4.
Prompt: On page 105, May made an "L" pancake for Lily. June throws it in the trash.
Response Requirement:
a.
Besides "Lily," pick an "L" word that applies to Lily. Explain (and use a quote) to show the word's importance.
b.
Pick one more character
and come up with a word that describes them using the first letter of
their name. Explain the word's importance.
When completing open-ended responses, remember to use RATE.
5.
On pg. 105, August made an ‘L’ shaped pancake for Lily and represents her first initial. Another ‘L’ word used to describe Lily is lonely because T. Ray had prevented her from having social gatherings with kids at Lily’s school and refuse to drive her to any school gatherings. T.Ray didn’t even take her out shopping and resulted in Lily making her clothes in economic class and they weren’t as fashionable. This left Lily a social outcast like a bird that was kicked out of its flock or a shadow without a figure to reflect. “I am not popular and never will be.” Lily had said in the beginning of chapter 1 and it leaves her a victim of T.Ray and no one to stand up for her.
ReplyDeleteAnother character that has her first initial to describe her personality is May. As shown on pg. 84, Lily described May as simple minded which means she is smart, naïve, and a dash of crazy. May has shown to be a sweetheart to animals like bugs and rats and she is always ready to prepare a kind and safe way to get the creatures out of the house like the way Deborah did with the cockroaches. May can also be a little on the crazy side as if she was half kid, half adult yet is always busy as the hive of bees preparing the honey in the backyard of her house. I think May is a sweetheart and even though she is a little down since her twin sister April is dead, she is always trying to keep positive and that will get her far in her life and probably Lily’s too.
A longing can create such an exerting force that it can be stronger than a gravitational pull. The letter "L" starts a few words that can describe Lily. One of those words is "longing." Lily longs to learn the truth about what happened to her mother, but when she brings up the subject of her mother's death, "people would suddenly get interested in their hangnails and cuticles, or else distant places in the sky, and seem not to hear me" (3). Not only does she want to know what happened to her mother, she longs to know about her mother. Lily asks her father (T. Ray) about her mother but T. Ray refuses to tell her. "Once when I asked him when her birthday was and what cake icing she preferred, he told me to shut up and when I asked a second time, he picked up a jar of blackberry jelly and threw it against the kitchen cabinet" (12-13). Lily continues to seek answers about her mother and a place where she will fit in, so she and Rosaleen go on a journey. Lily's longing to find a place where she belongs is addressed when she explores the woods behind the Boatwright's house. "When I put on my shoes and headed back, the light poured down in shafts, and I wanted it to always be like this - no T. Ray, no Mr. Gaston, nobody wanting to beat Rosaleen senseless. Just the rain-cleaned woods and the rising light" (81). Lily's longing has been replaced by a sense of belonging. Lily is not alone in her quest to belong somewhere. The characters in many books and movies seek a place to belong. In Divergent, Tris leaves her faction, Abnegation, because she knows she doesn't belong there. Tris longs for a place where she fits in. She finds that place in Dauntless. People flourish when they find a place where they belong.
ReplyDeleteAn "M" word that best describes May is "mourning." From the moment May is introduced, the reader learns she had had a twin sister who died when she was little. Even though May is an adult now, she still mourns the loss of her twin April. "May's grin dissolved and out of nowhere she started humming 'Oh! Susanna' like her life depended on it. Rosaleen and I stared at her as her humming turned into hard crying. She cried like April's death only happened this second" (73). After April's death, May started to feel the pain of others. For example, she mourns the fact the June was jilted by her first love and now June is afraid of giving her heart to someone else. The mere mention of June refusing to marry Neil sends May into another one of her episodes. "A wheeze welled up from May's chest, and then out came 'Oh! Susanna.' Here we go" (103). In order to keep May calm, she needs a wailing wall. In Jerusalem, people go to the wailing wall to mourn and deal with their suffering. They write prayers on pieces of paper and stick them in the cracks in the wall. May built her own wailing wall to deal with the pain she feels and to mourn the loss she feels. "'All those bits of paper you see out there stuck between the stones are things May has written down - all the heavy feelings she carries around. It seems like the only thing that help her'" (98). May takes her pain she felt from April's death and transfers it to the wall.
A cool breeze blows through the empty window, parting the thick perfume of batter on a griddle. The sun shines, smiling on the new day, as Lily joins May and Rosaleen in the kitchen. With a steady tilt of a wrist, May drizzles the creamy batter onto the griddle. After a sizzle, Lily can see it is in the shape of an L, for Lily. Besides “Lily”, an “L” word that describes Lily is “laden”. I choose this word because Lily is laden with feelings, especially at this time in her life. She has fear of T. Ray, and him finding her, love for Rosaleen and the calendar sisters, and sadness from the day her mother died. She also has a different kind of love for Zach, and curiosity for bees. In the book, page 128, Lily says, “In one short morning I had exhibited insane laughter, hidden lust, pissy behavior, self-pity, and hysterical crying.” This quote shows that Lily is chock-full of many emotions and ideas. She is laden with them, like some boats are laden with cargo.
ReplyDeleteMay careful pulls back her wrist, and examines the L, its batter corners sizzling against the griddle. Her heart smiles, in hope that the pancake would bring Lily joy. An M word that fits May is merciful. May is extremely kind and has a heart that could fill up the planet. In the book, page 85, Lily says, “May didn’t allow rat traps in the house, as she couldn’t even bear the thought of a suffering rat. But what really drove Rosaleen crazy was May catching spiders and carrying them out of the house in the dustpan.” This shows that May is kind hearted and has love for everyone, including creatures.
When I was younger, in the beginning of the school year, in almost every class, we would make acrostic poems. For each letter of our name, we would put a word that describes us. It was tough for me because I had to come up with three “e” words.
#oneineamillion6
Taylor Davis
ReplyDeleteMs. Drosdick
Period 4
3/28/14
Journal #3
Besides “Lily”, another “L” word that applies to Lily is lost. In the book, Lily lost her mother and she stayed with her abusive father until she ran away with Rosaleen. So Lily is a girl who lost both of her parents. Death killed her mom and she chose to “lose” her father. She also doesn’t have a home and she’s terrified that the temporary home she’s staying in will be lost to her too. On page 86, June says, “We can’t keep a runaway girl here without letting somebody know.” By chapter 6, Lily’s certain that she’s losing herself. Before she passes out, she says, “I thought how nice it would be to grow smaller and smaller—until I was a dot of nothing.” Lost is clearly a theme in The Secret Life of Bees.
Another character I would pick to describe with a word is Rosaleen. The word I picked that applies to her is resilient. A scene in the book in which she was first resilient was when the racists were beating her up. After, she got right back up and stayed strong. On page 37, when Lily leaves her in the jail and inquires whether she will be alright, Rosaleen replies, “You go on, I’ll manage.” Rosaleen does seem to manage every situation she has been in. Later, after she and Lily have run away and they are tired and hungry, she admits, “Lily, child, there ain’t gonna be any place that will take a colored woman.” On they walked until they met August, June, and May Boatwright. August proclaimed, “Well, you can stay here till you figure out what to do. We can’t have you living on the side of the road.” Lily needed the resilience from Rosaleen to protect and encourage her.
