Speak shows how avoiding an issue can hinder overcoming it. This is evident when Melinda is speaking with Mr. Freeman, "'This has meaning. Pain.' The bell rings. I leave before he can say more." (Anderson 65). This shows Melinda avoiding the pain she has inside so she does not have to talk about it with Mr. Freeman. Her not talking about the pain only worsens it. Another example of this is when Melinda is thinking to herself in the mall, "I should probably tell someone, just tell someone. Get it over with. Let it out, blurt it out." (Anderson 99). This is showing that Melinda really wants to tell someone about her pain but she can't bring herself to do it. She isn't able to just let it out and get it over with because the pain is too much and has built since she was raped. If she had just gotten it off her chest to begin with, the pain would not have grown to the level it has, and she would not have had as much of a difficulty overcoming it.

Speak also shows how not dealing with friend issues can only make a tough issue worse. This is shown on the first day of school when the freshmen are herded into the auditorium, "There is no point looking for my ex-friends. Our clan, the Plain Janes, has splintered and the pieces are being absorbed by rival factions." (Anderson 4). Melinda feels as though t for friends because her clan has broken up and she doesn't feel as though she belongs. This makes her issue that much worse because she doesn't have anyone willing to listen to her story so it is hard for her to deal with it. In addition to this, she also has an argument with herself over whether to tell her friend Rachel about Andy or not, "Why worry about Rachel/Rachelle? (He'll hurt her.) ... No, she's a witch and a traitor. (She didn't see what happened.) Let her lust after the Beast; I hope he breaks her heart. (What if he breaks something else?)" Melinda trying to deal with the fact that her ex-friend Rachel is going out with the guy who raped her shows that she cares on some level about her ex-friends no matter how mean they have been to her.

This makes her tough issue even worse because now she has to deal with the fact that her ex-friend might get raped and she could have stopped it from happening. If Melinda had dealt with these friend issues by talking to them about what happened her issue would not seem as bad as if she had no one to talk to.

Speak shows that talking to one's parents helps with dealing with issues. When Melinda gets in to trouble for skipping, her counselor and parents make up a contract, "It lists a million things I'm not supposed to do and the consequences I'll suffer if I do them. The consequences for minor offenses like being late to class or not participating were stupid..." (Anderson 116). This shows that her getting help from her parents and the guidance counselor will help her stay on task at school and not mess around like she used to. This, in turn, will help her deal with her issues because she will not have to worry about her grades as much anymore and she will have more time to figure out how to open up about about her feelings.

This is also shown at Christmas when Melinda almost talks about her issues, "I almost tell them right then and there. Tears flood my eyes. They noticed I've been trying to draw. They noticed... But I want to tell them everything as we sit there by our plastic Christmas tree..." (Anderson 72). This shows that her parents actually do care and she just wants to tell them right then. This will ultimately help Melinda deal with her issues because she finally feels as though she can talk to her parents about her issues. If she had realized this to start, she wouldn't have had such a rough time dealing with her issues.

Speak sends a good message to the reader about ways to work through one's problems. Through Melinda's mistakes and actions, one sees how teens should try to deal with their issues. Dealing with tough emotional issues is a problem many teens face in today's world.

The migrant workers also did not usually have any companions to travel with so were often lonely. For example the old swamper at the bunkhouse had no companions except for a dog which he cherished. He made up stories to George and Lennie in the attempt to persuade them to stay at the ranch. He mentioned that a really "clean" person slept in the bed that George was about to get to make it sound more hygienic to stay in. However the workers never seem to worry about companions, no on seems to give a "damn about nobody". They are just focused on coming into the ranch and getting a bunk, working for a month then just leaving alone with their earnings.

The migrant workers are depicted as people who only care for themselves and to protect themselves. This is proved by Slim when he admits there is nothing wrong with two companions traveling together. He thinks that "maybe everybody in the whole damn world is scared of each other" only caring for their own health and safety. All they want to do is make their money, move on without damaging their reputation or health. Their lives are also shown as a life spent alone which is emphasized with the characters and some of the games they play. With the cards on the table some of the characters play solitaire as one of their only form of entertainment. They choose to play alone even though cards is usually a quite sociable game.

