When completing open-ended
responses, remember to use RATE.
Prompt:
Choose one of the major characters
in the text so far: Lily, Rosaleen,T. Ray, August, May, or June. Each of
them played a significant role in the development of the novel's conflicts.
Response Required
- Describe the character and how they have been shaped by their lives.
- How does history and what we learned in the setting stations influence the character's development?
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The Secret Life of Bees. Week 2 Blog 1
ReplyDeleteMeet Lily, a nice fourteen year old girl who has been suffering a life of pain and punishment. Her life has been shaped this way by her terrible father T.Ray, and the guilt of killing her deceased mother Deborah. As shown in Chapter 1, Lily accidently killed her mom when she was only four years old. As the text stated, Lily has had a hard life ever since that dreadful day. Her father would punish her by making her kneel on Martha Whites or uncooked grits to be more specific. One night when Lily dragged T.Ray out of bed to show him the bees in her room, he threaten her to kneel on Martha Whites, he actually did this to Lily when he caught her out of bed in chapter 2. Kneeling on grits for an hour to Lily is like being grounded for a week to somebody else and both share the equal amount of pain.
This took place during the Civil Rights Act, the period of time where African Americans started to earn their rights to vote and have the same equality as a white. What we learned in the setting stations influence the character's development is that some of the news headlines have been based off the hatred of blacks and whites. Like the people who burned down Martin Luther King Jr’s house or the Church Bombing, all of them were white people who tried to put a stop to the Civil Rights Act. This influenced Lily’s life when Rosaleen got arrested and hospitalized when she poured some snuf on a white man’s shoes. It ended up leading to lily running away from home, breaking Rosaleen out of the hospital/jail and begins her journey to a mystery waiting to be solved.
Lily has been shaped by her life, with her mother’s death and her rough upbringing, since she has still tender from her mother’s death, is basically friendless and has fewer opportunities available to her. On page 54, after Lily awakes after a previous argument with Rosaleen to find her gone, she states, “Fumbling to get my shoes on, I felt the same old grief I’d known in church every single Mother’s Day. Mother, forgive.” This shows Lily’s insecurity because she quickly rushes to the judgment that Rosaleen, like her birth mother, had simply abandoned her. Lily being emotionally unstable by quickly becoming depressed at her supposed abandonment reminds me of the stories on the news of veterans with PTSD because they are unable to get over the horrors of their past and, instead, live in gloominess and despair. In addition, Lily Owens is quite withdrawn from society because of her mother’s death. She laments, on page 2, “My mother died when I was four years old. It was a fact of life, but if I brought it up, people would suddenly get interested in their hangnails and cuticles, or else distant places in the sky, and seem not to hear me.” This highlights Lily’s difficulties in getting along with others since they were unable to accept Lily’s past related to her mother’s passing away. This may be a reason why Lily finds it easier to be near Rosaleen who also endured a hard childhood since she originated from a poor slave family with numerous siblings..
