Question 2: What can we determine about the “rules” for black and white people, during this time period, from this chapter? Blacks where treated badly, the rules that the blacks had in the 1960s where that people had different bathrooms and that blacks had many different types of things such as jobs were worse, hospital, and the were separated in society. Whites thought they were still superior, when whites went to get something they would treat blacks like animals. When the civil rights law got past blacks where still treated badly.
-Mitch
Question 4: Can you give any examples from life today where Jim Crow type laws, written or unwritten, might influence the relationships between people. Go beyond race when thinking about this question.
Jim Crow laws influence people to be nice to each other, or mean to each other. For example, when Obama became president, many people were angered because they were so used to having white presidents. Some people feel for example that all people in Afghanistan are all terrorists. Another stereotype is that Asian people are smart. If you aren’t part of the main religion in a certain are, then you are treated very harsh, based on your religion. In the Secret Life of Bees, Rosaleen gets arrested because she assaulted some white men in a church. That is the stereotype of the power of whites over blacks.
-Ketan
Question 7: Identify the use of foreshadowing in this chapter and discuss its purpose.
Some foreshadowing in chapter one was, when Rosaleen was arrested. This could foreshadow that she may be out of Lily's life, and she was her only mother figure, and one of her only friends. Also, with Rosaleen getting into trouble could cause Lily to never see her again because T. Ray might not want her to be around Rosaleen anymore.
This could also foreshadow that Lily might get into trouble with T. Ray because she wanted some of the blame that Rosaleen got and she went into the police car with her. So something could happen to Lily or she might do something that would be the turning point in the story.
- Zack
Question 3: Consider what you know about how Jim Crow Laws affected the life of African American people in the 1960s south. Discuss possible reasons why Rosaleen stood up to the white men on that particular day, instead of some other day, despite the consequences. Do you think that she was a compliant person before that day? Do you think that her feelings suddenly changed? We think that Rosaleen chose that particular day to stand up to the white men because the civil rights act had just been passed. She felt empowered; she thought that she would be treated as an equal now, and that she couldn’t be thrown in jail for trivial reasons. Unfortunately, that was not the case; it seemed that people were cracking down even harder to stop African Americans from thinking they had equal rights. Before that day, she probably was fairly compliant to the unwritten laws that governed the society. Otherwise, when the bill got passed, she might not have been so bold and rash. She almost let it “go to her head”. I don’t think she suddenly changed what she thought of the social hierarchy, I just think she kept it bottled up inside because she didn’t want to be thrown in prison or lose her job. -Jason
Chapter 2:
Question 5: Why is Lily angry with Rosaleen? Do you think that she is justified in her feelings? Lily is angry with Rosaleen because of the fact that Rosaleen didn’t apologize to the dealer. If she apologized, then she wouldn’t have gotten beat, and she wouldn’t have gone to the hospital. I feel Lily is justified because she is right in the fact that Rosaleen should have apologized. -Ketan
Question 6: In what ways are Lily's interactions with Rosaleen similar to a girl's interactions with her mother?
Rosaleen is the closest thing Lily has to a mother. She has been that way for ten years after her mother died. So now Lily acts and treats her like her mom. So when Lily does not get her way she gets angry. There is an example of this when, “Well, you are dumb! I yelled. You have to be dumb to pour your snuff juice on those men’s shoes like that. And then dumber not to say you’re sorry, if saying it will save your life. They were gonna come back and kill you, or worse. I got you out of there, and this is how you thank me. Well, fine” (Kidd 54). This is when Rosaleen was mad at Lily for getting her out of the hospital, and she was mad at her that she didn’t thank her. If Rosaleen was a stranger she would not treat or say that kind of stuff to her, but because she is close to her and she thinks of her as a mother that is the way she talks to her, like a girl would talk to her mother.
-Zack
Question 1: Use evidence from the book to discuss whether or not T. Ray is a racist. Can there be degrees of racism and, if so, is it OK? We think that T. Ray isn’t really that racist. He has friends that seem to be racist and tell him “[not to] worry, they’re gonna make them write their names in perfect cursive and refuse them a card if they so much as forget to dot an i or loop a y.” (TSLOB p. 27) when they find out the civil rights bell was passed and that African Americans could vote. I think he goes along with it, but he really doesn’t have anything against them. After all, he hired Rosaleen and seems to treat her fairly well; he doesn’t hurt her in anyway. He doesn’t seem bothered that Lily views her as her “mother”. We think their can definitely are different levels of racism. You can be flat out racist, thinking that your race is the best. You can also have stereotypes put into your head from a young age, that you might think are true but are really a big generalization. For example, many people used to think that because Polish immigrants had a heavy accent and they had different customs that they weren’t very smart. Unfortunately many people currently are racist towards Middle Eastern people here in the United States. Because of the terror attacks, people think that every Islamic person they see is a terrorist. This isn’t flat out racism, but it’s definitely prejudice and almost everyone has the same thought, whether they admit or not. So whether people admit it or not, it is socially acceptable to be “racist” towards a large general group of people. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth. - Jason
Question 2: What is the meaning of the metaphor of the jar: “Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open”?
The Meaning on the jar being open is that lily is free. Once she see that the bee that she caught was gone and had flew away. She remembers that when she saw the bees flying around, they were free and had no care in the world. When she sees her jar is open she wants to be like the bees so she runs away.
-Mitch
Chapter 3/4:
Chapter 3, Question 1: Lily describes her church’s attitude toward Catholics. What does this tell you about Lily? Lily says that her religion teaches her to believe that Catholics are evil, but she thinks otherwise. Brother Gerald told her, “Hell was nothing but a bonfire for Catholics.” Lily is like a rebel because she secretly thrilled that her mother was associated with Catholics. Lily likes to risk take. She ran away from home and stole snuff from the Frogmore Stew General Store and Restaurant. -Ketan
Chapter 4, Question 4: Why doesn’t Rosaleen correct Lily’s lies?
Rosaleen believes that it is for their own good. She believes that if she keeps lying they will still have a place to stay, food, shelter, and they will not have to go back. If she corrects Lily, people might find out who they really are, and if that happens Lily will have to go back to T. Ray and get abused, or even go to jail. Rosaleen knows it is for their own good, and she knows Lily can hold a lie because she is good at it, and she can let them live a better life just by lying.
- Zack
Chapter 3 question 6: Refer to page 60 and discuss whether Rosaleen has lost faith in the Civil Rights act.
We think that Rosaleen has lost faith in the Civil Rights act because it hasn’t changed things as much as she thought they would. Everything is still segregated and although African Americans can vote, they have to “Pass” tests that white people don’t have to go through that make it very hard for them to cast their ballot. Unfortunately, it seems that things have actually become worse for African Americans. They are getting beaten and lynched to scare them into submission; people are so worried that they are doing things they wouldn’t have dared done to African Americans before; things are worse than ever.
