· Web view2019-01-24 · - Fourteen-year-old Lily Owens is the main character and protagonist...

NAME: ____________________ENGLISH PERIOD: __________

“People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about life.” – Lily Owens

SETTING

The novel is set in South Carolina during the turbulent time frame of 1964. The civil rights movement is well underway. The author draws from many of her own memories of this time and the profound emotional and political turmoil associated with the civil rights movement and the racial tension of the period.

CHARACTER LIST

Major Characters

Lily Melissa Owens - Fourteen-year-old Lily Owens is the main character and protagonist of this novel. Lily has lived alone with her cruel father since her mother’s mysterious death ten years ago. Lily’s black housekeeper and mother-figure, Rosaleen, is unfairly jailed for defending herself against racist, white men. Lily helps her escape and brings Rosaleen on a journey, in which Lily tries to learn about her mother.

Minor Characters

Rosaleen - Rosaleen becomes the Owens family’s housekeeper after Lily’s mother dies. She is a large, African-American woman who is not certain of her age. Rosaleen becomes like a mother to Lily.

T. Ray Owens - T. Ray is Lily’s father, whom she calls “T. Ray.” He is the novel’s antagonist, or the force that provides an obstacle for the protagonist. T. Ray is a cruel man who pays little attention to Lily aside from yelling at her and disciplining her harshly. T. Ray makes Lily’s life miserable and will not tell her anything about her mother except that Lily was responsible for her death.

Deborah Owens - Deborah is Lily’s mother, who died when Lily was only four years old. Lily thinks about her mother everyday and must learn more about her in order to develop her own identity. When Lily moves in with the Boatwright sisters, she learns that he mother was not who Lily wanted her to be.

Mrs. Henry - Mrs. Henry is Lily’s teacher who tells her that she is very smart. Mrs. Henry tells Lily that she is too intelligent to go to beauty school and that she could write books if she wanted to.

August Boatwright - August is a beekeeper who lives in a bright pink house in Tiburon, SC. She is an African- American woman and sells Black Madonna Honey. She and her sisters, May and June, let Lily and Rosaleen stay with them.

May Boatwright - May is August’s very emotional sister. May’s twin sister, April, killed herself when she was fifteen years old. Since then, May is prone to emotional break-downs and spends a lot of time at her “wailing wall.” When May finds out that Zach is in jail, she kills herself.

June Boatwright - June is August’s other sister, who is not happy to have Lily staying in their house. June is rude to Lily until the day that Lily wets her with the sprinkler that she, May, August and Rosaleen are playing in. June finally accepts Lily, even though she is white.

Zach - Zach works for August. Zach is African American and Lily develops a crush on him, even though Zach tells her that nothing can happen between them. Zach goes to jail for a short time when he will not admit which of his friends was involved in an altercation with some white men. Eventually Zach is released and gives Lily her first kiss.

Neil - Neil loves June and asks her to marry him constantly. June always turns Neil down, until after May dies.

Queenie, Violet, Lunelle, Mabalee and Cressie - These women are all a part of the religious devotions to the Black Madonna. They are a constant presence in the Boatwright home and incorporate Lily into their community.

Otis and Sugar Girl - Otis and Sugar Girl also take part in the devotions to the Black Madonna. They are married to each other.

Glossary of Terms

Bee patrol

Bee patrol occurs when the beekeeping staff go to all of the hives in the town, empty the supers, and check on the status of the hives.

Biddy

A biddy is a small chick dyed a color for Easter.

Cooling the hives

Cooling the hives is the process that bees use to protect the hive from intense heat. The bees all beat their wings to fan down the hive interior.

Daughters of Mary

The Daughters of Mary is a group of women made up of Queenie, Violet, Lunelle, Mabelee, Cressie, and the Boatwrights. They worship Our Lady of Chains (Mary) and come together for solidarity.

Draping the hives

Draping the hives is the act of placng a drape over the beehives. This is done in order to signal mourning as well as to keep the bees inside.

Feast of the Assumption

The Feast of the Assumption celebrates the day that Mary died and rose to heaven. It is celebrated on August 15.

Honey gate

The honey gate is a faucet used to drain the honey from large containers. Honey house

The honey house is the shack behind the Boatwright house that serves as the storage room for all of the beekeeping supplies. Lily and Rosaleen live in the honey house, and when Rosaleen moves into the Boatwright house, Lily occupies the honey house alone.