ReplyDeleteHistory and what we learned in the setting stations influenced this character’s development because her home life and her mother’s death make her abnormal in the eyes of her peers because she doesn’t know how to dress or act appropriately. On page 9, she Lily admits, “I had thought my real chance [at becoming a charming young woman] would come from going to charm school at the Women’s Club last spring…but I got barred because I didn’t have a mother, a grandmother, or even a measly aunt.” Since Rosaleen and her abusive father, T. Ray, are oblivious to how Lily should be acting, she tries to go to charm school, but the absence of her mother eradicates this option. Plus, Lily’s surrogate mother, Rosaleen, and her father make no effort to open her eyes to the cultural tension between the Negroes and the Caucasians, which were formed due to the Negroes’ former enslavement by the other race. Lily is subsequently overly friend towards blacks, some of which don’t open Lily with open arms. On page 87, Lily discovers “June might not want me here because of my skin color…being white.” After eavesdropping on a conversation between June and August, Lily realizes that some Negroes may feel antipathy towards white like whites felt towards Negroes in the Civil Rights era of the 1950s. Lily is influenced by history and the place she lives in because she doesn’t function properly for this time period and is ignorant of the rigidity between humans of various races due to the former history between them.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Davis
Ms. Drosdick
3/19/14
Period 4
Journal B
The character Lily has been shaped by her life. When Lily is first introduced to the reader, we learn that she has a strange fascination with bees. Her “nanny,” Rosaleen, associates bees with death, but Lily views them as fascinating creatures and compares them to the angel, Gabriel. Rosaleen is now her stand-in mother because Lily’s mom died when she was four. Clearly, Lily misses her mother. She even fantasizes dying and seeing her mother in heaven (paradise). Sue Monk Kidd shows how Lily longs for her mother in many places in the book. She begins with Lily speaking about her hair. Since Lily’s abusive dad, T. Ray refuses to buy her bristle rollers, Lily uses grape juice cans instead. She explains, “You can tell which girls lack mothers by the look of their hair.” Kidd shows how Lily misses her mother in other places of the book. Lily’s longing for her mother is mostly due to the fact that her father abuses her and neglects her needs. On page 8, Lily gives a long list of what T. Ray doesn’t believe in. He doesn’t believe in slumber parties, sock hops, football games, prep rallies, or pretty clothes. As the reader can imagine, T. Ray doesn’t want his daughter to be happy. If neglect isn’t enough, he has Lily kneel on grits as a punishment. Lily’s been kneeling on grits since she was little. She explains, “I’d been kneeling on grits since I was six, but still I never got used to that powdered-glass feeling beneath my skin.” Due to long years of abuse, it only made her tougher. She finally snaps and stands up to T. Ray when he refuses to get Rosaleen from jail. When he threatens her, she says, “You don’t scare me.” Lily’s life experiences have made her a tough, determined girl.
The Secret Life of Bees takes place in Sylvan, South Carolina in the 1960s. Girls are wearing shorter skirts and makeup. Boys are styling their hair with Vitalis and carrying combs in their shirt pockets. Poor Lily had to go to school wearing long britches under her Pentecostal dresses. It made her a nervous wreck when girls were always talking about her appearance behind her back. Also segregation was occurring and black and white people were separated from each other in many public places. This meant that the only person who Lily considered her mother cannot be with her during important events in her life. For instance, when Lily wants to join charm school, she is barred because she doesn’t have a mother. Rosaleen is against the rules because she is black. Lily explains how she felt: “I’d cried till I threw up in the sink.” History and the setting elements in the book shaped Lily’s character development.
The boy stood, lost in a sea of people. His legs wobbled, and tears flew from his eyes like a garden hose. Being lost is scary. There is no one to guide you, no one to help you, and you have nowhere to go. Lily is also lost, only she is lost in life. Her mother died, her father abuses her, and that has impacted who she is. The text states, “He didn’t believe in sock parties or sock hops which wasn’t a big concern as I never got invited to them anyways, but he refused to drive me to football games, pep rallies, or Beta Club car washes, which were held every Saturday.” Lily has a positive outlook on life, but the lack of love has affected her. She makes her own clothes, which makes her lack confidence. Her only real friend is Rosaline, who is African American and is discriminated against causing Lily more pain. If she hasn’t been through enough, she spends most of the day thinking about her dead mother. For Lily to keep a positive attitude, she has to work hard, and that has made her stronger. Lily’s life has been full of pain, but Lily uses it to make her stronger. The way Lily deals with pain is the opposite of how May does. May lets the pain get to her, and she has to go to her wailing wall impacting her daily life. Lily however, powers through it.
