TIC by Lieutenant Colonel Stephen McAllister

"We watch intently as the body, entirely covered, is removed on a stretcher and put in the waiting ambulance. The general salutes as the ambulance passes. Some follow suit. Others, lost in prayer, deep thoughts, tears, salute in their own private way."

The story that I read about was from a Lieutenant Colonel in combat. He tells about his vivid memories while in combat and all of the injuries and deaths taking place around him. He uses all of the battle terms that are used in the war to describe how terrible the war was. He also talked about how lucky you were if you came out of the war alive or unharmed. He would see his crew members and close friends die during the war and he was very appreciative that he was never killed. The deaths of his fellow soldiers really impacted him and everyone around them. They had great respect for those who died in the war.

I thought that Lieutenant Colonel Stephen McAllister's journal entry was very sad but it was so honest and true. It was a real veteran's memory of the war. It opened my eyes to how real the war is and how scary it can be. The story also made me think about how scary it would be not knowing how much longer you would live while in the war. You really can not take any moment for granted while in the war because you could die at any moment. It was nice to see how much the soldiers cared about those who died in combat. I wasn't sure if they would just move on quickly because they had to be strong for the war, but they didn't. They were respectful to the deceased and paid their respect in their own way.

I think this entry has to do with the book, Fallen Angels because the soldiers, like Perry and Peewee, are very sensitive to deaths in the crew. They really grow to love and care about their crewmates and it really hits them hard when they die. In this entry, he talks about how respectful everyone is when someone dies in combat. The soldiers in these two stories are both loved and respected by everyone.

CAMP MUCKAMUNGUS by Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres

"In average exchange I'll be speaking with an arabic translator who is speaking pidgin Turkish who is trying to tell me he needs to get in touch with a person who's name he doesn't know, but who I still need to contact, while some Parkistanis, Bangladeshis, and Filipinos are trying to steal back the knives I confiscated from them as the Koreans bring fifteen kids into their hospital for medical attention. Meanwhile, the guy in the corner is making threats against my control team because he is sick of waiting for somebody on the base and the screaming kid just stopped screaming because he puked on my weapons/contraband searcher who now wants to shoot the Korean escort for letting that sick kid loose" (Gyokeres 135).

In his journal entry, Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres explains everything he thinks people should know about the conditions the soldiers are living in. He goes on to talk about the privacy issues, size of their tents, the bathrooms, everyday activities, and so on with lots of detail. The way he describes everything makes it seem like the worst job ever, but in just the last line he expresses that he loves what he does.

Some of the things that were said in the journal enrty seemed too bad to be true, but I doubt that what he was saying was too far from the truth. It made me feel really bad for the soldiers who had to put up with this everyday, and made me realize how bad they had it. I was glad that at the end, despite all the negative comments about the war, he assured the reader that he enjoyed what he did.

The part of the entry that I quoted above reminded me a lot of a certain part of Sunrise Over Fallujah where Robin and his team were at a house were they suspected illegal weapons were hidden. It wasn't quite as hectic as the situation Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres explained, but it was pretty overwhelming for Robin to listen to the translator try to talk to the adults while they were yelling and being uncooperative, while him and his team were searching the house. This was the first time Robin had been in such a hectic situation, and he was confused at what he should be doing. After Marla found the bomb, and he had been no help he wondered if he was cut out for the job. Although Gyokeres didn't express the same kind of doubt, they were both able to recognize the chaos that came along with their job.

Hearts and Minds

"Hearts and Minds" is an email sent by: Andrew Simkewicz to his family back in the U.S.. Andrew Simkewics was a U.S. Army Seargent who had been sent to Kabul. The quote i choose is: "It is so sad what kind of world these kids are born into." Andrew's email is telling his family about his experience in Kabul. It is mostly about all of the children he saw there. He also said the scenery was beautiful and the temperatures were very high. The poverty level is very high in Kabul, so he saw many kids alone some as young as 4 or 5 years old. But they would still smile and wave as they past by. Since they had little resources for portable water they were told not to give anything to the natives but Andrew says her gave about half of his waters to the kids they past by. One time that he threw one the boy started jumping up and down waving at his vehicle, he was no older than 7 or 8. Andrew writes to his family:"It is so sad what kind of world these kids are born into."
My response to this story is that it is very sad how some people, especially children have to live in some parts of the world compared to the United States. It was also very sad that some children would be getting so excited about something as simple as a bottle of water.
In Fallen Angels, Perry also sees many children by themselves with poor clothes and little resources. Also the things that some children would have to do during the war. Some would even die and were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. they weren't involved with the war at all.

The Hurt Locker

"The Hurt Locker" is a poem written by Sergent Brian Turner. It's hard for me to pick a quote, because altogether, the poem works as a great quote. However, I will choose the quote, "Believe it when you see it. Believe it when a 12-year-old rolls a grenade into the room." Brian Turner's poem is all about the hurt and pain that soldier's go through during their time in a country fighting for their lives. For most people, these situations would be impossible to believe, and that is exactly what Brian is trying to explain in his poem. "The Hurt Locker" is a poem filled with unbelievable and unimaginable real-life situations that are seen every day by both men and woman fighting. At the end of the poem, Brian closes the poem with a single and very strong-worded sentence. " Open the hurt locker and learn how rough men come hunting for souls." In my point of view, I see this as a way for Brian to show how innocent and frightened men who come into the war are. Unfortunately, as the war moves on, these men learn how they really need to act and they become mentally prepared for what's ahead of them. In the course of the war, men become rowdy and reckless, all to hunt for others' souls.

This poem connects to Fallen Angels because the poem talks about the pain, the hurt, and the unimaginable. In Fallen Angels, Perry and his squad are clearly affected by the war. Examples are when they are wounded, when friends die, and overall, being in the war zone and being surrounded by shots and explosions. Also, "The Hurt Locker" mentions a 12-year-old rolling a grenade into a room. This connects to Fallen Angels because there a baby in the book, handed to someone innocent, and the baby's body was used as a bomb. The 12-year-old also connects to our unit because we talked about how kids were used as bait and told to stand in the road. A car driving down the road would either have to stop and be shot at or hit the kid. Unfortunately, the kid had no choice because they were most likely threatened to do what they were told.

My reaction to the poem is that war situations really are unimaginable. The war and these occurrences are not something I like to think about, but when I read things like this, I cannot imagine having to go through these times.

Get Some

Short Story
      In the short story Get Some, It follows a day in the life of a marine in Iraq.  In the beginning of the book the soldier and his whole squad are complaining about not being in the action.  They are getting excited to be in a firefight.  I thought this was strange because in Fallen Angels it was the opposite,  no one wanted to fight.  When the fighting started the marine killed his first couple enemies and he was not phased at all.  The fact that he just killed someone did not bother him.  After the firefight the marines were convoying out of the city when suddenly a car bomb blew up in the middle of the road.  It had killed a child and severely injured a man.  The marines instinctively went to help the man.  it did not matter to them that he was not American, they just wanted to help him.  It made the marine think about how happy he was that the war was not in America.  The marine also felt bad that civilians had to get caught in the middle of the war.
       My reaction to this story was when the marines went to help the civilian, i thought it was very noble of them to help the injured man even thou he was not American.  I think it shows who the real good guys are.  It shows that just because two countries are at war, does not mean that you cant still help them.

Friendly Fire by Captain Michael S. Daftarian

"Nothing can compare to the feeling that you've just bombed your own troops, the very guys you came to support." (Daftarian 22)

In August 2002, thirty two year old Captain Michael S. Daftarian, was in the U.S Air force. He was deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan for six months. This short story is written in his perspective about his experience during the war. He explains the challenges of flying an A10 Warthog in the extreme conditions of the war. He talks about what it's like to bomb large masses of land and people, and how hard it is to aim on point. He talks about what he has to go through while on a mission, and how he has to be exact with everything he does.

My reaction to the story is that it's really difficult to be in the Air Force. First of all, you have to be extremely dedicated to even join the army, but then to fly around bombing large masses of people and trying to hit the enemies without hitting any of your own men would be nearly impossible. The men and women that dedicate their lives for our country are very noble and heroic. Many people look up to the soldiers. Michael's story was very informative and educated. He was very good at what he did, and he had a great story to tell.