Lily is not the only "L" word that the pancake May made could stand for. An "L" word that applies to Lily is love. In chapter 7, Lily starts to develop deep feelings for Zach. On page 124, Lily says, "I imagined us building a snow cave, sleeping with our bodies twined together to get warm, our arms and legs like black-and-white braids." This shows that Lily really likes Zach and that she has feelings for him. This reminds me of the movie The Notebook because the main character, Allie, falls in love with Noah.
ReplyDeleteOne word i would describe June with that starts with "J" is joyless. She is always sad and she is always going to the wall to right down sad things. On page 132, Lily says, "August and I walked her out to the wall, and for the umpteenth time she wrote June and Neil on a scrap of paper and wedged it between the rocks." This shows that June is sad about her break up with Neil and that she is writing about it and putting it in the wall. This reminds me of an episode of Spongebob when Spongebob was sad throughput the whole episode and wouldn't stop crying.
“I’m visiting my grandmother.” Lily faked a smile for the cashier’s sake. Lie number 1. The man asked for this so-called “grandmother’s” name next. “Rose,” Lily had replied, upon glancing at the container of Red Rose snuff. Lie number 2. Besides the “L” in Lily standing for her first name, it can stand for the world “liar” as well. Lily’s not a bad person; sometimes, she just has to stretch the truth a bit (or a lot) to get by. And honestly, I don’t think she means any harm by it. In the text, Lily tells one of her biggest lies to August: “See, my mother died when I was little, and then my father died in a tractor accident last month on our farm in Spartanburg County. I don’t have any other kin around here, so they were going to send me to a home.” Lily lies as easily as the fish in the ocean swim.
ReplyDeleteAugust has a motherly sort of vibe about her; she has a loving, caring aura surrounding her. The way she cares for May, Lily, and just everyone around her is a lovely thing. I think the “A” in August’s name could also stand for the world affectionate. “You know, don’t you, that the two of us need to have a good talk. And this time not about me. About you.” When August is talking to Lily here, it’s evident that she obviously cares about her and her wellbeing. I think the long-term effects of this love, care, and concern will cause a wonderful difference in Lily’s life. We all know how long she’s been deprived of it.
Another "L" word that applies to Lily is love. The word love is used a lot through out the chapter. Love is also a good word to describe Lily because she loves a lot of things. "Do you know there are thirty-two for love in one of the Eskimo languages...and we just have one isn't that a shame" This shows how much they love, they wish there were more ways to express their love. Lily also loves Zach. “I was crying, I realized, for Zach.” Lily was cry because he knew that she couldn’t be with Zach because she is white and he is black. So she was upset they couldn’t be together because of their skin color. This proves that she loves him.
ReplyDeleteA word that is associated with May is melancholy. Melancholy means being sad for obvious reason. May is always upset. The littlest thing could get her upset. So her sisters made her a wailing wall to calm her down when she is upset. The reason why May is always perturbed is because of her twin sister April committing suicide. Ever since then it was like a part of her died too. So I think this word represents May.
Journal Entry
ReplyDeleteOn page 105 it says, “… looking over into the garbage can. L for Lily.” The ‘L’ represents Lily and another word that represents her is lonely. Lily had no friends or no one to talk to except Rosaleen. T. Ray did not believe in social gatherings, so Lily never went to one. T. Ray never wanted to drive her to any of them either. On page 8 it says, “He didn’t believe in slumber parties or sock hops, which wasn’t as big concern as I never got invited to them anyway, but he refused to drive me to town for football games, pep rallies, or Beta Club car washes…” Lily says she was never invited by other kids in her school to hang out with them and she never went any way. Lily also had to make her own clothes in home economics class because T. Ray never took her out to get any. On page 8 it says, “I might as well have worn a sign on my back: I am not popular and never will be.” She says this because she doesn’t have any friends to talk to and she has to make her clothes while others girls buy there’s. This makes easier for T. Ray to get to her because she is always around and not out with friends. This is why Lily is a victim of T. Ray and she has no other person to help her but Rosaleen. Charlie in the Perks of Being a Wallflower is unsocial and has no friends until he comes to high school. In the beginning he is quiet and lonely until he meets seniors Sam and Patrick which turn his world upside down and take him on an adventure of a life time.
On page 24 Lily says, ‘“I’d been kneeling on grits since I was six, but still I never got used to that powdered-glass feeling beneath my skin.”’ The ‘T’ represents T. Ray and another word that represents him is tantalizing. Tantalizing is tormenting or teasing someone. T. Ray makes Lily kneel on grits for her punishment. T. Ray makes Lily work and won’t let her read; if he finds out she is punished. On page 25 it says, “My knees had been tortured like this enough times in my life…” The grits Lily has to kneel on hurts her knees because T. Ray makes her. Lily is tantalized by T. Ray. In chapter 8 Lily calls T. Ray and he says he will find her and get her. T. Ray is trying to get to her. In the movie Non Stop the Air Marshal needs to find out who is tormenting with an international flight. In the end he finds out who it is and has to save the passenger aboard from the flight.
Journal Entry
ReplyDeleteOn page 105 it says, “… looking over into the garbage can. L for Lily.” The ‘L’ represents Lily and another word that represents her is lonely. Lily had no friends or no one to talk to except Rosaleen. T. Ray did not believe in social gatherings, so Lily never went to one. T. Ray never wanted to drive her to any of them either. On page 8 it says, “He didn’t believe in slumber parties or sock hops, which wasn’t as big concern as I never got invited to them anyway, but he refused to drive me to town for football games, pep rallies, or Beta Club car washes…” Lily says she was never invited by other kids in her school to hang out with them and she never went any way. Lily also had to make her own clothes in home economics class because T. Ray never took her out to get any. On page 8 it says, “I might as well have worn a sign on my back: I am not popular and never will be.” She says this because she doesn’t have any friends to talk to and she has to make her clothes while others girls buy there’s. This makes easier for T. Ray to get to her because she is always around and not out with friends. This is why Lily is a victim of T. Ray and she has no other person to help her but Rosaleen. Charlie in the Perks of Being a Wallflower is unsocial and has no friends until he comes to high school. In the beginning he is quiet and lonely until he meets seniors Sam and Patrick which turn his world upside down and take him on an adventure of a life time.
On page 24 Lily says, ‘“I’d been kneeling on grits since I was six, but still I never got used to that powdered-glass feeling beneath my skin.”’ The ‘T’ represents T. Ray and another word that represents him is tantalizing. Tantalizing is tormenting or teasing someone. T. Ray makes Lily kneel on grits for her punishment. T. Ray makes Lily work and won’t let her read; if he finds out she is punished. On page 25 it says, “My knees had been tortured like this enough times in my life…” The grits Lily has to kneel on hurts her knees because T. Ray makes her. Lily is tantalized by T. Ray. In chapter 8 Lily calls T. Ray and he says he will find her and get her. T. Ray is trying to get to her. In the movie Non Stop the Air Marshal needs to find out who is tormenting with an international flight. In the end he finds out who it is and has to save the passenger aboard from the flight.