ReplyDeleteHas a friend’s pain ever bothered you too? Rosaline, Lily’s only friend in the beginning of the book, is an African American affected by racism in the 1960’s. When Lily and Rosaline go to town to register to vote, this racism is shown. After rude comments from gas station workers, Rosaline pours black spit on their shoes. The men then beat her. The text states, “Rosaline lay sprawled on the ground, pinned, twisting her fingers around clumps of grass. Blood ran from a cut beneath her eye. It curved under her chin the way tears do.” Seeing a friend in pain is not a good feeling. For Lily, to see her only friend beaten for the color of her skin is even worse. I predict that this will not be the last time that racial discrimination becomes a problem in the novel. Lily did not do much to stop it this time, but next time she will likely try to help.
Boom! A single gunshot reverberated in Lily’s ears and her beloved mother crumpled to the floor. A single moment and Lily’s life turned upside down on a journey one would never have predicted. Lily has been shaped by her life, with her mother’s death and her rough upbringing, since she has still tender from her mother’s death, is basically friendless and has fewer opportunities available to her. On page 54, after Lily awakes after a previous argument with Rosaleen to find her gone, she states, “Fumbling to get my shoes on, I felt the same old grief I’d known in church every single Mother’s Day. Mother, forgive.” This shows Lily’s insecurity because she quickly rushes to the judgment that Rosaleen, like her birth mother, had simply abandoned her. Lily being emotionally unstable by quickly becoming depressed at her supposed abandonment reminds me of the stories on the news of veterans with PTSD because they are unable to get over the horrors of their past and, instead, live in gloominess and despair. In addition, Lily Owens is quite withdrawn from society because of her mother’s death. She laments, on page 2, “My mother died when I was four years old. It was a fact of life, but if I brought it up, people would suddenly get interested in their hangnails and cuticles, or else distant places in the sky, and seem not to hear me.” This highlights Lily’s difficulties in getting along with others since they were unable to accept Lily’s past related to her mother’s passing away. This may be a reason why Lily finds it easier to be near Rosaleen who also endured a hard childhood since she originated from a poor slave family with numerous siblings.
ReplyDeleteHistory and what we learned in the setting stations influenced this character’s development because her home life and her mother’s death make her abnormal in the eyes of her peers because she doesn’t know how to dress or act appropriately. On page 9, she Lily admits, “I had thought my real chance [at becoming a charming young woman] would come from going to charm school at the Women’s Club last spring…but I got barred because I didn’t have a mother, a grandmother, or even a measly aunt.” Since Rosaleen and her abusive father, T. Ray, are oblivious to how Lily should be acting, she tries to go to charm school, but the absence of her mother eradicates this option. Plus, Lily’s surrogate mother, Rosaleen, and her father make no effort to open her eyes to the cultural tension between the Negroes and the Caucasians, which were formed due to the Negroes’ former enslavement by the other race. Lily is subsequently overly friend towards blacks, some of which don’t open Lily with open arms. On page 87, Lily discovers “June might not want me here because of my skin color…being white.” After eavesdropping on a conversation between June and August, Lily realizes that some Negroes may feel antipathy towards white like whites felt towards Negroes in the Civil Rights era of the 1950s. Lily is influenced by history and the place she lives in because she doesn’t function properly for this time period and is ignorant of the rigidity between humans of various races due to the former history between them.
Lily is such a sweet, caring girl who always stands up for what she believes in. Lily lies to a lot of people about herself and can be very secretive at times. She has lied about her last name, what she is looking for, where she is going, and more. Lily is from Sylvan and she lives with her father, T-Ray, and her housekeeper Rosaleen. Lily’s mother was shot by Lily when she was about four years old. T-Ray claims that her mother, Deborah, never loved Lily and she tried leaving before she died. T-Ray told Lily this on page 40, it says “Your sorry mother ran off and left you. The day she died, she’d come back to get her things, that’s all.” This event has a great impact on Lily’s life because later on in the book Lily runs off to find who she was and if anyone knew her mother. She and Rosaleen went to a house to find August Boatwright. They wanted to see if August knew who Deborah was because a few days before, Lily had found the same picture that had been placed on the front of August’s honey jar. This point in the book was all started because of Lily’s past with her mother and father. If her past hadn’t occurred Lily wouldn’t be in the position she is in at the moment.