The connection between Friendly Fire and Fallen Angels was similar because of the way that Michael described what he was going through. Michael and Perry both told their story in their own way, but they talked about a lot of the same things. Also, in Friendly Fire Michael fears that he accidentally fires on his own people, but in the end he found out that he didn't. In Fallen Angels, there is a similar situation where Perry and his squad open fire on their own troops by accident, but unfortunately they actually ended up killing some of their own people.

PVT. Murphy

Author: Master Sergeant Mark Baker

Type of Literature: Cartoons

Quote: "Yo? AGHA, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT PHRASE YOU TAUGHT ME FOR 'GOOD AFTERNOON'."

I read a set of four comics by Master Sergent Mark Baker. These cartoons follow a PVT. while he writes home, is speaking with the people of the country he is in and in Washington. The last comic is about a 1SG who gets a call that ends abruptly because of a comment he says. My quote is from the second comic and is Murphy's reaction to being slaps on multiple occasions because of a phrase that someone from the country he is in had taught him.

My reaction was that it was funny how he could make a joke out of everyday things that they had to go through.

My connection to our unit is that you don't know who you can trust and who you can't in war which is deminstrated in the book as that they aren't sure who the enemy is and in the comic where he was being slapped because of what the man had told him to say.

Over the Years

"Over the Years" is a personal narrative by Christine Gordon. It is about Christine's and her daughter-in-law Diana's anxiety as they wait for Christine's son, Robert, to come home from the war in Iraq in 2005. Diana is so anxious that she cannot sleep the night before. Very early the next morning at the airport, Christine watches children play and anxious wives bite their nails as they wait for their soldiers to arrive. She realizes that these people around her all have the common goal of seeing their men and women, and for that reason, they are strangers no longer. She recognizes that today belongs to Diana, and so she gives up the first hug, the first picture, the first kiss for the couple. Christine's own reunion with her son also reveals the permanent love that a mother has for her son. Afterwards, she soaks up his every word and watches over his needs with bliss, relieved that his fighting days are over.

In All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul's mother sacrifices her health and dignity for her son's needs. She begs on the streets with loving purpose, completely intending on providing as well as the circumstances will allow. Christine, as a soldier's mother, sacrifices when she let her daughter-in-law have the first embrace.

I hope I will never know what war is like. It is incredible how a soldier's family could be brave enough to let a dear man or woman go. If my husband or son was a soldier, I would be anxious every day to have him back. There is a connection which only a united man and woman or a mother and child can share. A woman's empathy hurts, but it soothes the reciever in an indescribable way. Christine says it well, "Some women are Marines, carry a weapon, are trained to kill; other women survive the best they can and wait for their men to come home" (Carroll 330). Women with family soldiers have a duty to survive where it is safe for those who survive where it is not.

Timeless

I read one of the short stories Timeless by Christy De'on Miller. Pg. 239-249. Timeless is about a mother who's son had gone into the Marines and was in the war of Iraq. She didn't ever want to think that her son could die, or have a man confront her from the military and tell her the news at her front doorstep, or even imagine all the pain that would come with the loss; but it happened. Her son Aaron had died while in a firefight.

In her story she talked about the things Aaron and her had done together, and told some stories about how close their relationship was with each other. They would constantly say how they felt about each other. On one of the pages she said"...'No, I love you the mostest of the most.' 'I love you more than all the eyelashes in the world.' On and on we'd go." Pg. 244 They had wonderful memories together and now he was gone.

One of the connections I thought that was related to the book Fallen Angels was when some of the young men in Perry's squad had died, mainly when Jenkins died. Jenkins was very young and so was Aaron. He was only 21 when he had died. In Fallen Angels you never got to read about the families back in the world and how it affected them (which was mainly what this story was about) so the connection to me between the book and this short story would be the death and youthfulness.

The quote I picked was "By the grace of God I will join you some day. I'll meet the mystery of it all, too, and we will be together. How good it will be to see you again." Pg. 249

De'on didn't have much stuff that used to belong to him, but she did get his watch that he had on when he died. It lasted a couple of months and for some reason it had kept her going and it was something that was his. She would wear it on her wrist everyday in Baghdad time. Once the battery died she put it away in his box forever.

I think Timeless symbolizes that even though his time had died or run out their relationship was everlasting and that after death they would be together again.

Operation Homecoming

The passage in the book i chose is called Brotherhood by Sergeant Dena Price Van den Bosch on page 188-189. It's a poem that was written about how you can be friends with people around you that are complete strangers. One of the really good quotes is,"These same faces... may someday crawl one hundred meters under fire to reach their brother with no guarantee they'll return." I related this to Fallen Angels in the general sense. That although these people are complete strangers they look towards each other for guidance. For example, Perry looks for guidance in Peewee when they hold hands, sleep together, and are in the hole at the end of the book. When it comes down to it, the people to your left and right are the only people you have.

I also related this to when Peewee gets the "Dear John letter". In the poem it says,"These same faces... who share their smokes out of collective boredom while offering their own version of sympathy to stories of unfaithful wives..."It just goes to show that once again, in the face of things like this you really have to open up your heart to your fellow fighters. It truly amazes me how a complete stranger can be the person you rely on most in the most grueling part of your life.

Jag in The Sandbox

Author: Lieutenant Colonel Terry F. Moorer

Type of Literature: Short Story

Quote: "You know who your enemies are if twenty-two of your close family members are killed somehow."

Summary: I read in Operation Homecoming about a young man named Moorer who worked in a prison that was located in Iraq. His job was to try and see which prisoner was guilty or innocent. This was no easy job because many of the prisoners would lie or try to trick him, but he was very good at what he did. Some of the prisoners were nice and respectful and were only in there because of a mistake. While others were murderers who killed many American troops. One of the prisoners killed two American troops and cut off their body parts. Moorer had a very hard job and sometimes it was hard for him to deal with all of this. Many of the prisoners knew English and were smart. Moorer felt a lot of respect towards these men especially the Iraq officers who were prisoners of war. While Moorer worked at the prison he questioned over a hundred of those prisoners. Some were released and others were kept POW. It was very challenging for Moorer, but it taught him that not all prisoners are bad and that some are just at the wrong place in the wrong time. Moorer did enjoy his days at the prison and he worked there for quite a long time.

Response: I thought it was a good interesting story and it taught me that many prisoners are innocent and not all bad. I also think that Moorer was a pretty special person and that it takes a lot of talent to do what he did.

Connection: The connection in this story to fallen angles is when Perry walked in on a Marine Colonel questioning a VC. The VC was very scared and a lot of the prisoners that Moorer questioned were like that. Perry was shaken up by it and in this story Moorer has to deal with this everyday.

What advise would you give Ishmael? When and why?

I would have given Ishmael the advise in the begging of the book. The information that i would have given Ishmael would be to get out of the country with his family. The reason that i would give him the information in the begging is so that he would have more time to act and make a plan to work it out. The other reason that i would have given him this information is because He would have been able to stay one step ahead of the rebel army that kept attacking and destroying all of the villagers.

Do you think what Ishmael did was right. Why or Why not?

I Believe that some of the things that Ishmael did was right because he was protecting him self and all of his friends by killing the rebels that were trying to kill them. I also believe that Ishmael was right because he was trying not to let the rebels hurt anymore innocent villagers. The reason that i think he was wrong with what he did was because he was killing prisoners that he captured in cruel ways. The other reason i think that Ishmael was wrong was because when him and the rest of the kids ran out of food they would go and attack an innocent village just so that they could have all of there food and ammunition. I also believe that Ishmael was wrong because some of the kids that were rebels were his old friends and he was killing them without regret. Even when the kids weren't people he knew it was still wrong to kill kids that are still young. I believe that Ishmael was half wrong and half right with the things that he did during all of the fighting that went on in Sierra Leone.

Advice to Ishmael

Ishmael needed a lot of advice. If I had to tell Ishmael just one piece of advice to help him I would say it to him at the beginning of the book. When Ishmael was going to Mattru Jong and he found out about the attack, he should have ran away. He needed to keep moving and stay away. He could have avoided this whole ordeal.


I would have told Ishmael to run because if he could have stayed out of reach of the soldiers he would never have been forcefully recruited. If Ishmael avoided everything his life would have been 10 times better.