Journal Entry: option D
ReplyDelete“L” is for Lily, but L can also stand for limitless. Another L word that best describes Lily should be Limitless. Lily has no limits. She speaks her mind, is extremely bright and intelligent, and is determined. Nothing held her back from discovering more about her mother, and nothing extinguished her fear. She stood strong and didn’t let anything knock her down. Therefore, she has no limits. She will always strive to know more, and also venture and explore. “Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open” when reading this quote from the book, it shows how Lilly is not afraid to break away. It shows how hungry she was for correct treatment, and answers. And those qualities have no limits onto them. Potential also has no limits. Potential is molding material. You can shape it to whatever your heart desires and make it just fantastic. Potential can only grow and become wiser. Just like Lily, potential thrives and always seeks for the best. Limitless Lily can only do the same.
T should stand for tyrant instead of T-ray. He is cruel and unfair. He has too much power over Lily and controls her. He orders her around like he is a king. A tyrant or a tyranny is one person or group with too much power over the rest. That describes T-ray and his relationship with Lily. “I’ve been kneeling on grits since I was six…” this quote shows how T-ray has made Lily endure cruel punishments and has unfair power and authority over her. Thus having T stand for T-tyrant is a perfect match for T-ray. Someone as horrible and mean as him deserves a suitable name like Tyrant. Throughout history, us Americans have fought tyrants and tried to prevent tyranny. We fought it for a reason. It’s unfair, cruel, and not worth it to undergo such awful treatment. Both T-ray and tyrants throughout history have drove away the people closes to them. no wonder why Lily ran away.
#7eleven3
4musketeers18
ReplyDeleteLily. To the majority: a worthless girl, someone who betrayed her own father, someone who killed her own mother. Lily. To the minority: courageous, ingenious, a writer, persistent, someone willing to cross society’s unspoken rules. Lily. To me: a leader. L for Lily, L for leader. A leader is someone who is persistent and courageous, someone willing to take a stand even when it means sacrifice. Someone who takes destiny into their own hands and molds it until they see the results they desire. Someone like Lily. When Rosaleen was unjustly arrested, Lily began to take action. Lily asks T-Ray to bail Rosaleen out of jail, when T-Ray refuses to do so Lily takes destiny into her own hands. Lily replies,”You don’t scare me.” She took a stand and she makes a sacrifice. She sacrifices the surety of her current life for Rosaleen when she plans an ambitious getaway plan. Lily. A leader.
In the winter you are faced with punitive storms. The snow lashes your face as the winds laugh into your ears in a condescending tone. You yearn for summer. Months like August, when the sun kisses your cheek every morning and stays up extra late to bring you comfort. Like the month, August herself is Altruistic. When Rosaleen and Lily are in need of a shelter, she welcomes them into her own home. June, August’s sister, hesitates at this, but August replies, “They’ll stay here.” August is very giving, mother-like and selfless. August. Altruistic.
4musketeers18
May creates an L shaped pancake which stands for Lily. Lily can also be described as "liar". Although she has been lying to most of the people she encountered it has actually helped her out. With each lie she tells she has a very cunning facial expression. On page 73 Lily faked her last name along with Rosaleen; "Rosaleen Smith and Lily Williams".
ReplyDeleteA letter to describe T-Ray would be: Terrible. One way or another T-Ray had to discipline Lily using grits, even when Lily didn't do anything wrong. Lily would have to accept punishment by kneeling on the grits until T-Ray tells her she is done. Doing this leaves rashes, red marks, or welts on her knees the next day. On page 24 Lily is kneeling on grits for being accused of meeting a boy in the orchards. This was believed because she was found buttoning her shirt in the middle of the field. Lily though "He poured the grits till it matched the size of an anthill." then T-Ray orders her "Kneel down". A man like T-Ray must make a horrible father-figure
A is for apple, B is for bear, C is for coconut, D is for door… M is for monkey, L is for…? In the book, The Secret Life of Bees, L is for Lily. But, L could also be for latching-on. Latching-on is another way of saying aware or observant. Latching- on is a word that applies to Lily. Lily is very aware whether it’s what’s going on with the bees, or what June is up to with Neil, or if June or May are talking to August about us. Also, Lily is very observant of everything around her and that is important because she is incessantly being looked for by T-Ray. In the book on page 115 it states, “I jumped every time I heard a siren. It might have been an ambulance off in the distance or a police chase on television- it didn’t matter. Part of me was always braced for T-Ray or Mr. Shoe Gatson to drive up and end my charmed life.” This shows that Lily is always listening, or on the watch for something unusual. Overall, Lily is always aware and observant of everything going on around her. Today, it is very important for you to always be aware of what is going on. For example, if you are driving you must always be paying attention in case someone stops short or makes a quick turn. Latching-on to your surroundings is always a big part of life.
ReplyDeleteThe wind howled on a Saturday afternoon in Oregon. The sun was hidden behind the black as coal clouds and the day was coming to the end. It was like any other afternoon in Patricio’s house hold but, today was different. Knock! Knock! Knock! As Mr. Patricio answered the door there were two skinny little girls sitting in front of him. “Hello. We are stranded we need help.” The first girl cried. “We….we don’t have anywhere to... to stay.” followed the other girl as she shivered. Not knowing what else to do and being the guy that he is, Mr. Patricio let the girls in for dinner and a place to sleep for the night. Mr. Patricio is very affectionate and caring. He is often like August who did the same thing for Lily and Rosaleen. A is for August but, A is also for affectionate. August is very loving, kind, friendly, and caring. On page 82 it states, “The first week at August’s was a consolation… The first thing they did was take care of Rosaleen’s clothes. August got into her truck and went straight to the Amen Dollar Store.” This shows that not only was August nice enough to let Lily and Rosaleen in for a place to stay for a while but, she was also caring and generous enough to but Rosaleen new clothes. Overall, August is a very affectionate person and let’s hope she stays like that forever. This reminds me of a quote by Zara Phillips in which she said, “I am an affectionate person.” This reminds me of something August would possibly say.
Hannah Busch
ReplyDeleteEveryone in this world has to hide things from people. To either fit in or get information in a sneaky manner. It isn't such a good thing to do because it can cause many problems. Lily had to hide her whole life to fit in with the Boatwrights. She lied to them about her past. Besides "Lily for "L", another word that can describe her is lair. Lilly lied about her name, and how her dad died. In the text it states, "Rosaleen Smith and Lilly William, i lied and then launched in. See my mother died when i was little and then my father died in a tractor accident last month." This shows that Lily is a liar because her real name is Lily Owens and her dad is still alive. Lily only did it so that August would give then shelter. In the book, 4 Truths and a Lie, it was about a girl who lied about her whole life so she could be best friends with the most popular girl in the school. Things happen and the girl is stuck in her own lie. Lily will also be stuck in her own lie.