ReplyDeleteJournal Entry
ReplyDeleteLily is a character in The Secret Life of Bees and is shaped by past experiences in their lives. Lily doesn’t have the best relationship with her dad (also known as T.Ray).On page 2 it explains part of the relationship between Lily and T- Ray, it says, “My daddy--- who I called T.Ray because “Daddy” never fit him…”. T.Ray’s dog (Snout) was treated better than she was. On page 3 it says, “His only kindness was for Snout, his bird dog, who slep in his bed and got her stomach scratched anytime she rolled onto her wiry back. I’ve seen Snout pee on T.Ray’s boot and it not get a rise out of him.” T.Ray always lies to Lily, now Lily starts to lie. Lily lied why she was in the segregated corridor of the hospital. At the hospital she made this call as the jailer’s wife saying, “‘This is the jailer’s wife over at the police station, ‘ I said to the girl who answered. ‘ Mr. Gatson wants you to send the policeman that we’ve got over there back…’ “. She lied so she can get Rosaleen from the hospital. Lily learned lots of curse words from T.Ray shaping the type of language she uses. Lily is lonely all the time and doesn’t have any friends. This shapes her differently since she is alone. Lily mother died when she was four and only has one memory of her left. Having no mother to help her daughter grow up is hard. Lily has a picture of a Black Virgin Mary that was her mother’s that leads her on a crazy adventure. Lily practically raised herself, since one didn’t care and the other died. In the movie The Heat one of the two main characters Sarah Ashburn was an orphan and was lonely throughout school with no family. She met Shannon Mullins part of the Boston Police Department which switched things around through their wacky adventure. Sarah earned a “sister” at the end of their experience giving her someone.
The history and what we learned in the setting stations influenced the character’s development. During this time period, Sylvan was segregated like the rest of the south. Rosaleen (African American) was T.Ray’s worker and was known like that to Lily. Primarily African American were disliked in the south and worked for others. On page 32 the men were saying hurtful things about Rosaleen so she did,”…Rosaleen lifted her snuff jug, which was filled with black spit, and calmly poured it across the tops of the men’s shoes… writing her name—Rosaleen Daise--- just the way she’d practiced. “Growing up in a time period like this affects Lily in many ways because T.Ray and the rest of the community say many things. Lily lives with the Boatwright sisters (African Americans) and Rosaleen in Tiburon. A white young girl living with African Americans sounds kind of funny right? Lily doesn’t care what race they are she is on an adventure of a life time. This has relation to the Holocaust, Jewish people were singled out and this changed what people thought to them because of a single person.
Lena Corrado
ReplyDeleteJournal Entry: Option B
August Boatwright has been shaped by her life in a variety of ways. She is the oldest sister of May and June. She lives with them in a flamingo pink house, making honey with their bee farm. She is a very kind hearted lady and is very wise. She’s attentive towards other’s problems and very unselfish. But, most importantly, she is strong and independent. August grew up in a time period that was very harsh. African Americans weren’t treated in the same way as others were. This led to the development of August’s life and personality. On page 72 of the book, it reads, “Well, you can stay here till you figure out what t do. We can’t have you living on the side of the road.” When August says this to Lily and Rosaleen, it shows how she has become humble, generous, and understanding of others because of the life of hardship and success she has lived. I read a book about a boy who was in the Holocaust, and after he survived it, he spread his story, and became very successful. Him and August share similarities. Both have been shaped and altered because of their lives and experiences they have endured.