Where would Ishmael be now in his life if his family was with him in the military?

I feel like if Ishmael had some family to help him through his travels, he could have handled the ordeal better. Even if Ishmael only had his older brother Junior, Junior could have protected him and tried to keep the bad thoughts out of his head. Ishmael had to deal with everything himself, if he had someone to help him along, he would have been better off.

“Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death part of me dies. Very soon I will completely die and all that will be left is my empty body walking with you.” ( Saidu 70)

I think this is a very important quote from A Long Way Gone. This quote is so important because it leaves a huge impact on Ishmael, when he heard Saidu say it. He realized that being a boy soldier impacted him greatly, because it changed the way he looked at war when people tried to kill each other. When Saidu made the remark about slowly dying on the inside, this was one of the reasons it impacted Ishmael.


I felt like Ishmael was starting to realize that he would lose all his friends. The little boys he got to know were slowly being turned into soulless soldiers. Ishmael knew that his life was slowly degrading, all the violence was slowly killing him from the inside.

I feel terrible for Ishmael. He went through so much and he knew he wouldn’t be the same. He was such a normal child until he was forced to join the military. It ruined his life. The military forced him to take lives, and taking lives changes people. They become harsh and become lifeless soldiers that just do what they are commanded. Ishmael was better than that.

"there is no time to be troublesome these days"(Ishmael 92)

When Ishmael Beah says," There is no time to be troublesome these days ", he is talking about all the kids that don't get time to be kids. I think that the quote is saying that because of the war going on in Sierra Leone the kids are no longer able to go out and enjoy there youth by playing sports or hanging with there friends. Ishmael Beah is saying that because of all the fighting going on kids are not able to have peace and quiet. The kids are all to busy trying to escape the war and fighting by running away to different towns. When the kids decide to stop running they are either enlisted into the army or into the rebels army. When the kids said no to these to factions they were shot. What this quote says to me is that i am lucky to live in America and not a country filled with civil wars. This quote tells me that i am lucky to grow up where i do not have to witness massacres every day and i also don't have to risk being shot will running from the shooting.

The Meaning of "The Bean Trees" Title

The meaning of the title of the book "The Bean Trees" is not fully revealed and explained until the very end of the book. However the explanation of the title is dependent on events that occur in the middle of the book. There is a park near Taylor and Lou Ann's house called Roosevelt Park. It is quite a barren wasteland as parks go, almost all the grass is dead, and few trees grow there. However, there is one corner of the park where a trellis stands, and crawling all over this trellis are vines. At first these vines appear as dead as the rest of the park, but, later on, they blossom into beautiful flowers that create a shady purple oasis. Even later in the book, the trees grow beans, which surprised Taylor. At the end of the book, when Taylor and Turtle are in the Oklahoma City Library, they look through a horticultural encyclopedia. As they flip through the pages, young Turtle points out a picture of the vine that they had both seen growing on the park trellis. As they read about the plant, a few particular facts stuck out at them. They discovered that the vines (called wisteria) thrive in harsh, arid climates due to separate creatures known as rhizobia. This is how Taylor explained this fact to her newly adopted daughter Turtle: "it's just the same as with people. The way Edna has Virgie...and Sandi has Kid Central Station, and everybody has Mattie." So the connection between these wisteria bean "trees" and the overall story is that during the story Taylor sees and experiences people helping other people in difficult situations, so they can survive, just like the wisteria and the rhizobia. That is the meaning of "The Bean Trees" title.

-Cory Partridge

Advice to Perry

Perry's biggest struggle during the war was not having many people he could turn open up to. I think that when you are going through something so tragic, you should always be able to turn to someone who will give you advice or will help you out a little with kind words. He could have explained everything in his letters home, but he didn't want his family to worry. Perry wasn't alone with this problem though. During the Vietnam War, soldiers usually weren't very honest in their letters they wrote home.
As for talking to the other soldiers, Perry didn't want to seem scared or weak. He thought acting like everything was okay no matter what would make him seem brave. My advice to Perry would be to open up to his family. His mother must know that everything is not as easy as he is making seem anyway, so why not just tell hewr the truth? Just by writing it down, it could have made a huge difference, and made him feel a lot more comfortable. Perry also could have talked to his comrades. He should have had more trust that they would not judge him for showing a little bit of fear.

Do you think that Perry was a good role model to Kenny, his little brother?

Family always came first for Perry in Fallen Angels. Although he didn't have to obest relationship with his mother, he always thought about her and his younger brother. He worried about Kenny. He wanted Kenny to look up to him, and be proud of everything he was doing to help the family.
Perry sent all of the money he was paid right to his family rather than saving it, so that he would have it for himself when he returned home. The main reason for that was because Kenny didn't have enough money for clothes. Perry was worried that something like wearing the same clothes to school everyday would be enough to make him want to drop out. "Mama had said that she'd see to it that Kenny stayed in school if i sent money for clothes for him" (Myers 14).
Everything Perry did for Kenny was in his best interest, but he still regretted leaving him to begin with. He worried that, without him there, Kenny wouldn't have anyone to look up to. Since their father left, Perry was the only role model Kenny had. Kenny might not even realize all of the sacrifices Perry is making to stay in school, and grow up with better opportunities then he had had himself. Kenny might not realize that he was doing this all for him, and only focus on the fact that he was not there.
In my opinion, Perry has nothing to worry about. I think that Kenny will look up to Perry no matter what, especially after reading letters that Perry sends home. Even if Kenny needs Perry there, he must admire his bravery for going to fight in Vietnam.

"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" (Kidd, p. 257).

When I think of this quote, I think of the character May Boatwright. I think of how ever since her sister April died, she has been carrying around the weight of the world. Any pain that anyone else had felt, May seemed to feel it too, almost as if she were connected to them somehow. In the beginning of the book, August describes how May and April had acted as if they were connected. If April had gotten sick, so did May, and if one was hurt the other got the pain as well. When April died, it seemed like half of May died too. May was always living with a conscience and life that was too much for her to handle. She was only one person, and yet it was like she was hundreds at the same time. She even had a wall where she would take a piece of paper, write down what was bothering her or what she was feeling, and stick it in a crack in the wall. By the end of May's lifetime that wall had been covered with tons of papers.

When I think about how this quote relates to the world in general, I remember that in a community when one person is going through tough times everyone always tries to help. Friends, neighbors, churches and schools are always willing to help someone in need. In addition, sometimes if you know someone going through something you will feel their pain too, especially if they are a close friend or family member. May had often felt things that were happening to her loved ones or people she knew in her community. Another example is when the earthquake in Haiti occurred. Almost immediately, people from all over the world were trying to help. They were organizing fundraisers and sending anything they could over to the people there. There were also many people from the United States traveling to Haiti to help the people there recover from the earthquake and get back on their feet.

What made Taylor go from resenting being a "family" with Lou Ann, to accepting that Lou Ann is like a member of her family?

When Taylor first meets Lou Ann, Taylor is looking for a place to stay because she has been living in a hotel. Lou Ann is looking for a roommate because her husband has just left her. When they meet they get along rather well, even though Lou Ann is a bubbly worry-wart with rather low self-esteem, and Taylor is a restless go-getter. So, Taylor and her "adopted" child, Turtle, move in with Lou Ann and her son, Dwayne Ray. Taylor and Lou Ann soon develop a routine in which Taylor goes out to work every day, while Lou Ann stays at home, watches the kids, and cooks. One evening, Taylor realizes that this routine has made them quite like a contemporary family, and says that "all we need is some ignorant little dog named Spot to fetch me my slippers." Taylor is unhappy with this and asks Lou Ann to stop doing so many nice things for her. However as time goes on, Lou Ann and Taylor begin to bond, and Taylor begins to rub off on Lou Ann, while at the same time Taylor slowly begins to accept the family type environment that is forming around her, not just from Lou Ann but from other people as well. In the end, Taylor is on the phone with Lou Ann, who says she told someone that she and Taylor were family. At this point Taylor accepts this. So, in my opinion, it was a combination of a few things that changed Taylors mind about being like family with Lou Ann. First, Lou Ann becoming bolder due to knowing Taylor may have caused their friendship to strengthen. Also, Taylor may have decided it was acceptable to treat friends like family seeing the kindness that Mattie showed towards the immigrants that she helped. Mostly though, i think it just took Taylor some time to welcome the idea of being so close to someone she wasn't related to.