Michael Jordan has a desire and enthusiasm when he is playing basketball. He goes to the hoop, making every basket. He is a great help to his teammates. Michael loves basketball and that's why he has a desire to the sport. Zachary Taylor has a desire for something too. He has a desire for bees. He is so nice and gentle with them. Zachary has a zeal personality. Zeal means to have great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective. He is very gentle and his determination for the bees is very high. In the book it states, "He moved like a person with a genuine love for bees. I could not believe how gentle and softhearted he could be." In the movies, people need to have great energy if they are playing a huge role. They need to be enthusiastic.
There was once a time in this country where black and white people could not even look at each other. They were so separated, like someone had pull each of them apart and put a wall in between them. Could you have lived like this? Lily Owens couldn’t. Besides “Lily”, the “L” can stand for love. It stands for love because Lily loves most people. Many people during the Civil Rights Period were full of love, but only to their race. Lily loves both blacks and whites which is rarer than a 4 leaf clover at this time. Even the policemen, who are supposed to enforce the Civil Rights Act, did not love both races. They favored the white people, like the time when Rosaleen got beat up but still went to jail while the white men were let loose like two rodeo bulls, all excited and happy. Out of all the good qualities of Lily, I picked love because it is the most unique and different. On page 124 the text states,” We twined together to stay warm, our arms and legs like a white and black braid. This last thought shocked my system.” Lily was dreaming this thought, of loving a black boy. She was shocked because it was so unusual and different for a white girl to like a black boy, but that’s why I picked the word love. She loves both races. Lily is like Mother Theresa. Mother Teresa shares love to anyone around the world. She helps Black people, White people, Latino people, and Oriental people, anyone no matter who it is. Lily is not that deep but still loves other race, which is unusual especially during this time period.
ReplyDeleteSlavery was huge during this time period and it wasn’t always with African Americans. T-ray’s phrase is “taking advantage”. He takes advantage of Lily. On the peach farm, he makes her work like a horse, and he doesn’t give her anything but grits to kneel on. As a father, he should not enslave his child, but treat her like a normal human being. On page 15 Lily says, “It was the loneliest job a summer girl could have, standing out here selling T-Ray’s peaches. Out here on the roadside with three walls and a tin roof.” This is an example of how he treated his daughter, like dirt. He was truly taking advantage of her by making her do all of the work and no pay. Unlike Lily, he is a hater, not a lover. He doesn’t even love his own daughter. This might sound terrible, but T-ray is almost like Hitler, the way he makes Lily suffer and get no reward and also wear terrible clothes and stay in all night. Hitler does this to all of the people at the camps, but takes it to a much higher extent.
SK8-9
Besides “Lily”, an L word that describes Lily is “love”. She has received little to no love from T-Ray, and is more than willing to give as much love as she can. As August enters her life, Lily may just have someone to share all of her love with. It states in the book,” [Lily’s knees] were swollen with hundreds or red welts…” It is obvious that T-Ray’s years of torment have left Lily with all of her love to share. The quote above makes it clear that T-Ray offered Lily no love. I am lucky that I have parents that would do anything for me, for many others do not. As the novel progresses, I question whether the biological bond between T-Ray and Lily will be enough to overcome T-Ray’s harsh punishment.
ReplyDeleteA letter that can describe Zach is zealous. He is eager to be in a relationship with Lily, but cannot cross the cultural chasms that separate the two. Also, Zach is eager to become a lawyer. Zach states in the book,”’You gotta imagine what’s never been.’” Zach feels zealous when it comes to tearing down the walls that are racial segregation. Thanks to the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. and other various activists, today anyone of any race can have whatever job they like. I’m sure that Zach would be one amazing lawyer.
Living in a world where loss is the only thing you have ever known. You crave to be loved because you have not yet felt it. You are Lily Owens in The Secret Life of Bees. At stated in the text, “All I had to do was remember the Father’s Day card I made for you when I was nine and hoping for love.” Lily writes down her feelings toward T Ray in a letter that she never mails. When she was nine, she had spent a whole night trying to perfect a Father’s Day card for T Ray while wishing it to result in love towards her. Love is a word that describe Lily and her feeling toward many people and things. “I love you, I love you, I said in my head. I LOVE YOU. I tried to say it in thirty- two ways.” This quote from the book is what Lily is feeling towards the bees. To not only T Ray and the bees Lily shows examples of love, but also to August and Zachary who she has recently learned to love. I believe Lily has been shown a lack of love all her life. I believe that every young girl should receive love from their parents or someone they are close to, and before leaving Sylvan, she wasn’t. Lily lost her mom when at the young age of four and never could remember feeling her love. T Ray has always been depriving of Lily of the love and bond that fathers and daughters share, even though she has tried to give him all her love.
ReplyDeleteImagine living with a father that only brings you trouble and never consolation. T Ray is Lily’s trouble and the burden that she had to live with. “Well, who wouldn’t be sad living with T Ray?” was said by Lily regarding her father. T Ray showed very little to no affection towards his only daughter, who was beseeching for love from him. If Lily had lived with August originally, her life would not be full of T Ray and his troubles. T Ray has been notorious for making Lily kneel on the Martha White’s when she misbehaves. This is very cruel punishment that causes unnecessary trouble for a girl who only has ever tried to satisfy her father. The trouble that T Ray causes Lily reminds me of a recent story that I heard on the news. Michael Sam, an NFL player, has recently said he is gay. Mr. Sam, his father, disagrees with Michael’s choices and has been telling reporters that it is strange for a gay man to play football. I think family should have your back, no matter what. Even if Michael’s father didn’t 100% agree with him, there should be no validation for him to openly talk to reporters about the topic. As T Ray is to Lily, making her life troubled with his cruel actions, Mr. Sam is adding excess trouble to his son’s already controversial situation. The relationship between a father and their child should always be one that backs up one another and is there to back each other up. This relationship is not demonstrated by Lily and T Ray.
Lili Has lots of letters that can describe her but the one that has the best is Love. Lili is in love With Zach and she does not want to give him up. Zach said “Lily, I like you better than any girl I’ve ever known, but you have to understand, there are people who would kill boys like me for even looking at girls like you.” This shows that they both love each other and they’re not going to let the civil right acts pull them apart from each other.
ReplyDeleteT- Ray has lots of crazy names for his personality. The one that fits is terrible because he wants to find Lili and hurt her. T- Ray made her kneel on sand when she was not even guilty of the punishment. T- Ray has never been right after the death of his wife. He is not crazy on a hunt to find her and beat her down. If he finds out about Lili and Zach he will have another way of punishment for her.