- Jason
Chapter 5:
Question 6: The author uses first person narrative in telling the story. Find an example of how we are made aware of a point of view other than Lily’s even though she is telling the story?
In this chapter Lily hears June telling August how she feels about Lily behind her back, and this is how she uses first person to show other people talking, the quote from this is, “August turned towards the screen and looked out, causing me to step deeper into the shadows and press my back against the house. Let who know? The police? They would only haul her off someplace. Maybe her father really did die. If so, who better is she gonna stay with for the time being than us? What about this aunt she mentioned? There’ s no aunt and you know it, said August” (Kidd 86-87). She used Lily to show their conversation by having her overhear it. The other example in this chapter is when August is telling Lily about May’s problem. This is shown when she says, “So that’s where she got her big muscles-rock lifting. What are all of those scraps of paper stuck in it? Oh it’s a long story, August said. I guess you’ve noticed-May is special. She sure does get upset easy, I said. That’s because May is takes in things differently than the rest of us do. August reached over and laid her hand on my arm” (Kidd 95). She used things that Lily hears or if she engages in a conversation, she also uses that to show other peoples perspectives, or what they are saying.
-Zack
Question 3: How does June let Lily know that she doesn’t want her there? What are some of the possible reasons June doesn’t want Lily to stay? Lily knows that June doesn't want her in her house because June always seems to ignore Lily whenever the two meet, June ends up giving Lily a look. June says that her family shouldn’t have to take in Lily because she is white. They feel that since she is white, she is wealthy, which is a stereotype. Lily overhears August and June talking about how they don’t owe her anything. August says to June, “Let’s see if we can help her.” August shows some sympathy for Lily, even though June doesn't like Lily. She also over hears June and August saying, “But she’s white, August” (87). This is the reason why June hates Lily. She hates her because of the fact that she is white. June wants August to call the cops on Lily, and have her taken out of the house. -Ketan
Question 1: What does June say that is a “revelation” to Lily? Does Lily have the right to be offended? (87) When June is talking to August, she doesn’t plan for Lily to over hear her, so she can speak her mind. She doesn’t want Lily to stay because “she’s lying” and was a “runaway” (TSLOB 86). When August gives her reasons for letting Lily stay, June responds by saying “But she’s white, August” (TSLOB 87). Lily is very surprised that anyone can be rejected for being white. My group had split opinions on whether Lily had the right to be offended, but I thought she shouldn’t have been. Blacks and other minorities were always being rejected because of their race, and Lily should have realized that now she was the minority. People would love to get a little payback, and most thought they deserved it. June thought Lily didn’t have the right to stay if she wouldn’t have let a black person stay with her.
- Jason
Chapter 6:
Question 2: The quote at the beginning of the chapter says the queen produces something to attract the workers. Who might be the queen in this chapter, and what does she produce? Might there be more than one queen and how do they co-exist in the hive? I think the Queen of the Beekeeping farm is definitely August. She seems to be in charge of her sisters and now that Rosaleen and Lily are living and working there, they’re listening to August too. August produces many things for the people on the farm; she literally produces honey and money; she also produces and provides support and a safe place for Lily, Rosaleen, May, and even June. Without August, I think the farm would be at a loss. Rosaleen also seems to really like that Lily looks to her for answers, and when August isn’t around, Rosaleen is Lily’s Queen. August is the one in charge, but Lily trusts Rosaleen more with her secrets. - Jason
Question 5:
Lily does not do anything to show how she feels about June, to anyone. She keeps her feelings to herself. She says she wants to hit something, but she keeps all of her feelings bottled up inside of her, in this quote it shows that, “I wanted to march up there, flip a couple of tables over, and say, Excuse me, June Boatwright, but you don’t even know me!” (Kidd 87). She wants to let her emotions run out and yell at June, but she keeps them inside of her. I it was me I would ask June why she does not like me, and ask her why she is mad at me all of the time. I would not like people to not like me because of my skin color, so I would try to get to the bottom of why she does not like me, instead of sitting back and holding all of my feelings inside, and not asking her. I would not accept her attitude because she is mean to Lily like in this quote, “But just as I was about to reach her, June stopped playing. She stopped in the middle of the song, and I was left in the silence with my hand stretched out” (Kidd 111). She wanted to embarrass her in front of everybody in the room and that is what she did. I I was Lily I would try to ask her why she is mad all of the time especially at me (Lily).
-Zack
Chapter 7:
Question 2: Why does Lily think she is heading to beauty school now?
Lily felt that going to beauty school was her only choice, because she wanted to become a hair stylist. In order to accomplish her goals, she had to go to school to learn how to be a hair stylist and be able to survive in the beauty world.
-Ketan
Question 1:
“At my school they made fun of colored people’s lips and noses. I myself had laughed at these jokes, hoping to fit in. Now I wished that I could pen a letter to my school to be read at opening assembly that would tell them how wrong we had all been. You should see Zachary Taylor, I’d say” (116). Discuss this statement, relating it to the concept of ethnocentrism. Whose standards of beauty do you think Lily is using in evaluating Zachary? In what situations might this type of thinking negatively affect a person’s opportunities? Define the term before discussing this question.
Ethnocentrism is the belief that your ethnicity (race) is not as advanced as yours. Because Lily saw Black people as less advanced than whites, she made fun of them just to fit in at school. If she thought of Black people as being equal, I doubt she would be able to make fun of them so easily, and especially not to their faces.
I think Lily was surprised that she could think of an African American as handsome. She was evaluating him on the standards of “white” beauty. She must have either become very accustomed to African Americans on August’s farm, or she really liked Zach.
I think that Lily’s apparent ethnocentrism could negatively affect her relationships and opportunities because she doesn’t think of African Americans as equals. Even though she doesn’t think she’s a racist and doesn’t really act racist, she has some pre-conceived stereotypes about how the world should work. For example, she told August that “[she] never thought of the Virgin Mary being colored till [she] saw this picture.” (138) and she told Zack (in not so many words) that she thought he could only get to college as an athlete and that he couldn’t become a lawyer.
Although she isn’t trying, she definitely believes in some stereotypes that could injure her relationships with everyone she seems to love.
-Jason
Question #3
Zach gets mad because he does not want to be a professional player because he has enough talent and he is smart enough to become a lawyer. She thinks that because he is good at sports and because he is black that he could become a professional football player, but he thinks that he could become a lawyer as it says in the chapter, “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 thing white people see us being successful at? I don’t want to play football, he said. I wanna be a lawyer.” He gets mad because she thinks that because he is black the only thing that he could become is a football player when he could become a lawyer, so he thinks that Lily is being stereotypical towards him and that she is wrong.
