Reading Journey for the The secret life of the bees page 196-255 - Book Report/Review Example

JOURNALS MUST BE TYPED (no less than one page – single spaced) Summary = no less than 10 sentences Personal response = no less than 10 sentences ______________________________Date July 3, 2014Pages 196-225Main points: The police investigate May’s death.After the funeral, they hold a vigil for May.Zach returns and blames himself for May’s death.August finds May’s suicide note.They all prepare for Mary Day or Feast of Assumption.June accepts Neil’s wedding proposal.They celebrate Mary Day with the Daughters of Mary.

Lily talks to August about her mother.Lily learns to forgive her mother.T. Ray comes to pick her up, but Lily says she will stay with the Boatwrights.Lily settles into her new life with hope and love.Summary: In the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, pages 196 to 225, May is already dead and the police have come to investigate her death. One police is suspicious about Lily living with black women. After the funeral services for May, the Boatwrights hold a vigil for her. Lily stares at May long and remembers and prays for her.

The next morning, Zach returns. The police releases him after a witness tells what truly happened. Zach feels that he is to blame for May’s death, but August reassures him that May did it to herself. The Daughters of Mary visit May and they all have a happy time instead of feeling sorrowful only. After two days of vigil, August discovers May’s suicide note. May tells them that it is time for her to die and that they should all live a good life. August tells June that May also means for her to live by marrying Neil.

After the mourning, they all prepare for Mary Day or Feast of Assumption. During the preparations, Neil proposes to June and she accepts his proposal. They celebrate Mary Day with the Daughters of Mary. Their feast and the rituals help Lily feel better and make her stronger in talking to August about her mother. Lily finally confides in August about her mother. August already knows she is Deborah’s daughter because Lily looks like her. Lily narrates to August why she is with Rosaleen and how she finds August.

August tells Lily that she worked as a housemaid and nanny for Deborah before, while she was studying and waiting for a teaching job. She also tells Lily that Deborah married T. Ray because she was already pregnant with Lily. She adds that, one day, Deborah came to August without Lily because she was depressed. Lily is upset that her mother left her with T.Ray for three months before returning to get her. She feels abandoned and unloved. Nevertheless, after days of reflection, Lily forgives her mother.

One day, T.Ray arrives to take Lily back. He slaps her because he thought Lily was Deborah leaving him again. August promises T.Ray that she will take care of Lily. T.Ray leaves. Lily stops his truck and asks him if she indeed killed her mother. T.Ray said yes. Lily lives with the Boatwrights. She learns to appreciate that she is blessed with many more mothers than she dreams of.Personal Response: (connect to main points, use your opinions, your observations, your feelings, your experiences – connect yourself with the story – explain your thinking) I understand why Lily is upset with her mother for leaving her, but I also understand why Deborah left.

Deborah loved T.Ray for who she thought he was, a knight in shining armor who will treat her like a princess. When she found out that T.Ray is interested in things that she was not interested in, the love faded, but it was too late because she got pregnant. As for T.Ray, he must have been so insecure and violent because of his experiences in the war. I think he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because of the war, since he has symptoms of being tense and having flashbacks. Living with T.

Ray sucked the life out of Deborah, so she became depressed enough to leave her daughter. Lily, being young, could not accept it first. I would also feel abandoned because I would not think of leaving my children with a hard, violent man like T.Ray. But, then again, Deborah was mentally sick. At least she got better. I am just saddened that she died. She would have been a good mother. Finally, in dealing with loss, it is important to have a loving support group. Lily is fortunate to have the Boatwrights, Zach, and the Daughters of Mary as her family.

They all help her feel loved and important again. Once a person feels loved, she/he will learn to accept the things she/he cannot change. Lily did, and for that, I am proud of her journey, from being a lost, insecure child to being a confident, loving young woman.Questions: (type two questions related to the novel for class discussion)How can adults help children deal with their loss?How can the community help people like T.Ray who have been changed because of their loss?Vocabulary: choose two words to discuss with your groupsquiggle- a short line that curls and loops in an irregular wayclomp- walk with a heavy tread