Symbolism In The Secret Life Of Bees

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Race is equally destructive and unifying. When two races have opposing views, a conflict emerges leading to the destruction of a community. However, when two or more races learn to live together in harmony, it leads to the grand unification of all. Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees is a novel written to discuss the prevalent issues surrounding the civil rights movement through the narrative of a misguided, white, fourteen year old girl who felt marginalized by society. Kidd’s novel focuses on the conflict between African Americans and white civilians within an ever-changing society. Lily Owens’ point of view, as a young, white woman who has grown up with African Americans, reveals how citizens are negatively affected during this time …show more content…
When two races have opposing views, it leads to the destruction of a community. However, when two or more races learn to accept each other and live peacefully, it leads to the complete unification of all. As shown through the lens of many poets and authors, motifs are very helpful in explaining a universal theme or idea. Sue Monk Kidd uses motifs brilliantly throughout her story The Secret Life of Bees to portray the negative effects of racial discrimination through the lens of a 14 year old white girl who feels marginalized by society. Because, she has run away from home, with her only role models being her new African African “family” she gives another point of view to the civil rights movement. Those that are not African American, but are still affected by the marginalization and discrimination. However, Sue Monk Kidd isn’t the only author that uses motifs to discuss prevalent social issues during times of change. In “Beat! Beat! Drums” by Walt Whitman, he uses motifs to discuss the negative effects the civil war had on all people. The motif of racism and segregation are used to show the reader how the conflict emerges and disrupts all innocent people in society, including the kids. Another poet that uses motifs to discuss the negative effects of discrimination and how it leads to the destruction of a community is Langston Hughes in his poem “I Look At the World.” He uses the motifs of marginalization and racism to explain how minorities are unfairly placed in stereotypes at birth, leading to the false accusations of many americans. This leads to the division of a community because of people’s inability to accept others. Finally, Claude McKay uses motifs to discuss the presence of death and heroism, and how it affects society. In his poem “If We Must Die” he explains how people are negatively affected by death, and how discrimination and segregation has led to the destruction of communities around the world. In each of

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