-Zack
Chapter 8 and 9:
Question 1
“How do you interpret August’s words “Actually, you can be bad at something, Lily, but if you love doing it, that will be enough.”
When August said “Actually, you can be bad at something, Lily, but if you love doing it, that is enough,” she is saying that, even if your not the best at something if you try hard and if you like it, then it is worth doing. Also people will respect you for trying hard and doing your job because you love doing it not because you have to.
-Zack
Chapter 8 Question 7: Compare a beehive to life in the pink house.
In a beehive, every bee has a certain job to do. They all work together to accomplish their goals. August, May, and June are considered the mothers of the hives, because the help keep the pink house together. If one of the “mothers” were to leave, then the pink house would fall apart. No work would get done, and people would argue with each other.
-Ketan
Chapter 8 Question 1: Why does August tell Lily about the thirty-two words for love in the Eskimo language? Do you think that this is fact or fiction? How would you find out? I think that August explains to Lily that the Eskimo language has 32 words to love because she wants to show Lily the limitation that we have when talking to each other. In our own language, we “[have] to use the same word for loving Rosaleen as you do for loving a Coke with peanuts.” (TSLOB 140). In the Eskimo language, every word for love meant a different thing; if you say I love you, they would know you really meant it, and weren’t just comparing them to your favorite color. In the English language, you have one word for so many different meanings; it’s hard to convey what you are trying to say. I don’t think there are actually 32 words for love in the Eskimo language, but they’re most likely four or five. 32 different words would be unneeded. I guess I could just look it up, but it would probably be difficult to find out for sure. -Jason
4. Zach teaches Lily about a famous Tiburon resident, Willifred Marchant. Willifred has won Pulitzer Prizes for his books about trees in South Carolina. Tiburon celebrates Willifred one day each year. Lily accuses Zach of not believing that she will be successful as a writer, and she begins to cry. Zach pulls her close to him to comfort her. Lily realizes that she is actually crying for Zach, but Zach assumes she is crying because of his supposed lack of confidence in her writing ability. That is why Lily cries in this chapter.
-Trevor G
Chapter 10:
Question 1: August sensed that something wasn’t quite right, when May went out to the wall. How did she know something was wrong? August knew something was wrong, when May went outside and made sure that no one was following her. That is a sign showing that May was going to do something to herself. Another sign was that when May went outside, she stayed out there for a while. It wasn’t just a couple minutes, it was a long time. I feel that August and the others should have watched May, because of the fact that she had a depression problem. They shouldn’t have let her go out by herself.
-Ketan
Question 2
The Wailing Wall has been May’s outlet for sorrow. Why didn’t it sustain her through Zach’s incarceration? How might things have been different for May if she lived today instead of in the 1960’s?
First August decided to not tell May about Zach getting arrested hoping that she would not find out about it and she would not get upset. Eventually May finds out about him getting arrested and she does not seem upset about it, but they didn’t know that because she found about it all at once she was very sad. And because Zach could get hurt and something could happen to him in jail she is more upset. She couldn’t handle all of this pain because it was all put upon her so fast so she decides to end all of her pain. If May and everyone lived now things would be very different. Zach would have not gotten arrested because one he didn’t throw the bottle, and because there is no segregation now and there was back then so that is why they got arrested. So if Zach didn’t get arrested May wouldn’t have killed herself. Even if Zach still got arrested May could get more help now then she could back then, and she could possibly get cured. A lot of things would change if it was now.
-Zack
Chapter 10 Question 5: Think about the rituals describe in this chapter; the vigil for May and covering the hives with black cloth. How do rituals help people cope? Whenever something bad happens, people go through many different rituals. I think doing things like covering bees with black cloth can help take your mind off of the situation at hand. The rituals help the people left behind on Earth cope with the death of a close friend. August even tells Lily that “Putting black cloths on the hives is for us. [We] do it to remind us that life gives way into death, and then death gives way to life.” (TSLOB 206). We have to remember that there is a circle of life; like August says, death gives way to life. There are other rituals though, like a eulogy at a funeral service, where you can remember all the good things that happened and what the deceased did in their lives. It might make you sad, but it definitely helps you let go and keep living your lives normally. -Jason
Chapter 11:
Question 5
When Lily wants to move back into the honey house, Rosaleen doesn’t protest. In fact, she is in favor of Lily moving immediately. Both have gotten used to having space to themselves. Discuss examples from your life where you and your mother, or a friend, have each wanted your own space, or time without the other. Has it felt like rejection? Was it rejection? How did it turn out?
In my life I got into a fight with my mom and she didn’t let me go out to my friend’s house. With this I felt rejected, and I was very angry because I was like “shunned” from his house, and I felt rejected because I couldn’t go anywhere. I apologized to my mom a little bit later. Another time I got into an argument with my friend and we needed some space. We took sometime and everything was back to normal. Sometimes if you need space it isn’t bad, it is actually good. Sometimes separation is good because you need space and other times you get or feel rejected because of the situation you are in, and the place you are in.
-Zack
Question 2: What do you think is the relevance of the quote in the beginning of this chapter?
The quote at the beginning of the chapter 11 says, “It takes honeybee workers ten million foraging trips to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey” -Bees of the World. This quote means, it takes a lot of work to get a small reward. Zach wants to become a lawyer, and he is willing to go through all the work of going through high school, college, and finally accomplishing his goals. He doesn’t know if he will get his reward of becoming a lawyer or not, but he is still willing to try. There are many people in the world that are willing to try for their goals. No one knows how far they will come.
-Ketan
Question 4: While in mourning, the usual routines of Lily’s life have disappeared. How do routines affect our life? How has routine helped June to cope with May’s death? If the temperature had gone over 100 degrees, do you think that August would have gone on bee patrol to feed the bees? I think people sink really deep into their routines. People don’t want to change their routines, people might even be afraid to change. But at the same time, I think that without a routine, people would be lost and forgetful. They would misplace things all the time and forget where they put things. Routines keep people in line. I think that because June can still focus on her work, she doesn’t have to think about May and her death. It allows her to cope and still do what needs to be done at the same time. Her daily work routine ensures that she doesn’t have to focus on the sadness and tragedy of May’s untimely death. If the temperature had gone over 100 degrees, I think August would still have fed her bees. It’s her routine, and I think she would have done it just from instinct, maybe not really meaning to do it. If she didn’t do instinctively, I think she would do it because the bees living and producing honey is very important for their lives. -Jason
Chapter 12:
Question 4
How did the truth about Deborah differ from the image Lily had carried with her all of her life? Was Deborah a bad mother and bad person or was Lily’s image of her unrealistic to begin with?
