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__The Secret Life of Bees__

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Final Reflection Movie Reflection

= = = Chapter 1 =

__Bea C - Question #1__ “The queen, for her part, is the unifying force of the community; if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. After a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakable signs of queenlessness.” How does Lily’s home slow show signs of queenlessness? Discuss how this magnifies issues that are considered normal for girls of Lilys’s age and what additional issues this creates. Lily’s home shows signs of loneliness mainly on the way she appears. She makes her own clothes, that are too big and the seams are tearing apart, and her hair is always a mess. She is trying to get a fix on her looks because she describes “My hair was black like my mothers but basically a nest of cowlicks and it worried me that I didn’t have much of a chin. I kept thinking I’d grow one the same time my breasts came in, but it didn’t work out that way.” (Kidd 9). Lily’s crazy hair shows which she doesn’t know how to work, shows the lack of queenlessness in her life because usually mothers are the ones who teach you basic beauty tricks. The last part of this quote also relates to the fact that Lilly is going through puberty and her father doesn’t know how to help her or educate her. You can see T-ray’s lack of interest in this new part of Lilly’s life when she tells him she needs to get sanitary supplies “he accepted this without comment. T-Ray hated female puberty worse than anything.” (Kidd 27). You can see that T-Ray doesn’t even try to make the effort because that is something a mother should do. This is another sign of queenlessness in Lilly’s life.

__Rachel S - Question #2__ During this time period blacks and whites had different rights and “rules”. Blacks were mostly restricted and of minority standards to white people. In this chapter Rosaleen was watching the news on the passing of the civil rights act. This meant it was 1964; also as stated in the book. Rosaleen has been practicing “ Her name, Rosaleen Daise was written twenty five times down the page;” her signature for when she registered to vote; because the civil rights act was being passed she was now able to vote, which was a “rule” for blacks before the civil rights act. Another time in chapter one that shows another rule for blacks is when Roasaleen is in the church with Lily, “Brother Gerald … {When} he saw Rosaleen {he} started to rub the bald spot on his head with such agitation.” (Kidd 30). The concern that brother Gerald took was that Rosaleen was black and indeed not “allowed to be in Lily’s church. Within this chapter we learned that Rosaleen along with many other blacks back then have had run ins with the law, and white people in general because of the fact that they are discriminated against and DO have these rules.

__Marisa S - Question #3__ Throughout the 1960s, blacks were discriminated against as their public facilities were separate from whites and they didn’t have the right to vote. To eliminate this segregation and discrimination, the Jim Crow Laws were passed during the summer of 1964. Towards the middle of the first chapter, the author describes Lily and Rosaleen watching the president sign this document on television. Kidd writes, “I looked over at Rosaleen, who sat there shaking her head, mumbling, “Lord have mercy,” just looking so disbelieving and happy… “Hallelujah Jesus,”… Rosaleen was saying” (Kidd 20-21). Here, you can see that Rosaleen, as many other blacks were, astonished and almost in a state of disbelief as the news was delivered that they would no longer be publicly discriminated against. The author states, “Our minister stepped into the sanctuary… Then he saw Rosaleen and started to rub the bald space on his head…” (Kidd 30). As you can see, this is another example of the discrimination of the time period, as much more of it occurred that is not described in the book. That being, I think Rosaleen kept the president’s actions, signing the Jim Crow Laws, in mind when she travels into town with Lily. After the speech was made, Rosaleen, with Lily tagging along, went into town with hopes of being able to register to vote. She did this with confidence, clearly something she would never have done before. Kidd writes, “Coming alongside the men, Rosaleen lifted her snuff jug, which was filled with black spit, and calmly poured it across the tops of the men’s shoes, moving her hand in little loops like she was writing her name – Rosaleen Daise – just the way she’d practiced” (Kidd 32). From this excerpt you can tell that, as she was emptying her snuff jug, she was enjoying the moment, spelling her name across their shoes. They then realize what she had done and as she gets into a situation with some white men picking on her, with her high ego, she decides to stand up for herself. Though it doesn’t go over too well, she still was proud of herself for doing what she did. I think that she did this to the white men on this particular day because of the new set of laws that were just passed, and along with her persistent personality, there was no stopping her. At this particular time, I do not think her feelings have changed. I think that she has always wanted to rebel against the white people for all that they have done to her, and was just waiting for the right time to do so. I think that she always was a compliant person and will continue to be, only with a little more freedom behind her, and federal laws protecting her.

__Colleen S - Question #4__ The Jim Crow Laws, written and unwritten, have made an impact on society today and in relationships between people. For example, there are written laws for LBGTs allowing and prohibiting same sex marriage in certain states. LBGTs are also discriminated by society and organizations such as the Westboro Baptist Church, despite the unwritten laws. Another law is the SB 1070 act in Arizona. This law states that authorities in the state of Arizona can send back a citizen, of Arizona, back to their country if they are thought to be illegal.

