2. BEHIND THE TITLE. When you think of a bee, you think of the vicious pain it gives you when you’re stung. On the outside, a bee is just a black and yellow flying insect who gets honey and gives you major pain. But, you may not know where that bee has traveled from, how long it’s lived or where it’s hive is. Now, think this bee is you. At first glance, some people may have a misconstrued impression of you. When you look at someone, you don’t know their entire life. Secrets are hidden within all of us. No one can see what your life is like or what those secrets are just by looking at your clothes or body. Essentially, the title “The Secret Life Of Bees” represents human life by a bee, and how you can’t judge someone’s life by just looking at them on the outside.
3. With the way May warmly cooked and took care of the Boatwright home, a simple glance wouldn’t confirm her depression. Only those who knew her the best knew of her ‘wailing wall’ and depression. When May killed herself in the river, some didn’t expect it. This shows how someone can smile on the outside but be dying on the inside. REASONS BEHIND THE TITLE. Photo from The Secret Life of Bees (Movie) showing May (middle) smiling.
4. Stereotypes play a huge role in society. Look around any classroom, and you’ll find yourself judging people on the outside even if you don’t know them. The blonde girl? Oh, she’s probably dumb. Someone with glasses? Nerd. Black kid with his hat sideways? Obviously, he’s from the ghetto. Dark hair and dark makeup? They must be depressed or crazy. Stereotypes are a horrible part of society that form us into a judgmental being. Zach is an intelligent guy who is also sensitive and ambitious. Someday, Zach hopes to become a lawyer. In the 1964 society, that was pretty much unheard of. Many doubted him, saying that a black man could never become a lawyer.
5. Lily’s life isn’t a typical one. While most other girls have their mothers still around, Lily is left without one. Rosaleen, a fierce black woman, is the closest thing she has to one. A white girl with a black family in South Carolina in 1964 isn’t seen often. Thus, their life is a little abnormal. If you saw Lily walking alone down the street, you would never expect it. A sight not seen often in 1964 South Carolina. .
6. IMPORTANT QUOTES AND EXAMPLES. As stated before, in 1964, an African-American lawyer was considered a crazy idea. When looking at Zach, you might say that he could never be a lawyer, but since you don’t know his ‘secret life’, you have no idea. “I’ve just never heard of a Negro lawyer, that’s all. You’ve got to hear of these things before you can imagine them.” “Bullshit. You got to imagine what’s never been.”
7. This is possibly the most important quote of the entire book. It shows the metaphor between humans and bees. It shows how things are usually more complicated than they seem on the surface. “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.
8. “People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about life.” Lily (movie) who said this quote. With this quote, she explains how dealing with her mother’s death is probably more painful than actually dying. This shows that even though you’re living and going through life, things aren’t always as they seem.
11. After Lily’s mom’s death, she felt like it was all her fault. She also lived with a black family, which was rare back then and made others judge her.CONCLUSION.
12. Created by Erika Arbak. It’s easy to say bees are malicious because of their sting, but look inside the hive before judging.
Editor's Notes
Hover over the speaker on the first slide and click play to hear the audio.