Lily thought that Deborah was the most amazing person in the world, but when she found out the truth she was shocked at first. At first she hated her mother because August said, “All I know, Lily, is that she was depressed, kind of falling apart. The day she left home, nothing unusual happened. She just woke up and decided she couldn’t be there anymore. She called a lady from the next farm to baby-sit, and she drove Terrence Ray’s truck to the bus station. Up until she got here, I thought she’d be bringing you with her. My mother had left me. I hate her” (Kidd 251). Lily had hated her because she thought she had left her with T. Ray. In reality her mother was depressed and she needed time alone. Towards the end of the chapter Lily felt sorry for her mother and she still loved her, “Okay, she had a nervous breakdown, but how could she leave me behind like that? I said. After she’d been here three months and was feeling a little better, she started talking about how much she missed you. Finally she went back to Sylvan to get you” (Kidd 254). Lily realized that her mother was not a bad person and she came back to get her, and that’s where the bad incident happened. First Lily’s image of her mother was too “dreamy” and it wasn’t reality, but her image wasn’t too off because her mother came back to her because she loved her.
-Zack
Question 3: How does the quote at the beginning of the chapter relate to Lily’s anguish?
“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 the darkness, a kind of eternal night, perpetually in labor…. Her true role is less that of a queen than a 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” -The Queen Must Die: And Other Affairs of Bees and Men (232). This quote relates to Lily’s anguish because the queen bee is only there to give birth to her children and then she sits in the dark, not caring for her children anymore and not caring for what they do. It is the same for Lily because Deborah was there for Lily, but Lily still felt that her mother didn’t love her and she didn’t care for her. The queen bee doesn’t care for her children after they are born.
-Ketan
Question 2: Review your answer to question 1, from Chapter 5. Reread the last three paragraphs of page 242 and reevaluate your previous answer? Would you change your answer? If so, how? If not, why? Originally, Lily thought that June didn’t like her because she was white, and I think Lily Didn’t have the right to be mad at June because of that. But on page 242 Lily found out that June didn’t like Deborah because August worked as her maid and house keeper, and that dislike translated over to Lily. For all the reasons that June disliked Deborah, she doesn’t have the right to hate Lily too. I think that Lily definitely would have the right to be mad at June for that, but I think she’ll forgive her. They’re good friends now, and I think they’re both sorry for how they originally felt. -Jason
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Chapter 13 and Quotes:
Important Quote:
“May walking into the trees with the little circle of light bobbing in front of her, then swallowed up by the dark” (Kidd 188).
This quote is foreshadowing May’s death or something bad because it says, “With the little circle of light bobbing in front of her, and then swallowed up by the dark.” By saying that it is saying that there was a little light left in May, meaning a little life left in her, but it was swallowed up by the dark, which is foreshadowing that something will happen to her, and it does. Later she ends up dying, which was foreshadowed by this quote, so it has a lot of meaning.
-Zack
Important Quote: “How come you left me?” I whispered, watching my breath make a circle of fog on the glass.
This quote is important to the chapter because at the beginning of the chapter, Lily still feels that her mother didn’t love her. She still believes what T-Ray said. That her mother came back that day to get her remaining stuff. What Lily doesn’t know, was that her mother actually came back that day to get her. She never wanted Lily to stay with T-Ray because T-Ray never treated her and Lily properly. He would always punish Lily for doing little things. When Lily said she wanted to go to beauty school, but he didn’t approve of that. He wouldn’t even let her read. Later on in the chapter, Lily slowly discovers that her mother did really love her.
-Ketan
Question One: “A worker bee is just over a centimeter long and weighs only about sixty milligrams; nevertheless, she can fly with a load heavier than herself.” How does this apply to Lily? Support you answer with examples from the book. I think that this is the most obvious epigraph, relating to Lily clearer than any before. In the chapter, Lily is carrying a heavy load on her chest. She just found out that her mother did leave her, and feels like “somebody had backed [a] cement truck up to the honey house..... and started pouring.” (Kidd 257-58). She was carrying a huge load over her head, and it was weighing her down. But she kept going, and eventually the load was lifted when she found out what her mother really thought about her. The worker bee also carries a heavy load, but it always relinquishes the nectar into the hive. It never has to carry the load for very long. When you’re angry or sad, you carry a heavy load, but it never lasts long; something always goes along and makes you feel better. -Jason
Lily is partially correct because you can sometimes talk yourself out of anger if you take your time and step back and see what your mad about. Sometimes your mad about stupid things. You may not be able to talk your self out because it happening so quickly. -Mitch
Chapter 14:
Question 9
Lily began the story with Rosaleen as a mother figure for her. How has living in the pink house changed that? If Deborah had lived today, how might things have been different for Lily? Consider that August and her sisters may have been part of Lily’s family from the beginning, in your answer.
I think that now that Lily is living in the pink house has given her many mothers. August, May, and June are all like mother figures to Lily because they treat her like she is their daughter and they treat her like she is part of their family. If Deborah was alive things would be different. Lily would have an actual mother instead of people to “fill in” as her mother. Deborah would be there for her all of the time. Also if August and her sisters were there with them then Lily would have a mother and many mother figures. Lily would not need a father like T. Ray because she has a mom and she has August, her sisters, and Rosaleen that will always be there for her.
-Zack
Question 1: Why did Lily carry around mouse bones? Did that make sense to you?
I feel that Lily carry around mouse bones with her because she needed something to carry around that would make her happy. Like the hat box, the mouse bones are a symbol. Lily doesn’t know why she carries them around, but she feels that she has to. The mouse bones are a symbol of security. She feels safe with them. Anywhere she goes, she carries them with her.
-Ketan
Question 7: Did Deborah leave T.Ray because he was mean, or did T.Ray become mean because Deborah left him? I definitely think that T. Ray became mean because Deborah left him. It was said many times throughout the book that T. Ray “worshiped her”. When she left him, I think he felt betrayed and abandoned. He felt that he had put everything he could into the marriage, but she left anyway. When he found Lily, he reverted back to when he lost Deborah, “he seemed crazy with anguish, reliving a pain he’d kept whelmed up.” (Kidd 295). If Deborah hadn’t left T.Ray, I actually think he might have been a good father. He never seemed like he had anything against Lily herself, but against her mother. If Deborah had taken Lily with her, or never left at all, Lily would have had a happier life. At the same time, I think that if Deborah had taken Lily with her, T.Ray would be in another world of anguish. He would have had nobody left; I have no idea what he would’ve done. -Jason
Chapter 2
Chapter 3/4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8/9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 1:
Question 2:
What can we determine about the “rules” for black and white people, during this time period, from this chapter?