-Cory Partridge

Why do you think August let Lily stay at her house for so long even though she knew she was lying?

I believe that August and her sisters were the kind of people that were willing to help anyone out, no matter what they're situation was. When they saw Lily and Rosaleen at their house asking for a place to temporarily stay, August must have known something was not right. Lily's story that she made up wasn't really believable and didn't make complete sence. But August still made a deal with them that they could live in the honey house for a little while as long as they helped out with the business and did some household chores.
"Why don't you just ask her point-blank what kind of trouble she's in?"
"Everything in time. The last thing I want is to scare her off with a lot of questions. She'll tell us when she's ready. Let's be patient" (Kidd 87).
This was a secretive conversation that June and August had one night. Lily just happened to overhear it. So even though August knew that Lily was lying, she continued to let her stay at her house. I think she let her stay because she truly cared about Lily and knew that she was in some sort of trouble. August did not want to see anything happen to Lily or Rosaleen. So she let them stay and hoped that sometime, when Lily was comfortable enough with her to tell her her true story, she would.

Advice to Lily

Lily's mother was always on mind, whether it was good or bad thoughts. She was always thinking about what she could remember of her mother, which was not much. She had so few memories because she only was a part of the first three years of her life. Most of all, Lily constantly thought about her mother's death. She felt terribly guilty for shooting her mother when she was three. Lily also always wondered if her mother actually loved her. She was always wondering if she actually left her like T. Ray said or if he was just lying.
I believe that Lily should have tried to think of the good memories she had with her mother and stop thinking about all the bad moments. I understand the guilt that Lily was feeling from murdering her mother, but I think that Lily should have tried to forgive herself and put that time in her life behind her. She was so young and did not know what she was doing. Lily can't go through life putting herself down for an accident that happened so early in her life.
Lily was always unsure about if her mother really loved her or not because she never knew the true story. When Lily and August had a talk about her mother, Lily discovered that her mother left her and T. Ray to go to the Boatright's house. This made Lily extremely depressed because she believed that she did not love or care about her. But later on Lily learned to believe that her mother did love her in her own special way.
Lily should not have put herself through a depression over something that she could not change. She couldn't change the fact that her mother left her or that she shot her mother. I think it's a good thing that Lily decided to fogive her mother for not loving her to the fullest because everyone makes mistakes in their lives.

Advice to Lou Ann

Lou Ann is divorced from her husband, Angel. In some way she blames herself, and she hide the break up from her mother and grandmother. Angel left her with their son, and is a jerk most of the time. He does help Lou Ann deceive her family when they come up to visit, but when her mother and grandmother leaver her with a bottled water to baptise the baby in, Angel pours it down the sink. Not only was the baptism of his child no longer his concern because he walked out, but it had sentimental value as well because it was the same water that Lou Ann was baptised in.

At one point Lou Ann gets upset because a man asks her if she saw his son on the television and Lou Ann has to say no, and explain that her husband took the television too. I would tell her that it wasn't her fault that it ended. I would also tell her that she should stop reading all those magazines for guidance on how marriage and life should be. Life isn't perfect. Angel had a previous accident that injured him and damaged their relationship. She blames herself for a lot of things and she needs to let some of it go. Not everything is perfect, and you can't control everything.

Also, she should have told her mother the truth. It might be hard and she might not approve, but getting caught in a web of lies can be hard to keep up with. Without a support system she gets harder on herself. Taylor tries to help her, but there isn't much she can say but, "I'm sorry." and some of her mothers hog quotes.

When you're homesick, whats the first thing you think about?

Throughout the chapters, not just the ones with Taylor, but also when she has Lou Ann as a roommate she often refers to her mother. You read about her missing her mother and wishing she didn't have to leave her behind, but it was something she had to do. The thought of her mother starts occurring more often, as she starts feeling even more home sick. The very first introduction to Father William was by Mattie. When Taylor hears his name she has the urge to call him old, Father William, but doesn't know why because he isn't old at all.

"'You Are Old, Father William' was a poem in a book I'd had as a child. It had crayon scribbles on some pages, so it must have been a donation from one of Mama's people whose children had grown up. Only a rich child would be allowed to scribble in a hardback book.

I decided that after work I would go down to one of Sandi's New To You toy stores and find a book for Turtle. New To You was just like Mama's people, only you had more choice about what you get" (Taylor 106).

A few days after she gets the book for Turtle, it becomes Valentines day. She has found a roommate, Lou Ann, and decides to get her mother a late Valentines card.

"I still felt kind of awful about leaving her, and changing my name just seemed like the final act of betrayal, but Mama didn't see it that way. She said I was smarter than anything to think of Taylor, that it fit me like a pair of washed jeans. She told me she'd always had second thoughts about Marietta" (Taylor 110).

Her mother is constantly on her mind, and I can completely relate. I understand that she is older than I am, but she seems so hurt that she is that far away from her mother. I get extremely home sick because my mother and I are so close.

I don't know about you, but i always quote my mother, she is brilliant and has so much great advice. Eventually Taylor starts to do the same, "I couldn't even think where to begin on this one. I thought of another one of Mama's hog sayings: 'Hogs go deaf at harvest time.' It meant that people would only hear what they wanted to hear. Mama was raised on a hog farm"(Taylor 117).

My favorite quote from my mother is, " The only person you can change in yourself." What's your favorite quote from your mom?

What is the meaning of the title, The Secret Life of Bees?

Although it would be far too complicated to explain every reason that Sue Monk Kidd named her book The Secret Life of Bees, these general observations will clear up a lot of confusion for those who have not read the book. At the start of each chapter, there is a quote from other books about bees which Kidd chose to personify throughout that chapter. At the start of Chapter One, there is a quote which states that if a queen is taken from her hive, there are almost immediate signs of queenlessness. This first chapter is about Lily growing up without a mother, and she certainly shows unmistakable signs of motherlessness. In Chapter Eight, the quote states that if you take a bee away from its sisters, it will not be long until it dies. This chapter discusses May (August and June's sister) and her unusual sense of other's pain. She lost her twin sister, April, and ever since, when she sees any sign of death or anger, she has wanted to curl up and die.
Besides personification, the title of this book actually represents Lily, the main character. She, like the little bees, lives a secret life that others cannot understand. Her soul and spirit are her hive, and most others have no idea how intricate she is. There is no one just like her. We are all unique and we all have our own story and ways of reacting to it. Each season of life has a climax, whether we see it or not. Lily Owens is no typical one-parent child. She is irreplaceable, even if she does not understand herself.

How did August, May and June know who Lily really was and why didn't they confront her?

When Lily finally decided to tell August who she really was, August told her that she had already known. August had recognized Lily the moment she appeared at her front door. Lily had reminded August of her mother, Deborah, when she was Lily's age. August had worked for Deborah's family as a maid. August and Deborah had remained close even after Lily's birth. June had also recognized Lily right away, but was not happy about her staying with them. June had always resented August having to work for Deborah's family.

I think August and June realized that Lily was scared and confused. They didn't confront Lily because they knew that she would tell them when she was ready. Lily had a lot of thoughts to sort out and couldn't find the right time to tell them. As time went on, she was afraid that if they knew the truth, they would be upset and want her to leave.

Rosaleen finally convinced Lily to tell August and June the truth and deal with the consequences, whatever they may be. To Lily's surprise, August and June told her that they had known who she really was all along. Despite Lily's lies, the sisters had come to love her as their own and wanted her to stay with them for as long as she wanted to.

What advice would you give the character? When and why?

The advice that I would give to the main character would be not to lie. I am reading The Secret Life of Bees and Lily is the main character. When she ran away from home and found a new family, she didn't tell them who she really was. I understand why she did what she did, but she still should have told them the truth from the beginning. Instead she made up a whole other life story that is totally different from her real life. She didn't even have to lie anyways because the three sisters she lives with already knew who she was. Instead she was always worrying all the time on when she was going to tell them who she really was. It is always better to tell the truth no matter what because when you don't you are just making things worse for yourself ans the people around you.

