Secret life of bees free essay sample

In 1964, Lily Owens is fourteen years old. She has no mother, a father whom she despises, and no friends to turn to when she needs a shoulder to cry on. Not only does Lily have to deal with feelings of loneliness and betrayal caused by her parents, but in a time troubled by negativity towards the Civil Rights Act, she is also faced with situations that force her to grow up very fast. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a page turning novel about Lily’s journey to find answers to her past. There are themes and symbolisms throughout the book. Racism, forgiveness/coping, and bees are big ones for many characters throughout the novel. The summer of 1964 in South Carolina comes at the peak for race relationships in American history, a summer when much of white Americans showed no respect towards the blacks. The nature of racism is discussed throughout Lily’s story. It is important to understand she grew up in the South, where races were separated by both law and attitudes. Lily does not attempt to reconcile her love for Rosaleen with her understanding that blacks are inferior to whites. â€Å"Rosaleen pulled back the towel; I saw an inch-long gash across a puffy place high over her eyebrow. † (Kidd). Is one of the first times she started to see racism, but not to the fullest understanding. When Rosaleen’s life is threatened by a system that Lily doesn’t understand, she knows only that she must save Rosaleen’s life, even if it means leaving home and breaking the law. Anne-Janine Morey from Christian Century says in her criticism piece, â€Å"Imperfectly integrated with her spiritual journey is Lily’s account of racism, as Rosaleen prepares again to register to vote, and a neighbor is arrested on trumped-up assault charges during an altercation with local racists. † (Morey). Lily seemed to notice it but not to full view until that encounter. Lily’s attitude begins to change when she meets the Boatright sisters (Strong black women with a profession, an education, and a religious community that is strong and positive). When June reacts to Lily being white with little respect, it occurs to Lily that racism can work both ways. Lily begins to understand that character is more important than skin color, after her own encounter with racism. At the Boatright’s house is where Lily meets Zach, Lily gets more of an understanding of society’s view of race through her relationship she develops with Zach. Before Lily met Zach she could never imagine how she could find a black man attractive. Despite Zach’s and Lily’s love, their society will not accept them as a couple. All around her, Lily receives strong messages about racism. The policeman who comes to Boatright’s house and the receptionist at the lawyer’s office both disapprove of her living there. On the television every night, Lily sees stories of people beaten and killed because of their race. Lily ends up growing into a person who understands the terrible nature of racism. Lily chooses to stay at the Boatright’s house, realizing that it is a community she loves and that it does not matter that her family member are black and she is white. Throughout the story, all of the characters are forced to cope with difficulty. They cope with grief, discrimination, abuse, and physical pain. They all use different methods to cope and none of the characters take the same approach. Boppy a resident scholar says, â€Å"Maternal loss and betrayal, guilt and forgiveness entwine in a story that leads Lily to the single thing her heart longs for most† . August tells Lily about Deborah, Lily becomes irate about her mother’s abandonment. Lily can’t understand the concept of a nervous breakdown. All she hears is that her mother left her to come to August’s house. Lily is not ready to let her mom off the hood, forgiving her for seeking her own health first and leaving Lily with T. Ray (Lily’s father). Lily then returns to the honey house where she is staying and throws jars of honey against the wall, making a huge mess but releasing her anger. She does not want to let go of the romantic pictures she has created of her mother. Lily is indecisive between being angry at her mother for leaving on the one hand, and better understanding her mother’s motives on the other. Lily ponders the idea of why it is so difficult for people to forgive. Lily must forgive herself too. Lily’s first reaction, when August tells her Deborah married T. Ray because she was pregnant with Lily, is that it was all her fault that Deborah was sadden with such a terrible husband. When Lily tells August about how she happened to come to the Boatright’s house, she explains with tears and sorrow that she hates herself and is a worthless person who isn’t worthy of love. Before Lily can become whole and love herself, Lily must forgive herself for killing her mother, and she must understand that this was an accident that she can’t go back and fix. Lily has to go on, realizing she is a human being worthy of love. Anita Shreve says it perfect in a criticism with Publishers weekly, â€Å"It’s deeply satisfying when August teaches Lily to find the mother in herself-a soothing lesson that should charm female readers of all ages† (Shreve). There are several lessons August teaches Lily including with the bees. Throughout the story there are bees and they all have a meaning or symbolize something. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter concern bees. The bees in Lily’s room reach out to her and show her she must leave. The bees at the Boatright’s house are instrumental in teaching about community, life, and death. The bees in Lily’s room show who she is and what she must do. A bee she captures in a jar actually flies away, Lily realizes she too, must leave save Rosaleen, and get away from her abusive father. The label on a honey jar leads her to the Boatright’s house, almost as if the bees are leading her to clues about her mother. At the Boatright’s house, the bees and their hives are both a way of life and a means of nourishment for the family. August uses the bees and their hives to illustrate to Lily how societies operate, explaining that they are a powerful symbol of women as leaders of the village. August uses the beehives to teach Lily that life is a cycle, one in which death and rebirth are an important part. Some of the lessons Lily learns are just good practices of life in general. Like Charles Brower says, â€Å"Taking Lily on as a sort of apprentice, she explains to her the inner workings of the hive, â€Å"the secret life we don’t know anything about† (Brower). August uses the beehives to teach Lily that life is a cycle, one in which death and rebirth are an important part. Draping the beehives, tending to their needs, and getting another queen for a queen less hive are all part of taking care of nature, the needs of the bees, and the circle of life. The honey from August’s hives and the chains that represent a resistance to slavery are important to them and to the novel as a whole. The bees, August explains, represent death and rebirth. Sue Monk Kidd has written a beautiful novel about the overwhelmed power of love. This is the tale of a young girl’s way to healing, and of finding, at the end, not only wholeness, but the indefeasible sacredness of living in this world. This novel shows simple feelings and acts that we usually do not notice in the flow of time. This story relates to the world today because in both time eras, child abuse was an issue. The world really hasn’t changed much. The media today is the reason we think it has gotten worse. The media focuses on it, grabs every story, and proclaims it to all of the country. Back then, there was child abuse it’s just it wasn’t as shared and on the news as much. The world is still the same world it was 50 years ago, except now everyone knows everything that goes on all the time. Kelly Hamren says it great in the Too Much Honey-A review of the Secret Life of Bees, â€Å"Literature that forces us to confront problems from a new angle, or to face a new and troubling side of a familiar question, keeps us from settling into a complacent easiness concerning our perspective on problems which are often much more difficult than we make them out to be† (Hamren). These are the types of books that make you think and expand the mind. Too many today are relying on movies instead of reading a good book.

