Daily Journals of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The secret life of Bees is about a 14 year old girl named Lily. She and her caregiver, Rosaleen, run away from their home in search of any information about Lily's mom.
This book really hit home with me, and its not because I liked the movie. I just felt that it was a very good meaning behind a very interesting story line. From this book I realized that the simple problems in life doesn't make or break you.
March 29th 2012
“Hope deferred makes the heart sink, but when longing is
fulfilled, it is a tree of life” (Bible, Proverbs 13:12) Describe something that
you long for. How can acquiring this change your life?
-I really long for the feeling of full peace, and no pain on the
inside. By acquiring this I would really know the real meaning of peace. I would
probably make better decisions for myself if I could think about them in
peace.
March 30th 2012
“People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing
about life” – Lily Owens
Agree or disagree and state why.
I agree about her statement, I feel that dying is an escape away
from your troubles and daily life. However people who are up in their age do
think that dying is the worst thing because it is coming up quick in their
life.
April 2nd 2012
“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”
Relate this quote to Lily and your understanding to Chapter 1
-Lily can sense that she did something wrong, and the fact that
her dad is telling her that her mother’s death is her fault. Since her mother’s
death, her life and her home life went
downhill.
April 3rd 2012
Describe the symbolism in the
statement
“Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is
open”
The jar means that Lily is free from her troubles.
Post Reading Question:
Explain the significance of the jar of honey Lily discovers.
-She finds a jar, with the same picture as the picture that she
has of her mothers. It is a black Virgin Mary. She finds out where the picture
and jar came from, and who puts out the honey. The jar’s significance is that
its hope to find out who her mother was, and to prove that her dad was wrong,
that her mother didn’t love her.
April 4th, 2012
“Loss takes up inside of everything sooner or later and eats
right through it” agree or disagree with this quote and relate it to a loss that
you have experienced.
-It has a picture of black Virgin Mary on it because the
beekeeper woman who made the honey was a colored person and at that time things
were mostly segregated so it was unusually to see that. The fact that Lily’s mom
had that same Virgin Mary honey bottle was also very significant. It was also
significant because the day when lily had left, she heard a voice saying, “Lily
Melissa Owens, your jar is open” I believe that finding the honey jar was a sign
of hope that Lily was going to be ok and something good was going to
happen.
April 16, 2012
May has a special place (the wall) when she can retreat to when
she is upset. Using imagery, describe a place that you would create for yourself
to experience peace.
I can go to the bluff, in Kings Park, right next to the insane
institution. I go there with my sister and we go and sit for hours, and I feel
completely peaceful. At the bluff there is a beach, many different colored and
shaped rocks, fisherman fishing, and boats sailing on away. I just sit on one of
the huge boulders and let the cold wind hit my face, and feel at
peace.
April 18, 2012
Examine the cause and effect of Lily’s attempt to touch the statue.
-She didn’t really touch it because as she was walking up to go
touch it she remembered her mother crying out while T-Ray and her mom were
fighting. She started to get sweaty and everything in her head was a blur and
suddenly she remembers the gun being shot. It brought her back to her past. She
faints. The statue represents her past, the good and bad memories of her
past.
April 19, 2012
Describe a time when you wanted something or someone so
intensely but deep down you knew it was wrong.
I really wanted a car, but deep down I knew that I wasn’t ready
for one, and I would need to get a job to support it.
April 24, 2012
“The hardest thing on Earth is choosing what matters.” Relate to
this in your own life and agree or disagree
-I disagree because people can differentiate what matters to
them and what doesn’t. I know what matters in my life and what doesn’t. Like say
I lie and disobey my mom, I know that her trust matters but I still want to have fun.
April 25, 2012
How well do your parents know you? How well do you know them?
Explain your answers by providing examples.
-They know what I want them to know. They know that I do well in
school and they know my friends. – I don’t know.. I think they know me well
enough to know that I wouldn’t go do something stupid. They know I have good
judgment. They trust me and all that. I think I know what they want me to know
about them also. I know that they had good childhoods. I know that my mom adores
her family.