Blacks where treated badly, the rules that the blacks had in the 1960s where that people had different bathrooms and that blacks had many different types of things such as jobs were worse, hospital, and the were separated in society. Whites thought they were still superior, when whites went to get something they would treat blacks like animals. When the civil rights law got past blacks where still treated badly.
-Mitch
Question 4:
Can you give any examples from life today where Jim Crow type laws, written or unwritten, might influence the relationships between people. Go beyond race when thinking about this question.
Jim Crow laws influence people to be nice to each other, or mean to each other. For example, when Obama became president, many people were angered because they were so used to having white presidents. Some people feel for example that all people in Afghanistan are all terrorists. Another stereotype is that Asian people are smart. If you aren’t part of the main religion in a certain are, then you are treated very harsh, based on your religion. In the Secret Life of Bees, Rosaleen gets arrested because she assaulted some white men in a church. That is the stereotype of the power of whites over blacks.
-KetanQuestion 7:
Identify the use of foreshadowing in this chapter and discuss its purpose.
Some foreshadowing in chapter one was, when Rosaleen was arrested. This could foreshadow that she may be out of Lily's life, and she was her only mother figure, and one of her only friends. Also, with Rosaleen getting into trouble could cause Lily to never see her again because T. Ray might not want her to be around Rosaleen anymore.
This could also foreshadow that Lily might get into trouble with T. Ray because she wanted some of the blame that Rosaleen got and she went into the police car with her. So something could happen to Lily or she might do something that would be the turning point in the story.
- Zack
Question 3:
Consider what you know about how Jim Crow Laws affected the life of African American people in the 1960s south. Discuss possible reasons why Rosaleen stood up to the white men on that particular day, instead of some other day, despite the consequences. Do you think that she was a compliant person before that day? Do you think that her feelings suddenly changed?
We think that Rosaleen chose that particular day to stand up to the white men because the civil rights act had just been passed. She felt empowered; she thought that she would be treated as an equal now, and that she couldn’t be thrown in jail for trivial reasons. Unfortunately, that was not the case; it seemed that people were cracking down even harder to stop African Americans from thinking they had equal rights.
Before that day, she probably was fairly compliant to the unwritten laws that governed the society. Otherwise, when the bill got passed, she might not have been so bold and rash. She almost let it “go to her head”.
I don’t think she suddenly changed what she thought of the social hierarchy, I just think she kept it bottled up inside because she didn’t want to be thrown in prison or lose her job.
-Jason
Chapter 2:
Question 5:Why is Lily angry with Rosaleen? Do you think that she is justified in her feelings?
Lily is angry with Rosaleen because of the fact that Rosaleen didn’t apologize to the dealer. If she apologized, then she wouldn’t have gotten beat, and she wouldn’t have gone to the hospital. I feel Lily is justified because she is right in the fact that Rosaleen should have apologized.
-Ketan
Question 6:
In what ways are Lily's interactions with Rosaleen similar to a girl's interactions with her mother?
Rosaleen is the closest thing Lily has to a mother. She has been that way for ten years after her mother died. So now Lily acts and treats her like her mom. So when Lily does not get her way she gets angry. There is an example of this when, “Well, you are dumb! I yelled. You have to be dumb to pour your snuff juice on those men’s shoes like that. And then dumber not to say you’re sorry, if saying it will save your life. They were gonna come back and kill you, or worse. I got you out of there, and this is how you thank me. Well, fine” (Kidd 54). This is when Rosaleen was mad at Lily for getting her out of the hospital, and she was mad at her that she didn’t thank her. If Rosaleen was a stranger she would not treat or say that kind of stuff to her, but because she is close to her and she thinks of her as a mother that is the way she talks to her, like a girl would talk to her mother.
-Zack
Question 1:
Use evidence from the book to discuss whether or not T. Ray is a racist. Can there be degrees of racism and, if so, is it OK?
We think that T. Ray isn’t really that racist. He has friends that seem to be racist and tell him “[not to] worry, they’re gonna make them write their names in perfect cursive and refuse them a card if they so much as forget to dot an i or loop a y.” (TSLOB p. 27) when they find out the civil rights bell was passed and that African Americans could vote. I think he goes along with it, but he really doesn’t have anything against them. After all, he hired Rosaleen and seems to treat her fairly well; he doesn’t hurt her in anyway. He doesn’t seem bothered that Lily views her as her “mother”.
We think their can definitely are different levels of racism. You can be flat out racist, thinking that your race is the best. You can also have stereotypes put into your head from a young age, that you might think are true but are really a big generalization. For example, many people used to think that because Polish immigrants had a heavy accent and they had different customs that they weren’t very smart.
Unfortunately many people currently are racist towards Middle Eastern people here in the United States. Because of the terror attacks, people think that every Islamic person they see is a terrorist. This isn’t flat out racism, but it’s definitely prejudice and almost everyone has the same thought, whether they admit or not.
So whether people admit it or not, it is socially acceptable to be “racist” towards a large general group of people. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth.
- Jason
Question 2:
What is the meaning of the metaphor of the jar: “Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open”?
The Meaning on the jar being open is that lily is free. Once she see that the bee that she caught was gone and had flew away. She remembers that when she saw the bees flying around, they were free and had no care in the world. When she sees her jar is open she wants to be like the bees so she runs away.
-Mitch
Chapter 3/4:
Chapter 3, Question 1:Lily describes her church’s attitude toward Catholics. What does this tell you about Lily?
Lily says that her religion teaches her to believe that Catholics are evil, but she thinks otherwise. Brother Gerald told her, “Hell was nothing but a bonfire for Catholics.” Lily is like a rebel because she secretly thrilled that her mother was associated with Catholics. Lily likes to risk take. She ran away from home and stole snuff from the Frogmore Stew General Store and Restaurant.
-Ketan
Chapter 4, Question 4:
Why doesn’t Rosaleen correct Lily’s lies?
Rosaleen believes that it is for their own good. She believes that if she keeps lying they will still have a place to stay, food, shelter, and they will not have to go back. If she corrects Lily, people might find out who they really are, and if that happens Lily will have to go back to T. Ray and get abused, or even go to jail. Rosaleen knows it is for their own good, and she knows Lily can hold a lie because she is good at it, and she can let them live a better life just by lying.
- Zack
Chapter 3 question 6:
Refer to page 60 and discuss whether Rosaleen has lost faith in the Civil Rights act.
We think that Rosaleen has lost faith in the Civil Rights act because it hasn’t changed things as much as she thought they would. Everything is still segregated and although African Americans can vote, they have to “Pass” tests that white people don’t have to go through that make it very hard for them to cast their ballot. Unfortunately, it seems that things have actually become worse for African Americans. They are getting beaten and lynched to scare them into submission; people are so worried that they are doing things they wouldn’t have dared done to African Americans before; things are worse than ever.