Essay Sample - Why Should We Write an Essay?

Essay Sample - Why Should We Write an Essay?A sample essay is used by many schools and colleges when they are in the process of assigning students. It is also used by many teachers and administrators when they want to see what a student can write on their own.The purpose of the sample essay is to show a student how to express their ideas on a particular person or group. The teacher wants to see if a student can write well on their own and how well they understand different perspectives.College essays are very different from personal essays because it requires more writing ability. You will be expected to write about an entire section, not just a particular person or topic. This may seem like a challenge for some, but it's not as difficult as you might think.First, keep in mind that each assignment is not being given to a single student. Each student is working together with other students to help one another. If the student that needs help is not willing to read your assignment or he lp with it, the teacher will know this.Second, there are several ways to make a student's assignment easier. One of the easiest ways to do this is to make sure that the student is in a class with people who will be able to help them.Once the student knows that they have a group of people that are willing to help them, they will be less likely to give up. Even if the student gets stuck on a certain part of the assignment, it's usually possible to find their way out. When you are writing a whole essay, you have to be prepared for that problem.Third, make sure that the student is aware of the feedback. This is the person that will tell the student that their essay is not the best essay ever written. The better the feedback, the better the essay will be.Finally, a student needs to have an idea of why they are writing their essay. If the student has a reason, then they will be able to apply that reason in a whole essay that can make the student look like a genius.