Manna

Manna is a mix of seeds that the Daughters of Mary eat on ritual occasions.

Mary Day

Mary Day is a two-day celebration commemorating the Assumption of Mary. In the Boatwright house, this celebration involves much cooking, baking, and decorating. The story of Our Lady of Chains is reenacted.

Mary's cake

Mary's cake is a traditional baked good made with honey and eaten on Mary's Day. Those present at the celebration feed each other the cake.

Our Lady of Chains

Our Lady of Chains is an effigy of the Virgin Mary that the Boatwrights own. The statue is large and projects Mary in a position of strength with a fist in the air. Mary is portrayed as a black woman, which is an image the Boatwrights relate to. The story behind the statue is that it broke through the chains. Our Lady of Chains and Mary are often used interchangeably in the novel.

Settling tank

In the settling tank, the honey is heated to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Snuff

Snuff is tobacco that is breathed in through the nose. Rosaleen uses snuff throughout the novel, and Lily at one point steals a can of snuff for her.

Spinner

The spinner is a machine that separates out the good parts of the honey from the bad. August says she wishes such a machine could exist for people.

Supers

Supers are the trays of honeycombs made by the bees. Each tray is sealed by a layer of beeswax. These are what are harvested to create the honey.

Swarm

A swarm occurs when a queen and a group of bees leave the hive to find a new place to live.

Uncapper

The uncapper is a machine that removes the wax from the honeycomb.

Wailing Wall

The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is the last remaining wall of the Holy Temple. Jews go to this wall to pray, for it is considered the closest accessible location to the Holy Temple. Visitors place their hopes, prayers, and wishes into crevices in the wall. May's wailing wall mirrors that of the wall in Jerusalem. She has built a stone wall outside of the Boatwright house, and she inserts slips of paper on behalf of people in pain.

Watering the bees

Watering the bees involves sprinkling sugar water over the hives when the temperature reaches over 100 degrees. At this temperature, the bees cannot create food for themselves.

The Secret Life of Bees: Written by Sue Monk Kid

Study Guide

For each section, there are important vocabulary words as well as comprehension questions that must be completed. All comprehension questions must be written in complete sentences. You must have evidence for each of your answers, which includes quotations from the book and a page number. You must attempt each questions, however indicate (mark) any comprehension questions in which you are unsure of the answers and you feel need more review.

Chapter One

Important terms to know:

chrome – silver seep – to leak

insomniac – person who has problems sleeping paradise- heaven

orneriness – bad temper pulsating – throbbing

herringbone – a pattern like fish bones conjure – to create

disjointed – unconnected impersonating – pretending to be

tailspin – a spinning crash dollops – small piles

imbecile – an idiot carousing – partying

magnitude – large size smirking – smiling smugly

gouged – cut out abdomen – the stomach

grits – a type of grain pining – longing

lure – to entice snuff – powdered tobacco

scalded – burned agitation – worry; excitement

motes – spots sashaying – walking with style

unperturbed – unworried recoil – to draw back

Vocabulary: Identify the part of speech for each of the words and write the definition in YOUR own words.

TERM P.O.S. Word in context Definition

Swarm

(p. 2)

“Bees swarm before death,” she said.

Paradise

(p. 8)

“That night I lay in bed and thought about dying and going to be with my mother in paradise. I would meet her saying, “Mother, forgive. Please forgive.” (p.8)

Gouge

(p. 17)

“I’d lifted the gun, the sound had torn through the room and gouged out our hearts.” (p. 17)

Sanctuary

(p. 30)

“One of the church doors opened and Brother Gerald, our minister stepped into the sanctuary.”

Insignificant

(p. 35)

“Rosaleen looked straight ahead and acted as if the men were insignificant houseflies buzzing at our screen door.”

Comprehension Questions

1. What is happening in the exposition of the story?

2. Who is the narrator of the story?

3. The narrator makes an allusion about the bees on page 2. What does she allude to and why?

4. Lily says that the bees could have stung her until she died, and it would not have been the worst thing to happen. What do you learn about her from this?

5. What does Lily hope would happen in Paradise?

6. Lily describes her mother’s death on pages 6, 7, and 8. She does not directly say so, but she implies that she caused her mother’s death. How did that happen?

