A Teacher's Guide

PENGUIN GROUP (USA) A TEACHER’S GUIDE to SUE MONK KIDD’S © TCFFC. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Sidney Baldwin. TCFFC. © ACCOMPANIES THE RELEASE by Lisa Winkler OF THE MOTION PICTURE SYNOPSIS The Secret Life of Bees, set in the American South in 1964 amid racial unrest, tells the coming-of-age story of Lily Owens, a white 14-year-old girl who is searching for the truth about her deceased mother. She lives on a peach farm with her cruel father, T. Ray, who tells Lily that she accidentally shot her mother, Deborah, when she was four. Lily accompanies the family’s black housekeeper, Rosaleen, to town to register to vote. Taunted by white men, she spills the contents of her snuff jar on their feet, is beaten, taken to jail, and later to the hospital. T. Ray reacts by punishing Lily, prompting her to runaway. Back with Rosaleen, she heads to South Carolina to investigate a picture of her mother’s of a black Madonna with the words “Tiburon, SC” written on the © TCFFC. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Sidney Baldwin. back. In a store she sees jars of honey with the same picture, leading her to the black Boatwright sisters—August, June, and Though the sisters provide a loving home for Lily, she’s reluctant May—who raise bees and harvest honey, live in a bright pink to ask about her mother. She befriends Zach, a black boy who house, and practice their own religion. works with the bees, and witnesses additional examples of racism in the town. Eventually, she learns the truth about her mother. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sue Monk Kidd listened to her father’s stories growing up in (Harper 1988). Her second book, When the Heart Waits the tiny town of Sylvester, Georgia. Teachers encouraged her (Harper 1990), recounts her spiritual transformation. The to write her own stories and keep journals. Two books which Dance of the Dissident Daughter (Harper 1996) explores her she read at the age of fi fteen—Thoreau’s Walden and Kate interest in feminist theology. Chopin’s The Awakening—had a deep impact on her. She enrolled in a graduate writing course at Emory University, She graduated from Texas Christian University in 1970 with a and also studied at Sewanee, Bread Loaf, and other writers’ degree in Nursing, working throughout her twenties as a regis- conferences. In 1997 she began writing her fi rst novel, The tered nurse on surgical and pediatric hospital units, and as a Secret Life of Bees. Her second novel, The Mermaid Chair college nursing instructor. She met and married Sanford Kidd, (Penguin 2005) explores a woman’s pilgrimage to self- a graduate student in theology, and had two children. The pull belonging, and the inner life of mid-life marriage. to writing returned, and she took writing classes. She soon Sue serves on the board of advisors for Poets & Writers, Inc. began a career as a freelancer, writing personal experience arti- and is Writer-in-Residence at The Sophia Institute in cles, and found immediate success. Charleston, SC. Today Sue lives beside a salt marsh near Her fi rst book was a spiritual memoir describing her advent Charleston. into contemplative Christian spirituality, God’s Joyful Surprise Text adapted from www.suemonkkidd.com A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW The Secret Life of Bees is set against the backdrop of the Civil expanded to protect women from discrimination as well. Rights Movement in the tumultuous summer of 1964. Minority Under this act, racial segregation and the infamous “Jim Crow” groups in America, especially blacks (African-Americans), laws were declared abolished. believed they were being denied the basic human rights When the Civil Rights Act passed, as illustrated in the story, provided for other American citizens (namely, whites) by the many whites were angered by it, and continued to treat U.S. Constitution, through the legacy of slavery and racism African-Americans cruelly. Despite the action and progress that accompanied the formation of this country. The assassi- addressed in the new laws, racial tensions mounted. Racism nation of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 fueled fears that persists as a deep root in American society, despite political the civil rights work he initiated for American minorities would movements and social change. be lost. Yet in his fi rst address to Congress, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the new President, urged for the passage of a civil rights Other events make the 60s a compelling time in American bill that would further the progress made under Kennedy. history. The escalation of and subsequent protests against the Vietnam War; the continuation of the Cold War, manifested The original purpose of the congressional bill, which became through the race to conquer space; and the changes in popular law as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, was to provide protection culture—rock and roll, the sexual revolution and the overall anti- for black men from discrimination based upon race, and was establishment atmosphere—contributed to this volatile period. 2 A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO PENGUIN GROUP (USA) INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY GUIDE The Secret Life of Bees intertwines historical events with a study Vocabulary Activities of honey bees. Before each chapter, Monk Kidd includes a fact There’s a selection of vocabulary words identifi ed for each about bees’ life cycles or honey production, taken from various reading section. You may want to either add to this list or resources she lists at the end of the book. Pre-reading activities decrease it depending on your students. You can decide whether could include in-depth research of the history and politics of to introduce vocabulary before reading the section, during, or the time, and about bees and bee keeping. Many resources are after. Vocabulary activities could include looking up defi ni- available in libraries and on the internet. tions, writing original sentences, fi nding the words on the The study guide is organized chronologically by chapter and pages and making a guess based on context clues and so on. includes vocabulary words, references to explain to students, or You can quiz students on each section of words, assign them to to have them research, and quotations. write their own stories with vocabulary words, or play games The quotations can be used as writing prompts or to initiate to reinforce word meanings. discussion. You can assign the discussion questions and writing Quotations & References prompts as students read the novel, or as a fi nal assessment. The themes and symbolism can be discussed during or after As you read each chapter, look for sections that might lend reading. They provide opportunities for students to make themselves to readers’ theater, acting out, or debates. You can connections to other works of literature, movies or theater have students do mini-research projects on the various refer- they’ve seen, historical and current events, or their own lives. ences from the novel that are mentioned in the guide. Students The general reading response topics can be used for journal can present their fi ndings to the class in the form of oral writing. The creative projects and the activities extend the reports. The quotations can be assigned as writing topics or reading experience, promote critical thinking, and bring the used to spur classroom discussion. novel to life for students. Themes The book presents many opportunities for discussing themes with students as they read the novel and at its conclusion. Themes are also good sources for essay writing, and making reading connections. The major theme, as expressed in the title, comes from August’s statement: “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” (148). Throughout the novel, the reader learns how most characters are not what they seem on the surface. Secrets and secret lives are major themes. Other themes to explore include: • Coming of age • Search for identity • Relationships with parents • Resilience of the human spirit • Man’s inhumanity to man • Discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure • Literacy—the role of writers • How death gives way to life © TCFFC. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Sidney Baldwin. 3 A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO PENGUIN GROUP (USA) Symbolism The Bee Hive Throughout the novel, Kidd builds on the hive and bees as a metaphor of life. Bees represent people working together in a society, which is represented by the hive. The queen, or mother- fi gure, presides over the hive. August shows Lily how the bees become confused when the queen bee dies; however, if she replaces her with a new queen bee soon enough, they will be okay. Like the worker bees, Lily has been confused and saddened by the death of her mother. Through the interven- tion of the women in this novel—particularly Rosaleen and August—Lily is saved. Our Lady of Chains Statue © TCFFC. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Sidney Baldwin. The statue of Mary is symbolic on two levels. On one level, it is General Reading Response Topics an obvious representation of The Blessed Mother, an impor- One way to assist students in fi nding more meaning in their tant Catholic icon. In this sense, the women are not praying to reading is through response journals. You can assign topics or the actual statue, but to whom it represents. On another level, allow students to select their own. This could be a ten-minute this statue (or Mary) represents all women’s need for a activity at the end of class. mother—for guidance and strength. Our Lady of Chains is mother and queen to the women in the novel.

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