Gwen Harwood Critical Study Essay Example

Gwen Harwood Critical Study Paper An Australian poet who, seems to develop an imaginative, rich form of poetry through the use of recurring themes. Complex language techniques and even further through the use of sophisticated structures only seen in the most prestigious of poems in the modern era. Gwen Hardwood has a tendency to write poetry that is significant in all eras, cultures and/or societies of the world as she captures, and develops them Into a strong universal theme that recurs strongly. These themes seem to endure, and portray the human experience by relating these in forms that resonate through a range of various environments; these poems have n immense structural integrity. These themes are depicted powerfully in poems such as; Father and Child, Violets the 2 poems that I have chosen to discuss In this speech. In the Father and child, It has a unique structure of 2 parts; the 1st (Barn Owl) discusses her loss of innocence in the daughters perspective in the past, the second part (Nightfall) Being the downfall to her father, how he is put in an degenerative state, slowly falling to his demise. We will write a custom essay sample on Gwen Harwood Critical Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Gwen Harwood Critical Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Gwen Harwood Critical Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This is to do with Gwen accepting the Inevitability of her fathers death. These 2 poems can be read symbiotically in a dual tauter to provide further insight into both their poems, or separately as a poem. The language in the first poem is quite unique. It highlights the use of very simple words, with little complexity, this can be interpreted to show the innocence that the child still possesses, as children (better yet an Innocent child) are meant to speak with less complexity than a full grown adult. These sentences also tend to be monosyllabic. l knew my prize, who swooped home at this hour are all monosyllabic. As the poem continues, especially after the owl is shot, the childs vocabulary seems to improve in impolitely, losing Its monosyllabic nature. This can symbolize the loss of Innocence that the child had experienced by killing the owl senselessly. Gwen also uses many biblical allusions in this poem. One portraying the child, in an evil fashion, maybe even demonically. A horny fiend, I crept. This image is then juxtaposed by the line a child/Obedient, angel-mild. This shows that she Is generally a good person but she has the potential to commit evil act. Just as eve; from the biblical story of Adam and Eve. She reinforces the idea of her father being God, and eve going behind her father o seek power, Just as Eve did when she bit into the apple for intelligence. As the owl Is also considered to be symbolically wise, it can be interpreted that the owl is also the fruit from the forbidden tree as In the story of Adam and Eve. The snake (Satan). Convinces Eve to eat from the tree, as it would make her eternally wise; which would allow her to grow in power, Just as the child had believed that killing the owl would allow her to grow in power. The poem seems to also state that she is the master of life and death and she Isnt referred to as a mistress, In a literal sense, It refers to her s a male, even though she is a female. This helps promote the idea that she losses some of her femininity. The second part to the poem also refers to it as nightfall this creates significance by also further enticing the idea that her father is slowly passing away and that she realizes that there Is not much time left. These themes combined all portray the idea of a recurring theme, the recurring theme that has made this poem so influential through many generations and views, a theme that resides in all 1 OFF The violets is the triggering of a memory after the subtle act of picking up a violet. This poems language structure is quite unique, it utilizes going from the present to past tense repetitively recollecting past experience the user has been through continuously making further sense of the present. The memories that are conjured are of happiness, she does develop a feeling of change or emptiness, further enhancing the recurring theme of loss. The reader uses 1st person to fully capture the personality of the experience she writes about. As the writer has lost these experience in the present day, she still has vivid memory of the past, in which she wishes to keep secure this is shown in the line frail melancholy flowers as the lowers is what triggered the memory, she refers to them as frail, that can be easily damaged, this is why she wishes for the security of them. She is afraid of the loss of these memories. Wheres morning gone? Is a line that further emphasizes her innocence, or in the bigger picture; her loss of innocence. As a child she asks, Wheres morning gone personifying time, or the morning. Instead of simply understanding, the fact that she has slept her way through the day. This can also refer to the interpretation that she feels as if she had metaphorically slept her way wrought life, but it can also be interpreted as the loss of innocence, as she had Just let her childhood float away. By revisiting this memory, the child persona further establishes the inevitability of death, Just as she had done in Father and Child She realizes that time will not stop for anybody, this can be depicted by the line Years cannot move Gwen Hardwood, as recently stated uses these recurring themes and language techniques to create structurally sounds poems that resonate throughout various societies and shall continue to by the consistent use of universal themes. Thank you.

Encouraging Trends in Trucking 2,800+ Jobs Since June!

Encouraging Trends in Trucking 2,800+ Jobs Since June! According to the U.S. Labor Department, the for-hire trucking sector gained 2,800 jobs in July, putting its total employment figure at more than 1.46 million, the highest it’s seen in more than 8 years. More broadly, the transportation and warehousing industry saw an increase of 14,400 jobs. Total non-farm employment jobs went up by 215,000 this month too- the overall unemployment rate is still at 5.3%, the lowest it’s been longer than seven years. Factors for the increases include baby boomers retiring, women leaving the workforce, or job skills no longer matching up. Other fields that saw major gains this quarter were retail, health care, professional and technical services, and financial activities.While the rise may have fallen short of economists’ expectations, it’s good news for truckers and warehouse and transportation professionals across the country.Stay tuned for further updates as the next quarter looms!Economic Watch: Trucking, Overall Employme nt ImproveRead More at TruckingInfo