7. Why does Lily “smell every perfume bottle they had?” (Pg. 6)

8. Why does Lily pick scabs and feel that she is “impersonating a girl?” (Pg. 9)

9. When Rosaleen stands up to T. Ray about the chick, Lily says, “his boots whispered uncle all the way down the hall.” (Pg. 12) What does she mean? What literary term is used in the quote?

10. What does her teacher tell Lily about her goal of going to beauty school?

11. Why does T. Ray tell Lilly about her mother before she starts school?

12. Lily alludes to Mr. Khrushchev and fallout shelters. People were afraid at that time that the Communists in Russia would drop atomic bombs. Why does Lily think a bomb may have been dropped?

13. What has actually claimed Rosaleen’s attention?

14. How does T. Ray punish Lily?

15. On page 26, Lily says that she “understood that a new rooftop would do wonders” for

her. What does she mean?

16. What does Rosaleen plan to do?

17. Why has Lily captured a jar of bees?

18. What else is special about the day Rosaleen is going to register to vote?

19. Lily hints at things to come. What sentence foreshadows the action?

20. What does Rosaleen steal from the church?

21. Why does Lily say that Rosaleen “had less sense than I’d dreamed”? (Pg. 31)

22. What does Rosaleen do that causes the men to beat her?

23. What are Lily and Rosaleen arrested for?

24. Identify a simile from the chapter.

25. Every chapter begins with a quote about bees. Each one was chosen to suit the chapter. Why do you think the quote about the missing queen was chosen for chapter one? Who is the missing queen?


Study Guide: Chapter Two


vapor – steam decapitate – to cut off the head

brazen – shameless tremor – a shaking

beseeching – begging mangy –disease that causes hair to fall out

hysterical – wildly upset accommodate – to make room for

levee – a dam



Mercy

(p. 50)

“A colored man driving a beat-up Chevy truck full of cantaloupes had mercy on us. I climbed in first.”


1. Lily says to Rosaleen, “What can they do to you with a policeman right here?” (Pg. 35) What happened immediately afterward?

2. What does Lily say “nearly did me in”? (Pg. 37)

3. What two things does the conversation between Lily and T. Ray on pages 37, 38, and 39 reveal?

4. What does Lily believe will “sink [her] forever”? (Pg. 40)

5. Lily alludes to Thomas Edison when she talks about her father’s ability to think of punishments. What does she mean?

6. What is the meaning of the metaphor of the jar: “Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open”? (Pg. 41)

7. What gives Lily the idea to go to Tiburon?

8. Discuss what this quote reveals about Lily and about the author: “Pious people have always gotten on my nerves.” (Pg. 44)

9. Consider the description of the hospital on page 45. What does it reveal about the town of Sylvan?

10. Why is Lily angry at Rosaleen?

11. Lily says that she belongs in a reform school or juvenile detention. Why does she think so?

12. What do Rosaleen and Lily eat for supper?

13. On page 52, Rosaleen says, “I guess I can go to my grave now, because I’ve seen it all.” What does she mean?

14. Why does Rosaleen get angry with Lily?

15. Why does Lily call Rosaleen “dumb”? (Pg. 54)

16. Consider the description of Rosaleen on page 55 and Lily’s thought: “Mother, forgive.” What does this tell you about Lily’s relationship with Rosaleen?

17. Explain the importance of Lily’s ability to lie.

18. Identify two similes from the chapter.

19. Why do you think the quote for chapter 2 was chosen? Who starts in a new “suitable

place”?


Study Guide: Chapter Three


elusive – hard to find iridescent – sparkling

salvation – an act of saving, usually from sin anointed – holy

biding – waiting pesticides – bug killers

situated – placed barricade – a wall

speculating – thinking about Madonna – Mary, the mother of Jesus

consternation – alarmed amazement


1. Lily alludes to Thoreau’s Walden Pond, in which Henry David Thoreau chose to live alone, as simply as he could. What about this appeals to Lily?

