Strong Impact

Character Analyses

Emily Becker

Authors Note:
This is a piece that analyzes how the main character, Lily, in the book The Secret Life of Bees changes when she meets August throughout the journey of a lifetime.

“I’d been kneeling on grits since I was six, but I still never got used to that powered-glass feeling beneath my skin. I walk toward them with those tiny feather steps you expect of a girl in Japan, and lowered myself to the floor, determined not to cry, but the sting was already gathering in my eyes.”(page 25) In the book Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd the main character, Lily changes from the inside out as she meets the right people to help her through her life.

As the story begins Lily and her "fill in mother" Rosaleen, run away from home to get away from her abusive and cruel dad and she wants to learn more about what happened to her mom who had died when she was four. After Rosaleen gets arrested for confronting three racists, Lily decides to break Rosaleen out of jail, and together they run away to a place Lily suspects once was a special place to her mother.

When Lily and Rosaleen run away they end up living with the Calendar sisters in Tiburon, South Carolina. All the sisters are super polite people but the one who had a strongest impact in Lily's life would be August. August is a strong person physically and emotionally, she is an exceptionally wise person whose words give you hope and fill you with knowledge. When Lily and Rosaleen showed up at the sisters doorstep they  were hungry, dirty, and tired; yet the sisters took them in with open arms. Since lily and Rosaleen were strangers, the sisters wanted to know some things first, but because Lily and Rosaleen needed to find a place to stay; they had to lie to Calendar Sisters about their past that were filled with crimes. As there connection grows,  Lily trusts August so much that she finally confesses the guilt she felt from her past, namely that she accidentally killed her mother when she was four and broke Rosaleen out of jail. After Lily told the truth August helps Lily confront her father and August convinces him that Lily should stay in Tiburon to live a joyful and free life.

In the book Touching Spirit Bear the main character, Cole, is in a bad place in his life. He has resorted to lying, stealing, and injuring innocent people. After Cole attacked someone on the street and nearly gave them life threatening brain damage he is banished to a remote Alaskan island. There is where he come to meet a white bear from the native american legend, and that bear transforms his inner soul and shows him the consequences for  his horrific actions. This is just like Lily because although Lily does not critically injure anyone around her, she does start to lie and steal but fortunately when she meets August her whole life changes. In the two books the white bear is like August, they both use the skills they have in different ways to transform a young person's life.

Once cole met the bear he was changed because he was surrounded by good people. In the book Secret Life of Bees, Lily changes when she meets the right people in life and that is true for anyone. Having good dependable people in your life can help you structure yourself so you can have a successful future. When Lily was living with her dad she was a mess, her dad wasn’t any help at all he was just mean to her, but when she moved to the Calendar sister’s house she was well balanced and better setup for success in life. The best people in your life are going to be the ones who help you through tough times and be with you all through life so you can live happily for many years.

An Exciting Climb

personal Narrative

Emily Becker

Authors Note:This piece is my personal narrative I wrote about my fun filled adventure with my family.

I could feel the cold moving through my body, as the temperature dropped lower and lower I put on all the layers that I had brought with me. As I looked up, I saw the 11,000 foot  mountain towering over me as if I was a little bug below it. Being only 12, I didn’t know how I was going to make it to the top and back, but I was going to try.  I will never forget the entertaining, joy filled day that took place when I hiked Telescope Peak with my family.

Because the mountain was so tall, we had to start hiking from our campsite that was already 8,000 feet up the mountain. To get there, we first had to drive up the rough road ahead of us. The road was incredibly bumpy and had sheer cliffs with 90 degree drop-offs; this road was extraordinarily difficult to get up. Once we got up to our campsite, we set up our camp and went to bed. In the morning none of us felt like sitting out in the 45 degree weather and eat breakfast. As a result, all five of us sat in an average sized SUV as we ate breakfast while the windows steamed up with condensation.  Once we finished breakfast and got the courage to face the cold,we got out of the car and we were ready to leave for the 14 mile long hike.

We left at seven in the morning for the hike. We were expecting it to be cold so we put on a ton of layers. As it turns out, we were facing the east so we were sweating buckets. Since the path circled around the mountain we were soon cold enough and the sweat had cooled, making us even colder. 

 

After the five hours of hiking, we reached the top of the mountain. I remember twirling around at the top and being amazed at how high up we were and how beautiful and breathtaking everything was. On top of that, it was a perfect day for hiking because of the bright blue skies, crisp air that is easy to breathe in and out, views as miraculous as you could even imagine, and all this time I’m spending with my family. When I stopped looking around at the view I saw a green box,  an American flag, and  a picture frame sitting at the top. Inside the box was a notebook and a pen where you could write your name and the date of when you made it to the top.  In the picture frame was a picture of a soldier who died in war. One of the solders good friends hiked up the mountain and put the American flag and the picture in his honor, which was really fascinating  to see. It was lunchtime, so we all sat on the top and ate lunch, and all this time we were soaking in all the beauty that was around us. After lunch we were really tired so we decided to take a nap, and now I’m one of the few people who can truthfully say “I took a nap on top of a mountain in North America.”

After refueling with lunch and  a much needed nap, we decided to head back down, which was very slippery because of the snow. It was also very tiring on our toes because as we walked down the steep incline our toes were constantly getting rammed into our shoes.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the most painful part. After walking down about one third of the mountain I tripped on a rock, my hand went out to stop my fall and I got a fistful of cactus.

After thinking about all the joy, fun, pain, and beauty that went on that day I realized that my family and I hiked a 11,000 foot mountain for a total of 14 miles in one day. Even though I was young when I climbed that mountain, I’m glad I did because that day was filled with a lot of family  memories that will last a lifetime.