7- eleven #1 option B
Lily stood still, contently appreciating the hugs from the thousands of bees. She felt as if she was surrounded in love of millions, making her love everything around her and in her life. In her mind, Lily was being taken into the air, her heart full of love, and slowly thinking about all the people and things she adored most. From August to Rosaleen to the bees, Lily loved it all. She was just full of content and love. An “L” word used to describe Lily is loving. As it states on page “I love you, I love you, I said in my head. I LOVE YOU. I tried to say it thirty two ways.” This quote is showing us the love Lily feels. From the moment Lily stepped foot into the pink house, she loved August the way a child loves her mother. Lily’s also always loved Rosaleen like a mother, and has appreciation towards May and June. Lastly, Lily loves Zach in numerous ways. Ever since Lily escaped the cruel world of T.Ray, she’s been filled with love for all the people and things around her, especially August, Rosaleen, and Zach.
ReplyDeleteAs Lily surrounds herself in love and happiness, across the yard is May, near her wailing wall. She slowly slips a piece of paper into the ground, pain and emotions overwhelming her mind and heart. An “M” word used to describe May is melancholy. May is a sad person in general, because she’s very upset about her sister April constantly, and all the bad news in the world is a burden to her. As it says on page 132, “May sank down onto the floor, crying and looking so hurt inside I could almost see soft, red places under her rib bones. August and I walked her out to her wall…” This quote shows us how May gets upset easily, and her wailing wall is one of her biggest comforts. Melancholy is an important word to describe May because she gets very upset and sorrowful very often. Being melancholy is part of May, and her wailing wall helps her heal her sadness.
Love; it was something Lily had never dreamed of receiving and getting until one day, she realized Rosaleen loved her, but afterwards she found nobody else who possibly felt the same, except her dead mother. One day, like a fairy tale, she found a whole house full of love. An “L” word that applies to Lily is love because she has finally discovered other people, besides Rosaleen, who love her and she loves them back. On page 140, Lily mentioned that during her conversation with August Boatwright, the kindly and refined Negro beekeeper, “I wanted to add, And you, I love you, but I felt too awkward”. This shows Lily’s maturity because she judged August, not as a Negro (like most whites in this time period of racial tension would), but for her actions of kindness and character of highest moral standards. Lily is discovering love in another unusual place, also. This is in Zachary “Zack” Taylor, who is Negro that blows Lily’s mind to pieces when he fits none of the racial stereotypes that Lily had unwittingly formed in her mind by listening to her old peers and other racists in the local area. This moment in Lily’s life is a crucial watershed moment. In a letter written to T. Ray, created after T. Ray doesn’t answer what Lily’s favorite color is, Lily angrily mentions, on page 162, “Remember…the Father’s Day card I made for you when I was nine and still hoping for love…?”. Lily’s tone implies her incredulity over her naiveté of expecting love, so her eventually receiving it and returning the feeling, to a multitude of different yet unexpected sources, is a major breakthrough.
ReplyDeleteAcceptant is a word to describe August, the loving beekeeper, due to the fact that she accepted Lily into her home without any reservations and even May’s death. One can see evidence of August’s fondness of Lily, unlike that of June’s mistrust, on page 139, where she asks Lily, “ ‘What else do you love, Lily?” Lily claims nobody ever asked her this, and that was because nobody cared enough about her to wonder that. August, on the other hand, did just that, highlighting that she thinks Lily matters and shouldn’t leave right away even though she knows that Lily lied about her reasons for being at Tiburon. August even receives the news of May’s death without any denial. On page 194, Lily writes with surprise, “I did not see horror on their [August and June’s] faces now, just heart broken acceptance”. What a tolerant person August is, without becoming angry or wracked with guilt over her sister May’s as many people in similar scenarios in our current world do, in order to try to lessen the pain they feel. August is acceptant because she is open-minded to differences and truths of life that nobody ever wants to hear.
On page 105, May made an "L" pancake for Lily. June throws it in the trash. Another "L" word that applies to Lily is learning. While Lily is at the sister's home, August teaches her life lessons about choosing. Lily spends a lot of time with August and during that time, August tells Lily several stories. On page 147, August says, "'I was gonna say, the problem is they know what matters, but they don't choose it. You know how hard that is, Lily? I love May, but it was still so hard to choose Caribbean Pink. The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.'" This explains that August is trying to tell Lily about choosing and decision-making. Lily is learning this and much more from August. Lily also learns much about August’s past and about how to care for bees. I predict that since Lily values her time with August so much, she will become attached and not want to leave her.
ReplyDeleteOne more character that I came up with is for A for August. An A word that describes her is approachable. Another word for approachable is welcoming and August was very welcoming to invite two strangers (Lily and Rosaleen) to stay in her home. On page 72, August says, “’Well you can stay here till you figure out what to do. We cant have you living on the side of the road.’” This shows that August has a very approachable and welcoming personality. Not everyone will allow random people to walk into their house and live with them. Also, Lily was white while the sisters are colored. During this time period, people were very against integration. I believe that since she was so open to allowing Lily and Rosaleen who are complete strangers to live with her, she has done it before for different people.
n the book, “Secret Life Of Bees”, May cooks a pancake for Lily in the shape of an L. I think that this “L” can stand for “Liar” as much as it does for “Lily”. L must stand for liar because Lily has lied to the Boatwrights. On page 131, Lily narrates “She knows...she knows who I am...”. These words appear after the scene in which Lily finds August’s book. The author also states that the pancake was burnt. This foreshadows that Lily will soon have to stop lying and tell the truth to everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe “M” in May can resemble mysterious. May Boatwright is very unusual and mysterious. On page 199, Lily says, “I looked down and saw the claw footed tub wearing the red socks May had put on its porcelain feet.” This quote relates to May because some of the things she does are odd or bizarre. May might be drawn back because of April’s death which makes her a little off. Mysterious people do things that most people do not think about.
In chapter six, May and Rosaleen were making pancakes and made an 'L' shaped one for Lily. Another 'L' word that describes Lily is longing. Lily really wants her mother to be back and to love her. Since she barely got to grow up with her mother she doesn't know what it's like to be loved. In the book on page eight, it says, "She was all I wanted." This shows that she is longing for her mother to be back and to have someone love her. She has tried to believe that T.Ray loves her but she can never fully convince herself.
ReplyDeleteBesides Lily, another character that can use their first initial to describe them is May. She is kind, gentle, and loving. The word to describe is mild which means that she is gentle, temperate, and nonirritating. May is a sweet person that helps bugs out of the house with marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs. "...igneous method of ridding the house of roaches - cracker crumbs and marshmallows -" May doesn't have a mean bone in her body and that's why she can be described as mild.
Ran Tun
ReplyDeleteMs. Drosdick
Language Arts/per.1
3/28/14
As the awful sent of burnt pancakes fill the room, Lily looks at the burnt L entering the trash, thinking of what that L meant. She thought of her name. L could however stand for many other things, that refer to Lily, like Literacy, on pg. 139 “Well, I love Rosaleen, and I love writing stories and poems—just gave me something to write and I will love it.” She loves a lot of things. She cares for reading and writing the most. She says she can write whatever, so she really loves to read. Another Example would be on pg. 161 “Have you ever written a letter you knew you could never mail but you need to write it anyway?” When Lily says this she is writing a letter to T-Ray. Even though she knows it’ll never be sent she still tries her hardest to write to the best of her abilities.