__Madison L - Question #7__ There are a couple of examples of foreshadowing in the first chapter of The Secret Life of Bees. The first example is found at the top of page 15, "I always promised myself one day, when i was grown-up enough, i would take the bus over there. I wanted to go everyplace she had ever been,"(Kidd 15). This quote shows foreshadowing because it implies that the character, Lily, will travel to places that her mother had once gone to. I think that the book will revolve around the places that lily's mom, Deborah, had been and lily's adventures there. Another example of foreshadowing is when Lily dreams about being the same skin color as Rosaleen and being able to be her daughter. This foreshadows that maybe Rosaleen will adopt Lily so they can stay together forever and become a real family, I think that all Lily needs to feel loved is a caring and supportive family so when she finds her way into that, her whole life will change.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Chapter 2 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">This book is set in 1964, right at the turn of the civil rights act being passed and racial discrimination was at its peak. It was common to not think of equality between races. I think T-Ray is somewhat racist because he KNOWS he should treat Rosaleen different and not care, but she has been taking care of them for a very long time and he has a little bit of respect for her. Like in chapter one when Rosaleen stands up to him about the chicken and says, “There are worse things in this house than chicken shit” (Kidd 11). He walks away and shows a sense of defeat. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">When Rosaleen was in jail though, he acted like he didn’t want to bail her out. He didn’t seem to care when Lily pointed out, “What about Rosaleen? You have to get her out-” He avoided the question and left without Rosaleen, knowing it was the “right” thing to do, because she was black. So in all I think that T-Ray is racist because he knows he has to be, but he still has some respect for Rosaleen.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Bea C - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">On page 41 Lilly says “I heard a voice say, Lilly Melissa Owens, your jar is open.” (Kidd 41)I think this metaphor relates back to When Lilly was capturing bees. She wanted to prove to T-Ray that there were actual bees in her room, so she went around with a glass jar and captured two bees. One day, she felt sorry for the bees and let them go. At first, “the bees remained, there like planes on a runway not knowing they’d been cleared for takeoff.”(Kidd 28) I fell like this quote starts the metaphor between Lilly and the bees. Lilly has had opportunities to leave and “take off” but she was unaware they were occurring but when Lilly gets home from jail after Rosaleen is arrested she sees that the bees have left the jar they were reluctant to leave. Lilly says that she “never had a true religious moment, the kind where you know yourself spoken to by a voice that seems other than yourself, spoken so genuinely you see the words shining on trees and clouds.” (Kidd 41) but the moment she heard this voice telling her to leave, was the moment she decided to leave a place where she was averse to leave just let the bees she was keeping.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Madison L - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">I don't think that Lily is ready to handle the truth because the story that she has built up in her head is a lot better than the reality of what happened. She believed that her mother loved her and that was the way that wishful thinking helped Lily to survive. growing up, lily never felt loved and that gave her no reason to live. She kept going on the fact that before she killed her mother, Deborah loved her as much as any mother would. Without this thought, lily would be nothing.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #5__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">After the incident with Rosaleen pouring the spit from her snuff jug, Lily was very scared. Being thrown in the back of a police car and being put in a jail cell that smelled like drunk people is quite scaring for a 14 year old. In being so scared, her natural instinct was to blame it on someone since it was not her fault, and that someone was Rosaleen because she was the one in fact who had caused all of this to happen. The author describes her thoughts in this way, “…but I felt mad at Rosaleen too. Why couldn’t you just apologize? Then maybe Franklin Posey would let you off with just a beating. All she’d done was guarantee they’d come back” (Kidd 46). In the story, Rosaleen is asked to apologize to Franklin for what she had done, otherwise he would hurt her. She refused to apologize, and therefore was beaten with a flashlight, got a huge gash in her head, and ended up in the hospital. Clearly, the currents situation the two women are in is because of Rosaleen, so Lily almost has a reason to be mad at her. In addition, Lily was angry with Rosaleen because of the consequences she would face if she was caught by the policeman; she would have to kneel on piles of grits for hour. The author writes, “My knees had been tortured like this enough times in my life that I’d stopped thinking of it as out of the ordinary… But suddenly the look on Rosaleen’s face cut through all that. Look what he’s done to you” (Kidd 25). Having to kneel on grits be her punishment was something that was very painful, something she wanted to stay away from and avoid having to do. Though torturous, she helps Rosaleen anyway, and they both escape from the hospital successfully. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">I do not think that Lily is justified in her feelings mainly because Rosaleen was like a mother to her and she would never have been angry at her mother. Also because she has mixed feelings of what to do; whether she should help Rosaleen escape from the hospital and risk getting in trouble with her father, or should she stay home and obey her father’s orders? Though it is a tough decision, I think that Lily made the right one in this point in the book, as I’m sure she will have many more tough decisions to come.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S.-Question #6__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Rosaleen is a mother figure because she loves and cares for Lily. On page 50, the author states, “Rosaleen asked if we could have one of his cantaloupes for our supper.” This shows that Rosaleen tried to be able to take care of Lily and make sure she gets food and water. Another example, is when Rosaleen supports Lily when she thinks that her dad make up the story about Lily’s mom leaving T. Ray and Lily. This proves that Rosaleen is a mother figure to Lily because Rosaleen was supportive like most mothers are. Rosaleen was mother-like figure to Lily because she was supportive, caring, and thinking of Lily and her health.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Chapter 3 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Bea C - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In this chapter, Lilly describes her church’s attitude toward Catholics. She says “According to Brother Gerald, hell was nothing but a bonfire for Catholics. We didn’t have any in Sylvan-only Baptists and Methodists- but we got instructions in case we met them in our travels.” (Kidd 58). In their small town of Sylvan they only like what they have and since they don’t have any Catholics, they’re not liked. At the end of this quotes is says that people are given instructions If the encounter a Catholic acting as if they are some foreign dangerous creature. This shows a new side to Lilly. It shows that she is influenced a lot by what her church has taught her and that she doesn’t create an opinion of her own and follows what other people tell her.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Madison L - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Rosaleen had a dream that Martin Luther King was painting her toenails red. I think the significance of this dream was that African Americans had to form a community where everyone of their own race was equal because they weren’t accepted anywhere else and given equal rights. Martin Luther King, to this day, is one of the most famous African Americans and this dream shows how he tries to help blacks in their time of struggle. The red nail polish symbolizes the strength and power that Martin Luther King is trying to give to Rosaleen. He wants her to withstand all of the discrimination and stand her ground as a free citizen that deserves equal rights.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #5__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">From what had happened so far in the story, I would classify the jars of Black Madonna Honey as a sign to guide Lily. Based on some of the other signs that are in the story, I can conclude that these signs foreshadow what will happen later in the story and soon have a significant meaning. For this reason, I think that Lily finding the Black Madonna Honey will most likely lead her to her next destination. As we find out a little later, the jar ends up inspiring her to ask the sales person about the label. The author writes, “I pointed to the honey jars. “Where did you get those?”... “It’s got the Virgin Mary pictured as a colored woman, but see, that’s because the woman who makes the honey is colored herself.” “What’s her name?” “August Boatwright,” he said… “Do you know where she lives?”” In this passage from the text you can see that Lily’s mind works rapidly to recognizing photographs and quickly drawing conclusions. At this particular point in the story, she thinks that this label must be connected to her mother because her mother treasured the same picture of the black Mary. Being that she wants to visit every place her mother has been too, I think that this label is a sign and will take her to her new destination until she finds another sign; I predict this to be a continuing process throughout the book.