2. Lily describes her church’s attitude toward Catholics. Why do you think the author chose to include this information?

3. What do you think is the significance of Rosaleen’s odd dream?

4. What does Lily’s question and Rosaleen’s answer about the Civil Rights Act reveal about them?

5. Why does Lily look to the crop duster for a sign? What does she hope to see?

6. How does Lily explain her presence in town to the storekeeper?

7. What does Lily steal, and why?

8. Lily realizes “there is nothing but mystery in the world….” (Pg. 63) Why does she think so?

9. Why does Rosaleen say Lily’s life has “gone straight to hell”? (Pg. 64) Does she mean it?

10. Lily looks for wanted posters and news stories about Rosaleen’s jailbreak. What is funny about her thanking God for the “poor news reporting” when she does not find any news about them? (Pg. 66)

11. The bee quote at the start of the chapter talks about how to find the queen. Why is this appropriate for this chapter?


Study Guide: Chapter Four


mute – unable to speak portal – a doorway

feeble – weak simultaneously – at the same time

precisely – exactly corrugated – ridged

pathetic – sad flounced – walk angrily

cultured –polite and civilized kin – relatives

sweltering – very hot paranoid – crazy

meander – wander



Suspicious “Her face stared at us, suspicious and stern.” (p. 68)

Prejudice “August is so intelligent, so cultured, and I was surprised by this. That’s what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me.” (p. 78)

Refugee “Because I just want to be normal for a little while – not a refugee girl looking for her mother, but a regular girl paying a summer visit to Tiburon, South Carolina.” (p. 79)


1. Lily believes her “body knows things.” (Pg. 69) What does she think her body knows?

2. Why is Lily’s thought about the black Mary, “…she could straighten you out if necessary,” both wonderful and terrifying? (Pg. 70)

3. Why does May begin to sing “Oh! Susanna”?

4. How does Rosaleen’s behavior as they walk across the rainy lawn contrast with her behavior when she talked about the Civil Rights Act in Chapter 3?

5. What does Lily say is the secret of a good lie?

6. Why does Lily say “…my skin had never felt so white to me”? (Pg.78)

7. Why does May have a piece of paper in her wailing wall which says, “Birmingham, September 15, four little angels dead?” (Pg. 80)

8. Explain the significance of the quote at the beginning of the chapter.


Study Guide: Chapter Five


consolation – comfort dabs – puts, places

swabbed – cleaned bona fide – genuine

ambrosia – a drink of the gods serenade – to sing a song for

bristled – angry integration – combining white and black

vigilante – self-appointed police orthodox – traditional

eclectic – many and different outlandish – strange

etiquette – proper manners immunity – could not be hurt

sedative – a sleeping pill wailing – crying

willies – shivers ricocheted – echoed

inkblot – a type of psychiatric test righteous indignation – anger in a good cause

revelation – sudden knowledge from spiritual source

Vocabulary: Identify the part of speech for each of the words, the sentence it appears in and write the definition in YOUR own words.


Consolation

(p. 82)

Self-conscious

(p. 89)

Immunity

(p. 92)


1. Why does May begin to sing “Oh! Susanna” again?

2. How does the “honey song” say “everything” about living in the pink house? (Pg. 83)

3. What does August say to her that delights Lily?

4. Why does Rosaleen say May is “a bonafide candidate for the nuthouse”? (Pg. 85)

5. How does Lily describe June?

6. What does June say that is a “revelation” to Lily? What does Lily allude to in her reaction when she says she has “righteous indignation”? (Pg. 87)

7. What does Lily conclude about color when she goes outside? How is her expression of her thought indicative of the author’s sense of humor?

8. Why does Lily feel uncomfortable when they are watching TV?

9. Why does Lily think August told her the story of Beatrix the nun?

10. What is the most important bee yard rule, according to August?

11. Why is Lily happy to have made August laugh?

12. Explain the significance of Lily’s wondering about May’s sensitivity: “Would it divide the hurt in two, make it lighter to bear, the way feeling someone’s joy seemed to double it?” (Pg. 95)

13. What happened to April?

14. Lily says that she knew the world was not fair long before she turned eleven. What does she mean?

15. What is the wailing wall?

16. Why is Rosaleen jealous?

17. What does Lily put into the wailing wall?

18. In the quote at the beginning of the chapter, it points out that the bees live in darkness. How is that true for Lily in this chapter?