In Plath's poem she displays a forceful hate for her rule abiding father who had "no god but a swastika" showing he is a tyrant and a law abiding fascist. However she also shows an affection for her father as she tried to get "back, back, back" to him. This phrase shows how she might be missing him in the grave but also sounds pretty violent like a sort of stabbing movement, with the three strong syllables. Larkin in his poem shows that even though he can connect to his parents he is unwilling to be similar to them to avoid the "misery" being passed on to him. Plath however is unable to be like her father who passed away when she was a child. She blames him for his own death which leads her into writing such forceful poetry.

'Digging' by Heaney shows us the separation of the generation but he does not resent it but respects it. He writes as if digging was something he was not good enough at as he has "no spade to follow men like them", showing respect for the older generations and that they are too good at their job to follow in their footsteps. He also seems to come across as more important than his father as he "looks down" from his bedroom window as if digging is a peasant's job, contradicting the pride that he shows in his heritage. You also notice the separation between father and son when he mentions about his fathers "straining rump" as if he feels sorry for him and affectionate that he is doing all the work while he is still relaxing in his bedroom. However he worships his father and respects him largely telling us that "by god, the old man could handle a spade" showing his pride in his heritage and appreciation for his father and his job.

With Larkin his parents represent a generation which you cannot get away from. His grandparents, in the next generation above, are also represented irrespectably with "old style hats", making them sound stupid and odd as if it is something to be ignored. He also thinks of his grandparents as "soppy stern" which gives us the idea of characters which live by petty rules, restricting their children of freedom. The parents are not looked upon respectably, as they hand on "misery to man" through the generations. Showing that he has no concern for his parent's situation, thinking that all they represent is monotonous. The fact that he does not believe in having children contrasts with the traditional view of the meaning of life bewilders some people. With his advice to us, "to get out as early as you can" and to live an exciting but short life so you can get away from the idea of becoming parents and polluting your potential children's minds.

Plath refers to her father as a "brute" maybe due to the fact that he was part of the fascist regime, something she remembers bitterly. She also remembers him by the picture of him at the black board with the "cleft instead of a foot" showing that he was like a devil to her and also like a burden which thrived on rules and oppresion. The references to her father being like a vampire who "drank her blood" also shows that she thinks her father was an evil superhuman which lived off of her and ended her love for life. He adored not "god but a swastika" showing his Nazi and Aryan purity and rule abiding ego that he could not leave. The black boots that he wore reminds her of the time "in which she lived" like a foot being smothered with protection, discarding her freedom while leaving his footprint from her as if she is just another lost soul. However when she says she makes a "model" of her father it shows something she never had in her life, a role model in a father to look up to and admire.

'Digging' does show that his parents represent the weight of tradition and history. He shows this when he talks about his father digging "just like his old man", with the knowledge and skills of the job have been passed down through the generations. The tradition is remembered by Heaney through the "cold smell of potato mold" which reminds him of his childhood and family heritage. The history and age of the tradition is also described when his father "comes up 20 years away" whilst digging, emphasising the history and time passed as the layers of bog become thinner. His memories of digging are also shown in the poem through his father's actions displaying his influence on his son. If the tradition is going to be passed on Heaney has to be watching and following his father.

In Larkin's poem he says that you should get away from your parents and "don"t have kids yourself', this is taking his views to the extreme, wanting the generation gap to cease its existence. This bold statement is almost so crazy that you could take it as a joke, finding it a bombast kind of humor. Also the eye catching first line of "they fuck you up" could also be interpreted as a bold and uncanny joke, written to draw intrigued readers into the poem which some might associate with a stereotypical rebellious teenager. Although having parents is inevitable he uses them as a role model of what not to become and be like. The last two lines make you think whether he is being serious about what he is saying or if it is just a sincere pun. As Larkin has pretty much done the opposite to what his parents have done maybe we should treat his poem this way, so you should pay no attention to the message of the poem and do what you want.

In the poem by Plath comparisons are made with children's nursery rhymes and suffering which causes a dark and sincere kind of poem. She mentions that she lived like a "foot" in a boot, like the commonly known nursery rhyme, "barely daring to breathe". This almost ironic phrase takes a comforting nursery rhyme and makes it sound bitter and depressive. Plath also mentions that "every woman adores a fascist", showing her bitterness for the oppressiveness of the Nazi rule, again showing irony and extreme sarcasm. Near the end of the poem she communicates her thoughts by saying how she is "through" with her dead father as he did was influence her depressed life. This shows that she has finally had enough of life without someone to guide her like he might have done or even that now she is surrendering herself to him, ready to join him in the grave. This delivers the final punch to the poem like a storm which has blown itself out.