The history and setting has influenced August’s development in the sense that she has become humble and strong. In the setting stations, we learned of the Civil Rights Movements. This was a dramatic experience for everyone. We also learned of all the prejudice and hate associated with this time period directed towards African Americans. In the text, it reads, “But August-… they’ll stay here.” When June protested having Lily and Rosaleen stay because Lily was white, August reconfirms the fact of them staying. This shows how strong, and open to all ethnicities August is. Her time period has shown her all the bad, so she makes it better by showing all of her good. In Vietnam, Biâc Neugyen was arrested for siding with the Americans. He was smart though. He acted insane to break free and go home. After his scary and heart stopping experience, Biâc rejected the negative outcomes and chaos around him. He did this by spreading the love and making a difference. His effort was successful and was able to relocate many families to America safely. Like August, both had been around harsh times and a part of a big moment in history. But, both used their experiences to their advantage and became wise. Both were also able to spread positivity.
#7eleven3
I have been judged and mistreated all my life, but that ends now. President Lyndon B. Johnson has changed that all for me and many others. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has just taken action. This Act allows African Americans like me to vote and apply for any job I want because of the Equal Employment Opportunity. I hope I will be treated equally now and start living worry free… Rosaleen’s character in The Secret Life of Bees has been shaped by her life in her attitude and actions. As stated in the text, “Coming alongside the men, Rosaleen lifted her snuff jug, which was filled with black spit, and calmly poured it across the tops of the men’s shoes...” Rosaleen poured her spit on the men after they yelled names at her. Although the Civil Rights Act was for everyone to be treated equal, the men didn’t listen. Rosaleen was ecstatic to finally have the ability to vote and the three men made ruined it for her by telling her she wasn’t smart enough to. Her character acts upon her feelings and doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do. These actions of her have been brought on by the unfair way she has been treated. This makes me think about Hazel from the famous Little Rock Nine picture. I wonder if her actions were shaped by the way she lived and made her believe she was not equal to Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteYou are sick of your horrible job and tired of the little pay you receive. You want to get another job but you can’t because you live in fear of being mistreated at your new job… Rosaleen’s development as a character is affected by history. Years ago, African Americans were not allowed to work at certain jobs. Just like Rosaleen, those people had fewer jobs to choose from and could possibly make a lot less. This caused Rosaleen to be limited and to work for T Ray, a man she did not like. “Hallelujah, Jesus”, Rosaleen says after finding out that the Civil Rights Act has been passed. There seems to be hope for her and her equality at this point, until she tries to vote. Rosaleen was beaten and screamed at for trying vote. This was illegal and against the law, but the police were racists too who did nothing about it. This shows that the future is blinded by the past for African Americans and it is causing problems for Rosaleen’s development. This is related to the Women Right’s Movement and how women didn’t have the same rights as men because that was the way it was for a long time. This shows how history will take a while to change and it will develop us as individuals.
Lots of things happen in your life that change you, either good or bad. People die and things get horrible. Some are sad for their whole life or some are happy. May has been affected by what has happened in history with her family. May lives in a pink house with her 2 sisters, June and August. They made honey for people. They did have one other sister, April. She was the twin of May. Every little feeling that April had, May would feel it too. One day April died and May's life turned upside down. In the text it states," If April got s toothache, May's gum would plump up red and be swollen like Aprils. Those tow had no separation." They were always by each other. Never apart. In the text it states, "When April died, something in May died too. She was never normal after that. It seemed like the world itself became May's twin sister. After April's death, everything turned backwards and May started to go into depressions. In the Fault in Our Stars, when Gus died, Hazel was very sad. She was almost in a depression. When April died, Hazel and May were feeling the same thing.
ReplyDelete"Dad, how am i supposed to live my life without my mom. She was the best thing that ever happened to me."
"We are going to push through this. Things will change. It wont go back to normal. But a change is good." The history has influenced the characters development because if April and May weren't so close May would have been a normal person after the death of April. May would always cry and have to go to the wall every time she is in depressed. In the text it states, "Oh May, honey, you go out to the wall and finish your cry." This quote is important because it shows that her development as a character is poor. She is treated like she is in a time-out. It also shows that she has a special wall to calm her down. Now that shows she has problems from the history that she had to overcome.