Study Guide: Chapter Six


percolator – a coffee maker jilted – rejected by a lover

ingenious – clever deliverance – rescue

constant – reliable hibernate – a long sleep


1. Why will June not get married?

2. What is the number one question in South Carolina, and why is it asked?

3. Who are the “Daughters of Mary?”

4. August reads the Bible verses attributed to Mary Why are these verses especially appropriate for black people?

5. What is the miracle of “Our Lady of Chains”? How did she get her name?

6. Why does Lily not touch Mary’s heart?

7. According to the book, “you can never underestimate the power of cutthroat competition.” (Pg. 113) What is meant by this?

8. Why is August sad at the thought of a rocket landing on the moon?

9. The quote at the beginning of the chapter says the queen produces something to attract the workers. Who is the queen in this chapter, and what does she produce? Who are the workers she attracts?


Study Guide: Chapter Seven


cloister – a convent bordello – a whorehouse

intrusion – an interruption horde – a crowd

incessantly – non-stop fidgeted – nervously moved around

hightailed – ran excursion – a trip

hilarious – extremely funny keel over – fall down

deciduous – trees that lose their leaves in fall membrane – a thin covering

crystallizing – becoming crusty remnants – the remains

Vocabulary: Identify the part of speech for each of the words, the sentence in which it appears and write the definition in YOUR own words.


Resent

(p. 119)

Passion

(p. 130)

Marvel

(p. 133)


1. “At my school they made fun of colored people’s lips and noses. I myself had laughed at these jokes, hoping to fit in.” (Pg. 116) Describe what you think about Lily’s thoughts in this passage. Does it surprise you that she laughed?

2. Why does Lily think she is headed for beauty school now?

3. Why do you think June is still so resentful of Lily?

4. Why does Zach get upset when Lily suggests he could be a professional player?

5. Zach says: “You gotta imagine what’s never been.” (Pg. 121) What does he mean?

6. What does Lily feel she needs to do before she can tell August the truth about herself? What is she afraid of?

7. What shocks Lily when she is riding with Zach? Why is this thought such a shock to Lily?

8. “Danger, I realized, was a thing you got used to.” (Pg. 126) What two dangers is Lily facing when she says this?

9. Why does Lily cry?

10. Why does Zach tell her to go back to her side of the truck?

11. Where is Rosaleen going?

12. What makes Lily think for a minute that August might know who she is?

13. What do June and Neil argue about?

14. What is the metaphor Lily uses at the end of Pg. 133, and what does she mean?

16. What does Zach give to Lily?

17. “…[T]here are people who would kill boys like me for even looking at girls like you.” (Pg.135) Is Zach exaggerating?

18. Explain the significance of the quotation at the beginning of the chapter.


Study Guide: Chapter Eight

isolate – separate high-caliber – high quality

peculiar – strange groggy – sleepy

mortician – one who takes car of dead bodies caress – pet

plagues – horrible inflictions pigment – color

gawky – awkward intrude – break in on

intensity – close attention



Sorrow

(p. 143)

Attendant

(p. 149)


1. What did August most want to do during her special month?

2. What does Lily want to say to the bees?

3. Why had Lily kept the Coca-Cola bottle from Massachusetts?

4. Why does August tell Lily about the thirty-two words for love in the Eskimo language?

5. August says, “You see, everybody needs a God who looks like them, Lily.” (Pg.141) Why is it a little ironic for her to say this to Lily?

6. Explain what August means when she says, “I swear, if you listen to my chest with a stethoscope, what you’d hear is that story going on and on in my Big Mama’s voice.” (Pg. 142)

7. Contrast August’s story with Lily’s. Why does Lily say her story “sort of” ends her life? (Pg. 142)

8. What does Big Mama say about lady beekeepers and what does it reveal about her?

9. August describes Big Mama’s story of hearing the bees sing on Christmas Eve. Does August mean the story literally? How does this relate to the title of the book?

10. When August could not get a teaching job, she became a housekeeper for a white family, but she says of June “you wouldn’t catch her keeping house for white people.” (Pg. 145) How does this help explain June’s resentment of Lily?

11. Why did August choose not to get married?

12. “The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.” (Pg. 147) Explain the importance of August’s statement as it applies to Lily.

13. Lily states, “…I loved the idea of bees having a secret life, just like the one I was living.” (Pg. 148) What is the major difference between the secret life of bees and the secret life of Lily?

