Finding Your self

1. Finding Yourself The Secret Life of Bees, The Color Purple, and The Bell Jar

2. Sue Monk Kidd • Born in Sylvester, Georgia, in 1948 • Majored in nursing • Inspired by Thoureau’sWalden and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening • Enrolled in a writing class after she was married • Started out as a non-fiction writer but changed to fiction when she wroteThe Secret Life of Bees in 2002 • Usedthe power and spirituality of women in many of her novels

3. The Secret Life of Bees • 14 year old, Lilly Owens, goes on a search to find out about her mother and in reality herself Themes • Feminine power is represented by four black women: • RosealeenDaise • August Boatwright • June Boatwright • May Boatwright • Controversy of black and white • Dates someone of a different race • Maturity • Stands up to her father • Grows mature enough to forgive her mother

4. Events • Lilly runs away to find out about her mother • Gains courage and independence Symbols • Use bee keeping as an example to teach Lilly about love, sisterhood, and independence • ''Let's imagine for the moment that we are tiny enough to follow a bee into a hive. Usually the first thing we would have to get used to is the darkness... -Exploring the World of Social Insects

5. Sunflower and Bees • Ginette Fine Art LLC • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vig6vCfXM3k

6. Alice Walker • Born in Eatonton, Georgia in 1944 • Youngest of eight children • Parents believed education was very important; went to school and college • Worked as a teacher, social worker, and lecturer • An accomplished poet and essayist but best known for her novels • Won the Pulitzer prize for The Color Purple • “Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make yourself.” – Alice Walker

7. The Color Purple • Celie is abused and undermined by her stepfather and husband • Epistolary novel • Dear God • Letters to Nettie in Africa Themes • The effect of rape and abuse • “Dear God, I am fourteen years old. I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me” – Celie • "You better not tell nobody but God. It'd kill your mammy" - Alphonso • Strong Women • Shug • Sofia

8. Events • Celie has to find the courage to stand up to her stepfather and husband • Celie takes what she learns about independence and passes it on to Squeak Symbols • The letters from Nettie is what keeps her alive and her hopes up • Celie making pants • Form of independence

9. By Golden Pear Art http://thegoldenpear.wordpress.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsoHqApn_4E

10. Sylvia Plath • Born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, in 1932 • Was a perfect student and won a scholarship to Smith College and internship to work in New York • Wrote 400 poems while at Smith • Wrote an autobiography of her life, The Bell Jar, in 1963 • Committed suicide at the age of thirty

11. The Bell Jar • Esther Greenwood is a unhappy young women “living the life” during the 1950s Themes • The uncertainty of what her life is and what it should be drives her crazy • Misconception • Esther seems to have everything • Men push her further away • Buddy Willard • Doctor Gordon Events • Wants to become writer • Doesn’t achieve the goal of finding herself • Tries to commit suicide many times • Lives in a mental home…

12. Symbols • The bell jar • Represents the minuteness of her life • Feels like she’s trapped inside • “sour air” • Perfection • Envies Doreen for being perfect

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14. Finding Themselves • The Secret Life of Bees • Lilly runs away to find out about her mother • Uses the strong, feminine power of the Boatwright sisters to gain independence • The Color Purple • Abused and undermined by her step father and Mr. ____ • Shug is the role model that encourages Celie • Celie in return helps Squeak • The Bell Jar • Didn’t achieve the goal of finding yourself • The searching drove her insane

15. Similarities and Differences • The protagonist of Secret Life and Color Purple both accomplish their goal • They both use the feminine power around them • The Bell Jar doesn’t accomplish this goal • The first two characters come from abused families and Esther comes from a good family

16. Bibliography • "Sunflowers & Bees Watercolor Painting by Ginette." Art Prints by Ginette Fine Art LLC. 2012. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://www.imagekind.com/Sunflowers--Bees-Watercolor-Painting-by-Ginette-art?IMID=5ad26d5c-471b-4f8d-9451-226e4c3cb9d4>.Flanagan, Mark. "Sue Monk Kidd." About.com Contemporary Literature. 2012. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://contemporarylit.about.com/cs/authors/p/kidd.htm>. • No One, but Me | The Secret Life of Bees. 2010. Slide program.  Youtube. 13 Aug. 2010. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vig6vCfXM3k>.   • The Color Purple - Best Scene. Dir. Stephen Spielberg.  Youtube. 13 Dec. 2007. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsoHqApn_4E>.   • "Alice Walker Biography."  Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/alice-walker-9521939>.   • "Alice Walker Quotes."  BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/alice_walker.html>.   • "Memorable Quotes for the Color Purple."  IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088939/quotes>.   • "Biography of Sylvia Plath."  Sylvia Plath. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://www.poemhunter.com/sylvia-plath/biography/>.   • Arriola, Drew. "Sylvia Plath Reads "The Stones""  YouTube. YouTube, 10 May 2008. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUpZQMeHumw>.   • "Google Images."  Google Images. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://images.google.com/>.(picture of sunflower, sleeping woman, and bell jar)