Lily is the main character who is on a quest to find out the truth about her mother before she shot her. The moment she stood up to T-Ray she has been given the strength to run away and start her journey. Rosaleen is the replacement mother for Lily. Rosaleen thought it was the end when the racists would come beat her every time she refused to apologized and when she got arrested, however thanks to Lily she has been sprung free from jail/the hospital and now depends on herself to watch over Lily, and herself.
ReplyDeleteAs the story progresses the two characters begin to bond as they travel out of Sylvan. Lily shows kindness to Rosaleen when she is beaten by the racists, and when she steals the bottle of snuff for her. When Lily asks Rosaleen to not show the photo of the Black Mary, and talk about her mother in front of the sisters, Rosaleen shows loyalty by saying "...whatever you say." The two start working together in a friendly relationship.
Rosaleen is a strong African American woman. She doesn’t let people badmouth her no matter who they are. Page 32 of the story states, “Coming alongside the men, Rosaleen lifted her snuff jug, which was filled with black spit, and calmly poured it across the tops of the men’s shoes, moving her hand in little loops like she was writing her name-Rosaleen Daise-just like the way she’d practices.” She had done this simply because the men were being very rude towards her. This shows that Rosaleen is very tough and mentally strong and doesn’t let people get into her head, especially when it comes to racist people. I predict that Rosaleen will get into a fight with someone else who offends her because that is her personality.
ReplyDeleteWe have learned that during the time period of The Secret Life of Bees, there was still racial segregation against African Americans. This influences Rosaleen's development because it makes her stronger, while also keeping her aware of the outside world. On page 60, Rosaleen says, “’Lily, child, there ain’t gonna be any place that will take a colored woman.’” This proves that Rosaleen knows about how people still favorite segregation and that she is conscious of the real world, unlike Lily who did not expect something like this to happen. I have learned about how horrible people could truly be. They used to separate everything used by colored people. This is just another example of segregation still going on in the 1900’s.
Have you ever wondered what life would be like to live in South Carolina in the year 1960 in the midst of racial discrimination? In the book, The Secret Life of Bees, Lily is a fourteen year old girl whose character has been shaped by the events in her life. These events include, the death of her mother, neglect by her father, her love for her Black maid, and her quest to find out why her mother had a Black Virgin Mary.
ReplyDeleteLily’s mother, Deborah dies when Lily is four years old. Her father, T Ray, tells Lily that she was the one that killed her mother by picking up a gun and shooting her while he was fighting with her. He also says, that her mother never loved her. On page 39, T-Ray says, “The women could have cared less about you.” Lily does not believe him but is deeply hurt that he would say something so heartbreaking to her. In addition, the loss of her mother, causes Lily to not have someone who can share her thought with in her special moments. On page 13 Lily says, “The oddest things caused me to miss her. Like training bras. Who was I going to ask about that? And who but my mother could have understood, the magnitude of driving me to the junior cheerleader tryouts? But you know when I missed her the most? The day I was 12 and woke up with the rose petal stain on my panties.” The loss of her mother causes her grow up fast and to be more independent. Just like the death of her mother effects Lily and shapes her character, so does the neglect and mistreatment by her father which makes her turn to Rosaleen and run away. On page 8 Lily says, “He didn’t care that I wore clothes that I made myself. Also on page, 15, Lily says, “What kind of person is against reading”, when talking about her father. It is Mrs. Henry, her teacher, who tells her how smart she is and that she should go to college. Lily hates her father because he punishes her by having her kneel down on grits, does not care how she looks, and will not be a part of her life. Lily, turns to Rosaleen, her Black maid for comfort and guidance. It is only after, Rosaleen gets arrested that she realizes, how important she is to her and that she must save her. On page 12, Lily says about Rosaleen, “I used to have daydreams in which she was white and married T-Ray and became my real mother.” When Rosaleen get beaten by the white men who want to prevent her from registering to vote, Lily sneaks her out of the hospital and takes her to Virginia in hopes of finding out about Black Virgin Mary she found in her mother’s belongings. This shows Lily’s determination and loyalty to Rosaleen and her dedication to finding out more about the mystery of the Black Virgin Mary.