14. What happens when Lily lets the bees cover her?

15. Lily makes a Biblical allusion when the bees cover her. What does she allude to?

16. Lily notices that the black Mary label she had stuck on herself is coming “unglued.“ (Pg. 152 )How is this a metaphor for Lily’s situation?

17. What does May want to celebrate?

18. What are the people in town stirred up about?

19. Why is Lily sick of “skin pigment”? (Pg. 155)

20. Why does August knock over her tea?

21. What does Lily do while Mr. Forrest and Zach are out of the room?

22. What does Lily ask her father? Why does she ask this?

23. What are the magic words Lily says will get her into and out of places easily?

24. Why does Lily write a letter to her father only to tear it all up when she is done?

25. What does Lily finally do at the end of chapter eight?

26. How does the quote at the beginning of the chapter explain Lily’s fear about telling August the truth?


Study Guide: Chapter Nine


initiated – started miniscule – tiny

berserk – crazy nymphs – fairies

inferno – a big fire geyser – water spouts

convulsions – fits unraveling – coming apart

excruciating – extreme oblivious – unaware

limbo – a waiting place crevice – a deep crack

moping – feeling sorry for oneself

Vocabulary: Identify the part of speech for each of the words , the sentence in which it appears and write the definition in YOUR own words.


Ambitious

(p. 165)


1. Why does August wake Lily on July 28th?

2. Lily thinks she knows why August turns off the radio. What does Lily think about it?

3. What does the following quote reveal about Lily? “After you get stung, you can’t get unstung no matter how much you whine about it.” (Pg. 167)

4. What do May and Rosaleen do on this sweltering day?

5. What simile does Lily use to explain why she keeps the hose turned on June, even though June is plainly angry?

6. How does Rosaleen’s wisdom end the hostilities?

7. What does June do that astonishes Lily?

8. When does Lily say “the real troubles in life happen”? (Pg. 170) What does she mean?

9. Who does Lily say is behind her hidden doors?

10. What does Lily say she cannot stop wearing?

11. What is May doing, and why is it so significant to Lily?

12. What does May do after she acknowledges that she knew Lily’s mother?

13. Why do you think Lily dreams of her mother as a roach “with her worst nature exposed?” (Pg. 175)

14. What is the significance of the simile Lily uses to describe her life at this point?

15. What had Lily been about to do when Zach talks her into going with him?

16. When the boy provokes the white man, Lily says she sees a look on his face she had seen on T. Ray’s “a thousand times.” (Pg. 178) What is that look?

17. August, on page 147, says, “The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.” Does Zach make a choice that matters?

18. What metaphor does Lily use to describe August’s eyes?

19. What kind of fire is Rosaleen?

20. When they finally get to see Zach, what does August talk about? Why do you think she does this?

21. What does Lily say everyone wants?

22. There is another example of foreshadowing on page 185. What is it? Why do you think the author chose to “warn” the reader on these occasions?

23. Why does Lily think the rocks should be thanked?

24. The quote at the beginning of the chapter has to do with communication. What messages are sent in this chapter?


Study Guide: Chapter Ten


saturated – soaked through concoct – to create

vigil – time to watch evaporated – dried up

ritual – ceremony mourning – time to miss someone who has died

ensure – to make certain carcass – dead body

catacombs – caves where people hid resurrected – raised from the dead

spectacular – amazing manna – food from heaven

contemplating – thinking disoriented – confused



Mute

(p. 197)

Vigil

(p. 200)

Sacrifice

(p. 206)

Hysterics

(p. 208)


1. When they are searching for May, Lily begins to say the “Hail Mary” prayer. What does Lily say about her reasons for doing so?

2. Where do they find May?

3. To what does Lily compare finding May’s body?

4. Interpret this sentence: “This had been the thing they’d been waiting for half their lives without even realizing it.” (Pg. 194)

5. Why does the policeman ask Lily so many questions?

6. Why does Lily pray for somebody to stop her?

7. What was the side of May that Lily wants never to forget?

8. What is a vigil, and why does August say they are going to hold one?

9. Lily says that it “would be selfish to pour this into her cup.” (Pg. 201) What does she mean?

10. How does Lily say June’s music helps the vigil-keepers?

11. What does Lily pray for May to do for her?

12. What sentence describes the change Lily sees in Zach?

13. Interpret Lily’s description of blame: “…the blame would find a way to stick to them. That’s how blame was.” (Pg. 204)

14. What do August and Zach and Lily do to the hives and why?

15. What is the secret thing which causes Lily’s gladness?

16. What does Lily think is “a better plan” for blacks and whites to get along? (Pg. 209) How is this somewhat contradictory to her next observation?