April 26, 2012
“You can be bad at something … but if you love doing it, that
will be enough”
Agree or disagree and explain why.
-I agree, if you enjoy doing something and have enough love in
it, then you will eventually be good at it, it takes time. I remember when I
started driving, I really didn’t like it and then eventually I got used to it
and I started loving it.
Post reading:
Examine the cause/effect of Lily’s trip to town with Zach. In
Addition, assess May’s reaction when she discovers the
truth
-She went there because Zach basically asked her if she wanted
to go. They got there and lily and Zach were going to the store, but they
noticed that there was a protest. Zach’s friends came over and they noticed that
the white men were protesting so Jackson, who is Zach’s friend, threw a bottle.
No one confessed so they all went to jail.
-May’s reaction was emotionless, she most likely felt betrayed
by everyone, and that’s why she has nothing to say.
May 1, 2012
“People can start out one way, and by the time life gets through
with them they up totally different.” Choose one character from the novel to
support this quote. Be specific.
-May has started out very emotional, she eventually couldn't not handle
the troubles of other people , she eventually changes to where she becomes
very numb. Real stuff in her life started to spiral and she committed suicide.
May 2, 2012
How is forgiveness/acceptance a theme of this novel? Explain
using examples from the novel.
-I think that Lily wants to be forgiven, for killing her mother,
and for lying to the Boatwright sisters all that time to cover up why she really
was there.
-I feel that lily also wants to be accepted, by the Boatwright
sisters, because she is from a different background, and she is white and
they are colored.
This book really hit home with me, and its not because I liked the movie. I just felt that it was a very good meaning behind a very interesting story line. From this book I realized that the simple problems in life doesn't make or break you.
March 29th 2012
“Hope deferred makes the heart sink, but when longing is
fulfilled, it is a tree of life” (Bible, Proverbs 13:12) Describe something that
you long for. How can acquiring this change your life?
-I really long for the feeling of full peace, and no pain on the
inside. By acquiring this I would really know the real meaning of peace. I would
probably make better decisions for myself if I could think about them in
peace.
March 30th 2012
“People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing
about life” – Lily Owens
Agree or disagree and state why.
I agree about her statement, I feel that dying is an escape away
from your troubles and daily life. However people who are up in their age do
think that dying is the worst thing because it is coming up quick in their
life.
April 2nd 2012
“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”
Relate this quote to Lily and your understanding to Chapter 1
-Lily can sense that she did something wrong, and the fact that
her dad is telling her that her mother’s death is her fault. Since her mother’s
death, her life and her home life went
downhill.
April 3rd 2012
Describe the symbolism in the
statement
“Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is
open”
The jar means that Lily is free from her troubles.
Post Reading Question:
Explain the significance of the jar of honey Lily discovers.
-She finds a jar, with the same picture as the picture that she
has of her mothers. It is a black Virgin Mary. She finds out where the picture
and jar came from, and who puts out the honey. The jar’s significance is that
its hope to find out who her mother was, and to prove that her dad was wrong,
that her mother didn’t love her.
April 4th, 2012
“Loss takes up inside of everything sooner or later and eats
right through it” agree or disagree with this quote and relate it to a loss that
you have experienced.
-It has a picture of black Virgin Mary on it because the
beekeeper woman who made the honey was a colored person and at that time things
were mostly segregated so it was unusually to see that. The fact that Lily’s mom
had that same Virgin Mary honey bottle was also very significant. It was also
significant because the day when lily had left, she heard a voice saying, “Lily
Melissa Owens, your jar is open” I believe that finding the honey jar was a sign
of hope that Lily was going to be ok and something good was going to
happen.
April 16, 2012
May has a special place (the wall) when she can retreat to when
she is upset. Using imagery, describe a place that you would create for yourself
to experience peace.