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Chapter 4 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Rosaleen: maid-mom, pays a lot of attention to Civil Rights, dependent <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">August: working-job, doesn’t pay as much attention to CR, more successful-company, house, able to take care of visitors, independent, well off, siblings, intelligent, wealthy family <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Similarities: black women, understanding of Lily, inspire Lily, outspoken <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Rosaleen and August are two outspoken African-American women, who understand and inspire Lily. This is shown on page 73, Sue Monk Kidd explains, “Here you go-orangeade”. Here, August is offering her guests a drink after there long journey. Again on page 78, August shows hospitality towards her guests, by saying “Well, I imagine you’ll want to rest up like Rosaleen. Supper is at six. You like sweet-potato biscuits? That’s May’s specialty.” This quote shows that August made sure that her guests were well fed and rested after there long journey from North Carolina. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">August also comes from a wealthy family, where Rosaleen was not as fortunate. At dinner, August explains how, “she owned twenty-eight acres left to her by her granddaddy” (79 Kidd). Twenty eight acres is a lot of property, in the 1960’s and it is currently is. For her colored grandfather to own that much property, they would have to be very wealthy and have a very good education. August is educated, intelligent, and independent because she started her own business with very little help. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Rosaleen is a dependent, mother like figure to Lily, and an active listener about Civil Rights Act news. Rosaleen is dependent because she needs Lily to go in to the general store and buy food for them because Rosaleen didn’t think she would be able to go in because she is colored.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Chapter 5 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">What June says that is a “revelation to Lily is when she is talking to August and says “But she’s white, August.” (Kidd 87). Lily realized that June might’ve not wanted her to be in the house because of her skin color. This was the first time Lily had ever felt any type of discrimination because of her skin color. Hearing this, Lily “wanted to march up there, flip a couple tables over, and say, Excuse me, June Boatwright, but you don’t even know me!”(Kidd 87). Lily is very offended by June’s comments about her, and I believe Lily has the right to feel upset because it never feels good to have people talk about you behind your back, but I don’t think she should’ve been as offended as she was. The reason why I think Lily shouldn’t have been so offended is because I don’t think she comprehends that people like June, who are of color, are discriminated every day because of their skin color by white people. Instead of getting so angry, I think Lily should’ve put her self in June’s shoes.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In this chapter, we get to know each of the girls at the bee farm a bit more. In doing this we learn that May has issues with coping with the problems of the world. The author describes, “When April died, something in May died, too. She never was normal after that. It seemed like the world itself became May’s twin sister” (Kidd 97). Previously, the author told us about how when things happened to April, May felt then pain and effects. In this quote, we can see that since April is gone now, May feels the pain of the world instead. To cope with this, the author describes, “… and May would start humming “Oh! Susana.” It seemed like her personal way of warding off crying. It worked for things like tomato rot, but not for much else” (Kidd 85). Throughout the chapter, May is singing this song to help her cope with the sadness in life that most people are able to get over easily. Lily wonders about this trait of May’s, and realizes that she too had a deep sadness in her life: her mother’s death. Lily is then interest in May’s problem, and likes her way of dealing with all of these problems that she feel like are her own. The author writes, “She gets a lot of the stones from the river that runs through the woods back there. She’d been working on it ten years or more” (Kidd 95). At this wall, May writes out small slips of paper about what is causing her pain and puts them in the wall. Lily is fond of this idea as she sees that it works to eliminate May’s problems, so something similar may resolve her own. Though not directly said, it is conveyed that Lily looks up to May in a way because of how strong she is when dealing with her mishaps, whereas Lily just found a place to put that sorrow and anger, making her a very different person.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">There is an eerie feeling that Lily gets around June, a feeling that June didn’t want her around and “one night on the back porch” (86). She heard them talking about how they know that Lily is lying. June wants to let someone know about them so that her, August and May don’t get in trouble. June is thinking practically about the situation they have with Rosaleen and Lily. She doesn’t want to get in trouble with the law by holding two people who might be in trouble especially “[because] she’s white August” (87). Another time June is evident about not wanting Lily and Rosaleen there is when August points out that they owe her the chance to help her, but June feels differently “We don’t owe her anything” (87). Lily knows June doesn’t want her around, but she feels like she has to lie to get away with living with these sisters; if the truth comes out will any of them want her a Rosaleen around?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Madison L - Question #4__ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">At the beginning of the chapter, the quote states that when a bee goes into a new hive, it has to adjust to the darkness it’s surrounded with. In this chapter, Lily is thrown into a new home and has to adjust to the way they live. She faces discrimination and prejudice from black people, which was a shock to Lily because she didn’t know that African Americans could discriminate against whites. She thought that blacks were the only race to get discriminated against. All of the sudden, she is “surrounded in darkness,” meaning she is living in a house full of black people who discriminate against the color of her skin. It might take a while for Lily to adjust to the people she is around, but in the end she will find that the reward is sweet, just like the honey in a beehive.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S - Question #5__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In The Secret Life of Bees, Andrew Johnson is President of the United States and he signed the Civil Rights law. “Since Mr. Johnson signed that law, it was like someone had ripped the seams out of American life,” Lily explains (Kidd 88). When Lily describes the Civil Rights Act as ripping the seams out of the American life, she means that society will change, and it will tear people apart. It will also tear the nation apart because the people in the south wouldn’t want to follow the new laws because it gave blacks more freedom. The Civil Rights Act would create diversity, which is not what white people in the south wanted; they wanted white superiority.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Chapter 6 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">From Neil’s conversation with Lily when she first meets him, we can determine the number one question asked in South Carolina. The author writes, ““Where do you come from?” he asked me…We want to know if you are one of us, if your cousin knows our cousin, if your little sister went to school with our big brother, if you go to the same Baptist church as our ex-boss” (Kidd 105). From this dialogue, you can see that they want to know if they know someone that knows you, an icebreaker to start a conversation. This is the number one question asked in South Carolina because, when you look like you do not live in the area, they want get to know you a little better. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">After consulting with my group, we concluded that the number one question asked in our school as of this year would be: What middle school did you go to? This question was especially popular at the beginning of the year, and it acted as an icebreaker to get to know new people. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">As you can tell, these two questions are very similar and are trying to find out information about someone you don’t know too well and to get to know them a little better. This is exactly what Neil is doing when he meets Lily for the first time.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Madison L. - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">"And Mary said… Behold, from the henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things….He hath scattered the proud….He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exhaled them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away (Kidd 107).” This is one of the verses from the bible that pertains to blacks. It means that God will quench black's thirst and feed their hunger while rich whites will be emptied of all their money. The blacks believe in this and it is a way for them to feel like God will help them from all of the terrorizing things that the whites do and white people will get what they deserve.