Global Challenges for Business, Management & Leadership Essay

Global Challenges for Business, Management & Leadership - Essay Example ................................................................ 7 2.3 Kraft Foods - Porter’s Five Forces ........................................................... 8 2.4 PESTEL Analyses .................................................................................... 9 2.5 Global Management Strategy .................................................................. 10 3.0 The Challenge - CSR ..................................................................................... 10 3.1 Impact of this Challenge on Kraft Foods ............................................... 11 4.0 Recommendation ........................................................................................... 11 5.0 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 11 Works Cited ........................................................................................................ 12 1.0 Introduction Within a realistic context, it is no t easy to define the term management. In the academic circles there exist as many definitions of management as there are the books on the subject. It goes without saying that there are many genuine reasons behind this dilemma. The first and foremost, management pertains to a very vast and expansive subject. It is indeed very extensive. It is, therefore, not possible to outline all the essential features of management in a single formula. Besides, management is a subject that has primarily to do with human beings, which in a behavioural context tend to be highly unpredictable. Moreover, management is a discipline that is still in the nascent stages of its development and, hence, the concepts associated with it are continuously changing. Yet, there is no denying the fact that the most of the definitions of management tend to emphasise one common idea that the discipline of management is concerned with the accomplishment of objectives through the efforts of people performing certain fu nctions. The primary function of the managers is to create conditions and environment that enable the organizations to survive, thrive and grow. In that context it will be really interesting to attempt a viable definition of management by taking into consideration varied theories of management. Boddy defines management as â€Å"Management is the activity of getting things done with the aid of people and other resources† (Boddy 695). The one attribute of management that pops up from Boddy’s definition of management is that management seeks to achieve certain goals. These goals may be economic or non-economic. For instance in a business organization the primary goal is to produce and distribute goods with the aim and objective of earning profits. On the contrary, in a service organization like hospitals, educational institutions, etc, the goal might be to extend customer service. Another salient feature of management embodied in Boddy’s definition is that manageme nt also happens to be a social process because it deals with people. To make the best use of human efforts, managers are required to give way to close cooperation and coordination amongst the employees in an organization. Managers are required to look after the interests of employees, shareholders, investors and the community at large. Also management happens to be a group activity. Management is concerned with getting things done through people. People join in groups in order to achieve results collectively. Management helps people in realising individual as

Evaluation of Starbucks Strategic Position In the Market Essay

Evaluation of Starbucks Strategic Position In the Market - Essay Example ?s customers are mainly coffee lovers from all walks of life and it can be noted that it has been pursuing a differentiation strategy by Porter (1985). Starbucks’ cornerstone value is to â€Å"build a company with a soul† and its broad mission is â€Å"To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time.† The organisation broadly aims to be â€Å"a purveyor of fine coffees in the world while maintaining uncompromising principles.† Its intent has been to do the right thing and conducting its business in ways that earned the trust and respect of the customers, partners/employees, suppliers and the general public. The stakeholders include Howard Schultz, employees, customers, community members and the shareholders. 2.0 External analysis of Starbucks This section of the report seeks to analyse the external factors affecting the operations of the organisation. Two models namely PESTEL analysis and Porter’s five forces model are going to be utilised in carrying an analysis of the external factors impacting on the operations of Starbucks. Critical success factors will also be analysed in this section of the report. 2.1 PESTEL analysis A close analysis of Starbuck’s case study shows that there are various external forces obtaining in the macro-environment in which the organisation is operating and these have an impact on its operations. As such, a PESTEL analysis is going to be used to evaluate the external factors affecting the operations of Starbucks. Basically, PESTEL is an acronym for political, economic, social, technological, environmental as well as legal factors impacting on the operations of the organisation (McCarthy & Perreault, 1996). The table below outlines the analysis in detail. Table 1: PESTEL analysis for... This report seeks to analyse the external factors affecting the operations of the Starbuck’s organisation. Two models namely PESTEL analysis and Porter’s five forces model are going to be utilised in carrying an analysis of the external factors impacting on the operations of Starbucks. Critical success factors will also be analysed in this section of the report. A close analysis of Starbuck’s case study shows that there are various external forces obtaining in the macro-environment in which the organisation is operating and these have an impact on its operations. As such, a PESTEL analysis is going to be used to evaluate the external factors affecting the operations of Starbucks. Basically, PESTEL is an acronym for political, economic, social, technological, environmental as well as legal factors impacting on the operations of the organisation. In evaluating the strategic capabilities of the company, the following factors will be discussed in detail as they cons titute the internal environment of the company. Strydom posits to the effect that a key strategy should utilise the strengths of the organisation in order to gain a competitive advantage. These include human, physical and financial resources as they have a direct bearing on the performance of the company. The company’s value chain will also be discussed in this section. Since the period Howard Schultz assumed the CEO position of the company in 1987, it can be noted that it has harnessed on a number of strategic capabilities as going to be explained in brief below.