"'Faggots and Commies,' Brunner said. 'Anybody who wouldn't stand up for their countryis either a faggot or a commie.'"

This is how Brunner reacts to the fact that people are burning their draft cards and I have to say that in this case I agree. I'm not saying that people should just drop what they have and join the army but why would you turn down a request that someone made to you to make a difference and protect the people you care for.

Advice For Lily

At the end of page 86 and all through 87 Lily overhears June and August talking about her and how they both know she's lying. At the moment when June left and August was left sitting alone, I would have told Lily to go and tell August the truth right then. Instead of doing that, she just left and went back to the honey house feeling more resentment over what June said rather than thinking about fessing up. This continued throughout the whole book and I feel she should have said it sooner. Maybe even toward the beginning when she met August instead of lying to her face the whole time.

Why does Lily resent her mother so much when she's told the truth?

Lily only feels pity for herself when she's told the truth about how her mother left her and went to August's. She stayed at the house for 3 months before deciding to go back and get Lily. Lily is angry at her mother for leaving, but she entirely ignores the fact that her mother was going to come back and get her to live there and leave T. Ray. Then the incident happened that switched it all around. I think that Lily is not angry at her mother. I believe that Lily is so overwhelmed by all that had happened that she is not even sure what or who to be angry at so she just picks and chooses out of the people and events what to be angry over instead.

"I walked toward black Mary with my hand lifted. But just as I was about to reach her, June stopped playing... Drawing it back, I looked around me...

and it was like seeing everything through a train's thick window. A blur passed before me. A moving wave of color. I am not one of you, I thought." (Kidd 111).

This quote really brought a tear to my eye. The reason June stopped was because a young white girl was going to touch the black Mary. In the book race is a big issue and it shows through here. June doesn't want Lily touching the black Mary for that particular reason and that reason being that she is a young white girl, a stranger, and about to touch something sacred to that family and the small black group. Lily wanted to be a part of the moment and to feel accepted, but just when she was about to, June showed how she really felt. Even toward the beginning we see racial issues.

No matter what we do, there will always be some form of racism. It's not just toward black people, but also Mexicans, Chinese, etc. You name it, it's there. I dislike racism immensely and wish it would just disappear all together, but that wish won't be fulfilled for an extremely long time. Racism affects the world in many ways. Racism affects daily tasks of an individual if they were to pass by the person they were racist against on the street. Slowly we change how we view people over the years, but the change is so gradual it's almost invisible. In the past we had slavery and treated black people like dirt. The only thing we managed to fix was the slavery...

Why does Lily want to touch the statue of Mary so bad?

I think Lily wants to touch the Mary statue because she wants her to accept her. She is afraid that no one will accept her because of what she did in the past. She thinks that if she touches Mary's heart then Mary will always be on her side. Lily though, was also afraid to touch the black Mary because she also was worried that she wouldn't accept her. Lily had to get out of the past though. She needed to stop thinking about her regrets and just live her life. She did not need to touch the Mary statue because the black Mary was always with her. She lived inside everyone.

Why is Lily's name 'lily'?

In the book The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Lily is a motherless fourteen-year-old in need of consolation. Her mother's caretaker as a girl was August Boatwright, the lady Lily ends up staying with. Lily lies about her past and while waiting for August to come into her room (so Lily may confess the truth and then ask questions about her mother), she picks up a book. The book is Mary Through The Ages, referring to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. I was not surprised to learn that this book was on August's shelf because the Boatwright sisters host a worship service held by a circle of women called the 'Daughter of Mary' every week in honor of the Virgin Mary. (I, myself, am completely shocked by this religion solely based on idol worship.)
Lily, flipping through the pages, considers the many pictures of Mary. "The big shock, though, was all the pictures of Mary being presented with a lily by the angel Gabriel. In every one, where he showed up to tell her she was going to have the baby of babies... he had a big white lily for her" (Kidd 234). Deborah, Lily's deceased mother, had lived with August before Lily was born. She had obviously been exposed to the Daughters of Mary, and therefore would have known that a lily is the sign of purity in old pictures of Mary and the angel Gabriel.
My assumption is that the author, Mrs. Kidd, intentionally put this part of the book in to give the reader a hint. This is how she came up with a name for her main character, I am sure of it. Mrs. Kidd created an exquisitely detailed story, and she gave each character their own background and elaborate description. The authoress recognizes that nobody is an outsider, but that we all play a small, yet significant part in someone else's story. Lily's story is one of heartache and restoration and the amazing power of love. I truly think she is innocent of her mother's blood, that it was no one's fault but the gun's. Lily may not feel pure, but her mother loved her with innocent and genuine passion.

"The next time I'm going to toss you one with the powder in it...(109 Myers)"

I think throwing an armed grenade is not a funny joke even if it isn't filled with the powder. Where he got the idea that it could be is what gets me and I can't agree that it was a good move.

"If God said in plain language,"I'm giving you a choice, forgive or die," a lot of people would go ahead and order their coffin" (Kidd 277).

In the final chapters of the book Lily finds out the truth about her mother. Lily hates her mother for leaving her behind when she did. She cannot believe her own mother would do such a think to her. Lily says she will never forgive her for what she did. All these years she thought that T. Ray was lying when he said that her mother left her behind. I think that is why it hurt so much when August broke the news to her.


After finding out the truth Lily cannot stand to be with anyone. She needed to be alone. She spent many days out along the river just thinking about everything. No matter how hard she tried she could not get over the fact that her only mother had left her. She never thought that she would ever be able to forgive her mother for what she had done.


Being abandoned as a child is probably the hardest thing to cope with. Even though it was so long ago for Lily and she never knew until her teen years. She never really knew her mother and now she finds out that the mother she never really knew left her behind as a baby. If I were in Lily's situation I do not know how I would really get over something like that. I would try my best to forget about it because there is nothing she can do about it now. Even though it hurts more than ever, she just needs to move on in life and realize that what she has now with her new family is the best thing she could ever ask for. Lily has something better than just one mother, she has three. August, June, and Rosaleen are all she needs to be happy.

"I have noticed that if you look carefully at people's eyes the first five seconds they look at you, the truth of their feelings will shine through...

before it flickers away" (Kidd 104-105).


This quote really stuck out to me as I was reading chapter six of The Secret Life of Bees. When Lily says it she is referring to what she sees in June's eyes when she looks at her. Lily cannot figure out why June isn't particularly fond of her. August and May have really seemed to warm up to Lily and they are very happy that she is with them. Lily just does not know why June is different.
The way that Lily sees people is very interesting to me. She always tries to see the good in everyone. Which is really easy for me to relate to. That is how I am, I always try to find something good and likable about everyone. Its harder with some people than others, but I still do my best. I think that is what Lily wants June to do with her. Lily herself does not think the highest of herself so she is just looking for someone to find the good in her.

"Please Note. Parts are included for all installations, but no installation requires all of the parts" (Kingsolver 88).

In The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, the main character, Taylor, tells her new found friend Lou Ann about her philosophy on men. This quote was taken by Taylor from the instructions on the package to a toilet repair kit. At first glance, the words seem only to be talking about the kit, but Taylor saw the much deeper meaning they could have. Taylor sees the "parts" as her own physical and mental attributes, and the "installation" as a relationship. So, to Taylor, the quote is really saying how even though she is still her entire self with all the "parts" in a relationship, the man she is with will never need or want all of those "parts." It is this realistically blunt view of the world that define's Taylor's attitude through much of the novel.