In 1960, racial tensions were at their highest and this influences Lily’s development. First, Rosaleen, her Black maid, is brought in from the peach orchards to take care of her. In the 1960’s, Blacks were not equal to Whites and did not have the same rights. Rosaleen worked for her father and did what she was told. During this time, Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement had started and Blacks were trying to achieve equality. Rosaleen, goes to town to try and register to vote. On page 31, Rosaleen says, I’m going to register my name to vote.” She has to learn to write her name because she wasn’t allowed to go to school. Lily accompanies her and ends up witnessing her getting beaten because she is Black. This makes Lily stronger and she stands by Rosaleen. She sneaks into the hospital section that is only for Blacks and helps Rosaleen escape. In order to do this she must also stand up to T-Ray. Lily has a surprising relationship with Roselyn since Lily is white and Rosaleen is black. Most people were racist at this time. This has shaped her into a well-rounded young woman who didn’t understand why Rosaleen wouldn’t apologize to the White men after she spit snuff on their feet, but she is smart enough to respect Rosaleen regardless of her color.
There are many secrets in this world that many people do not know of. Everyone has a past separate from those around them. These pasts and secrets make a person who they are. Lily is a young, white girl living in Sylvan. She is insecure and isolated from everyone around her. She does not fit in at school; she doesn’t have many friends and isn’t invited to sleepovers. She has been shaped by her life to make her this way. Lily’s mother had died, and grew up with a cruel and abusive father. T-ray, her father, doesn’t care about Lily; he doesn’t get her new clothes or asks about her life. He abuses Lily, leaving her in the dust to struggle as a teenage girl. As the text says, “I worried so much about how I looked and whether I was doing things right, I felt half the time I was impersonating a girl instead of really being one.” Lily was very different than the other girls in her school and didn’t know how to act normally. This reminds me of our history. When we formed this country, there were no laws or rules. Many people didn’t know what to do. Lily is the same way. She is lost and doesn’t know what to do.
ReplyDeleteThe saying “you know my name not my story” is true. Everyone has a different story. Everyone grows up in different places, with different people and hobbies. These elements make up a person; they layer inside that person. The history of the setting makes up Lily because it shows her personality and how she looks. Lily grew up passing people in long skirts and pearls and bobs. Lily will want to dress like that. She wants blend into the crowd. The news around Lily affects her thoughts on the world. Segregation and integration; Lily will know about a lot of racism and will grow up around racism. As the text states, “I had thought my real chance would come from going to charm school at the Women’s Club last spring…” Lily had wanted to grow up like the women around her. This made Lily who she was. This reminds me of any story. There are elements of a book, which make up the characters. Just like Lily. These elements like setting describe the world around this story. Lily is like the book, developing with the world around her.
Rosaleen had to live in a place where the bill of rights wasn't in effect. In other places they were. Her life is a living hell. She gets called names and gets beaten for being black. The only person who respects her is Lily. They seem like friends.
ReplyDeleteRosaleen development is going to a different town. She kinda escaped prison. She started a new life. She is living like a regular person.
4mouskteers15
ReplyDeleteLily’s character would be the opposite of what she is if it wasn’t for their lives that have shaped them. One way her character was shaped was through the death of her mom, and her being more dependent on Rosaleen. An example of this is found on page 2, it states, “Rosaleen had worked for us since my mother died.” This shows that by this absence of her mother, her character was drastically changed, since all that motherly influence never happened. Another example of this is found on page 2, it states, “My daddy—who I called T-Ray because ‘Daddy’ never fit him.” This also shows that since she never really had a dad, she only had an African American “mom” which explains why Lily really isn’t racist. This reminds me of when in movies, people don’t call their dad by dad, but by their first name, disrespecting them, because in both this book and in movies, they don’t feel like their dad is really there dad, by the way they treat them, so they both call their dad by something else. In the end, they all subconsciously don’t have a real father.
