The Secret Life of Bees: Unit Overview and Movie Viewing

As you view The Secret Life of Bees film, you will be taking some detailed notes, as well as some basic overview notes. Overall, the purpose of watching the film before reading selected portions of the novel is to allow you a visual in-depth understanding of the novel as a whole, so that your mind can concretely grasp and form pictures for what you are reading.

During this small unit, we will be spending time analyzing the various moods throughout The Secret Life of Bees, and will be taking note on specific literary devices that develop these moods, and for what overall purpose. Your cumulative assessment will be a

stylistic analysis paragraph, with less scaffolds than with “The Scarlet Ibis”. It’s

important that you pay attention to detail in this unit. J

Movie Notes: “Chapter 1” First 15 minutes of film: You will be assigned a reading of chapter 1 from the novel for your first homework assignment for this novel. Additionally, you will be comparing the novel to chapter 1 as presented in the movie with a Venn Diagram. Watch and write down as many observations as you can in the space below for the first 15 minutes.

Mood Notes—Every 15 minutes: Record how you, the movie watcher, feel while watching, or if you are unaffected, how the filmmaker anticipates the general audience feeling. Then, explain what details in the movie made you feel this way.

Time Segment Mood Why?

1st 15

2nd 15

3rd 15

4th 15

5th 15

6th 15

7th 15

Last 10

Character’s Secrets Throughout the story, Lily Owens is obsessed with learning the secrets of her mother. To seek the truth about her mother’s love for her, Lily escapes to the home of the beekeepers in Tiburon, South Carolina. There she restrains from sharing her own secrets about running away and her loveless father. To cover up the guilt of her past and fears for the future, Lily conceals her secrets with lies. Despite Lily’s many secrets, she is not the only character to avoid telling the truth. The entire Owens family holds secrets that come out during the course of the story. Deborah’s accidental killing causes Lily to feel intense guilt and self-loathing, while T. Ray uses anger to deal with his pain. Because of racism, even relationships must be hidden, such as the budding romance between Lily and Zach. Can you think of other secrets?

Character’s Secrets How, If, and Why Secrets are Revealed

Lily

T. Ray

Deborah

Others

Gender Stereotyping Analysis (Homework Chart)

Look at the following chart to differentiate stereotypical female characteristics in the media as well as from the 1960’s, when this novel/ movie is set. Then compare these to more realistic female roles, attitudes, and behaviors. When a combination of the attributes on the left are repeated over and over again in the media, young girls may begin to associate them as the only qualities that women possess. That is why it is important that television, movies, and other media forms remember to show women with more attributes

listed on the right. Add your thoughts to the lists.

Stereotypical Female Realistic Female Passive Submissive Overly sexualized Housewife/stay-at-home mom Dependent Searching for love Emotional Superficial Mean Fashion and make-up Outer appearance Inferior Unintelligent

Thin, tiny waist

Strong Courageous Realistic and varying body types Career-minded Athletic Working mother Leader Inner beauty Intelligent Independent Determined Talented Diverse Cooperative

Friend

Using the attributes from the previous page, analyze the female characters in The Secret Life of Bees. What qualities characterize them? Are they mostly stereotypical or do they counter the traditional roles of

women?

Character Role, Attributes, and Personalities Lily

Rosaleen

August

May

June