Review Response - Nick

     I agree with Beth Kephart’s review for many reasons. First I agreed with the fact that he said the book had to do with artifacts of love, because there were many symbolic things that would resemble love of someone or something. The journal Zach gave Lily was symbolizing the love Zach had for Lily. I also agreed with Beth because she pointed out in many places that the book is trying to involve the power of women and how dominant they can be. Rosaleen is a very magnificent lady who practices her cursive writing so that one day she can vote. Beth says that Lily developed mostly in the story around the Boatwright sisters. This is very true but she had also developed with Rosaleen and by seeing major events pass by her like when Rosaleen went to Jail and got beat, or May had committed suicide.

     Beth Kephart review helped me understand parts of the book I missed or had forgotten from earlier on. I also agreed that the book is near perfect. Most of the book was great even the beginning was intriguing and I enjoyed it a lot. Some events seemed random but made sense near the end that I almost forgot. If the places that were bland made more sense like the beginning when Lily talked about her mom dyeing was very confusing but had made sense later on.

     Beth Kephart’s review was very well written and I agreed with the majority of it. It opened my eyes to things and is a good representative of how wonderful the book was to read.

Journal 4 - Nick

     When I read this section of the book I knew there was going to be a lot of conflicts to be tied up or even left alone to be resolved with the end. I thought the story would deal with more conflicts than just deal with one. I did not like the ending of the book very much because it felt slow to me. It took forever for her father to try and get her to come back; it took the whole duration of the book. I thought T. Ray would be a stronger father and fight harder for his daughter but I felt like the story focused on power of females and made Lily and the sisters win.

     When the book ended I thought it was still continuing because the tension and atmosphere was still thick so I thought it would end more peacefully than it did. I enjoyed the last section most because I found many things out that I needed to too be satisfied, such as the fact that she was the one who had killed her mother when she was a kid. I also figured out that her dad always loved her which was much unexpected knowing the way he treated her in the first quarter of the book.

     When the Boatwright sisters protected Lily from the wrath of her father they made the father leave and Lily stay with them. I liked this ending because it would make no sense for Lily to go back after a long time of figuring out where her mother came from.

     On page 286, August told Lily that a hive without a Queen the bees would die very fast and be confused unless they can retrieve another one. This conversation made me think that maybe Lily resembles the bees and she has no mother, “Queen”. This made me think that throughout the story the bees are a symbol of Life and how it can fail without guidance. Luckily August took her under her wing and helped her.

     

Journal 2

-      Nick

     In the second quarter of the book The Secret Life of Bees, many interesting things happened. I liked how they added a secondary character named Zach to bring out Lily. I also liked how they made it seem like Lily was fitting in and had a family from August telling her she is a real be keeper when she had gotten stung by a bee.

    

     The most interesting moment from this section to me was when Zach brought Lily a journal and told her that they can never be together because society this made me feel like the neighbourhood and the time is very harsh on black and white relationships. The stories setting had been opened up and is foreshadowing that something bad will happen to the black characters.

     I like the character Zach because it brings out another side of Lily and this is good because I can understand and connect more with the main character. I also like how the secondary characters in the book such, as the Boatwright sisters. They have been introduced into the story with their own problems to highlight different characteristics of them. I know that May has a problem with feeling others peoples pain and this maybe the cause of something coming up in the book.

     The books made me think that Rosaleen will either be a character that will go away in the story somehow or play a huge role in the end. This is because Rosaleen is starting to get a little separated from Lily. The only think I did not like about this section of the book was that it jumped around to much. They had one problem or event to show something then they had another random event that I couldn't follow. I think the next section of the book will have events that are very disastrous. 

Discussion Questions Conflict

Discussion Questions Conflict

-      Nick 

1.    Why did August never want to get married?

-       She didn’t want to give up freedom from control or influence

2.    Zach says that Lily and he will never be together, why?

-       Society is too harsh on black and white relationships

3.    What is Lily’s first impression on Zach?

-       He is a very handsome and feels like they can be friends

4.    Why does Lily feel like Rosaleen is starting to abandon her?

-       Rosaleen had been moved to Mays room.

5.    Why did June start to throw tomatoes at Neil’s car?

-       Neil had brought up the subject of marriage and they had fought.

6.    What does Lily learn from May about June and Neil?

-       That Neil wants to marry June but  she had been not interested for years

7.    Why did August tell Lily the story of the runaway nun?

-       It was an example of when May had helped someone gratefully, and how if she needs help May will always be there for her

8.    What is the meaning of the wall that May made and why is it there?

-       May made the wall because she takes in the pain from other people and puts it on herself, so she writes down the person’s name in the wall and August feels like this wall helps her with this

9.    Why did Lily faint in the ritual of The Statue of Mary?

-       August had told June to include her in the ritual and she felt pressure so she must have fainted

10. Why did Lily call T.Ray back on the phone?

-       She wanted to see if he had any remorse for the way he had treated her

Journal #1 - Nick

   After the first quarter of the novel The Secret Life of Bees, there are many things to question and discuss. I enjoyed the first quarter of the book for many reasons including the mystery of the bees that swarmed above her in the night. Later in the quarter they discussed the way and reason Lily’s mom died, but even thought the book gave the scenario it took place, it was still very confusing on what happened. I hope later in the book this problem gets addressed once more and reveals who had killed Lily’s mom.

    The beginning of the book mainly focused on Lily’s struggle with her maid rosaleen. I thought this problem in the book was a nice way to introduce a semi-main character to develop the main character Lily.

     I wish that the beginning of the book had made more sense to me and jumped around less. They introduced different problems but I couldn't follow all of them and couldn't follow the ones that are going to be the most important or the most important.

     The book had introduced her father as an abusive and strict father. I like this role because this shows how the setting makes more dominance for men than women. Not that it is a good thing, but to establish this in the book might play a big role in what is to come.

     The first quarter of the book had introduced significant characters to help the story. I liked how they introduced each character in different problems for each character. I think that the other characters to come will not be introduced in their own problem but along the way of resolving Lily’s problems.

     When the book had introduced a fight between Lily and Rosaleen, I didn’t think that they would find each other once a again and makeup.

-   Nick W