- Jason
Chapter 5:
Question 6: The author uses first person narrative in telling the story. Find an example of how we are made aware of a point of view other than Lily’s even though she is telling the story?
In this chapter Lily hears June telling August how she feels about Lily behind her back, and this is how she uses first person to show other people talking, the quote from this is, “August turned towards the screen and looked out, causing me to step deeper into the shadows and press my back against the house. Let who know? The police? They would only haul her off someplace. Maybe her father really did die. If so, who better is she gonna stay with for the time being than us? What about this aunt she mentioned? There’ s no aunt and you know it, said August” (Kidd 86-87). She used Lily to show their conversation by having her overhear it. The other example in this chapter is when August is telling Lily about May’s problem. This is shown when she says, “So that’s where she got her big muscles-rock lifting. What are all of those scraps of paper stuck in it? Oh it’s a long story, August said. I guess you’ve noticed-May is special. She sure does get upset easy, I said. That’s because May is takes in things differently than the rest of us do. August reached over and laid her hand on my arm” (Kidd 95). She used things that Lily hears or if she engages in a conversation, she also uses that to show other peoples perspectives, or what they are saying.
-Zack
Question 3:
How does June let Lily know that she doesn’t want her there? What are some of the possible reasons June doesn’t want Lily to stay?
Lily knows that June doesn't want her in her house because June always seems to ignore Lily whenever the two meet, June ends up giving Lily a look. June says that her family shouldn’t have to take in Lily because she is white. They feel that since she is white, she is wealthy, which is a stereotype. Lily overhears August and June talking about how they don’t owe her anything. August says to June, “Let’s see if we can help her.” August shows some sympathy for Lily, even though June doesn't like Lily. She also over hears June and August saying, “But she’s white, August” (87). This is the reason why June hates Lily. She hates her because of the fact that she is white. June wants August to call the cops on Lily, and have her taken out of the house.
-Ketan
Question 1:
What does June say that is a “revelation” to Lily? Does Lily have the right to be offended? (87)
When June is talking to August, she doesn’t plan for Lily to over hear her, so she can speak her mind. She doesn’t want Lily to stay because “she’s lying” and was a “runaway” (TSLOB 86). When August gives her reasons for letting Lily stay, June responds by saying “But she’s white, August” (TSLOB 87). Lily is very surprised that anyone can be rejected for being white.
My group had split opinions on whether Lily had the right to be offended, but I thought she shouldn’t have been. Blacks and other minorities were always being rejected because of their race, and Lily should have realized that now she was the minority. People would love to get a little payback, and most thought they deserved it. June thought Lily didn’t have the right to stay if she wouldn’t have let a black person stay with her.
- Jason
Chapter 6:
Question 2:
The quote at the beginning of the chapter says the queen produces something to attract the workers. Who might be the queen in this chapter, and what does she produce? Might there be more than one queen and how do they co-exist in the hive?
I think the Queen of the Beekeeping farm is definitely August. She seems to be in charge of her sisters and now that Rosaleen and Lily are living and working there, they’re listening to August too. August produces many things for the people on the farm; she literally produces honey and money; she also produces and provides support and a safe place for Lily, Rosaleen, May, and even June. Without August, I think the farm would be at a loss.
Rosaleen also seems to really like that Lily looks to her for answers, and when August isn’t around, Rosaleen is Lily’s Queen. August is the one in charge, but Lily trusts Rosaleen more with her secrets.
- Jason
Question 5:
Lily does not do anything to show how she feels about June, to anyone. She keeps her feelings to herself. She says she wants to hit something, but she keeps all of her feelings bottled up inside of her, in this quote it shows that, “I wanted to march up there, flip a couple of tables over, and say, Excuse me, June Boatwright, but you don’t even know me!” (Kidd 87). She wants to let her emotions run out and yell at June, but she keeps them inside of her. I it was me I would ask June why she does not like me, and ask her why she is mad at me all of the time. I would not like people to not like me because of my skin color, so I would try to get to the bottom of why she does not like me, instead of sitting back and holding all of my feelings inside, and not asking her. I would not accept her attitude because she is mean to Lily like in this quote, “But just as I was about to reach her, June stopped playing. She stopped in the middle of the song, and I was left in the silence with my hand stretched out” (Kidd 111). She wanted to embarrass her in front of everybody in the room and that is what she did. I I was Lily I would try to ask her why she is mad all of the time especially at me (Lily).
-Zack
Chapter 7:
Question 2:
Why does Lily think she is heading to beauty school now?
Lily felt that going to beauty school was her only choice, because she wanted to become a hair stylist. In order to accomplish her goals, she had to go to school to learn how to be a hair stylist and be able to survive in the beauty world.
-Ketan
Question 1:
“At my school they made fun of colored people’s lips and noses. I myself had laughed at these jokes, hoping to fit in. Now I wished that I could pen a letter to my school to be read at opening assembly that would tell them how wrong we had all been. You should see Zachary Taylor, I’d say” (116). Discuss this statement, relating it to the concept of ethnocentrism. Whose standards of beauty do you think Lily is using in evaluating Zachary? In what situations might this type of thinking negatively affect a person’s opportunities? Define the term before discussing this question.
Ethnocentrism is the belief that your ethnicity (race) is not as advanced as yours. Because Lily saw Black people as less advanced than whites, she made fun of them just to fit in at school. If she thought of Black people as being equal, I doubt she would be able to make fun of them so easily, and especially not to their faces.
I think Lily was surprised that she could think of an African American as handsome. She was evaluating him on the standards of “white” beauty. She must have either become very accustomed to African Americans on August’s farm, or she really liked Zach.
I think that Lily’s apparent ethnocentrism could negatively affect her relationships and opportunities because she doesn’t think of African Americans as equals. Even though she doesn’t think she’s a racist and doesn’t really act racist, she has some pre-conceived stereotypes about how the world should work. For example, she told August that “[she] never thought of the Virgin Mary being colored till [she] saw this picture.” (138) and she told Zack (in not so many words) that she thought he could only get to college as an athlete and that he couldn’t become a lawyer.
Although she isn’t trying, she definitely believes in some stereotypes that could injure her relationships with everyone she seems to love.
-Jason
Question #3
Zach gets mad because he does not want to be a professional player because he has enough talent and he is smart enough to become a lawyer. She thinks that because he is good at sports and because he is black that he could become a professional football player, but he thinks that he could become a lawyer as it says in the chapter, “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 thing white people see us being successful at? I don’t want to play football, he said. I wanna be a lawyer.” He gets mad because she thinks that because he is black the only thing that he could become is a football player when he could become a lawyer, so he thinks that Lily is being stereotypical towards him and that she is wrong.