Although I know not the answers to the vast mysteries that love holds, it seems to me that Taylor's philosophy would hold true. How could any person desire every single aspect of their significant other? Even if they were immensely deep in love. I think the reason that this is a virtual impossibility now is because one cannot know all the "parts" of their love. Furthermore, one cannot simply tell their significant other about all of their attributes because they do not even know them all themselves. It is extremely difficult to learn entirely about one's self, never mind entirely about another. However, if the world were to change, so that this philosophy of Taylor's would not hold true, people would first have to look in on themselves. Then those people who have reached utter self understanding can pass on all of their knowledge on to their lover and achieve a higher level of romantic bonding. In summary: both lovers must know about all of the parts in one another's kits before they can use them all in the installation. -Cory Partridge

ADVICE TO LILY OWENS

I have been reading The Secret Life of Bees, a book about a fourteen year old girl named Lily Owens. For the past ten years of her life, Lily has been living with her abusive father, who she calls T. Ray, along with the haunting memory of the night her mother was killed. For most of her life, she has been more of a slave to her father than a daughter. As a result, Lily decides to run away with her "stand-in mother" Rosaleen. After Lily discovers that her real mother had visited Tiburon, South Carolina, she decides to go there. Once she arrives in Tiburon, Lily meets three beekeeping sisters named August, June and May. These sisters let her stay, but only because Lily lied about what was really going on. She said that her parents were both dead and that she was trying to stay out of an orphanage. After a few months of her living there, Lily starts asking questions about her mother, and the sisters become suspicious of her story.

If I could give advice to a character in the book, it would be to Lily Owens. I would tell her that she should really try listening to Rosaleen. Rosaleen told Lily that she should tell the sisters who she really is and what is happening to her instead of trying to run away from her life. I think that if Lily told August, May and June the truth, they would understand and try to help her. I would also tell Lily that running from her problems is not going to do any good and will just make things worse for her and Rosaleen.

"I wanted to make her love me so she would keep me forever"(Kidd 94)

I am reading The Secret Life of Bees, Lily throughout her life has been rejected from her father ever since her mother was killed. Her mother was killed by Lily accidentally shooting her, I think that is why her father resents her and gives her no love. When Lily got older and could not take T. Ray's abusive ways she ran away with her friend Rosaleen. She found a beautiful place to stay with amazing people that live there. Lily spends all her time with August who is a bee keeper. August is soon treating Lily like her daughter, but Lily still can not get her guilt away from killing her mother. When she first met August she lied about her whole life and she still has not told her about her other life. She is afraid that if she tells August she will hate her like her father did.

Lily is always trying to make August love her more and more so that when she figures out who Lily really is she will not hate her. Lily thinks that she is a horrible person that has done nothing right in life. Soon though August will show her what an amazing and incredible person she is. People in this world are always trying to impress other people, but really everyone knows who you are. Usually who you are is a much better person than what you try to be.

"I wanted to say that the only dead person I had ever seen before had been my grandmother. I wanted to say that when I saw her I was ready, walking

into a darkened church with the family and sitting in the first pews. But Jenkins was different. Jenkins had been walking with me and talking with me only hours before" (Myers 43).

I read "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers. Richie Perry was the main character, and he had joined the army right after highschool rather than going to college. He was smart enough to get into a good university, but did not have the money for it, so it was his second choice. This quote, to me, shows that he was not fully prepared for the military. He had not given the dangers much thought before he enlisted, and when one of the men he was with was killed by stepping on a mine, he was lost.

Perry hadn't even thought of this happening in his first few days in Vietnam. There was so much going through Perry's head when Jenkins died. He thought of Jenkin's family, and what his own family would do if it was him that died. He was scared, and the worst part was he couldn't talk to anyone about it. He couldnt talk about it with the other soldiers because he didnt want to seem frightened. He couldn't write a letter to his family about it because he didnt want to scare them anymore than he already had by joining the army. In this quote especially, I felt bad for him. He obviously had a lot to talk about, but I felt bad that he had to keep it to himself.

"'She knows,' I thought. 'She knows who I am'" (Kidd 131).

In Chapter Seven of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Lily is almost in a dreamworld at the home of August Boatwright, the famed beekeeper of South Carolina. Lily holds onto the feeble hope that the lie she claims to be her past will remain undisturbed. Yet as she sits beside August, a kindhearted colored woman, her haven of lies is shaken. Lily is startled to learn that some people can just know the truth by reading between the lines of falsehoods. August is one of those people. Lily, mystified and new to gentle love, comes to the staggering assumption that August Boatwright knows exactly who she is and all the bad things she has done.
There are some people in this world who hold a hidden loss inside their hearts. Lily is a motherless, lonely girl who has always lied to save herself from the truth - something that frightens her down to the core of her being. She does not want to know who she is or why she is alive when her mother is not. As many do, Lily makes a refuge inside her lonesome heart and lets it out through stories that make her laugh and cry. But people need others to share their laughs, sorrows, and secrets with them. She needs someone to speak openly to about the mother she lost. All in all, Lily needs August to know her, even though the thought scares her terribly.
Seldom have I met someone who can see right down to my soul, but when it happens, I see a message written in that person's eyes. The message reads: "I have known you for a long time. It's about time I tell you all about yourself." A beautiful Christian woman named Nina looked at me while introducing herself with those eyes that cut my hardened heart like a hot knife through butter. Whenever I see her, she speaks as if at that very moment, there is nothing more wonderful in the world than to sit there just talking with me. I believe this is how Lily feels about August, a woman who took her in and loved her although she feels unlovable.
I believe everyone finds their own 'miracle friend' even if in all their lives, the two speak to each other only once. Who knows, you could be the 'miracle friend' someone needs even in a long, boring movie ticket line. Finding sweet words is like sweeping up dust. There is so much of it, all we have to do is stir up joy until it surrounds us, lands on us, and moves with our every step.

"A girl, poor thing. That fact had already burdened her short life with a kind of misery I could not imagine. I thought I knew about every ugly thing

that one person does to another, but I had never even thought about such things being done to a baby girl. She sat quietly in the bathtub watching me, and I just prayed she had enough backbone not to fall over and drown, because I had to let her go. I doubled up on the floor at the base of the toilet and tried not to throw up" (Marietta/Taylor 31).

I read the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. This book is not just about one specific thing, or place and the overall meaning of the book could not be shoved into one little quote. This quote was the one that sucked me in. This quote was the one that made the book impossible to put down and the one that brought the most emotion out of the words. Marietta, who just changed her name to Taylor, has had a baby that was placed in her possession. The reason she left her town, home, and mother behind is because she wanted to escape, and get away from the pressure of their way of life. Including having a baby.

The irony in this is interesting, not only was the thing she didn't want to happen put into her lap, but she is faced with trying to take care of herself and now a new baby girl with a busted car, and no place to live. She stops at a motel for the night to try to warm up the baby. As she is trying to give the baby a bath, the baby is gripping to her so tightly she can barely take one tiny hand off of her before it is replaced with another.

Finally, as she looks at the child, she sees that this baby girl has bruises on her inner thighs. The realization is immediate, and Taylor falls to the floor. This child's name is Turtle and she plays a part throughout the book, and she is an important character.

It is too true that people are terrible to each other, and this is just an example of the many horrible things that people are put through every day. Being put in this position, I wouldn't have been able to control myself. Pity for this child would overwhelm me, and i would've broken down crying. I reread this page so many times, and yet, i still can't picture myself being there. This book was composed of so many great quotes, but i could not get this one out of my head.

"Time folded in on itself then. What is left lies in clear yet disjointed pieces in my head. The gun shining like a toy in her hand, how he...

...snatched it away and waved it around. The gun on the floor. Bending to pick it up. The noise that exploded around us. This is what I know about myself. She was all I wanted. And I took her away" (Kidd 7).

At this point in the book, Lily really blamed herself for her mother's death. She had to live with deep guilt every day of her life. This guilt was put onto her shoulders for doing something that she didn't even mean to do. Lily truly believed that unlike her father, T. Ray, her mother cared for her and loved her with all of her heart. I felt bad for Lily because her mother was all she wanted in her troubled life, but she would never be able to have her again because of the heart wrenching accident she made at the young age of four.

Later in the book, T. Ray explained to Lily a different version of the story of her mother's death. In this, T. Ray tried to persuade Lily that her mother never really loved her and tried to leave them. This crushed Lily because she believed her mom was the only person who loved her, besides her caretaker Rosaleen, but that's just not the same as your mother. Lily later learned in the book that shooting her mother was an accident that she could never take back or fix. She learned that she'd just have to live with her mother's death, forgive herself, and let her life move on.

I believe that this quote shows how sometimes the best things you have in your life can be taken away from you at the blink of an eye. You should appreciate what you have when you have it because someday it won't be with you anymore. It may have been the only good thing you had in your life, but you will have to move on and make the best of life without it. It also shows to me that it may be hard to forgive others for their wrong doing, but it's even harder to forgive yourself. You just have to push the guilt aside and forgive yourself to enjoy life. This applies to the people of the world because accidents do happen and forgiveness must be made in order to completely move on with life.