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">In the epigraph to chapter six it says, “The queen must produce some substance that attracts the workers and that can be obtained from her only by direct contact. This substance evidently stimulates the normal working behavior in the hive. This chemical messenger has been called “queen substance.” Experiments have shown that the bees obtain it directly from the body of the queen.” (Kidd 102). I think this quote is referring to August as the “queen of the house”. August seems to be the head of the house and she is also the one who took in Lilly and Rosaleen. Lilly mentions how she “wanted to make her love me” (Kidd 94) and she was referring to August. Lily had been spending a lot of time with her and maybe her personality that would be the “queen substance” August gives off. I don’t think August is the only queen bee. I also believe May and June are queen bees. All three sisters seem to be pretty headstrong in their own ways. The all co-exist together by using their strengths to inspire each other and their weaknesses to help each other. For example, since May is very emotional, the other sisters have created a “wailing wall” to help her cope with her feelings. Also, June is less open-minded than August, so August tried her best to help June become more understanding.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S - Question #4__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Daughters of Mary do not go to church for their service for various reasons. One reason is that the Bibles are different. In the church’s version, Mary is white; in the Daughters of Mary’s Bible, Mary is black. Another difference between the Bibles is that “a slave named Obadiah was loading bricks one day in a boat that would sail down the Ashley River, when he saw something washed up on the bank. Coming closer, he saw it was the wooden figurine of a woman. Her body was growing out of a block of wood, a black woman with her arm lifted out and her fist balled up.” (Kidd 108). The black, wooden figurine is Mary, sending Obadiah a sign that if blacks continue to fight, the will be free. In the Christian Bible, Mary was a good, white girl, who was picked to have God’s child. Another the Daughters of Mary do not attend church services is because they have different ways of service. In church you are supposed to be silent and still, while at the Daughters of Mary religious group, you pray, touch Mary’s heart, clap, and dance during the ceremonies every Sunday (Kidd 109). If the Daughters of Mary went to a public church, they would not be accepted because of their religion.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question #6__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">June has a certain discriminated attitude towards Lily. June has lived a much discriminated life of her own and it effects how she treats whites. Especially Lily, who as of this point is the minority of the house. Lily has been very calm about Junes attitude and kept her feelings to herself. I wish I could say I would speak out against her, but I probably wouldn’t say much either. When you are the minority you feel lonely; like nobody understands you, so I would not feel confident enough to say something just like Lily wanted to say //“Excuse me, June Boatwright, but you don’t know me” (87).// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Also during chapter 6 when June locked herself in her room after Lily fainted, I would have tried to talk to her in her room, and try to work out our problems alone, not in front of everyone where June may feel pressured by the encouragements of May and August; and try to get June to understand my situation if I were Lily. At this point it doesn’t seem like Lily will know what to do when she has to leave, so getting June on board with keeping her there would be in Lily’s best interests and that would be how I would react to Junes attitude.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Chapter 7 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Madison L - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> In this chapter, Lily tells Zach about her hopes and dreams for the future. She thinks that she will never have a chance to be a writer so she should just go to beauty school now. She explains that she probably doesn't have a chance of going back to high school because she is and orphan. If she can't go back to high school, she can't go to college to become a professional writer. Without any parents, she doesn't have any money to go to a school that will lead her to fulfill her dream.This is why she says that she should "just go to beauty school now." That is all she thinks she is capable of doing so she gives up on her dream job.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Zachary Taylor, a straight A high school student and “played halfback on the football team” (117), has higher hopes for himself in the future rather than sports. When Lily brings up her future and how she feels as though she has no hope, Zach becomes defensive on how people shouldn’t stereotype him and what he wants to do with his life. Zach states that he wants to be a lawyer, and during the chapter he shows Lily the law office he goes to, where the lawyer tells him about the cases he has won. Although Lily has “never heard of a negro lawyer” (121), Zach says that you “have to imagine what’s never been”. He opens Lily’s eyes to some hope of being what you want to be when you are older.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__ Beatrice C - Question # 4__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> In chapter 7, Lily meets Zachary Taylor who is also working for August. Lily and Zachary have a common interest in each other and I feel as if this new friendship between Lilly and Zack has opened up an emotional part in Lilly because she has felt so alone for so long and now she has someone close to her age that she can talk to. Lilly cries a lot in this chapter, “the kind of crying where you’re sucking air and making heaving sounds like a person drowning.”(Kidd 128). At first Lily is crying and she thinks it’s about her lost future but as she sits close to Zach she realizes she starts crying because of all the features that she loves about him and then she realizes “I was crying for Zach.”(Kidd 128).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #5__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> At the end of page 133 there is a metaphor about love. The author writes, “The whole time we worked, I marveled at how mixed up people got when it came to love. I myself, for instance. It seemed like I was now thinking of Zach forty minutes out of every hour, Zach, who was an impossibility. That’s what I told myself five hundred times: impossibility. I can tell you this much: the world is a great big log thrown on the fires of love” (Kidd 133). From this paragraph, you can tell that Lily really likes Zach, but something is holding her back. This is what she is saying in the metaphor. When she says this, I think she means that by thinking something/someone is an impossibility, you will think about them a lot more, and yearn to break that psychological barrier. By adding this word to the “fires of love”, the fire grows as your heart grows when you bring this person into their life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S- Question #6__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Lily’s attitude about African- Americans has changed from almost racist, to accepting of them. Lily was resentful towards African Americans because when Zachary came back to August’s house, she thought, “It would be me and August //and// Zach. I’m not proud of it, but I resented the intrusion.” (Kidd 115). Lily is not excited about the idea of having to work with another African-American. She was used to the concept of racism because she at her school, “they made fun of colored people’s lips and noses” (Kidd 116). Back at home, she was taught that all colored people were lower class, and had no rights. She was taught not to interact with them. Now, Lily has been accepted by August, May, and Zack. When August said, “Lily, if you wish to touch Our Lady’s heart, you’re welcome, isn’t she, June?” (Kidd 119). When Lily was offered to be able to touch Black Mary’s heart, it was a big deal because only the African-Americans believed in the same religion of The Daughters of Mary, and Lily is white. Lily now knows that everyone is equal, even though not everyone thinks so.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Chapter 8 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> In Chapter 8, August describes Big Mama’s story of hearing the bees sing on Christmas Eve. Lilly asks if August means this story literally and she says “What I mean is that the bees weren’t //really// singing the words from Luke, but still, if you have the right kind of ears, you can listen to a hive and hear the Christmas story somewhere inside yourself.”(Kidd 144).She is saying that if you open your ears you can hear things you are usually oblivious too, if you become more open minded. This relates back to the title of the story because if you listen closely, you could hear what the bees are doing in the darkness which you could not see. You could hear the secret lives of bees. August tells Lily “Most people don’t have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about.”(Kidd 148). This obviously relates back to the title of the story and symbolizes Lilly’s life as she say she likes this about bees because it’s like the secret life she has too.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question #5__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Lily describes the label of the Black Madonna as coming unglued; this is relevant to her life right now because the lies she has been telling to keep her in the pink house are starting to not be strong enough bond to keep her there. August is starting to give her hints that she knows that Lily is lying, by telling her about the story she is reading “It’s about a girl whose mother died when she was little” (131). This is very closely related to Lily’s story, and August is hinting that she can sense something’s wrong and Lily can, “talk to [her]” and that “she knows that, [doesn’t she]?” (122). Lily feels that the Black Madonna is a symbol of her mother, because her mother looked at the same picture; and if the Black Madonna is coming, “unglued” it shows that holding on to the belief that her mother is watching over her is starting to not become strong enough to keep her lies hidden, and that August knows th<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">at something’s up.

