The Educational Value of The Secret Life of Bees The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is an inspiring story of a young girl dealing with childhood trauma, finding her place in the world. Lily, the main character, faces many challenges throughout the novel, but she ultimately finds her belonging that she had been searching for throughout the book. There are many important characters that all contribute to Lily’s journey in the book, and many important events that shape Lily as a person. The novel has been taught in high schools throughout America for many years now, and it provides much educational value to students. The Secret Life of Bees has many themes that are important for students to learn about. The historical setting, social commentaries, and the search for identity
…show more content…
Both characters are also put in jail wrongly, and even worse, Rosaleen is beaten by racist white men and called racial slurs. These events and experiences highlight the nature of the 60’s and the racism that is rooted throughout the South. This allows the reader to take a step into history and really understand what African Americans would experience during this point in history. The novel also talks about voting and voting rights for African Americans. At one point in the book, Rosaleen is watching the news and she watches the Civil Rights Act being signed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a massive step forward for African Americans, as it prevented discrimination against people for their voting rights. This encourages Rosaleen to go and vote which leads to her being beaten by those white men solely because she, as a black woman, wants to vote. This highlights a significant event in history that was the culmination of years of discrimination against African Americans. This event in the novel also highlights that even after this act was passed, racism and prejudice still existed in
Both characters are also put in jail wrongly, and even worse, Rosaleen is beaten by racist white men and called racial slurs. These events and experiences highlight the nature of the 60’s and the racism that is rooted throughout the South. This allows the reader to take a step into history and really understand what African Americans would experience during this point in history. The novel also talks about voting and voting rights for African Americans. At one point in the book, Rosaleen is watching the news and she watches the Civil Rights Act being signed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a massive step forward for African Americans, as it prevented discrimination against people for their voting rights. This encourages Rosaleen to go and vote which leads to her being beaten by those white men solely because she, as a black woman, wants to vote. This highlights a significant event in history that was the culmination of years of discrimination against African Americans. This event in the novel also highlights that even after this act was passed, racism and prejudice still existed in