Out Of My Mind

Imagine a life where you couldn’t walk or talk or couldn’t dance and sing. A life where whatever you did you were different, and you couldn’t do anything about it. You would feel trapped and limited. You would be about ready to go out of your mind. Melody, from Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, deals with this. Melody has dealt with this her whole life. She has changed not only who she is on the inside but has changed in the worlds perspective.

Melody struggles with a disability called cerebral palsy. Because of this she is unable to talk to people, walk, or even sit up straight without the help of a strap or a seatbelt. Since she looks like she is clueless, and can't tell people otherwise, people think she is stupid. All she wants is to be normal and be able to speak for herself without people helping her. Because of her disability she has no friends, and besides the people who help take care of her, nobody believes in her.  Unfortunately, she can’t have what she wants because nothing can make her normal, and she will never be able to talk. So, she gets something called a Medi-Talk, which is basically a computer that talks for her. Now, she is able to tell people how she feels, and stand up for herself. She can also speak for herself.

Melody changes from the beginning to the end of the book. She goes from ignoring insults, and pretending to be stupid, to being able to defend herself, and stand up for herself. When Melody was five she went to take a test to see how smart she was. The doctor said, “Melody is severely brain-damaged and profoundly retarded.” Melody ignored what the doctor said. She had no way to prove him wrong. She now can prove him wrong. And she has. Nearer to the end of the book she decides to take a test to join a quiz team. When Mr. D, the teacher in charge of the test, saw Melody come in the room he was surprised. He said, “I don’t think it’s appropriate for Melody to be here. This is not a recreational activity just for fun.” (page 178-179) Melody, who now can speak with her computer, says, “I am here to take the test.” Because of her Medi-Talker she has the ability to change. She was able to stand up for herself. Earlier in the book, someone else would've had to stand up for her.

She has also changed, because she is not afraid of joining things like the quiz team, (which is a whiz kids competition.) Everyone was so surprised when she made the quiz team. They said things like, “we’ll look weird,” and, “Everybody will stare at us.” (page 190) Those words didn’t stop Melody. She continued to push herself so that she would do well. She now has confidence. Earlier in the book she would have never even tried to do something like that. She would have given up before even starting.

In life, we take most things for granted. We do things without thinking. We walk and talk so freely. Now think about it. What would it be like to, no matter how hard you try, not be able to do all those things. This is how Melody feels everyday of her life. All in all, we are lucky. So the next time you see someone who is different, don’t laugh or run away. Smile.