"Although it wasn't really an argument, strictly speaking, I couldn't really disagree with Lou Ann. What Cynthia and the so-called Child Protectors

wanted to do was wrong. But I didn't know what was right. I just kept saying how this world was a terrible place to try and bring up a child in. And Lou Ann kept saying, For God's sake, what other world have we got?" (Greer 236).

Since this book was about so many different things, there wasn't any quotes to describe the entire book at once. So this one is about a very important character in the book, Turtle. Since Taylor didn't really adopt Turtle (she was just given to her), she has no official papers to prove that Taylor didn't kidnap her or something. Child services threatens to take her away and put her in a state home.

At first, Taylor thinks to herself, maybe it's the best thing for Turtle and maybe they could do better for her then she can. Then her friend, Lou Ann convinces her this is nonsense and no one could raise her any better than she can, especially not the state. Taylor changes her opinion and fights to keep Turtle.

Taylor has no information on the original parents or anything she doesn't even know where she can find them. I thought the same thing when I read this, the world is a terrible place to bring up a child in. No one should be able to take a child away from their mother or father, unless there is evidence that they have somehow hurt the child! I know that Taylor is not her real mother, but she has taken Turtle in as if she were her own and no one has any right to take that away from her. Is it really any better for a child to be put in a foster place rather than to just stay with their family at her home where she is loved and cared for? Imagine if you were poor Turtle, being taken away from your home when your a baby. But, I'm not going to tell you what happens because I don't want to give anything away.

I've never wanted to have a child of my own (when I'm older), because of how terrible the world is. This quote says to me, well sure the world is terrible and bad things happen all the time but it's the only world we've got and we have to live for the best and we cannot protect our children from the world.

What is your opinion of people immigrating from other countries to America?

So, in The Bean Trees, Taylor becomes very close to two illegal aliens, Estevan and Esperanza. The married couple had to flee from their homeland, Guatemala to America in order to survive and to avoid giving their government certain information about their friends. Mattie, a motherly figure to everyone, took them in and they live with her.

Before this book, I thought if you don't live in this country, what are you coming here illegally for? We have enough people already! If you want to come to the country than do it legally. The book helped me realize we are all humans and we are all the same, and that geographic borders mean nothing. They are there to divide the world up and make finding places easier, and they should not be there to seperate everyone because of their race or ethnicity.

During a breakdown, Taylor says, "I don't know where to start Lou Ann, there's just so much damn ugliness. Everywhere you look, some big guy kicking some little person when they're down-look what they do to those people at Mattie's. To hell with them, people say, let them die, it was their fault in the first place for being poor or whatever, how dare they come to this country" (Greer 229). It made me see how good of friends Estevan, Esperanza, and Taylor became regardless of where they all came from and at the end Taylor helps them and they help her more than anyones ever helped me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I think that many of the laws are overrated. But, I guess they are also there to make us feel safe. Taylor says to Estevan, "You know what really gets me? How people call you 'illegals.' That just pisses me off, I don't know how you can stand it. A human being can be good or bad or right or wrong, maybe. But how can you say a person is illegal?" (Greer 261). Making it seem like all illegal immigrants are bad people, makes it easier for us to block them out of our country.

But this is just my opinion, I know we also keep people out to prevent new diseases from coming in and stuff, but what's your opinion on this whole situation? Also take into consideration that this book was written in the 1980's, so things may have been a little different back then, but then again the same.

What is the meaning of the title, The Bean Trees?

Hi everyone! I read The Bean Trees and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a feel good book about the struggles and miracles of everyday life.

A young woman named Taylor Greer tries to avoid becoming pregnant her entire life, and ends up with a little girl whom is just given to her. She names the girl Turtle because of her clingyness. Turtle's first word is 'bean' and the young child becomes fascinated by plants, vegetables, flowers, and also bean trees. She becomes extremely close to the earth, paying attention to each and every insignificant detail, playing with dirt and burying her dolls and items hoping they will grow into bean trees.

It is also said in the novel that bean trees are also called Wisteria Vine and they grow in places with very little resources to help them survive. Which reminded me of Taylor, she found a home, friends, hope, and the ability to grow into a stronger woman in what seemed like an empty place. At one point she watches outside and thinks to herself, "There was a cactus with bushy arms and a coat of yellow spines as thick as fur. A bird had built her nest in it. In and out she flew among the horrible spiny branches, never once hesitating. You just couldn't imagine how she'd made a home in there" (Greer 166). This reminded me of Taylor finding a home in empty places. The bean trees also relied on a bug that provided nutrients for the plant, which reminded me of the world. We all have to rely on eachother to help get things done. Without eachother, what are we really?

When Ishmael joined the army, how did it impact him?

If Ishmael wasn't picked up by the army, I think his life would be very different. I think the army strengthened him. It made him understand who he is now, and he has grown into a strong human being because of it. While he was training for the army, the corporal kept saying to the boys, "Visualize the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you." (Corporal 112). This quote stuck in Ishmael's head throughout his army experience, and it convinced him that killing the rebels was okay, even though in the long run it wouldn't accomplish anything.

If Ishmael hadn't been in the army, I think he would be just as lost as he was in the army. Because he experienced the army, he reached who he really was as a person and he was able to move on from losing his family. Of course the loss of his family would always be emotional, but the army was a learning experience for him.

The army impacted Ishmael in several different ways. He went through many emotions and saw very terrible things. He had to grow up very fast and had to fight for himself. Joining the army gave him an excuse to get revenge, and basically he just experienced anger throughout the entire journey. But in the end, he certainly learned from what he did, and it helped him a lot in life.

Ishmael would sing to himself sometimes just to reassure himself that everything was going to be okay in the end. While he was in the hospital, he listened to Bob Marley's lyrics, "Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be all right". (Marley 173).

What advice would you give the main character? When and why?

My advice to the main character (Ishmael) would be to stay strong and have faith that things would all work out. When he was sent to the rehabilitation center it took him many months to finally have a change of heart.

If I had to give him advice it would be after he went through rehabilitation. I would tell him that he's doing good and that it's important to stay strong and never give up hope. Never give in and to stand his ground. I would tell him to never have the desire to kill the rebels. They will have their own punishment some way or another. It's not worth his time. They tried to ruin his life and they would continue to if he let them get to him.

Why I would give this advice to him after he went through rehabilitation would be because I wouldn't want him to go back to the way he was. I think the best time to talk to him would be after he has changed. I would want him to move on and continue to be the person he his now. If I had told him before he was in rehabilitation he probably wouldn't have listened to what I had said.

"Bees swarm before death."

Hi everyone! So I am not very far into the book, but so far I like it. In chapter one there was a quote that really stuck out in my mind for some reason, this quote is, "Bees swarm before death"(Rosaleen 2). Further into the paragraph Lily Owens, the main character, talks about how the bees are starting to swarm in her bedroom. She starts to think about if those bees are swarming for her death. She doesn't think death is such an awful thing, in fact she says that people who think that death is the worst thing, do not know a thing about life. When she was four years old her mother died, so now she thinks of death as just a fact of life, and it just doesn't bother her very much.

This quote really stuck out to me because that is not how I think at all. Death to me is the scariest thing ever. If I could, I would live forever. So to read something about how death is just a fact of life, scares me. I am one of those people who thinks death is one of the worst things, but I know a lot about life. So reading Lily say people like me don't know anything about life is a little frustrating.

Fellow bloggers, do you think the same about life and death as Lily Owens, or me? What is your take on the fact of life such as death?

Do you think that if Ishmael didn't go to a rehabilitation center he would still be a heartless murderer?

If Ishmael didn't go to a rehabilitation center I do think he would still be a heartless murderer. He began killing so many people that it no longer affected him. He killed people for pleasure to see them suffer. I don't think anything could have changed the way he lived, but the rehabilitation center.