History and setting always have a funny role in characters development. It determines there dialect, there thinking, it determines almost anything, because when you live is who you are, it is your backbone. One example of this is found on page 20, it states, “The presidents of the United States signed the Civil Rights Act into law.” This shows how also the history plays an important role in character development because if it wasn’t for the Civil Rights Act, how all the people act in the book would be very different, and even the events would of changed. Another example from the book is found on page 80, it states, “Birmingham, Sept 15. Four little angles died today.” This also shows that because of all the killings due to racism, it changes how Lily and everyone else thinks about different raises. This relates to Ann Frank because in Ann Frank, if she was not born during World War Two, she would probably not have a diary, and her character would be different, just like how history and events control the character.
From birth twins always seem to have a stronger bond compared to siblings who are not twins. Since twins have such a special bond if one of them gets injured or passes away the other twin usually feels it the worst. This relates to May from The Secret Life of Bees. May is one of the three Boatwright sisters who has a physiological problem. This problem causes her to feel tremendous amounts of emotional pain. This shown in the text because on page 95, it says “all the suffering out there- and she fell as if it is happening to her.” This impacts May very much in everyday life. Many people in today’s world have mental issues, but most of those people get lots of medical attention to help make everyday life easier. If May got this medical attention she would be able to handle the episodes better.
ReplyDeleteHistory always plays a big part in a person’s future. In the book The Secret Life of Bees, May Boatwright has mental illness. Lily doesn’t know why May has it until August had a twin sister that died and that’s why she acts like that. On page 97 the text states “She got deflated about life” This shows that since April, May’s twin sister died it caused her to have this illness and without that event in history May wouldn’t have the issues. This relates to many people who have lost siblings. Those people go into depression and have long term effects on the person, just like how it effects May.
May
ReplyDeleteSometimes certain events in our lives can change ones personality, fears, outlook, and looks; anything from winning the lottery to a nerve wracking experience. The character May in the book "The Secret Life of Bees" has had an interesting past and that has shaped her into the person she is today. In the story we learn that may had a twin sister. May and her sister had a special bond and when April committed suicide that special bond caused her to change. When her sister died a part of may was ripped away and she was exposed. She was exposed to all the feelings of the world. May carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and that is what caused her to commit suicide. In the book it states, "all the suffering out there-and she feels as if its happening to her. She cant tell the difference." this shows how may cant block out all the bad things and shes exposed to all the feelings in the world. This is what shaped may into the person she was. This is like when a child is little, either they can block out all the pain that happens to other people or they feel it themselves. I remember i saw the parents of another child arguing, and y cousin thought it was happening to her an she started crying. This is like how may couldn't tell the difference between whats happening to her and to other people.
This time period and setting influences the character Mays development in the story "The Secret Life of Bees". Back then in this time period May would have been shipped off to a bogus treatment center and never been heard of again. This causes people to think differently about may and potentially say stuff to make her feel bad and make her go to the wailing wall. Also being in this time period it causes may to experience more pain than she would have in a different time period. Since the have made segregation in schools illegal, there was more violence and that would make may upset. In the story it says, "four little angels dead." This is one of Mays little prayers, these children were probably shot because they were of a different race and they weren't accepted. This brings a new aspect of pain and grief that she wouldn't have experienced if she were born in a different time period. This shapes the development of Mays character because the time period changes the outlook on life and causes more grief to take place in Mays heart and in her wailing wall. This is similar to The text the pedestrian because if he was born in a different time period everything would be different for him. This is how history and time period changes the character Mays development.