In Heaney's poem he shows a fair bit of humor and irony to assert his argument for why he chose to write, and that it was not the easy way out of the traditional digging. He starts off by saying how he holds a "squat pen" to emphasize that writing is just as difficult as digging. The similarities between digging and writing are also shown when he describes the way you dig, with a "boot nestled on the lug, the shaft against the inside knee". If you imagine how this would look on the spade and compare it to how you would normally hold a pen, the actions appear to be very similar, as if writing has evolved from digging. He also shows some irony when he tells us how he used to give his grandpa milk in a bottle "corked sloppily with paper". The paper in this time was merely an accessory and not needed for many things, but for Heaney in his later life it proved to be a necessity as it is one of the things he is associated with. Heaney finishes off the poem by saying he will "dig with it", referring to the fact that he will write instead.

The generation gap to Larkin, Plath and Heaney was huge; the separation between them and their parents was portrayed at times as if they were nothing like their parents. Larkin did not want to be associated with his, so made the gap as big as possible. Plath was already separated from her father who made her feel resentment towards him as if it was his fault for dying and leaving her suffocating in his wake. Heaney also felt the generation gap. Although he respected his parents a lot he almost looked down on the peasant like job of digging, and did not carry on the tradition passed down the generations.

While stereotypes of current cultures are usually false, the stereotypes of Old English society have some validity. These different stereotypes of Old England's people include savagery, chivalry, and close-mindedness. All of these stereotypes can be found in Beowulf. Lines 663-665 describe Grendel's attack on the mead-hall, “[he] slashed at the flesh, bit through bones, and lapped up the blood that gushed from veins as he gorged on gobbets.” Then, in lines 725-727, Beowulf's ripping off of Grendel's arm is described “but the murderous man-bane got a great wound as tendons were torn, shoulder torn open, and bone-locks broken.” While savagery is described in gory detail, there are still some chivalrous stereotypes presented in Beowulf. Wiglaf displays chivalry in lines 2315-2320, “He came to his kinsman, the prince of the Geats, and passed on his heirlooms, hoping Wiglaf would wear them with honor. Old then, and wise, he went from the world. This was the first young Wiglaf would fight helping the king.” Wiglaf carries on for the rest of the poem after Beowulf dies. A final stereotype is the close-mindedness of the Old English people. Due to

constant warfare, people during that time were not open to other nationalities entering their land. When Beowulf initially comes to help Hrothgar defeat Grendel, he is met with hostility from Hrothgar's soldiers. The soldiers brandish spears and other weapons and demand that Beowulf explain who is he and why he needs entrance to the kingdom. These stereotypes strengthen many students' thoughts that they cannot relate to Old English literature.

Another facet of Old English literature and society that students cannot identify with is the customs that were practiced in the day. Old English society believed heavily in the supernatural forces. Today, the supernatural, including Christianity and God, is being removed from daily life. A further custom that is no longer regarded is the importance placed on being a mighty warrior. Physical strength provides a contemporary person with nothing of importance; modern strength is acquired through wealth. Old English society did highly value monetary wealth, but it was achieved through brute strength, fighting, and pillaging. In present-day society, anyone can achieve monetary strength. From figures like Bill Gates to Oprah Winfrey, today's everyday man can gain wealth and influence.

With these factors arguing why students cannot relate to Beowulf, many people would think that there are not any relatable qualities to the epic; however, recent blockbuster movies have allowed a younger audience to enjoy the characteristics of Old English society. The recently adapted films of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien, have brilliantly displayed and made characteristics of a culture that was similar to the Old English culture understandable. These films have a high amount of action in them, and center on characters like King Théoden, Gandalf the Wizard, and Aragorn, whose character is parallel to a knight. Tolkien was an avid admirer of Beowulf during his life. He understood the Old

English society and its beliefs and translated many aspects of it into his writings. The film adaptations, directed by Peter Jackson, gained fans all over the globe, making traits about the

Old English society clear to young people. Therefore, modern students, through contemporary works, can better relate to an epic poem such as Beowulf.

Even though contemporary students have many problems relating to Beowulf and its culture, there are still ways for students to understand that society more accurately. Students in the 21st century are well equipped with a variety of ways to learn more about Old English society. Recent films have made access to a better understanding of the culture of Old England. In years past, information about traditions and customs of Old English society were harder to attain. Fortunately, through the conveniences of modern technology, people of all ages can more easily relate to the characteristics of Beowulf's Old English society.