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The pink house is like a bee hive in many ways. First, every single bee working in a bee hive has a specific job that needs to be done. This is the same as in the pink house; every person that lives there has a specific job that might be small, but together make the “hive” function properly. Each job is essential to the “hive.” Second, every bee hive has a queen bee. If the queen bee were to leave, the hive would be sent into utter chaos. The queen bee in the pink house is August and if she left, the “hive” would not be able to function because August keeps the hive calm and on task. It helps relate back to the title of the book and gives a way to interpret it. ======

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">
= = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Chapter 9** =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> At the beginning of chapter 9, August and Lily were discussing careers and beekeeping. Lily mentions that though she likes beekeeping, she is not very good at it. The author writes August saying, “Now, if that’s so, you’ll be a fine beekeeper. Actually, you can be bad at something, Lily, but if you love it, that will be enough” (Kidd 167). To me, this means that you can do anything you want to do and be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it. The world is full of endless opportunities that are waiting at your fingertips; the sky is the limit. August also seems to be saying, you can’t get everything you want, but if you feel passionate enough about it, you can achieve it. This brings great confidence to Lily’s life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Lily wants to solve the problem and make up with June. “I was seeing myself as the fire department and June as the raging inferno” (Kidd 169). When Lily talks about putting out the fire, she is talking about ending the heated situation between her and June. I think it is a defining moment because June gives her a hug, which is a very important part in the story because June and Lily, weren’t friends, and were never on the best of terms. “She let go and sprawled back on the grass in convulsions of laughter” (Kidd 169). June was finely able to let out her anger and have a good time with Lily, which proved that June was not angry anymore, but able to have a good time. For Lily and June to make up was a big step in the right direction and for them to enjoy each others company is even greater.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> = = = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Chapter 10 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> In this chapter August sensed that something wasn’t quite right, when May went out to the wailing wall. August sensed something was wrong because when May usually goes to the wall, she is very emotional and usually in tears, but when she went to the wall, she went in a peaceful manner. She also resisted anyone going with her. When August offered to go May “ spoke over her shoulder. ‘No, please, August, just me’”(Kidd 188). Augusts’ intuition told her that May was definitely acting different.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The Wailing Wall did not sustain May through Zach’s arrest because at the moment she found out; and noticed that June and August, her own sisters, kept it from her; she made the life changing decision to commit suicide. Before Zach’s arrest, the wall had been through everything with her, and this was just too much for her to handle. Her note to August and June stated, “I’m tired of carrying around the weight of the world. I’m just going to lay it down now. It’s my time to die, and it’s your time to live. Don’t mess it up.” (210). May knew it was her time to die, she didn’t see the wall as a lifesaver anymore. It couldn’t keep her going through life like she was. May knew that if she put herself out of her own misery, and gave August and June the freedom from always having to watch over her; that they would be able to live their lives. The wall just wasn’t good enough to keep her from what was better for everyone.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Madison L. - Question #3__ ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">"This is what they'd been waiting for half their lives without even realizing it." (Kidd 194). After May commits suicide, August and June realize that they knew it was going to happen eventually. May had the weight of the world on her shoulders and that was always going to eventually cause her to commit suicide. She had no other way to deal with the pain. August and June dreaded the moment that this would happen but they always knew it would eventually. It had to happen some time, and that was her time to go. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #4__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> In this chapter, the author tells the tragic news of May’s death. All of the characters are very upset, and with everything going on, none of them can really focus right. At May’s funeral, the author describes Lily thinking about telling August about her mother and how she once knew them. The author writes, “I knew it would be selfish to pour this into her cup when it was already to the brim with grief for May” (Kidd 201). From Lily’s thoughts, you can tell that she really doesn’t want to put this on August now; she wants to wait for the right time to bring this major news to her. She figures that this is a very poignant time in August’s life and she better not disturb it. Also, because Lily has to prepare her story of how she found out, and what her clues were to finding that particular bee farm where her mother had stayed. The author writes, “When I came into the kitchen, May was sitting on the floor with her legs straight out and a box of graham crackers in her lap… “I saw a roach,” she said, reaching into a bag of marshmallows… She pulled one out and pinched off a little piece of it… (Looking) at the little highway of broken graham crackers and marshmallow bits that May had constructed…//Your mother was a lunatic when it came to bugs,// T. Ray had said. //She used to make trails of graham cracker crumbs and marshmallows to lure roaches outside//... “May, did you ever know a Deborah? Deborah Fontanel?”… “Oh, yes, Deborah Fontanel. She stayed out there in the honey house. She was the sweetest thing” (Kidd 171-173). This is Lily’s story. This is how May, August, and June are all connected to her mother; they just don’t know it yet.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S - Question #5__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The rituals at the vigil for May and the covering of the bees and other rituals help people cope when dealing with the loss of a friend or family member. Like August said, “Sometimes people have a hard time letting death sink in, they can’t say goodbye. A vigil helps us do that.” (Kidd 200). Some people don’t cope well with death, and when you have a chance to be surrounded by people you love, helps people heal. August’s philosophy makes sense; because that is the way I have learned to cope with the loss of a friend and/or family member.

== =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Chapter 11 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question # 1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Ever since Zach’s experience in jail, he has changed. He has more resentment in white people, and wants to make a difference in the lives of African Americans, and defy what people think is impossible and become a lawyer. Also in this chapter it is evident that Zach gives off an angrier vibe. Lily noticed as well and “[she] wanted to say to Zach, ‘remember when we ate May’s Kool-Aid ice under the pine trees? Remember when you sang “Blueberry Hill”?’ Lily is concerned that he isn’t the sweet, peaceful, fun-loving Zach anymore, and that he had changed into someone she doesn’t recognize. Which in fact towards the end of the chapter, he shows he is still the same Zach, he just believes more in his people and wants to make a difference.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> At the beginning of this chapter there is a quote that says “It takes honeybee workers ten million foraging trips to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey.” (Kidd 214). This quote means you have to work really hard to get you’re desired ending or “sweet” ending. This theme is showed a lot through out the whole book. After May’s death, Zach is much more motivated to change the world and work harder to get what he wants. Zach tells Lilly “Nobody will believe how hard I’m gonna study this year. That jail cell is gonna make me earn grades higher than I ever got. And when this year is over, nothing can keep me from leaving here and going to college.” (Kidd 231). Zach understands that it’s going to take awhile for him to get to what he wants, but the hard work will pay off. Unlike Zach, who still has to achieve his sweet dream, Neil, who has been trying to get June to marry him, finally receives her hand in marriage.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Throughout the book, the author has made references to the time period and describes how discrimination is affecting the characters and the plot of the story. The author writes about Zach saying, “We can’t think of changing our skin… Change the world – that’s how we gotta think” (Kidd 216). Here Zach is saying a lot. He says how we all wish we were someone else sometimes; looking up to them we want to be everything they have been. Also, I think he is expressing his yearn for equality among races, and elimination of discrimination; he wished we all didn’t judge a book by its cover. So instead, he wants to take action and do something to reach this goal, similar to the public activists we know today such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Lily is also hoping for the same thin to happen in her lifetime so she can marry Zach and not be looked at in a funny way when she is with Rosaleen, August, June, or any of the other new friends she has made. This starts to happen towards the end of chapter ten. The author writes, “//Talking about white people like that and we have a white person present.// They didn’t even think of me as being different. Up until then I’d thought that white people and colored people getting along was a big aim, but after that I decided everybody being colorless together was a better plan… I felt so warm inside toward them…” (Kidd 209). Here you can tell how Lily feels equal to August, June, and Rosaleen now because she fits in, and not they could all be “colorless together” and still be best friends; that would never change.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Madison L. - Question #4__
====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Routines can be a very important part of our life, especially while mourning the loss of someone or going through a tragic event. If you keep yourself busy with a routine every single day, there is no room left to think about the thing that makes you sad or depressed. This is what helps June to cope with May's death. Every day, she does the exact same thing to make her forget about what tragic event had just occurred. If the temperature had gone over 100 degrees, I don't think August would have gone to feed the bees. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S. -Question #5__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> When Lily wants to move back to the honey house, Rosaleen doesn’t protest, she encourages Lily to move out of their room, and back to the honey house. This is because when you spend a lot of time with someone, you can become sick of them because you are not used to spending that long period of time with them. “Come on, I’ll help you carry your stuff over there….you mean like now?...No time like the present” (Kidd 218-219). Both Lily and Rosaleen both wanted separate rooms, due to the long amount of time they had shared a room. Rosaleen didn’t protest because she was becoming sick of sharing a room with Lily, and so she helped take Lily’s stuff down to the honey house, so they could have their own space.

= = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Chapter 12 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Lily-** follows mom’s footsteps; need someone to be leader/mother figure (Queen Bee) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Deborah-** independent, made own decisions, caring because she had a child, even though it was unplanned <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Similarities-** both wanted away from T-Ray, wanted something bigger and better, August said they did the same thing when they were staying, both ran away <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Lily and Deborah have the typical mother-daughter relationship, similar but different. Lily needs a mother figure, or the queen bee as mentioned in the book. Deborah was more independent, and doesn’t need anyone to take care of her. “I’d spent my life imagining all the ways she loved me, what a perfect specimen she was” (Kidd 251-252). Lily tries to imagine that everything was perfect. Deborah didn’t, instead she just kept everything bottled up inside. When both of them ran away, Deborah was older and educated when she ran away from T-Ray, so she had a chance of getting a job, and being able to support herself. Lily on the other hand, is young and she can’t support herself because she hasn’t finished school yet. She ran away from T-Ray because he didn’t love her anymore. Lily had run away because of what T-Ray said about her mother not loving her.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Throughout the book Lily always had this certain feeling that she felt June gave off toward her. A while back in chapter five we thought June resented Lily because of her skin color because she said, “but she’s white August” (87). In reality, June didn’t like Lily because she carried the anger that June had towards Lily’s mother, to her. June “resented [her] mother so much,[and] she took it out on Deborah and then you” (242). June could never really get over the fact that August worked as a maid for Lily’s mother. Actually, June does like Lily; she loves Lily, just like August loves Lily and August loves Lily like she loved Lily’s mother.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The quote at the beginning of the chapter says “If the queen were smarter, she would probably be hopelessly neurotic. As is, she is shy and skittish, possibly because she never leaves the hive, but spends her days confined in darkness, a kind of eternal night, perpetually in labor…Her true role is less that of a queen than mother of the hive, a title often accorded to her. And yet, this is something of a mockery because of her lack of maternal instincts or the ability to care for her young.” (Kidd 232). This is saying that the Queen Bee is supposed to be the “mother” for all the bees because she birthed them and stays inside the hive at all times “sacrificing” for them. Yet, the Queen Bee does not act like a mother at all. This relates to Lilly’s anguish because she thought that since her Mother birthed her, she should always be there for her and after finding out that her Mother left her, she realized her mom didn’t have any maternal instinct. She believed that if you’re a Mother you should do everything for your children no matter what, but like the Queen Bee, Deborah “lacked the ability to care for her young.”

<span style="font-family: Symbol,sans-serif;">__Madison Leap - Question #4__

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">To Lily, her mother, Deborah, was always like her guardian angel. She believed that her mother would never have done anything to hurt her like T. Ray did and that she loved Lily beyond reason. After she finds out what her mother really was, it breaks her heart. The fact that the only person that she thought loved her had left her made Lily feel worthless and unloved. I think that Lily's image of her mother was unrealistic to begin with because she had her mother made up to be this perfect person who never did anything wrong. But nobody's perfect and I don't think that Lily realized that her mother was just a normal person. It's not that Deborah was a bad mother or a bad person, she just wasn't as great as Lily thought she was and this crushed Lily.=====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #5__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> After Lily’s conversation with August in this chapter, I learned a lot about what Deborah and T. Ray were really like, looking at their personalities from a different perspective. First, we learned that Deborah wasn’t he perfect mother that Lily thought she was. The first time the author really brings this fact to our attention is in chapter 12. She writes from Lily’s perspective, “//Unwanted,// I thought. //I was an unwanted baby//” (Kidd 249). In every way, Lily was right. Her mother was just too caught up in her own life and what was going on between her and T. Ray that distracted her from giving her daughter the proper care and upbringing. The author later describes what was happening from August’s perspective and how she seemed to be doing the best she could. The author writes, “She tried, I know that. I got a dozen or so letters and at least that many phone calls… I could see she was making an effort… But then her letters came less often, and when they did come, I could tell she was unhappy” (Kidd 250-251). Through these minimal forms of communication between Deborah and August, even August could tell when she was beginning to feel sad and would soon attempt to leave. With all of this going on in her life, she was not the best parent in the world, and even abandoned Lily at one point. The author writes, ““She brought me along, didn’t she?” August leaned over and whispered against my hair. “No, honey, she came by herself.”” I think that this is the most poignant part of the chapter because Lily finds out how much her mother really cared about her, which is not at all. Unfortunately, this will affect Lily as a person when she attempts to now live the rest of her life. August has just ruined this fantasy of hers that her mother was the best person in the world who did everything perfectly. Though I think it really hurt her ego, I think that she needed to hear the truth. The author also writes about her mother, “My mother had been looking for love, and instead she’d found T. Ray and the farm, and then me, and I had not been enough for her. She’d left me with T. Ray Owens” (Kidd 252). Though her mother was a loving and caring person, Lily just did not show up at the right time in her life, nor with the right father; Deborah let her relationship with T. Ray get in the way of her daughter’s life. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> At the same time, the parent that Lily has who is still living, T. Ray, resents her greatly. Mainly because of what happened with Deborah and how she left him, came back, and then was accidently killed by her own daughter. As a result of all this, T. Ray was forced to raise Lily on his own. He was very strict with her as his punishments were quite harsh. Also, he is not very supportive towards his daughter, which resulted in her having no friends, being lonely, and having no social life; this is not healthy for any teenager. The author describes Deborah’s views of T. Ray by saying, “She loved the fact that he was decorated in the war. He was so brave, she thought. Said he treated her like a princess” (Kidd 248). Based on his military service, I think that would explain his cruel punishments and the way he keeps strict order in his household. Also, when the author says “he treated her like a princess” I can assume that this was before marriage based the fight they had before Deborah’s life ended. At the same time, I think that Deborah had piece of mind leaving Lily with T. Ray because she thought that he would treat her the same as he treated her, “like a princess”. Clearly, she was very wrong. As you can see, both Deborah and T, Ray let their relationship with each other get in the way of them taking care of their daughter, affecting many aspects of Lily’s life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Chapter 13 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In the epigraph, it explains the life of a worker bee. This symbolizes Lily in a way because she is the worker bee of her life. Although very small, “A worker bee is just over a centimeter long and weighs only about sixty milligrams” (257), she is able to take on this great responsibility and maturity throughout the book. “Nevertheless she can fly with a load heavier than herself” (257). Throughout the book she was living in fear; always having faith that her life would become better. In the beginning of the book she took on the difficult task of breaking Rosaleen out of jail. Then when she got to the honey house she took on the task of keeping the lies for her and Rosaleen. She was strong through, May’s death, losing her mother, and in this chapter, finding out the truth about her mother. She has all of this weight on her shoulders, and she has kept strong and stuck to her values all throughout. Except lying of course. Lily is one brave child, the worker bee of the hive.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C - Question #2__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Lilly has the idea that you can’t talk yourself out of anger. After finding out her mother left her from August, Lilly storms off and smashes Augusts’ honey. In the moment she is very mad and is not thinking clearly. Lilly might use the excuse that you can’t talk yourself out of anger, but if you try to sort out your emotions and try to have an optimistic perspective you //can// talk yourself out of anger. This may be hard for many people. When you’re mad, you usually want some sort of revenge or something to help you let your anger out. Although Lilly was in this state of mind, I don’t think it justified what she did to Augusts’ honey. Instead of smashing her honey, she could’ve went outside to have some time to herself or maybe talk to Rosaleen and tell her exactly what she was feeling because honesty usually gives you a clear conscience.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The events in this chapter move Lily toward peace with her mother. When August tells Lily about her mother, Lily is left with more peace because she is not left guessing about why her mother left, and she has a better understanding about what happened when she killed Deborah, why Deborah left, and what T-Ray said, “ The truth is, your sorry mother ran off and left you, that’s all” (Kidd 39). Lily understood why Deborah left and that when she came back, she had a suitcase, and packing her clothes, and telling Lily to “//Hurry//” (Kidd 6). Deborah was telling Lily to hurry because she was getting ready to leave, and take Lily with her. Through these event, Lily was able to move toward peace with her mother, and have a new understanding about what really happened.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - my own question__: //How does Lily handle the truth about her mother? How will this affect her in the future?// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> In this chapter, we see how Lily handles the truth about her mother, and how she will be affected by this in the future. The author writes, “The terrible thing, the really terrible thing, was the anger in me. It had started on the back when the story of my mother had collapsed, like the ground under my feet giving way. I didn’t want to be angry. I told myself, //You’re not angry. You don’t have any right to be angry. What you did to your mother is a lot worse than what she did to you.// But you can’t talk yourself out of anger. Either you are angry or you’re not” (Kidd 258-259). Here, Lily is reflecting on her what she has found out about her mother recently, and what she thinks of it. Lily’s reaction to this is anger, extreme anger. With this anger comes physical strength which results in a catastrophe. The author describes, “I picked up one of the honey jars and hurled it as hard as I could. I missed the black Mary’s head by inches and smashed against the back wall. I picked up another one and threw it, too. It crashed on the floor beside a stack of supers. I threw every last jar on the table, until honey was spattered everywhere, flung like cake batter from electric beaters. I stood in a gooey room full of broken glass, and I didn’t care. My mother had left me. Who cared about honey on the walls?” (Kidd 259). Now that she knows more about her mother, she breaks out in anger and doesn’t care. I actually her knowing this additional information about her mother hurts her rather than hurts her as both her and August thought it would. In the future, I predict that she will have minor mental issues and never forgive her mother completely. Also, I think that she might consider leaving the honey farm estates were as before the thought never crossed her mind.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Chapter 14 =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C - Question #1__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Lilly carries around some of her Mother’s things and one of those things are moose bones. Lilly carried them around every day and she “Could not imagine why I was doing it.”(Kidd 278) Lilly doesn’t know why she carries these things around but it’s just a sentimental reason. I understand what Lilly is feeling because when someone leaves your life and they leave something behind, you want to hold onto that thing so you can remember them. This is the way Lily feels about the moose bones. She wants something to remember her mom and “Sometimes you just need to nurse something, that’s all.”(Kidd 285). Lilly just needs something to cherish and uses an object of her mothers to do that.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S - Question #3__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Throughout the book, I have noticed a confidence building in Rosaleen. In the beginning, Rosaleen was excited yet scared to go and register to vote for the first time. The author writes, “Her name, Rosaleen Daise, was written twenty-five times at least down the page in large, careful cursive, like the first paper you turn in when school starts. “This is my practice sheet,” she said. “For the Fourth of July they’re holding a voters’ rally at the colored church. I’m registering myself to vote.”” (Kidd 27). At this point in time, registering was something very special that not a lot of colored people got the opportunity to do. Though it would not be likely that she would get in, she was going to try anyway. In doing this, she was trying to make herself something she wasn’t. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Later in the book, Rosaleen had a higher ego and was able to go with August into town to register to vote successfully. The author writes, “She smoothed her hands down the front of it, looked at the clock on the stove, and reached for an old white vinyl purse of May’s that she’d inherited… “I’m gonna finished what I started,” Rosaleen said, lifting her chin. “I’m gonna register to vote.”” (Kidd 281). Here, you can see that the other colored people in Tiburon, SC have boosted Rosaleen’s confidence. With August’s help of buying her a new dress, she felt supported enough to register to vote, and she did. Also, she feels that when she registers, she will feel higher of herself and more a part of society; she wouldn’t feel like she was in such a segregated world anymore.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.25in;">__Colleen S.-Question #4__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The quote in the beginning of the chapter, relates to Lily and her life. “A queenless colony is a pitiful and melancholy community; there may be a mournful wail or lament from within….Without intervention, the colony will die. But introduce a new queen and the most extravagant change takes place” (Kidd 277). The queenless colony represents Lily’s life without her mother. When you don’t have a mother, or even a father figure, you have a harder time getting through life. When you introduce a new queen, or a mother, you have someone to look up to, and someone who guides you. But when you go from not having a mother or father figure in your life, and the having one, makes an amazing change in a person’s life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S – Question #7__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Deborah decided to leave T-Ray because she felt that she didn’t love him anymore, and that he didn’t love her enough. The only reason she married him in the first place was because she was pregnant with Lily. Later then she left and T-Ray became angry with the fact that she was leaving, and she was leaving because she didn’t want THAT life, so he was angry because she left, and she left for other reasons. Also at the end of the book when T-Ray shows up at August’s house to get Lily he yelled at her and, “had a fistful of my hair, and wouldn’t let me go, ‘Deborah’ he said. ‘Goddamn bitch’ he said.” (295) He wasn’t yelling at Lily he, “snapped back ten years”(295) and was yelling at Deborah, obviously for leaving him. T-Ray wasn’t naturally an angry man, he was angry because Deborah left him and he was so strict towards Lily so that she wouldn’t leave him too. He felt that by keeping Lily, he was keeping Deborah; which was what made him such an angry man.

