn't be apart of it. I also see Catalina had similar struggle. Catalina may not have a disability but she was an outsider. She wasn't let in on the world of middle school and isn't accepted. Melody can't be let in on the world were she can take care of herself and be independent and be accepted as just a normal person.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression is that she is very bright and smart but can't show it. She is very smart because she remembers every thing she sees ever since she was a baby. Also she is mute. Mute means that she can't talk. She says that she has great hearing so that helps her remember things. Some things I have learned about Melody is that she can't move. Since she can't move she has so be in a wheel chair.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Melody is that she is a very smart girl even from when she was a baby. She knows shes pretty smart but she is challenged on many things like showing she is smart because she has learning disabilities. She can't speak, walk, or easily hold things. This frustrates because she sees that many other people can.
ReplyDeletemy first impressions on melody was that I feel bad for her. I felt bad cause she has went all her life without talking or moving much.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Melody is that she is a very smart girl, but know one knows. She has disabilities, like she can't speak. For example she is in the market with her mom and she started screaming because she is trying to warn her mom about the colorful blocks have lead paint in them. Her mom thinks she wants them so she is trying to make her stop. (Part 1)
ReplyDeleteI got the impression from Melody that she is intelligent and sometimes not understood. For example of her not being understood is when Melody and her mom were in the supermarket and Melody saw these building blocks. She started to point and scream at them. Her mom thought she wanted to buy the blocks, but actually Melody wanted to warn her mom that the blocks are dangerous and are made with lead paint that could seriously hurt someone. After her mom wouldn't listen she went into " tornado mode" and her arms went flailing and her leg started to kick the cart. Melody started to screech and scream. This all happened because her mom misunderstood her. I also believe that Melody that is like Helen Keller. Both of them can't speak and want to express themselves. They have so much stuff just sitting in their heads that they can't let out. Melody has a photographic memory. Melody said she was like a camera, snapping a picture and permanently remembering it. Melody also remembers words. FOREVER. "But I did absorb everything." When she hears music she thinks of what colors the song would be and that she can almost taste the songs. Overall, I feel bad for Melody that she is cooped up in her pink wheelchair and not being able to express herself for who she is. If Melody could choose a different path, I bet she would. I bet anyone would!
ReplyDelete~Ella Bast
My first impression of Melody is that she is a very smart girl that is trying to overcome her disabilities. Melody can't speak or she can't move and she has never spoken a word in her whole life. This would not be possible for me because if I new everything and I had a great memory, I would want to tell everybody. It's amazing that Melody can keep all of this in her head! For example, when she was in the market with her mother, her mother thought that she wanted a toy, but she was actually trying to warn her mother about the lead paint that in it. This girl reminds me of Helen Keller. Both of these girls can not speak and have disabilities. Helen Keller overcame her obstacles, while Melody is still working on overcoming her obstacles. I have learned that Melody has a photographic memory, but know one knows that either. Overall, I think Melody is being challenged with her disabilities and I feel bad for her, but she has to keep working at them and she will eventually be able to speak like everyone else.
ReplyDelete-Madison Soucey