Socratic Seminar Questions

NAME: James Holloman

TITLE OF WORK: The Secret Life of Bees
The proper question type was
highlighted in the question, the text
reference or direct quote was
Question
underlined, and the text reference
Construction
or direct quote was properly
punctuated
_____/ 2 points per question
The student wrote insightful
responses that were 1-paragraph in
Quality of length (3-4 sentences) and included
Responses a direct quote with an in-text
citation
_____/ 3 points per response
The proper question type was
highlighted in the question, the text
The question was not constructed
reference or direct quote was
correctly, and/or the question itself
underlined, or the text reference or
was insufficient
direct quote was properly
punctuated
_____/ 1 point per question _____/ 0 points per question
The student wrote inadequate
The student wrote responses that responses that were neither 1-
were either 1-paragraph in length paragraph in length (3-4 sentences)
(3-4 sentences) or included a direct nor referenced the text or included
quote with an in-text citation a direct quote with an in-text
citation
_____/ 2 points per response _____/ 1 point per response

______/ 25 points
DIRECTIONS:
1. Write questions in the format given.
2. Highlight the first part of each question in the format of the question you provide, and then underline the
textual reference or quotation.
3. Provide a 1 paragraph short-answer response for each question you pose. Include embedded quotes and an in-
text citation.

1. Literary Analysis - Format: Literary Device + Quote from the Text

● Question: How did the statue of Black Mary symbolize freedom and bravery for the slaves, as seen in
the quote, “Our Lady filled their hearts with fearlessness and whispered to them plans of escape” (Kidd
109)., and for Lily and the Daughters of Mary?

● Answer: Throughout the book, the symbolism of the Black Mary statue is something frequently seen. In
chapter 6, August tells the story of the statue, and says, “Obadiah pulled the figure out of the water…
and struggled to set her upright. Then he remembered how they'd asked the Lord to send them rescue.
To send them consolation. To send them freedom” (Kidd 109). The statue symbolized freedom and
salvation for the slaves by representing Mary and giving them the courage to escape. For Lily, the statue
represents Mary as the mother she doesn’t have, and for the Daughters it symbolizes femininity - and
hope and freedom for African Americans.

2. Open-Ended - Format: Opinion Question + Text Reference

 ● Question: Do you think that Lily should have run away from home to a place she didn’t even know just
because she was upset at her father?

● Answer: I believe that Lily should not have run away from her home. Lily was mad at T-Ray because he
told her that, “the truth is, your sorry mother ran off and left you. The day she died, she’d come back to
get her things, that’s all” (Kidd 39). Although this wasn’t completely true, Lily overreacted when she
broke Rosaleen out of jail and headed to Tiburon. She didn’t know anyone there, and if things didn’t
work out as they did, she could have been in serious harm and danger. Also, if a police officer found her
harboring a fugitive, she probably would have gone to jail. If I was her, I would have just stayed in
Sylvan and tried to make sure Rosaleen wasn’t killed by the white men who were attacking her.

3. World Connection - Format: Real-World Application + Text Reference

● Question: How is the way that Rosaleen was treated after she poured her snuff on the white men’s shoes
different from the way she and other African Americans would be treated in our modern society?

● Answer: In the book, the events take place during the 1960s. Even though it is 1964 in the book and the
Civil Rights Act was just passed, racism is still very prominent in many parts of the country. We see this
when Rosaleen goes to jail for pouring snuff on white men, and T-Ray only comes to get his daughter
and not the black housekeeper. In chapter 2, the author rights, “She didn’t speak another word till Mr.
Gatson opened the cell door about half an hour later. ‘Come on,’ he said. Rosaleen looked hopeful for a
moment. She actually started to lift herself up. He shook his head. ‘You ain’t going anywhere. Just the
girl’” (Kidd 37). This shows how T-Ray doesn’t care about Rosaleen staying in jail just because she has
a different skin color. Afterward, we learn that the officer let the men come in and beat her up because
he didn’t care about her either. This is very different from the way she would be treated today. In
modern America, if Rosaleen poured snuff on the white men, they would be upset and might get into a
fight, but she wouldn’t go to jail just for that one action. And if she did go to jail, there would be no way
that the officer would let the white men come in to beat her up.

4. Personal Connection - Format: Personal Connection + Text Reference

● Question: If you were Deborah, would you have left Lily on the farm and gone to Tiburon to stay with
the Boatwright sisters, or would you have taken her with you?

● Answer: If I was Deborah, I probably would have left Lily on the farm with T-Ray. In chapter 12,
August tells Lily, “‘Depressed people do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do.’ . . . ‘What made her so
depressed like that?’ I said. ‘I don’t know the whole answer, but part of it was her being out on the farm,
isolated from things, married to a man she really didn’t want to be married to’” (Kidd 253). This shows
 that being on the farm was making Deborah depressed, so she wanted to stay with August until she was
better. If I was Deborah, I wouldn’t think I would have the right mental state or be fit enough to be
taking care of Lily. However, after feeling better from staying with August, I would go back to take Lily
with me, which we see Deborah try to do before T-Ray finds her and she dies.

5. Universal Theme - Format: Universal Theme (Relates to Humans) + Text Reference

● Question: Explain how the themes of racism and femininity are portrayed throughout the story as we see
the hardships and hate that African Americans faced from white people, and the way that the sisters can
run a business by themselves, without help from any men.

● Answer: Throughout the novel, the themes of racism and femininity are highly portrayed. It takes place
during the 1960s, where racism is still very prominent even though the Civil Rights Act was just passed.
We see in chapter 10, when a police officer tells Lily, “Take my advice and call your aunt and tell her to
come on and get you, even if she isn’t a hundred percent well. These are colored people here. You
understand what I’m saying?... I’m just saying it’s not natural, that you shouldn’t be…well lowering
yourself” (Kidd 198). This shows how he thinks that anything is better than staying in a house filled
with colored people. He is judging the sisters based upon the color of their skin, and not on their
personality or character. When Lily and Rosaleen reach Tiburon, they see the theme of femininity
through the Boatwright sisters running their own honey business by themselves, without being married
or having any help from men other than Zach. This theme is also shown in the way that they host a
weekly mass called the Daughters of Mary, with only one man that joins them.