A symbol in this book could be the beehive, it has the same concept of the Boartwright residence and the sisters serve the purpose of the bees. In a beehive you only get what you put in and that is what the bees do is work on their beehive to try and produce honey in the hive to creat a stable place for them to live. The Boatwright house is the same with the sisters and everything they do for there community from work and their reputation to fighting racisim and battling for womans rights.
A theme in this story would have to be "love and need for a mother". The whole book Lily's main goal is to get that love and campassion she never received from T.Ray. Some readers say that Rosaleen took on the role of her mother but I think if anything she had taken on the role of her sister. Lily is more drawn into the idea of having a mother because she can not remember the last time she had one. She just wants someone to love her and care for her and thats when August explains to her that Mother Mary is everyones mother and she should accept the love from her if she wants that feeling back.
Monday, 14 November 2011
The Boatwright Sisters.
August Boatwright: the eldest of the Boatwright sisters. August is a nurturing beekeeper, she is a deep thinker, highly spiritual and leads most of the Daughters Of Mary Ceremonies. She is a well-respected businesswoman in the community although she still has to deal with the racism and prejudices faced by all African Americans in the South during that time period.
June Boatwright: the sister of May Boatwright and August Boatwright. She is a school teacher and talented musician who is bitter about life and refuses to marry after being left at the altar many years before. She goes to local hospitals and nursing homes where people are dying and will play her cello privately for them as a way to send their souls to heaven.
May Boatwright: the sister of August and June Boatwright. She had a twin sister, April, who died when she was younger, she is abnormally sensitive and caring, and has somewhat of a childlike nature about her. Whenever she is upset she sings "Oh Suzanna" and also built a "wailing wall" in the backyard where her sisters send her when she starts getting too upset. She is highly sensitive to pain of others and the world in general, carries the weight of the world in her soul. After she finds out that Zach had been sent to jail, she tells everyone she's going to the wailing wall, when she really went to the river and drowned herself out of grief.
June Boatwright: the sister of May Boatwright and August Boatwright. She is a school teacher and talented musician who is bitter about life and refuses to marry after being left at the altar many years before. She goes to local hospitals and nursing homes where people are dying and will play her cello privately for them as a way to send their souls to heaven.
May Boatwright: the sister of August and June Boatwright. She had a twin sister, April, who died when she was younger, she is abnormally sensitive and caring, and has somewhat of a childlike nature about her. Whenever she is upset she sings "Oh Suzanna" and also built a "wailing wall" in the backyard where her sisters send her when she starts getting too upset. She is highly sensitive to pain of others and the world in general, carries the weight of the world in her soul. After she finds out that Zach had been sent to jail, she tells everyone she's going to the wailing wall, when she really went to the river and drowned herself out of grief.
Realization
As I read on with this book I have started to realize this book isn not just abuot the issue of Lily trying to find traces of her mothers life and be happy. It is also about the issue of racisim as the setting of this book is 1964 in South Carolina, so there is no question that this story is going to have multiple acts of racism occur. I first began to see the racisim happen when Rosaleen is attack by the 3 white men and put in prison, then throughout the book more and more hints of racism are layed out in the book as we meet the Boatwright sisters.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Rosaleen and Lily arive at their destination.
Rosaleen and Lily make a successful escape from the authorites and luckily hitch a ride to their destintation, just 3 miles outside of Tiburn. After a short period of time Lily and Rosaleen soon get in an argument about what the plan was(or lack of one). Lily then shouts at Rosaleen how she is dumb and she deserved to be in prison then ran off. Hours go by, as Lily is alone in remorse about her fight with Rosaleen, only looking for her to apoligize and ask for forgiveness. She finds Rosaleen naked in a creek and then joins her only friend in a midnight swim. The adventure begins with confrontation, hopefully it is not forshadowing the structure of this trip.
The true story...
Just before Lily decides to run away she gets in a heated fight with her father, in this fight T.Ray reveals that Lilys mother left Lily and did not want anything do to with her. That day she was shot she just came back for her clothes. This mentally ruined Lily as she denies it and creates the idea T.Ray is just making this up to put Lily down.