17. What does August say May meant for June to do when she said, “Don’t mess it up”? (Pg. 210)

18. What does Lily say is the “oldest sound”? (Pg. 213)

19. The quote at the beginning of the chapter is another example of the author foreshadowing a sad part of the book. Why might some people object to this?


Study Guide: Chapter Eleven


scallops – decorative curves wafted – drifted

assumption – Mary’s rise to heaven sauntered – strolled

exceptional – far above average pulsed – appeared and disappeared

meditating – thinking shackled – chained

reenactment – to act out a drama from history



Mourn

(p. 214)


1. Why can Lily not tell August about herself now that May’s funeral is over?

2. Why is Lily walking in the woods, counting how long it takes her to see a bird land in a tree?

3. What does June say the wind does for her when she goes out with Neil?

4. Why does Zach tell Lily they have to think about changing the world?

5. How has Zach changed?

6. What does August choose to have for dessert and why?

7. Interpret the meaning of August’s putting May’s suicide note into a deep crevice in the black Mary.

8. What has Lily decided which causes her to fear ending up in a prison camp in the Everglades? Do you think she really believes in this possibility?

9. What postpones Lily’s revelation to August yet again?

10. What does June finally agree to?

11. List the Mary Day preparations.

12. What part of the Mary Day ceremony makes Lily “feel better about the world”? (Pg. 226)

13. August says that “remembering is everything” and that is why they reenact the chaining of Mary. (Pg. 228) Why does this bother Lily?

14. What is the fish necklace that the boys put on Lily? What upsets her the most about the incident?

15. What is the new necklace that Zach gives to Lily, and what does he promise?

16. What do you think is the relevance of the quote at the beginning of this chapter?


Study Guide: Chapter Twelve


bolstered – propped monogrammed – sewn on initials

taunting – hassling despite – in spite of

genuinely – truly amnesiac – unable to remember

cooed – baby talked unruffled – unbothered

specimen – example institution – hospital for mentally ill



Betrayal

(p. 235)

Bitter

(p. 254)


1. Why is Lily waiting in August’s room?

2. What does Lily say is a “big shock” when she looks at the pictures of Mary?

3. Why had August not told Lily that she knew who Lily was when she arrived?

4. How did August first get to know Deborah?

5. What causes the “wall of glass” to break in Lily’s chest? (Pg. 238)

6. How is August “like a sponge”? (Pg. 238)

7. Lily thinks that if August still loves her, what will she be able to look in a mirror and see?

8. What does Lily say happens one or two moments in your life?


Study Guide: Chapter Thirteen


lacquer – shiny coating commode – toilet

linoleum – flooring dumbfounded – amazed

spatula – cooking utensil with a fl at blade uncoiled – unwound

contemptible – worthless muck – mess

preservative – substance which prevents harm intimacy – close personal contact

churned – stirred excessive – far too much

rhinestone – artificial jewel mercantile – store

configuration – shape tarnished – discolored

gorgeous – beautiful



Capable

(p. 258)

Bewildered

(p. 261)

Satisfy

(p. 262)

Swell

(p. 265)

Content

(p. 270)


1. What does Lily want from Mary?

2. What does Lily say is the “really terrible thing?” (Pg. 258)

3. How does Lily act out her anger?

4. What does Lily want the statue to do?

5. Lily says that she could lock the bitter tone in her voice forever. What does she mean?

6. Rosaleen is not surprised when Lily tells her that her mother left her. Why did Rosaleen

not tell Lily that she had suspected as much?

7. What does Rosaleen help Lily to do?

8. What does Lily ask August to do for her?

9. “Comic relief” is a phrase used to describe something in a drama which helps to lighten

the mood, especially after something tense. How does Sugar Girl provide comic relief at

this point?

10. What does August do with the honey during the Mary ceremony? Why is Lily a little

annoyed by it?