When he was a boy soldier he killed many rebels and learned not to have pain from it. Later on he started killing innocent people. Staff members who were trying to help him and anyone who had been annoying, or had gotten in his way. People kept on telling him "It's not your fault." If finally started sinking in for him. Quotes from the book:

"None of these things are your fault." (Esther pg. 165)

"Even though I had heard that phrase from every staff member--and frankly I had always hated it--I began that day to believe it. It was the genuine tone in Esther's voice that made the phrase finally begin to sink into my mind and my heart." (Ishmael pg. 165)

I believe that if he wasn't sent to a place where they could help him, and talk to him (like Esther did); he would have still been the way he was. I believe that he would have still been a solider murdering more and more people.

A Long Way Gone

The title in the story "A Long Way Gone" refers to how far away Ishmael got from his home and his family. I think the title is perfect for this story. In this book, Ishmael was pushed farther and farther away from his home town, and he was forced to learn how to live on his own. Even though it was hard for him, he stayed very strong throughout everything he had to go through. A Long Way Gone is the basic summary of Ishmael's life. Not only does it show how far he has traveled, it shows how he has matured as a person, and everything he has achieved.

Ishmael started out as a young thirteen year old boy that was completely oblivious to what was about to happen to him and his family. As the story proceeded, he became older and his personality, maturity, and state of mind changed several times. His mind went from feeling secure to unstable, and back again. He never really felt safe in the end because of what the army had done to him. He was far off from what a normal teenager should experience at that age.

In the end, Ishmael was sixteen and he had seen many disturbing things. He learned some life lessons, and was strong enough to tell his story to the world. A Long Way Gone was what created Ishmael Beah. Some may look at it simply as a boy a long way gone, or maybe as a boy that has achieved and gained so much that he should be known as the boy is who now, a long way home.

"It is better to carry more ammunition than food and water. Because with more ammo, we will be able to find water and food...

but with more water and food, we will not make it to the end of the day." (Corporal pg. 116)

The quote in this story (A Long Way Gone) is about a boy who survived the rebels named Ishmael Beah. The rebels attacked many villages throughout the country in Sierra Leone. Ishmael had to constantly be on the run and try to avoid them. Later on he becomes a boy soldier for a Corporal who wants to kill off the rebels. If they wanted to live, they had to carry ammunition so they could kill. The soldiers couldn't worry about what they were going to eat because they had to constantly be ready to defend and shoot.

Later on Ishmael was sent to a Rehabilitation Center where his focus was no longer killing people. Not long after, he went to NYC to tell people his story.

This quote tells me that many areas around the world are tough. If I was in his situation I wonder if I would be able to switch into survival mode and kill another person. Would I be strong enough? Would I go out of control like Ishmael did? These are questions I wonder if I could do, if my situation was like his.

"I joined the army to avenge the deaths of my family..

...and to survive, but I've come to learn that if I am going to take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge; then revenge and revenge and revenge will never come to an end.." (Beah 199).

Throughout Ishmael's struggles and horrific views of the war, he learned a valuable lesson about killing with the intention of revenge. Ishmael Beah explains in his quote about what he learned by joining the army and how big of an impact it had on him. When Ishmael's family was separated from him, he was on his own to survive. His family was killed by the rebels and he had every right to be extremely angry and seek for revenge. At first he didn't know it, but when he was picked up by the army, he was given a break. He realized that he could finally get the revenge that he always wanted on the rebels, and kill every single one of them.

Although he felt good after killing the rebels who killed his family, he didn't feel the satisfaction that he really wanted. When he was released from the army and sent to a rehabilitation center, he refused to get better. After a while, he quoted this sentence and he realized that he didn't do any good killing all of those people. He may have gotten his revenge, but in the end he still was left alone and without his family. He had just killed many people to come to that realization.

Throughout this story, the quote teaches a valuable lesson to the readers. Ishmael finally began to understand what he had done, but he was only human and it wasn't his fault. He was just a kid and he was influenced by people of higher authority. The most important thing about this quote is that it was spoken by Ismael himself. He knew that killing people never truly helped anything, but he learned this, and can now teach it to the world. This book helps people understand the dangers of the war, and the sick and cruel events that take place.

"Honeybees are social insects and live in colonies...

...Each colony is a family unit, comprising a single, egg-laying female or queen and her many sterile daughters called workers. The workers cooperate in the food-gathering, nest-building and rearing the offspring. Males are reared only at the times of year when their presence is required" (Kidd 67).

*Reared and rearing means to nurture, take care of, and look after.*

Before each chapter, Sue Monk Kidd adds quotes taken from separate books. The quotes she uses are all about the lives of bees and they fit into The Secret Life of Bees well. The quote that I chose simply says that females can live by themselves and men are only needed in their lives when it is time to reproduce. That being said, the quote is appropriate in this story because it is all about the power of women.

This quote was added into the book before chapter four, and this is where I began to see the power and independence of women. After Lily and Rosaleen ran away, they stopped at a house where three colored women lived. The three ladies were sisters and not one of them had married once; they did not have the need to. Day by day these women worked and lived and overcame the struggles that each day could bring. They could do work as well as any man could and they did it for each other.

Outside of this book, the quote says a lot about the world. Women are often looked down upon simply because it is not believed that woman can live up to the expectations of men. However, a woman can do just as much as a man can. It is not necessary for women to have men in their lives.

"How was I going to get the clothes for college? How was I going to get clothes for Kennyso he would stay in school?(pg.14, Walter Dean Myers)

I find this quote to be a little close to the heart because a lot of people join the army for lack of money. I also think that he had to be pretty brave for him to join so that he could help his brother go through school.

Do you think that Lily ran away from home in order to get away from her father or to free Rosaleen from jail?

"I get it. You ran off 'cause of what your daddy said about your mother. It didn't have nothing to do with me in jail. And here you got me worrying myself sick about you running away and getting in trouble over me, and you would've run off anyway" (Kidd 53) is what Rosaleen says to Lily after Lily frees her from jail. Lily says that she ditches home because of a rude comment from her dad, T.Ray, but I think that Lily was thinking more about Rosaleen than herself.
If I were in Lily's shoes and my father made a rude comment saying that my mother avoided me when I was little, I would more than want to run away. However, T.Ray says and does more awful things to Lily than that. Between strict boundaries and hateful punishments, I do not think that T.Ray telling Lily about her mother would push her over the edge and make Lily leave. I think what finally made Lily leave was that her father was cruel and Rosaleen was not there to comfort her and the fact that T.Ray did nothing to save Rosaleen.
Most importantly, Lily can not stand to see Rosaleen in jail. T.Ray says to Lily, "He's the meanest nigger-hater in Sylvan. He'd as soon kill her as look at her" (Kidd 38) and this worries Lily to the point where she has to leave to save her. Rosaleen gets Lily through hard times with her father and Lily was not about to give up on her. I believe that Lily could have cared less about her own feelings and was more worried whether Rosaleen was dead or alive. I am sure that Lily ran away just to save Rosaleen.

The Secret Life of Bees: Advice to Lily

In The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Lily Owens is the protagonist. She is a teenage girl who lost her mother when she was only four years old and is stuck living with her temperamental father and her kind housekeeper, Rosaleen. Lily comes from a white family, but living with them is Rosaleen. She is colored woman and tends to not use her manners. It is because of her lack of manners that Rosaleen gets thrown in jail. Lily has to lie to escape the many questions regarding her travel after freeing Rosaleen from her imprisonment.
If I could, I would tell Lily to be honest with the information she gives to people. Lily thinks the same thing herself when she thought, "That's the other secret to lying-you have to keep your stories straight" (Kidd 76). This is when Lily gives May, June, and August fake last names. Lily almost forgets the names that she gives these three women. Despite her quick thought, Lily continues to lie.
Another lie that Lily tells is to a store keeper. She claims that she is visiting her grandmother in Virginia, although the store keeper knows the old lady and knows that she only has grandsons. Lily tells the store keeper that he is wrong and that her "grandmother" also has a granddaughter.
If I could give Lily advice against lying, I would tell her that lying will only make things harder. I believe that if Lily tells the truth to everyone she talks to, then her traveling would be easier for both her and Rosaleen. Telling people the truth makes people have more sympathy, and Lily can get a lot of sympathy because she is just a little girl . However, Lily just lies. Lying does help her because it gets her and Rosaleen what they need, but I think that being honest could get Lily and Rosaleen farther than they are now.