""You listen to me, the truth is your sorry mama ran off and left you. The day she died, she'd come back to get her things, thats all, you can hate me all you want but shes the one that left you."T.Ray.pg 41
Lily soon leaves her house and leaves a letter saying " Dear T.Ray, don't bother looking for me.Lily, ps. People who tell lies like you should rot in hell" pg42
""You listen to me, the truth is your sorry mama ran off and left you. The day she died, she'd come back to get her things, thats all, you can hate me all you want but shes the one that left you."T.Ray.pg 41
Lily soon leaves her house and leaves a letter saying " Dear T.Ray, don't bother looking for me.Lily, ps. People who tell lies like you should rot in hell" pg42
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Reader Response Chart
Setting: 1964 RuRal Community in South Carolina
Unkown Word and Definition: Juvenile-Immature,Childish,Infantile.
This story reminds me of: A movie called Death Sentence, in that movie one brother is killed and the family falls apart and the little brother became neglected.
What happened in this chapter: Lily was introduced and she describes her family and life situation.
An inner conflict: Lily will not forgive herself for what happened with her and her mother.
When did this take place: 1964
Significant Quotation: "When I pulled them out (her mothers gloves), I thought, her very hands were inside here."-Lily
Emotions in this peice: Depression, Remorse,Curiosity,Embarrassed.
Prediction:Lilys going to find out some information about her mother that is going to change her life.
Quotation from Another Character: "Were going to Highway Forty and Thumb a ride to Tiburon South Carolina. At least were gonna try." -Roasleen
Unkown Word And Definition: Ebenezer- Hebrew- Stone of help
Somebody: Lily a depressiong young girl who is just going through puberty
Wanted: To know her mother more because she never did
But: Her mother is passed away, and all she has left is a box of her things
So: She decides to run away to pursue memories of her mother.
A social Possible Social Commentary: Society is very old fashioned and depressing.
My Advice is: Keep on the adventure you have nothing to loose.
A power Conflict: How are Lily and Rosaleen going to get to their destination.
Unkown Word and Definition: Juvenile-Immature,Childish,Infantile.
This story reminds me of: A movie called Death Sentence, in that movie one brother is killed and the family falls apart and the little brother became neglected.
What happened in this chapter: Lily was introduced and she describes her family and life situation.
An inner conflict: Lily will not forgive herself for what happened with her and her mother.
When did this take place: 1964
Significant Quotation: "When I pulled them out (her mothers gloves), I thought, her very hands were inside here."-Lily
Emotions in this peice: Depression, Remorse,Curiosity,Embarrassed.
Prediction:Lilys going to find out some information about her mother that is going to change her life.
Quotation from Another Character: "Were going to Highway Forty and Thumb a ride to Tiburon South Carolina. At least were gonna try." -Roasleen
Unkown Word And Definition: Ebenezer- Hebrew- Stone of help
Somebody: Lily a depressiong young girl who is just going through puberty
Wanted: To know her mother more because she never did
But: Her mother is passed away, and all she has left is a box of her things
So: She decides to run away to pursue memories of her mother.
A social Possible Social Commentary: Society is very old fashioned and depressing.
My Advice is: Keep on the adventure you have nothing to loose.
A power Conflict: How are Lily and Rosaleen going to get to their destination.
Imagery
“At night I would lie in bed and watch the show, how bees squeezed through the cracks of my bedroom wall and flew circles around the room, making that propeller sound, a high-pitched zzzzzz that hummed along my skin. I watched their wings shining like bits of chrome in the dark and felt the longing build in my chest. The way those bees flew, not even looking for a flower, just flying for the feel of the wind, split my heart down its seam.”
That quote makes me feel imagery in this story because of the detail she gives when she talks abou them and the compassion that she has for them at night. With that quote you can see how much Lily cares about the only thing that is consisent in her life. Also, when Lily lets the bees out of the jar, she exclaims the reason she lets the bees out, she wants them to be free. It has only been the first coulpe chapters but I can already forsee some more connections throughout the story with Lily and the bees.
That quote makes me feel imagery in this story because of the detail she gives when she talks abou them and the compassion that she has for them at night. With that quote you can see how much Lily cares about the only thing that is consisent in her life. Also, when Lily lets the bees out of the jar, she exclaims the reason she lets the bees out, she wants them to be free. It has only been the first coulpe chapters but I can already forsee some more connections throughout the story with Lily and the bees.
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