Lily however is not the only one that can be described or inferred with the first letter of her name. Others, such as T-Ray. T standing for tyrannical. T-Ray was no father to Lily, he was a tyrant before a father. A harsh and cruel person in charge. Easily in the first chapter the quote on pg. 24 “Get over here and kneel down” underneath her were grits, uncooked sharp, jagged grits. Again on pg. 39 “that woman could have cared less about you.” The woman being referred to is Lily’s mother. Someone who was an idle to Lily. T-Ray had tormented her by telling her what could have been the truth or a lie.
Lily is a girl with many characteristics consisting of some being horrific and some being greatly thankful. If there was one word that begins with the letter “L” that applies to Lily, the word would be lost. Ever since Lily has left her immoral father, her life has been lost by her not knowing where or what to do next. Luckily she found a place to stay at for quite some time, but she can’t just live there forever because she has to do stuff with her life like getting a job, going to school for an education, and even meeting some other friends they may help her throughout the rest of her life. On page 198, the policeman says to Lily “I’m just saying it’s not natural, that you shouldn’t be . . . well, lowering yourself.” This mostly resembles racism but it could also resemble how Lily doesn’t know what to do because she feels she can just live the rest of her life how she is now but when the policeman says, “I’m gonna come back soon, and I better not find you still here. Okay?” This makes Lily think about what she should do next and she is lost not only in actual life but in her mind because she doesn’t realize what the policeman is actual trying to say which would be to stay away from the opposing skin color because they will get you in trouble that you can’t get out of. The reason she wouldn’t be able to get out of it is because most Caucasian people can be at least a little racist. Lily better figure out where her life is going otherwise she’ll end up like Francis in the book Heroes, this guy was lost because he had no idea what to do after the war because he felt everyone disliked him which makes him have to think hard on what he should do.
ReplyDeleteT-Ray has many things to learn before he can actually be known as the number one dad by his children. There is just one word that sticks out for T-Ray which begins with the “T” and it is the word terrifying. If anyone had T-Ray as a dad you would know that he is terrifying because you don’t even get to explain yourself which can cost your knees because T-Ray would make you put them on dried grits until they bleed. Now knowing about T-Ray’s actions, everyone would be depressed if they were Lily, his daughter. On page 24, when T-Ray makes her kneel on these dried grits, he says terrifyingly “Get over here and kneel down.” Even before he says this, he calls his own daughter a mean word and he doesn’t even know that what he is claiming she did is false. Fathers tend to listen to their children speak and try to claim what actual happened so they don’t get in trouble, but T-Ray is the opposite and results straight to physical pain. T-Ray is actually breaking the First amendment of the Bill of Rights because he is not giving Lily the freedom of speech and because he goes straight to pain and doesn’t care, makes him a terrifying dad and person.
Your initial is on your pillow, your bedspread, your notebook. You mark it on things for your name. You never thought of these letters having any other meaning than your name, but they might just be the first letter of a word to describe you. In The Secret Life of Bees, May made Lily a pancake shaped like an L, for Lily. Other than Lily, the L could have stood for a lot of other things to describe Lily. One word that comes to my mind is liar. In the book, Lily lies a lot to get out of and stay out of trouble, even though if she got caught, it could just make things worse. In the story, Lily states, “Any other day of my life I could have won a fibbing contest hands down…” Many times throughout the book Lily lies. She lies to the Boatrights about why she’s there, her name, and her past. Lily later lies to the police to protect Rosaleen. In Superman, the “S” is really the Kryptonian symbol of hope but people refer to it as standing for “Superman”. This relates to Lily and the pancake because the letter could have other meanings.
ReplyDelete“Rosaleen lifted her snuff jug, which was filled with black spit, and calmly poured it across the tops of the [white] men’s shoes.” When the white men taunted her because she wanted to vote, Rosaleen poured her spit onto the men’s shoes to prove that she wasn’t going to take their insults. The R in Rosaleen is another example of letters with different purposes. The R in Rosaleen can stand for rebel. She doesn’t like to go with the flow of discrimination and stands up for herself when others won’t. After she poured the spit, Rosaleen refused to apologize because she believed that the men truly deserved it. Rosaleen reminds me of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games because they are both rebels because they stand up for what they think is right. The shiny initial on your pillow starts to look a little different. Every time you look at it, you see a new word, one that describes yourself.
That's my comment (Mike Castro)
ReplyDeleteAn “L” word that applies to Lily would be lying. Just because I say lying doesn’t mean that’s she a liar through and through, but she has lied about quite a few things. She’s lied about the names of herself and Rosaleen, about where she came from, and about her parents. “I have noticed that if you look carefully at people’s eyes the first five seconds they look at you, the truth of their feelings will shine through for just an instant before it flickers away.” This is a quote that Lily says when she senses that August knew that she was lying about everything that Lily had told her. Also, before they arrived at the Boatwright’s house, Lily lied to the clerk at Frogmore’s. She doesn’t want to lie, but she is doing all that she can to stay away from T. Ray. If that includes lying, then so be it.
ReplyDeleteShe is kind, loving, and compassionate. She is August Boatwright. A word that is used to describe her would have to be affectionate, not only because it works with her name, but because it describes her personality. She took in 2 complete strangers with a questionable past. Instead of trying to pry even further, she just let them be until they were ready to tell what they were hiding. She had a godson whose parents had died, and took him in without any second thought. Everything that she does is done for other people. She’s a selfless person, always willing to put others ahead of herself. All of these things all boil down to being affectionate.
L is for love. Love is probably the world’s most used word. There are many definitions for it. You say it to your loved one and how you describe something. Without it our world would not go ‘round. An L word that applies to Lily is the word Love because she feels love towards Zachary Taylor. After spending a lot of time together, Lily found out that she liked Zach. As the book says, “…I knew I was crying because he had that one-sided dimple I loved, because every time I look at him I got a hot, funny feeling that circulated from my waist to my kneecaps, because I’d been going along being my normal girl self and the next thing I knew I’d passed through a membrane into a place of desperation. I was crying, I realized, for Zach. “Lily loves Zach, even though he is black. She loves his one-sided dimple and everything about him. Lily knows that she cannot love him, but she does. This reminds me of the movie Up. In the beginning, one of the main characters and his wife met as just friends. At first, they were just friends, and then developed feelings. He loved her. Just like Lily loves Zach. Love is like a virus; it spreads to you and affects you. Love is powerful and painful.
ReplyDeleteT-Ray is mean. He abuses Lily a lot and does not care about how she feels. He ignores her, and if Lily talks to him he ends up punishing her. A word that describes T-Ray is terrible. T-Ray is the opposite of a loving father. He is just like his nickname. He ignores Lily, abuses her, and doesn’t care about her. Every day it is the same cycle; abuse and abuse. As the book says, “Martha Whites were a form of punishment only T-Ray could have dreamed up.” This shows that T-Ray abuses her. T-Ray comes up with crazy ways of punishment, even something like kneeling on grits. This reminds me of a book Divergent. The father of one of the main characters abused him. Just like T-Ray and Lily. T-Ray is Lily’s worst nightmare; he’s like the monster under her bed.
