The Secret Life of Bees and A Separate Peace

As we travel through our study of human nature and the male and female race, you will need to answer the following questions after you finish reading each chapter. Questions need to be answered in complete sentences and be a minimum of one paragraph.

Chapter 1:

  1. Describe Lily. Does she strike you as a tough girl or a “girly” girl? Use specific examples from chapter 1 to support your examples.
  2. Why doesn’t’ Lily call T. Ray “dad”?
  3. Catch Phrase: A catch phrase is a line from a particular chapter that stands out or relates directly to the questions asked previously. Explain WHY you chose the catch phrase.

Chapter 2:

  1. What puts Lily and Rosaleen in jail and why does Lily decide to leave her house, rescue Rosaleen and run away? Would you have made a similar decision or different?
  2. Describe T.Ray?
  3. Catch Phrase: A catch phrase is a line from a particular chapter that stands out or relates directly to the questions asked previously.

Chapter 3:

  1. Do you think girls pay more attention to the details of their surroundings than boys? What does Lily tend to notice about people or her surroundings that you might not initially notice when you go somewhere?
  2. What is your relationship like with your own mother? Do you think females tend to have stronger relationships with their mother’s or males?
  3. What was Lily’s relationship with her mother like?

Chapter 4:

  1. Why do you suppose boys are stereotyped as being braver than girls? Does Lily fit this stereotype? Provide specific examples to support your answer from the text.
  2. Describe a person you know who you feel knows you really well, so well that they can often read when you are lying, scared, depressed, ect…
  3. Is there a female in your life who you have a close relationship with? Explain who that person is and the type of relationship you have.

Chapter 5:

  1. Describe May, June and August. How do their personalities differ?
  2. Do you think Lily is running from her family problems or trying to fix them? Explain your answer.
  3. What happened to May ? Do you feel that people can overcome grief? Explain your answer.

Chapter 6:

  1. Why do you think adults often hide the truth from their kids? Do you think Rosaleen is right when she says, “What if you find out something you don’t wanna know….I just don’t want you getting yourself hurt.” (100) Should Lily stop looking for answers about her mother?
  2. May goes to her Wailing Wall each time she gets upset and cries. The wall calms her. Do you have a “Wailing Wall” or somewhere you can go when times are tough?
  3. Do you think males should hold their emotions in? Is it more acceptable for females to show emotion? How does society push these male/female expectations upon us? Explain your answers.

Chapter 7:

  1. What are your feelings on inter-racial relationships? Do you find it weird that August didn’t tell Zach that Lily was white?
  2. Rosaleen criticizes Lily for “living in dream world” as she stays with the Boatwright sister’s. Do you feel that girls tend to be more unrealistic about the reality of life than boys or vice versa?
  3. What are June’s reason’s for not marrying Neal? Do you think Neal should just leave June alone since she won’t marry her?

Chapter 8:

Postcards Home- See additional assignment

Chapter 9:

  1. What event gives Lily a clue that her mother lived at the Boatwright’s?
  2. In chapter 9 Zach gets in a fight. Describe how the fight started. What would Lily have done if she were in Zach’s shoes?
  3. Catch Phrase

Chapter 10:

  1. Do you believe May’s death was inevitable? What sent her over the edge? Are women or men better at coping with tragedy?
  2. Have you been to a funeral? Do you think that funerals are held for the dead or alive?
  3. Describe how each of the Boatwright sister’s mourns differently? How do you mourn?

Chapter 11:

  1. Zach seems to be more optimistic about life than Lily. In chapter 11 he says to her, “We can’t think of changing our skin…Change the world, that’s how we gotta think.” What, in your world would you change?
  2. Zach and Lily finally kiss in chapter 11 and Lily links the kiss to love. Do you think she loves Zach? Is the word love overused?

Chapter 12:

  1. Do girls tend to hold their feelings in more than boys or vice versa? Explain your answer using examples from the text.
  2. What does Lily learn about her mother? Do you feel Lily is justified in being upset or is she just overdramatic?
  3. Catch Phrase

Chapter 13:

  1. Why is Lily so affected by Our Lady?
  2. When Lily learns the bitter truth about her past from August, she states, “I heard the bitter tone in my voice and it came to me how I could lock that tone into my voice forever.” (264) Do you know someone who is always bitter? Does it bother you?
  3. Catch Phrase

Chapter 14:

  1. How has the female role changed between the time the novel took place and now?
  2. What do we learn about Lily’s mother’s death at the end of the novel?
  3. Why did T. Ray want to take Lily home? Were his reasons selfish or valid?