Diversity in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Diversity in the Workplace Essay Richter (2011), Diversity in and of itself is neither a good nor a bad thing. It’s what we do with it that renders its quality. (para. 1). I believe that as a manger you should always be diverse when communicating to your employees. Diversity is showing a great deal of variety; very different. When you are communicating with your employees you must realize that everyone is different. This is why you have to communicate by different aspects to â€Å"get through† to each person. Many managers in many organizations are very unaware of the unlikeliness of diversity within their organization. Along with diversity in communication there also must be diversity in the organization’s climate. Organization climate is a set of properties of the work environment, perceived directly or indirectly by the employees, that is assumed to be a major force in influencing employee behavior. (Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, 2013). In my organization, our corporate entity, developed a Cultural Team. We have one hundred sixty stores in our division, and this team was mandatory in each store. It is a team made up of approximately ten to fifteen store employees. This team is to be a communication byway between the employee and management. The team is designed to develop events within each store to enhance employee morale. In my store we have adopted the idea of the Make a Wish Foundation. We conduct fund raisers, carnivals, cookouts, and holiday events that require help of all store employees and management. This interacts all employees with different cultural ideas. Not only does the team boost employee morale, it also helps management conduct business. The team helps management enforce policies in a manner to which all employees can adapt to. I believe that this team is a valuable asset to our organization. Our Cultural Team not only helps with existing employees, it also has a new hire aspect. When hiring new employees to the organization the team checks out this process.  The team makes sure our managers are being diverse in the making up of our demographics within o ur organization. My organization hires very diversely. The organization has employees with disabilities, male and female, different races, all ages, different religious views, and all ethnicities. I believe that these qualities show the diversity in any organization. It is important to hire employees with all of these differences. I believe that it makes an organization prosper and grow. With diversity also comes being ethical in the workplace. I believe that the manager of an organization serves a huge role in communicating the ethical guidelines. I think that it is the mangers responsibility to set the ethical climate for their organization. â€Å"Ethical climate is best understood as part of an organization’s culture. From the cultural vantage point, an organization is a tribe. As tribal members gather, they develop their own language, stories, beliefs, assumptions, ceremonies, and power structures. These elements combine to form a unique perspective on the world called the organization’s culture, how an organization responds to ethical issues is a part of this culture. Every organization faces a special set of ethical challenges. It creates its own set of values and norms, and develops guidelines for enforcing its ethical standards. Ethical climate, in turn, determines what members believe is right or wrong and shapes their ethical decision making and behavior.† (Johnson, 2008). Along with ethics, and diversity come being a culturally sensitive. Being culturally sensitive in your work environment means â€Å"being aware that cultural differences and similarities exist and have an effect on values, learning, and behavior.† (Stafford, Bowman, Eking, Hanna, 1997). I believe that mangers of any organization must realize that every employee is culturally different. In today’s society the younger generation especially were raised so differently. Young people adhere to a different set of values and communicators than an older generation will. I think as a manager that you have to deal with each situation differently. As a manager get to know your employees on a personal level, so that you may be able to dial into their cultural differences. Lastly comes ethical dimension decision making within an organization. In my opinion, managers should be well aware of all ethical dimensions within their organization. Being a manger always means  being aware of right and wrong. To me that is ethical. My own take on being ethical, is being honest. If an employee comes to you as a manager then it is my opinion that you owe that employee your full attention and honesty. In closing being a manger of any organization takes great skill and dedication. Though a manager and an organization are only as great as its employees. If you treat employees with respect to their own diversity, culture, and ethics, then you should have their respect. I believe that the main aspect that fails people in an organization today is being treated fairly. So if I ever become a manager within my organization, I plan to treat people based on their individual situation. I plan on knowing my people. Reference Page Richter, L. (2011). Bright Hub. Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/office/human-resources/articles/92553.aspx Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_climate Johnson, C.E. (2008). Creating an Ethical Organizational Climate. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/23172_Chapter_9.pdf Stafford, Bowman, Eking, Hanna, L. (1997). University of Vermont. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/~cdci/prlc/unit3_slide/sld005.htm