11. Why does Lily want to be the last to clean her hands?

12. What does August bring to Lily in the hat box?

13. What does August say about the mirror? What does she mean?

14. What does Lily find on the brush?

15. How does Lily interpret the poem by William Blake that her mother had underlined?

16. Describe the picture in the frame.

17. What does Lily conclude when she sees this picture?

18. Identify a few of the similes in this chapter.

19. How does the description of the worker bee at the beginning of the chapter fit Lily?


Study Guide: Chapter Fourteen


tended – took care of griddle – stove top

sizzled – baked stupefied – immobilized

psychiatric – mental peculiar – very strange

commissioned – given the job plaited – braided

full-blown – complete eighth wonder – one of the amazing things

demoralized – spiritless melancholy – very sad

lamenting – mourning unfertilized – unable to reproduce

drone – worker ho-hum – casual

immobilized – motionless skittish – uneasy

nauseating – sickening voodoo – magic

involuntarily – unintentionally trolling – fishing

apprentice – assistant learning the job forfeited – given up

absurdities – strange things French Provincial – style of furniture

crocheted – made with needlework ignoramuses – idiots


1. What is the simile Lily uses to describe her heart?

2. What does Lily believe people would rather die than do?

3. What does Lily find under her cot?

4. Why does Lily think she must have loved her “little collection of hurts and wounds”? (Pg. 278)

5. What is the “peculiar nature of the world?” (Pg. 279)

6. How does the mention of the wedding hat and wedding cake provide some comic relief?

7. What does August say to June while looking at Lily?

8. Where is Rosaleen going?

9. Why does Lily think both she and Zach are “doomed to misery?” (Pg. 283)

10. Why does Lily run up the stairs after Rosaleen?

11. When Lily cleans out the honey house that night, she finally figures out why she has been carrying around the mouse bones. What does she think?

12. What is Lily’s last thought as she drifts off to sleep?

13. What does August show to Lily?

14. August explains why she told the Beatrix story to Lily, and her reason is not what Lily thought. What was August trying to say?

15. What does August tell Lily that she wants Lily always to remember?

16. Who comes to the door at 2:00 P.M.?

17. What is the metaphor Lily uses to describe T. Ray’s smile?

18. How did T. Ray find Lily?

19. Why is it a shock to T. Ray to see the pin on her shoulder?

20. What does Lily suddenly understand when T. Ray realizes that he is in the house where Deborah was?

21. On page 264, Lily “heard the bitter tone” in her own voice and realized that she could “slip off into a cold place where meanness took over.” How does that parallel her realization about T. Ray?

22. Is T. Ray seeing Lily when he hits her?

23. How does Lily bring T. Ray back and make him see only her?

24. Why does Lily feel that T. Ray has said “everything” when he says, “You look like her”? (p. 296)

25. How does Lily’s interpretation of Queenie’s expression provide comic relief at this tense

moment?

26. What does August say about what to do when you need something? How does she act on her words with T. Ray?

27. Lily asks her father once more about her mother’s death. Do you think T. Ray is telling the truth?

28. Lily believes in the “goodness of imagination.” (Pg. 300) What is she imagining?

29. Who becomes Lily’s first girl friend?

30. What is high school like for Lily?

31. Where does August say Mary goes when she rises?

32. Who are the moons shining over Lily?

THEMES:

• Search for identity

• Relationships with parents and others

• Man’s inhumanity to man

• Discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure

• How death gives way to life

Symbols:

Bees-

The Whale Pin –

The Wailing Wall –

“Most people don’t have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about.” – August Boatwright

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=honey+bees+hive&start=375&hl=en&safe=active&tbo=d&biw=1024&bih=622&tbm=isch&tbnid=hVgXOJbXAqEHFM:&imgrefurl=http://www.photodivebar.com/2012/06/29/just-bee-happy/&docid=CMALtEjRzPyGWM&imgurl=http://www.photodivebar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/HoneyBees_05_JS.jpg&w=800&h=533&ei=Cvz_UP_8B-S82wWM_oCgBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=498&vpy=223&dur=43&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=136&ty=121&sig=115167798162627009343&page=18&tbnh=149&tbnw=216&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:96,s:300,i:292

· Web view2019-01-24 · - Fourteen-year-old Lily Owens is the main character and protagonist...

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Transcript of · Web view2019-01-24 · - Fourteen-year-old Lily Owens is the main character and protagonist...