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">In this chapter, T. Ray reveals to Lily the shocking fact that she never wanted to believe. Lily was really the one who shot her mother. Even though it was an accident, Lily is devastated. I think she always thought that T. Ray had something to do with it, but now, when she realized it was all her fault, the guilt was terrible and she would have to live with it for the rest of her life. Lily was the one to shoot Deborah and that cut deep into Lily as she thinks about the horrible thing she did. =====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Final Reflection** =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Colleen S.__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Throughout the book, Lily grew up and matured as a person. Before she ran away, she was an immature girl, who fantasized her past, her life, and her mother. “and she would kiss my skin until it grew chapped and tell me I was not to blame” (Kidd 3). Here, Lily fantasized about what her mom would do, when they met again in heaven. She fantasized that her mom was loving, and forgiving; but she didn’t know her mom too well, due to the fact her mother died when Lily was only 4. “I decided I would take four or five centuries to tell her about the special misery of living with T-Ray” (Kidd 3). Lily thinks that Deborah doesn’t know what it is like to live with T-Ray, even though they were married for a few years. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Lily was also furious when she and August talked, and reacted badly to the story of her mother. “You should’ve let him put her in there. I wish she rotted in there” (Kidd 252). At this point in the story, August had just told Lily that her mother left her in Sylvan, to come to Tiburon, to get away from T-Ray. Lily was angry at her mother for leaving her with T-Ray, and not taking her on Deborah’s journey to the Boatwright residence. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Afterwards, she became a mature, young woman, realizing reality, and making the most of her life. “I need to know…Did I do it?” (Kidd 299). Lily is more mature now, and she needs to know the truth, about her mom, her past, and her life, without the sugar-coating. Lily was mature enough to handle the truth, and everyone saw that in the way Lily acted. When T-Ray came, she was a good host, and not an immature 14 year old. She proved to T-Ray that she matured, and could handle the truth about her mom. This proved that Lily had matured throughout the story, and thus learned the truth about her mother.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Beatrice C__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> A main theme throughout the story is love. Lilly lost her Mother when she was very young and has had a desirable love for her ever since. She held on to many of her mothers things and in the beginning of the story, Lilly has a picture of a black Mary, that belonged to her Mother, and on the back of it, it said Tibourn, S.C and Lilly promised herself she would go there because she “wanted to go every place she had been.”(Kidd 15). Lilly actually fulfills this wish and ends at up at the Boatwright sister’s house and finds more than she expects. Lilly finds a new love at the Boatwrights’ house. She starts to love August Boatwright in a motherly way and looks up to her so much. When Lilly is listing things that she loves, she so badly wants to let August know “And you, I love you, but I felt too awkward.” (Kidd 140) Everyday Lilly loves August more and she is always amazed at how much August knows, and one of those things are love. August asks Lilly “did you know there are thirty-two names for love in one of the Eskimo languages? And we just have this one. We are so limited, you have to use the same word for loving Rosaleen as you do for loving a Coke with peanuts, Isn’t that a shame we don’t have more ways to say it?” (Kidd 140). This is a clear spot where love is evident in the book. There are so many ways to love different things and yet there is just one word to express such a strong emotion. August is saying that you have to use the same word to express how she loves her sister and how she loves honey, which is another contributor to the theme of love. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The Boatwright sisters have their own honey farm and honey is their everything. They use it for everything and it is not just a job for them, but a life style. Lilly even states that “We lived for honey. We swallowed a spoonful in the morning to wake us up, and one at night to put us to sleep. We took it with every meal to calm the mind, give us stamina, and prevent fatal disease. We swabbed ourselves in it to disinfect cuts or heal chapped lips. It went in our baths, our skin cream, our raspberry tea and biscuits. Nothing was safe from honey.” (Kidd 84). Honey is a theme in it’s own but it relates to love because this honey house and is where Lilly begins to love all the Boatwright sisters, sees how much she really does love Rosaleen, and how she loves Zach. So many levels of love unfold in this book so that is why love is a very big theme.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">__Marisa S.__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">__The Secret Life of Bees__ by Sue Monk Kidd takes place in the 1960s, a time of great discrimination and segregation between people of different skin colors. Throughout the story, the author brings in aspects of what is happening around the characters in society. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">For example, the author writes, “I had to get the news from the TV man. “Today, July second, 1964,” he said, “the president of the United States signed the Civil Rights Act into law in the East Room of the White House…” I looked over at Rosaleen, who sat there shaking her head, mumbling, “Lord have mercy,” just looking so disbelieving and happy… All people ever talked about after church were the Negroes and whether they’d get their civil rights… When that minister from Alabama, Reverend Martin Luther King, got arrested last month in Florida for wanting to eat at a restaurant, the men at church acted like the white people’s team had won” (Kidd 20-21). In the first part of this quote, the news reporter is telling the public about what had just happened in Washington, D.C. This news will forever change the future of America, as well as heavily impact the rest of the book. Also, you can see that Rosaleen, being that her skin color is darker than Lily’s, was in shock of the news. She is described as happy, but it still seems unreal to her. This news will affect Rosaleen’s future as she goes to town and tries to register to vote. When this news is delivered, Lily doesn’t really understand what is going on. Though she recognizes the topic from conversations after church, she has no idea of how this will affect her future. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Though the Civil Rights Act had been passed, people still discriminated against blacks for years to come. This happens in the book to Rosaleen when she and Lily go to town. The author writes, ““Did you ever see one that black?” said the dealer. And the man with his combed-back hair said, “No, and I ain’t seen one that big either. Naturally the third man felt obliged to say something, so he looked at Rosaleen sashaying along unperturbed, holding her white-lady fan, he said, “Where’d you get that fan, nigger?”” (Kidd 32). Here, you can see how on the streets many people discriminated against blacks. The men Lily and Rosaleen came across on their way to town were very mean to Rosaleen, saying some pretty nasty things to her just because she dared to walk by. Unfortunately, this was happening everywhere, and it needed to be eliminated as soon as possible. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> As we find out through the book more and more about what the time period was really like, it becomes more evident that each character in the book has a touch of discrimination in their personality. We see this when T. Ray is describing some of the other men in town. The author writes, “She dumped a snuff jug on three white men! ... And on Franklin Posey, for Christ’s sake. She couldn’t have picked somebody normal? He’s the meanest nigger-hater in Sylvan. He’d as soon kill her as look at her” (Kidd 37-38). Based the author’s hints on T. Ray’s tone in this conversation, he seems to be furious about what has just happened and doesn’t need all of this commotion. Even though a lot of people discriminated against blacks, it must have been horrible to have someone in town who would literally kill someone for their own satisfaction and get away with it. Today, this seems ridiculous, but back then it was accepted. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Also in this time period was a lot of segregation in public facilities. In __The Secret Life of Bees__, we see this when Lily briefly describes the hospital. The author writes, “Sylvan Memorial Hospital was a low brick building with one wing for whites and one for blacks” (Kidd 45). I find it very interesting here that the fact that the hospital is divided up into two different sections is included in its summary about the fact that it is made out of brick. It is odd how Lily doesn’t think twice about this, and how that’s just the way things were. However, this later impacts the story of how they were going to attempt to get Rosaleen out of there without being noticed. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Though there was a lot of drama going on in the story at this time, some tragic events were described briefly as if it was common for this to be happening. The author writes, “If you stay here, those men are gonna come back and kill you. I’m serious. They’re gonna kill you, like those colored people in Mississippi got killed. Even T. Ray said so” (Kidd 47). Here, Lily is talking and mentions that some people got killed in Mississippi and though significant in history, it doesn’t seem to faze her. Again about the white men that want to kill Rosaleen; though to some it may be taken as a joke, to them they are acting in all seriousness and will kill her if the opportunity comes around. Additionally, based on how Lily says that she agrees with T. Ray about the men killing her, we can see that it is not only one white person’s mind who thinks like that. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Segregation was also a big aspect of the timer period, and it restricted blacks from being equal to whites in public. This is what Lily realizes when she and Rosaleen enter a new town in South Carolina. The author writes, ““Lily, child, there ain’t gonna be any place that will take a colored woman. I don’t care if she’s the Virgin Mary, nobody’s letting her stay if she’s colored.” “Well, what was the point of the Civil Rights Act? …Doesn’t that mean people have to let you stay in their motels and eat in their restaurants if you want to?”” (Kidd 60). Here, we can see that it does not occur to Lily that the Civil Rights Act will not be affective immediately and that it will need months and years of ironing out the kinks. Also, I feel bad for Rosaleen because legally she can stay in any motel and eat at any restaurant, but it is the stubborn white people that don’t want that to happen, so these story owners do their best to resist the new law. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">In the world surrounding Lily terrible things are going on between blacks and whites as each tries to get their way. When August, her sisters, Lily, and Rosaleen sit down after dinner to watch the news, they are informed about actual events that happened between blacks and whites because of their discrimination for each other. The author writes, “He filled us in on an integration parade in St. Augustine that got attacked by a mob of white people, about white vigilante groups, fire hoses, and teargas. We got the totals. Three civil rights workers killed. Two bomb blasts. Three Negro students chased with ax handles” (Kidd 88). As you can see, the world surrounding the beekeepers was not a nice place where blacks and whites could get along. Instead, they had these public events for each side to retaliate which lead to nothing but injury and death. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Between Lily and Zach there still seems to be a barrier dividing their skin colors. The author writes, ““No,” he said. “I’m a negro.” I felt embarrassed. “Well, you could play football for a college team and then be a professional player.” “Why is it sports is the only think white people see us being successful at? I don’t want to play football,” “That’s fine with me… I’ve just never herd of a Negro lawyer before… You’ve got to hear of these things before you can imagine them” “…You gotta imagine what’s never been seen.””(Kidd 121). Here, we can tell that Lily has been sheltered her whole life and has not seen this separation among races yet. Therefore, she didn’t realize that blacks, just like whites, can be anything they want to be when they grow up. Also, I like it when Zach says that you can imagine things without hearing of them, he brings up a good point, and Lily may replace her sentence with his for a better outlook on life. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">At another point in the book, public figure are starting to intervene in enforcing the Civil Rights Act by using their popularity to attract people’s attention and hopefully make a difference. The author writes, ““Who’s Jack Palance?” Rosaleen said… “He’s a movie star” said Zach. June snorted…, “What would a movie star be doing in Tiburon?” Zach shrugged. “They say his sister lives here, and he’s coming to visit and intends to take this colored woman to the movie theater this Friday. Not to the balcony, but downstairs in the white section.”” (Kidd 154). Though the movie star has good intentions, it might not turn out to be a pleasant experience even though he is trying to do something good. I give him credit for trying, but it might just end up drawing attention to the town and give it a bad reputation. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Despite what some people think, discrimination and violence did not only go on in a select few towns, it happened everywhere. Even in the small, quiet town of Tiburon, SC. The author writes, “August turned on the radio for the weather, but what we herd was how //Ranger 7// had finally been launched to the moon in a place called the Sea of Clouds, how police were looking for the bodies of those three civil rights workers in Mississippi, and the terrible things happening in Vietnam. It had ended with a story about what was happening “closer to home,” how black people from Tiburon, Florence, and Orangeburg were marching today all the way to Columbia asking to governor to enforce the Civil Rights Act” (Kidd 166). From this listening to a radio for a few minutes, you can tell that discrimination is swallowing up the entire nation and even though many people are trying to have the Civil Rights Act enforced, it will be very hard to do so and will need a lot of supporters behind it. I also find it interesting that tragic events such as searching for 3 bodies killed because of their skin color are happening at the same time NASA is launching something up into space. It seems unreal that these two events can both happen in the world simultaneously. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">While discrimination and judgment was happening on a larger scale in society, it was happening at the same time on a much smaller scale in residency. In fact, it happened to Lily in the Boatwright household after May died when the policeman was interviewing her. The author writes the policeman saying, “Take my advice and call your aunt and tell her to come on and get you, even if she isn’t a hundred percent well. These are colored people here. You understand what I’m saying?” (Kidd 198). Here, you can see that the policeman is inferring that Lily should leave as soon as she can, almost as if she was in imminent peril. Though Lily feels quite comfortable staying with the sisters, from an outsider’s view, because of the events taking place around them, one would not think that this was right. Ordinary didn’t think it was “natural” for a white person to be living with a black family, and he thought it just wasn’t meant to be. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Zach, one of Lily’s closer friends in Tiburon, is very intelligent about what is going on in the world around him and what they could all do to try to fix it. The author writes, “I said, “If I was a Negro girl-” He placed his fingers across my lips… “We can’t think of changing our skin,” he said. “Change the world-now that’s how we gotta think.”” (Kidd 216). Zach has a very good point; we all must work together to change the world and make it the place we want to live in forever. At this point in history, many people did not think this way, which lead to the tragic cases of violent discrimination. Reading on, Zach must have concluded this based other things that were happening. The author writes, “His conversations were all about the race riots in New Jersey, policemen taking their nightsticks to Negro boys who threw rocks, about Molotov cocktails, sit-ins, righteous causes, Malcolm X, and the Afro-American Unity group giving the Klu Klux Klan a taste of their own medicine” (Kidd 216). These are a few other examples of things that happened and would affect thousands of lives across the nation for years to come. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">In the beginning of the book, Rosaleen attempted to register to vote but wasn’t successful. However, by the end of the story this has changed. The author writes, “Rosaleen cam home, a bona fide registered voter in the United States of America” (Kidd 283). Just by the way the author writes Rosaleen’s new title you can tell that this is a big deal. Just think, in the beginning of the book the chances of being able to register to vote were very slim, and now anyone over the age of 18 can vote; that’s amazing. Such a great change in so little time was not common during this time period. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Lastly, we can see how times have really changed as public places such as schools are starting to integrate. The author writes, “Becca and I watch for Zach in the lunchroom and sit with him every chance we get. We have reputations as “nigger lovers,” which is how it is put to us, and when the ignoramuses ball up their notebook paper and throw it at Zach in the hallway, which seems to be a favorite pastime between classes, Becca and I are just as likely to get popped in the head as he is. Zach says we should walk on the other side of the hall from him. We say, “Balled-up notebook paper – big deal.”” (Kidd 301). From this epilogue piece, we see that the schools are now integrated and though some of the students are still being discriminated against, it is nothing like what it used to be, everything was slowly starting to get better; and with Lily’s optimistic views, this process would speed up considerably. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-indent: 0.5in;">A lot of violence, discrimination, and segregation took place over these years and have heavily impacted the outcome of this novel. The beginning had a lot of discrimination which lingered throughout the book, and finally at the end everything seems to have gotten better after a few years. As you can see, there were many events in __The Secret Life of Bees__ that related it to the time period.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Rachel S - Relationships: Lily and June__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> June and Lily had a pretty rough start to their relationship. June had a problem with Lily that actually didn’t have to do with Lily. June didn’t like Lily’s mother, which caused her to hold a grudge on Lily. She was always trying to convince August not to let her stay with them anymore. One night they were talking and in a sort of racist way of her own June said, “but she’s white August” (87). Lily almost felt the same way. She felt as though June’s hatred made it a little bit hard to stay with August. Later on in the book she started to hold an even bigger grudge, almost like Lily was the cause of their problems now. She stopped playing the cello when Lily was about to touch the Black Mary’s heart. This was a sign to Lily that she wasn’t one of them; which made her feel very unwanted. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Before May’s death and after the tension between June and Lily relaxed, they were outside in the hot weather and May was fixing lunch. June and Lily were out playing in the sprinkler and soon Lily could see, “the softening [coming] around June’s eyes [and] how she was trying not to laugh.” (169) Things were good for a while but after May’s death, June and Lily kind of separated again. While her and August were talking August mentions that, “June, despite her ways, loves [Lily] too. (242). Towards the end June and Lily’s relationship isn’t really brought up, but It is known that June still has love in her heart for Lily.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Madison L. - Relationships (Lily and Rosaleen)__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> You can tell Lily and Rosaleen have a special bond. The type of relationship they have is the same as a mother and daughter. Lily never really felt loved as a child. The only person that loved her was Rosaleen. She hadn’t realized Rosaleen loved her until she got a baby chick and stood up for her when T. Ray wanted the chick out of the house. It took a lot to stand up to T. Ray and Lily understood that it was hard for Rosaleen to do. “I was the only one who knew that despite her sharp ways, her heart was more tender than a flower skin and she loved me beyond reason,” (Kidd 11). The older Lily got, the more she cared for Rosaleen without realizing it. Even though Rosaleen bossed her around and said things that made Lily angry, she loved her anyway. When Rosaleen and Lily were arrested and brought to jail, T. Ray only preceded to get Lily out of jail. She promised Rosaleen she would be back soon and she wouldn’t leave her there. In the car, she got mad at T. Ray for not bailing Rosaleen out of jail. “I squinted at him sideways. ‘What about Rosaleen? You have to get her out…’ ‘You’re lucky I got //you// out!’ he yelled. ‘But she can’t stay there…’” (Kidd 37). That night, Lily fled the house and escaped with Rosaleen toward Tiburon, South Carolina before T. Ray could realize it. They had an argument that night, but then realized that they relied on each other. “I eased down beside her, suspending my breath at the water’s sting. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘Me, too.’ She reached over and patted the roundness of my knee like it was biscuit dough.” (Kidd 55). All in all, they both love each other and make up a family of their own before they find the Boatwright sisters.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Movie Reflection =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> __Beatrice C__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> The book and the movie were alike in some ways and different in others. There were a lot of scenes that were cut out of the movie that were in the book. The beginning of the movie cut out many things that were in the beginning of the book. The whole scene where Lilly breaks Rosaleen out of the hospital and then hitch hike was cut rather short and I actually preferred that because it helped the story move along faster and get into the main story quicker. Another scene that was cut out was when Lilly calls her T.Ray at the lawyers’ office and asks him what her favorite color is. I think this is a very important scene because it really shows that Lilly just wants someone to love her and someone to care for her, even if it is T.Ray who has done awful things to her. This scene also lets the reader know how much Lilly has been neglected mentally and I think it should have been in the movie to let the viewer understand the character better. There was one thing that I noticed that was out of order in the movie compared to the book. In the movie, May puts the graham crackers with the marshmallows on the floor as she tells Lilly she knows her Mother before Zach gives Lilly the journal. In the book version, the scene with Zach and Lily comes before the scene with Lily and May. Overall I actually liked the movie better than the book which rarely happens to me. The cast for the movie was very well and their acting was so amazing that I felt everything they felt.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Marisa S__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> After watching and comparing the movie and book of __The Secret Life of Bees__, I noticed many things that were different between the two. First, I noticed that many scenes that the author had in the book were not in the movie. One being the scene where the police come to investigate what had happened in relation to May’s death. Since the police did not show, the interview between Lily and the policeman telling Lily that it was not natural for her to stay there and that she should leave as soon as possible was overseen. Also, the scene where the Daughter’s of Mary were at the Boatwright’s house after May died having a feast and spending time with May’s open casket was also omitted. One of the scenes in particular that I found altered was the scene where Zach was arrested. In the book he was standing outside talking with his friends outside the movie theater and Lily was in the truck while the whole thing was going on. In the movie Lily and Zach were sitting together in the movie theater when a few men came and took him outside. There were also a few other changes I noticed between the book and the movie. One was how T. Ray found Lily. In the book Lily was in a law office waiting for Zach and used the secretary’s phone to call her father, and T. Ray was able to trace where the call came from. In the movie, he fixed one of the maps in Lily’s room and found a whole in the wall where she had pin-pointed her destination. Also, when Rosaleen goes to register to vote the first time, in the book she gets cleaned up, puts on her best outfit, and is very excited to go and vote; she had also practiced writing her name a few times so she could do it perfectly when she had to sign the paper. In the movie, though she is still making an effort to do so, her and Lily just kind of walk into town like it is a duty and not something she really believes in and really wants to do. Lastly, when Rosaleen goes to vote the second time, it comes out differently in the book and the movie. In the movie, it is not mentioned at all beforehand and Rosaleen just walks in the honey house one day and tells Lily that she is a registered voter. In the book, August takes her out and buys her a new dress and Rosaleen practices once again writing her name. After she gets back, she calls every one of the Daughters of Mary to tell them about her accomplishment. As you can see, the book and movie of __The Secret Life of Bees__ are quite different from one another.

Colleen S. The movie “The secret life of Bees” and the book, were a little bit different. For instance, August didn’t tell her that she, June, May, Rosaleen, and Zack loved Lily, which played a big part in the book. Also, the police didn’t show up in the movie, which wasn’t what I was expecting after reading the book. In the movie, Rosaleen was renamed July, which wasn’t mentioned in the book, which I thought was a pretty important part, because Rosaleen was finally accepted by someone for the first time, other than her family. Also, when T-Ray found Lily in Tiburon, the situation was different in the movie, than it was in the book. In the book, T-Ray used the collect phone call to track Lily down, but in the movie he used Lily’s map where a push pin was on Tiburon, which led T-Ray to Lily. Also, Lily asked two different questions after T-Ray started to drive off. In the book, she asked if she really did kill her mother, but in the movie she asked if he lied about Deborah coming to come pack up the rest of her belongings.