-Zack
Chapter 8 and 9:
Question 1“How do you interpret August’s words “Actually, you can be bad at something, Lily, but if you love doing it, that will be enough.”
When August said “Actually, you can be bad at something, Lily, but if you love doing it, that is enough,” she is saying that, even if your not the best at something if you try hard and if you like it, then it is worth doing. Also people will respect you for trying hard and doing your job because you love doing it not because you have to.
-Zack
Chapter 8 Question 7:
Compare a beehive to life in the pink house.
In a beehive, every bee has a certain job to do. They all work together to accomplish their goals. August, May, and June are considered the mothers of the hives, because the help keep the pink house together. If one of the “mothers” were to leave, then the pink house would fall apart. No work would get done, and people would argue with each other.
-Ketan
Chapter 8 Question 1:
Why does August tell Lily about the thirty-two words for love in the Eskimo language? Do you think that this is fact or fiction? How would you find out?
I think that August explains to Lily that the Eskimo language has 32 words to love because she wants to show Lily the limitation that we have when talking to each other. In our own language, we “[have] to use the same word for loving Rosaleen as you do for loving a Coke with peanuts.” (TSLOB 140). In the Eskimo language, every word for love meant a different thing; if you say I love you, they would know you really meant it, and weren’t just comparing them to your favorite color. In the English language, you have one word for so many different meanings; it’s hard to convey what you are trying to say.
I don’t think there are actually 32 words for love in the Eskimo language, but they’re most likely four or five. 32 different words would be unneeded. I guess I could just look it up, but it would probably be difficult to find out for sure.
-Jason
4. Zach teaches Lily about a famous Tiburon resident, Willifred Marchant. Willifred has won Pulitzer Prizes for his books about trees in South Carolina. Tiburon celebrates Willifred one day each year. Lily accuses Zach of not believing that she will be successful as a writer, and she begins to cry. Zach pulls her close to him to comfort her. Lily realizes that she is actually crying for Zach, but Zach assumes she is crying because of his supposed lack of confidence in her writing ability. That is why Lily cries in this chapter.
-Trevor G
Chapter 10:
Question 1: August sensed that something wasn’t quite right, when May went out to the wall. How did she know something was wrong? August knew something was wrong, when May went outside and made sure that no one was following her. That is a sign showing that May was going to do something to herself. Another sign was that when May went outside, she stayed out there for a while. It wasn’t just a couple minutes, it was a long time. I feel that August and the others should have watched May, because of the fact that she had a depression problem. They shouldn’t have let her go out by herself.-Ketan
Question 2
The Wailing Wall has been May’s outlet for sorrow. Why didn’t it sustain her through Zach’s incarceration? How might things have been different for May if she lived today instead of in the 1960’s?
First August decided to not tell May about Zach getting arrested hoping that she would not find out about it and she would not get upset. Eventually May finds out about him getting arrested and she does not seem upset about it, but they didn’t know that because she found about it all at once she was very sad. And because Zach could get hurt and something could happen to him in jail she is more upset. She couldn’t handle all of this pain because it was all put upon her so fast so she decides to end all of her pain. If May and everyone lived now things would be very different. Zach would have not gotten arrested because one he didn’t throw the bottle, and because there is no segregation now and there was back then so that is why they got arrested. So if Zach didn’t get arrested May wouldn’t have killed herself. Even if Zach still got arrested May could get more help now then she could back then, and she could possibly get cured. A lot of things would change if it was now.
-Zack
Chapter 10 Question 5:
Think about the rituals describe in this chapter; the vigil for May and covering the hives with black cloth. How do rituals help people cope?
Whenever something bad happens, people go through many different rituals. I think doing things like covering bees with black cloth can help take your mind off of the situation at hand. The rituals help the people left behind on Earth cope with the death of a close friend. August even tells Lily that “Putting black cloths on the hives is for us. [We] do it to remind us that life gives way into death, and then death gives way to life.” (TSLOB 206). We have to remember that there is a circle of life; like August says, death gives way to life.
There are other rituals though, like a eulogy at a funeral service, where you can remember all the good things that happened and what the deceased did in their lives. It might make you sad, but it definitely helps you let go and keep living your lives normally.
-Jason
Chapter 11:
Question 5When Lily wants to move back into the honey house, Rosaleen doesn’t protest. In fact, she is in favor of Lily moving immediately. Both have gotten used to having space to themselves. Discuss examples from your life where you and your mother, or a friend, have each wanted your own space, or time without the other. Has it felt like rejection? Was it rejection? How did it turn out?
In my life I got into a fight with my mom and she didn’t let me go out to my friend’s house. With this I felt rejected, and I was very angry because I was like “shunned” from his house, and I felt rejected because I couldn’t go anywhere. I apologized to my mom a little bit later. Another time I got into an argument with my friend and we needed some space. We took sometime and everything was back to normal. Sometimes if you need space it isn’t bad, it is actually good. Sometimes separation is good because you need space and other times you get or feel rejected because of the situation you are in, and the place you are in.
-Zack
Question 2:
What do you think is the relevance of the quote in the beginning of this chapter?
The quote at the beginning of the chapter 11 says, “It takes honeybee workers ten million foraging trips to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey” -Bees of the World. This quote means, it takes a lot of work to get a small reward. Zach wants to become a lawyer, and he is willing to go through all the work of going through high school, college, and finally accomplishing his goals. He doesn’t know if he will get his reward of becoming a lawyer or not, but he is still willing to try. There are many people in the world that are willing to try for their goals. No one knows how far they will come.
-Ketan
Question 4:
While in mourning, the usual routines of Lily’s life have disappeared. How do routines affect our life? How has routine helped June to cope with May’s death? If the temperature had gone over 100 degrees, do you think that August would have gone on bee patrol to feed the bees?
I think people sink really deep into their routines. People don’t want to change their routines, people might even be afraid to change. But at the same time, I think that without a routine, people would be lost and forgetful. They would misplace things all the time and forget where they put things. Routines keep people in line.
I think that because June can still focus on her work, she doesn’t have to think about May and her death. It allows her to cope and still do what needs to be done at the same time. Her daily work routine ensures that she doesn’t have to focus on the sadness and tragedy of May’s untimely death.
If the temperature had gone over 100 degrees, I think August would still have fed her bees. It’s her routine, and I think she would have done it just from instinct, maybe not really meaning to do it. If she didn’t do instinctively, I think she would do it because the bees living and producing honey is very important for their lives.