Besides Lily, a word that begins with “L” and describes her is lugubrious. On page 13, paragraph 4, Lily says, “Not long after I found a paper bag in the attic stapled at the top. Inside it I found the last traces of my mother.” On page 3, paragraph 2, Lily says, “Mother forgive please forgive.” This shows that she is depressed or lugubrious about her mother’s death and mourning her loss. She feels even worse because as far as she remembers, she was the one that killed her by picking a loaded gun up off of the floor. She was only four years old when her mother died, so she doesn’t remember much and is constantly searching for items that could tie her to her mother and learn more about her. As an effect of this, she runs away from T-ray to Tiburon where she knows her mother has been from a photo that belonged to her.
ReplyDeleteAnother character who can be described with a word that begins with the first letter of her name is Rosaleen. Her word is resolute. She is resolute because she is courageous and strong; both synonyms of resolute. On page 32, paragraph 2, “Rosaleen lifted her snuff jug, which was filled with black spit, and calmly pored it across the toes of the men’s shoes!” On page 35, paragraph 9, it states, “That was when the dealer lifted the flashlight over his head, then down, smashing into Rosaleen’s forehead.” Rosaleen is courageous and not afraid to express her opinions, which lead to her pouring spit on three racists’ shoes for calling her names. This led to her getting beat by them for an apology with a flashlight and not saying a word to them. As an effect of her courageousness, she endured a concussion and stitches in her heard when the men came back a second time and beat her for no apologizing the last time.
4musketeers4
A letter can symbolize a person’s name, personality, or favorite thing to do. This is shown during The Secret Life of Bees because May makes Lily a pancake in the shape of an L because her name starts with a L. The pancake could also be in the shape of an L to represent love. On page 149 the book says “I love you, I love you, I said in my head. I LOVE YOU.” This shows that the L pancake would fit Lily because she loves the three Boatwright sisters, Zach, Rosaleen, and her mom. When people say love, if they have never experienced it they do not fully understand it, so the word love means nothing to them, however in Lily’s case she loves many things and understands it.
ReplyDeleteSymbolization is literary element that really separates high level writing from average writing, but if symbolization is not used correctly it can break your writing. If May had a pancake the M would represent melancholy. The M would represent melancholy because after April died May has become very sad. On page 125 the text states “I laughed the way May cried.” This shows that May is sad and cries often. May sometimes is energized like a bunny and other times she is extremely sad. Depression is a big problem in today’s world because it has caused many to take their own lives. I think those people don’t realize that people love them. When May cries she always has somebody to help her. This is why May doesn’t take her life.
4muskteers15
ReplyDeleteLily is as lonely as a widow. A word that starts with “L” that describes Lily is lonely. She lost her mother, her dad treats her like a dog, has no really friends. She ran away from home, and now even though she is living with June and August, they are not her real friends, and sadly, she lives in a time where Whites and Blacks cannot be friends. This is important because it is what shapes her, this loneliness is what her character is made of and created by. One quote that supports Lily being lonely is found on page 2, it states, “Rosaleen had worked for us since my mother died.” This shows that Lily has no mothers, making her lonely. Another quote is found also on page 2, it states, “My daddy—who I called T. Ray because ‘Daddy’ never fit him.” This shows that she never really had a dad either because it infers that she didn’t consider him as her dad. This “loneliness” reminds me of when George was lonely after he shot Lennie. This reminds me of loneliness because he was only lonely after he did what he had to do to Lennie, much like how Lily is now lonely when she had to cut (what little relationship with her father) off.
May is as mad as the Mad Hatter. The word that describes May that begins with “M” is mad. This word describes her because she really is off her rocker, but it doesn’t mean she is bad. This word has importance because it describes her and her role in the story. The mad person is not bad, but the mad person teaches the group things that nobody else can. She had a big effect on the story, due to her madness. One quote that supports me is found on page 172, it states, “She pulled one out of and pinched off little pieces of it. Crazy may.” This shows that she is mad, in her own way, but she still greatly impacts the story. Another quote that supports me is found also on page 172, it states, “She is a lunatic about bugs… She used to make trails of graham cracker crumbs and marshmallows to lure roaches outside.” This shows that even though she is mad, she still teaches the group lessons that every life is just as important. This reminds me of the Mad Hatter. Both he and May were mad, but they both were kind, and showed us the other sides of things.
One word that applies to Lily is “love.” I think this word is perfect for Lily because she is dedicated to everything she does. To have that kind of dedication, you need to truly love something. Lily truly loves her mother, and everything she has done so far revolves around the people she loves andher mother. Yet Lily doesnt just love her mother; when she came toTiburon she discovered may new things and people to love. She loves the Calendar Sisters, she loves Rosaleen, she loves Zack, and she loves writing. August once said that some languages have over thirty different ways of saying the word love, and in English, there is only one. Regardless of this barrier, Lily is a loving person, and the word Love descibes her well.
ReplyDeleteAugust is another important character in the book. One word that describes her well is “admirable.” This word is just perfect for her because she really is someone to be admired. Like Lily, she is extremely dedicated. To her friends, to her family, and to the bees. Just the way she looks at life is something to admire. Onemay think that keeping bees is not always an exciting thing but august truly loves the bees. Her attitude towards everything is laid-back, but stern. She doesn’t freak out about things, like Zach going to jail, but she always knows what to do. She will gladly take care of May when she is upset. Even though she wants her to stop going to the wailing wal. Somehow August always tends to the bees without fail. She is an amazing person with an personality of a river; always changing always working, but steady and calm. Obviously, August is a good role model and someone to be admired of all that she does.
Another "L" word for Lily is 'loving'. Lily has gone through many ups and downs, yet she still takes the time to show affection. Lily loves August, but is scared when it's said it will be awkward. "I wanted to add, And you, I love you, but I felt too awkward." Lily is sweet and kind and caring to everyone and everything even if they feel the same way or not. Lily even loves bees, "I love you, I love you, I said in my head. I LOVE YOU. I tried to say it thirty-two way."
ReplyDeleteAccepting is a word used to describe August. She expresses no fear and is willing to do the right thing. This is shown when Lily and Rosaleen show up on her doorstep, instead of dismissing a black woman with a white girl that most probably ran away, she welcomes them into her home with open hearts. This shows how August is a warm, nurturing, and accepting woman. What's more admirable about August is that she did not want to get married because she did not want to lose her independence.