I can go to the bluff, in Kings Park, right next to the insane
institution. I go there with my sister and we go and sit for hours, and I feel
completely peaceful. At the bluff there is a beach, many different colored and
shaped rocks, fisherman fishing, and boats sailing on away. I just sit on one of
the huge boulders and let the cold wind hit my face, and feel at
peace.
April 18, 2012
Examine the cause and effect of Lily’s attempt to touch the statue.
-She didn’t really touch it because as she was walking up to go
touch it she remembered her mother crying out while T-Ray and her mom were
fighting. She started to get sweaty and everything in her head was a blur and
suddenly she remembers the gun being shot. It brought her back to her past. She
faints. The statue represents her past, the good and bad memories of her
past.
April 19, 2012
Describe a time when you wanted something or someone so
intensely but deep down you knew it was wrong.
I really wanted a car, but deep down I knew that I wasn’t ready
for one, and I would need to get a job to support it.
April 24, 2012
“The hardest thing on Earth is choosing what matters.” Relate to
this in your own life and agree or disagree
-I disagree because people can differentiate what matters to
them and what doesn’t. I know what matters in my life and what doesn’t. Like say
I lie and disobey my mom, I know that her trust matters but I still want to have fun.
April 25, 2012
How well do your parents know you? How well do you know them?
Explain your answers by providing examples.
-They know what I want them to know. They know that I do well in
school and they know my friends. – I don’t know.. I think they know me well
enough to know that I wouldn’t go do something stupid. They know I have good
judgment. They trust me and all that. I think I know what they want me to know
about them also. I know that they had good childhoods. I know that my mom adores
her family.
April 26, 2012
“You can be bad at something … but if you love doing it, that
will be enough”
Agree or disagree and explain why.
-I agree, if you enjoy doing something and have enough love in
it, then you will eventually be good at it, it takes time. I remember when I
started driving, I really didn’t like it and then eventually I got used to it
and I started loving it.
Post reading:
Examine the cause/effect of Lily’s trip to town with Zach. In
Addition, assess May’s reaction when she discovers the
truth
-She went there because Zach basically asked her if she wanted
to go. They got there and lily and Zach were going to the store, but they
noticed that there was a protest. Zach’s friends came over and they noticed that
the white men were protesting so Jackson, who is Zach’s friend, threw a bottle.
No one confessed so they all went to jail.
-May’s reaction was emotionless, she most likely felt betrayed
by everyone, and that’s why she has nothing to say.
May 1, 2012
“People can start out one way, and by the time life gets through
with them they up totally different.” Choose one character from the novel to
support this quote. Be specific.
-May has started out very emotional, she eventually couldn't not handle
the troubles of other people , she eventually changes to where she becomes
very numb. Real stuff in her life started to spiral and she committed suicide.
May 2, 2012
How is forgiveness/acceptance a theme of this novel? Explain
using examples from the novel.
-I think that Lily wants to be forgiven, for killing her mother,
and for lying to the Boatwright sisters all that time to cover up why she really
was there.
-I feel that lily also wants to be accepted, by the Boatwright
sisters, because she is from a different background, and she is white and
they are colored.
*
I chose this picture even though Lily is haunted by her past, even though she is growing stronger. If you think about it, every single main character in the book has gone through a lot throughout the book.
"Someone who think death is the scariest thing doesn't know a thing about life"
- Sue Monk Kidd, the Secret Life of Bees.
Throughout the book there were many hardships between the characters. Lily kills her mom, and is not loved by her father. August and June have to deal with the loss of May because Zack gets arrested. Rosaleen gets arested also, but because she spilled her snuff on a white man's shoes. These hardships help shape who the characters are by the end of the book.
"Someone who think death is the scariest thing doesn't know a thing about life"
- Sue Monk Kidd, the Secret Life of Bees.
Throughout the book there were many hardships between the characters. Lily kills her mom, and is not loved by her father. August and June have to deal with the loss of May because Zack gets arrested. Rosaleen gets arested also, but because she spilled her snuff on a white man's shoes. These hardships help shape who the characters are by the end of the book.