-Jason
Chapter 12:
Question 4
How did the truth about Deborah differ from the image Lily had carried with her all of her life? Was Deborah a bad mother and bad person or was Lily’s image of her unrealistic to begin with?
Lily thought that Deborah was the most amazing person in the world, but when she found out the truth she was shocked at first. At first she hated her mother because August said, “All I know, Lily, is that she was depressed, kind of falling apart. The day she left home, nothing unusual happened. She just woke up and decided she couldn’t be there anymore. She called a lady from the next farm to baby-sit, and she drove Terrence Ray’s truck to the bus station. Up until she got here, I thought she’d be bringing you with her. My mother had left me. I hate her” (Kidd 251). Lily had hated her because she thought she had left her with T. Ray. In reality her mother was depressed and she needed time alone. Towards the end of the chapter Lily felt sorry for her mother and she still loved her, “Okay, she had a nervous breakdown, but how could she leave me behind like that? I said. After she’d been here three months and was feeling a little better, she started talking about how much she missed you. Finally she went back to Sylvan to get you” (Kidd 254). Lily realized that her mother was not a bad person and she came back to get her, and that’s where the bad incident happened. First Lily’s image of her mother was too “dreamy” and it wasn’t reality, but her image wasn’t too off because her mother came back to her because she loved her.
-Zack
Question 3:
How does the quote at the beginning of the chapter relate to Lily’s anguish?
“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 the darkness, a kind of eternal night, perpetually in labor…. Her true role is less that of a queen than a 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” -The Queen Must Die: And Other Affairs of Bees and Men (232). This quote relates to Lily’s anguish because the queen bee is only there to give birth to her children and then she sits in the dark, not caring for her children anymore and not caring for what they do. It is the same for Lily because Deborah was there for Lily, but Lily still felt that her mother didn’t love her and she didn’t care for her. The queen bee doesn’t care for her children after they are born.
-Ketan
Question 2:
Review your answer to question 1, from Chapter 5. Reread the last three paragraphs of page 242 and reevaluate your previous answer? Would you change your answer? If so, how? If not, why?
Originally, Lily thought that June didn’t like her because she was white, and I think Lily Didn’t have the right to be mad at June because of that. But on page 242 Lily found out that June didn’t like Deborah because August worked as her maid and house keeper, and that dislike translated over to Lily.
For all the reasons that June disliked Deborah, she doesn’t have the right to hate Lily too. I think that Lily definitely would have the right to be mad at June for that, but I think she’ll forgive her. They’re good friends now, and I think they’re both sorry for how they originally felt.
-Jason
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Chapter 13 and Quotes:
Important Quote:“May walking into the trees with the little circle of light bobbing in front of her, then swallowed up by the dark” (Kidd 188).
This quote is foreshadowing May’s death or something bad because it says, “With the little circle of light bobbing in front of her, and then swallowed up by the dark.” By saying that it is saying that there was a little light left in May, meaning a little life left in her, but it was swallowed up by the dark, which is foreshadowing that something will happen to her, and it does. Later she ends up dying, which was foreshadowed by this quote, so it has a lot of meaning.
-Zack
Important Quote:
“How come you left me?” I whispered, watching my breath make a circle of fog on the glass.
This quote is important to the chapter because at the beginning of the chapter, Lily still feels that her mother didn’t love her. She still believes what T-Ray said. That her mother came back that day to get her remaining stuff. What Lily doesn’t know, was that her mother actually came back that day to get her. She never wanted Lily to stay with T-Ray because T-Ray never treated her and Lily properly. He would always punish Lily for doing little things. When Lily said she wanted to go to beauty school, but he didn’t approve of that. He wouldn’t even let her read. Later on in the chapter, Lily slowly discovers that her mother did really love her.
-Ketan
Question One:
“A worker bee is just over a centimeter long and weighs only about sixty milligrams; nevertheless, she can fly with a load heavier than herself.” How does this apply to Lily? Support you answer with examples from the book.
I think that this is the most obvious epigraph, relating to Lily clearer than any before. In the chapter, Lily is carrying a heavy load on her chest. She just found out that her mother did leave her, and feels like “somebody had backed [a] cement truck up to the honey house..... and started pouring.” (Kidd 257-58). She was carrying a huge load over her head, and it was weighing her down. But she kept going, and eventually the load was lifted when she found out what her mother really thought about her. The worker bee also carries a heavy load, but it always relinquishes the nectar into the hive. It never has to carry the load for very long.
When you’re angry or sad, you carry a heavy load, but it never lasts long; something always goes along and makes you feel better.
-Jason
Lily is partially correct because you can sometimes talk yourself out of anger if you take your time and step back and see what your mad about. Sometimes your mad about stupid things. You may not be able to talk your self out because it happening so quickly.
-Mitch
Chapter 14:
Question 9
Lily began the story with Rosaleen as a mother figure for her. How has living in the pink house changed that? If Deborah had lived today, how might things have been different for Lily? Consider that August and her sisters may have been part of Lily’s family from the beginning, in your answer.
I think that now that Lily is living in the pink house has given her many mothers. August, May, and June are all like mother figures to Lily because they treat her like she is their daughter and they treat her like she is part of their family. If Deborah was alive things would be different. Lily would have an actual mother instead of people to “fill in” as her mother. Deborah would be there for her all of the time. Also if August and her sisters were there with them then Lily would have a mother and many mother figures. Lily would not need a father like T. Ray because she has a mom and she has August, her sisters, and Rosaleen that will always be there for her.
-Zack
Question 1:
Why did Lily carry around mouse bones? Did that make sense to you?
I feel that Lily carry around mouse bones with her because she needed something to carry around that would make her happy. Like the hat box, the mouse bones are a symbol. Lily doesn’t know why she carries them around, but she feels that she has to. The mouse bones are a symbol of security. She feels safe with them. Anywhere she goes, she carries them with her.
-Ketan
Question 7:
Did Deborah leave T.Ray because he was mean, or did T.Ray become mean because Deborah left him?
I definitely think that T. Ray became mean because Deborah left him. It was said many times throughout the book that T. Ray “worshiped her”. When she left him, I think he felt betrayed and abandoned. He felt that he had put everything he could into the marriage, but she left anyway. When he found Lily, he reverted back to when he lost Deborah, “he seemed crazy with anguish, reliving a pain he’d kept whelmed up.” (Kidd 295).
If Deborah hadn’t left T.Ray, I actually think he might have been a good father. He never seemed like he had anything against Lily herself, but against her mother. If Deborah had taken Lily with her, or never left at all, Lily would have had a happier life.
At the same time, I think that if Deborah had taken Lily with her, T.Ray would be in another world of anguish. He would have had nobody left; I have no idea what he would’ve done.
-Jason