Police sirens wail, going to either rescue or ruin someone. Lily can be described by many different words; lucky is one of those words. “Part of me was always braced for T. Ray or Mr. Shoe Gaston to drive up and end my charmed life.” Lily was lucky that no one had found her yet. In chapter 9, when Lily visited the jail, she was lucky that no police officer recognized her or Rosaleen. She is living in Tiburon, where people probably won’t look for her. So far, she is being hidden in Tiburon, but it will not be long before her luck runs out, and someone finds her. She believes that the Black Mary is protecting her and keeping her hidden, but it could just be luck that she hasn’t been found. She was also lucky when she was able to sneak Rosaleen out of the hospital without anyone catching them. Lily has good luck, which is why she is lucky.
ReplyDeleteAugust Boatwright is an amazing lady. She has two people just show up at her doorstep, and let them live with her and her sisters. August can be described as accepting. “Well, you can stay here till you figure out what to do. We can’t have you living on the side of the road.” August didn’t even know Lily and Rosaleen, but took them in and gave them work to do. August accepts Lily like she was Lily’s mother. August doesn’t seem to mind their differences, which would cause a problem with other people. “The last thing I want is to scare her off with a lot of questions. She’ll tell us when she’s ready. Let’s be patient.” August doesn’t judge Lily or Rosaleen, even though she knows that their story isn’t fully true. So, August can be described as an accepting person.
Lily winced for the umpteenth time. There was no end to the suffering and pain on her knees. It was like a living hell. She tried to loosen the pain by shifting her weight on each knees every few seconds. She had to endure the punishment T. Ray, Lily’s father, had set up. Another “L” word that applies to Lily is longsuffering. Lily had to patiently endure the pain and suffering, emotionally and physically, from T. Ray since a long time. “I nearly killed myself working on [T. Ray’s father’s day card]…the next day I find it on a telephone table where you peeled a peach on top of it (page 162).” This is a display of T. Ray’s cruelty. T. Ray destroyed a card Lily worked vigorously and so hard on without any second thought. This would have been enough mental abuse to bring someone crying. “I swayed from knee to knee, hoping for a second or two of relief, but the pain cut deep into my skin… ‘How long did he keep you on these grits?’… ‘Maybe an hour.’” This also displays T. Ray’s cruelty and abusiveness. T. Ray kept his daughter on hard sturdy grits for over an hour! Lily endured patiently with the emotional and physical pain. Lily was very longsuffering, enduring pain ever so patiently.
ReplyDelete“When you and I hear about some misery out there, it might make us feel bad for a while… but May -- … all the suffering out there – She feels as if it’s happening to her. She can’t tell the difference. (page 95)” May breaks down when any misfortune falls upon someone. Another “M” word that applies to May is mournful. She cannot feel the difference between the suffering of strangers and her own. “[May] was upset over a Negro man named Mr. Raines, who was killed by a shotgun from a passing car in Georgia. They showed a picture of his widow, holding her children… May rocked back and forth, slapping her arms and scratching at her face” This is a reaction of May after she hears a bad news. May is suffering from this news that she takes it on herself physically. May is so sad. May is so mournful over a matter that does not directly involve her.
Lily is a teenage girl that is going to get herself in a lot of trouble. Lily was a little liar to August when she and Rosaleen came to the house. She didn’t want to give away any information yet; I guess she’s waiting on the right time to tell the truth. “‘So you’re Lily and Rosaleen,’ August said ‘Do you have last names?’
ReplyDelete‘Rosaleen… Smith, and Lily… Williams,’ I lied…”
Lily also lied to August about Virginia and meeting her “Aunt Bernie”, and how Rosaleen was beaten, and her whole plan for once herself and Rosaleen start back on the road again. But even August knows she’s lying like a rug “And the thing is, she did. She saw right through it” August saw right through the lies that Lily told her, and Lily knew it. Lily knew that August knew, and Lily was going to have to tell the truth at one point, and can’t keep too many lies from August during her stay at the Boatwright’s. I think that it is ok to say a couple lies due to the fact that they do not know these people, but Lily and Rosaleen will have to trust the Boatwright’s because they are staying at their house and helping them with their bee business. Lily probably didn’t have to lie about Rosaleen’s bruises and how she was beaten, I didn’t see why that had to be a secret, but I understand more of the running away and where they are going lie part. I for one am a very bad liar and when I do lie it always backfires somehow. I could probably never do what Lily did, but “A good memory is needed once we have lied” which I definitely don’t have.
T. Ray is not someone who you don’t want to be hanging around with. He is a terrible and twisted man. He intentionally forces Lily, his daughter, to do things she doesn’t want to do, like kneel on grits for hours. He is a terrible father to Lily and is twisted for even punishing her when she does nothing wrong. “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.” This reminds of a story I saw on the news about a girl with an abusive father. He would use a belt to whip her, and just listening to the story scared me. She didn’t have a choice, but years later the father was caught and he apologized to his daughter. I think that T. Ray will end up really miss having Lily around the house, and apologize to her. I am just curious if she will forgive and forget T. Ray, or will she stay with Rosaleen and the Boatwrights.
When May made the L pancake for Lily, it was said that it was made to stand for Lily. That is, after June threw it away. Another L word that applies to Lily is “limitless”. Lily is limitless because of 2 main reasons. Page 42 is when Lily got away from T-Ray. She could not be held down by T-Ray’s abusive nature, she would not conform to the limits set by T-Ray. Thus, she has effectively become limitless. She has no limits. This is like Curley’s wife from “Of Mice and Men”, except in reverse. She was being held down by Curly, but she either didn’t have the courage or the plan to break free.
ReplyDeletePerhaps May could make a pancake for Rosaleen in the shape of an R to symbolize “Rowdy”. Assuming she even knew what happened with the three white men of course. It wasn’t only that however, there were many other spots in the book where she was able to show her general sass. For example, on page 104, June was wondering why May had one of her outbursts. While Lily did not want to say the reason with Neil standing in the room, Rosaleen blurts out, “She’s upset you won’t marry Neil”. I honestly cannot link Rosaleen to any other character in any other book I have read. She is just so out there she really stands out in a crowd. Maybe R for “Recognizable”, then.
Love is an l word. Four simple words with meanings that are uncomprehend able. For the lucky ones, it is used everyday and sid with full meaning, but for some others, it is not. Lily, in The Secret Life of Bees, is in love with Zach Taylor. Love, is such a powerful world in which we all feel in different ways. In the book, lily says how she gets this weird buzzy feeling through out her entire body. Her love with zach is vert different and difficult compared to most loves. Today, you can, for the most part, love who you want and do it publicly. But back then, there was no way someone who was white could love someone who was black, but yet i find it amazing beautiful and amazing that lily found a .way to break that rule of society
ReplyDeleteOne word that describes June that also starts with a J is jealousy. She might not show it, but i think some of the anger that she shows is really just jealousy in disguise. In so many different ways, june has the most pressure on her. She needs to be looked up to by her sisters, therefore having jealousy of her sisters freedom and carelessness. Her mind and soul cant be free to roam like those of her sisters. She cant show her real emotions without exposing the fact that this tough act is not real. They are all expecting this tough woman, but really, she is jealous of the fact that she cant just break down sometimes like any regular human would.