Name: _____________________________________________________________ April 2010
The Secret Life of Bees, chapters 12-14
Reading and questions due Friday, April 30, 2010
Directions: Read chapters 13 and 14. Then, answer the following questions in as much detail as
possible. Use a separate sheet of paper.
Chapter 12
1. Lily learns some things about her mother from August. How are Lily and Deborah alike? How
are they different? Think about how each person’s environment shaped them and what Lily
has learned from the choices that Deborah made. Share something that you have learned
from your mother’s choices and how it has shaped who you are. What choices would you
make the same/different?
2. How did the truth about Deborah differ from the image Lily had carried with her all of her
life? Was Deborah a bad mother and bad person or was Lily’s image of her unrealistic to
begin with?
3. Discuss Deborah and T.Ray as parents. For each, discuss whether their personal issues
justified their treatment of Lily.
Chapter 13
1. Apply steps for literary analysis to the following quote: “A worker bee is just over a
centimeter long and weighs only about sixty milligrams; nevertheless, she can fly with a load
heavier than herself.” How does this apply to Lily? Support you answer with examples from
the book.
Chapter 14
1. “I wish that she had been smart enough, or loving enough, to realize that everybody has
burdens that crush them, only they don’t give up their children.” (p 278)
“In a weird way I must have loved my little collection of hurts and wounds. They provided
me with some real nice sympathy, with the feeling that I was exceptional.” (p 278)
“Regrets don’t help anything, you know that.” (p 280)
Compare these statements. Can grieving or self-pity help a person heal? At what point does it become
destructive?
2. Rosaleen is going to finish what she started. She is going to register to vote. How has Rosaleen
changed from the beginning of the story.
3. Apply steps for literary analysis to the quote at the beginning of the chapter. How might it
relate to Lily?
4.
The story about Our Lady of Chains would suggest that she has magical powers. What is a
more accurate description of the purpose and power of Our Lady?
5. Did Deborah leave T.Ray because he was mean, or did T.Ray become mean because Deborah
left him? Cite evidence to support your response.
6. Who is the queen bee in this story? Support your response.