In The Secret Life of Bees, w... free essay sample

In The Secret Life of Bees, written by Sue Monk Kidd, it is apparent that the social issue between Whites and African Americans arises into something bigger during the Civil Rights period. The issue of racial discrimination is amplified throughout the novel when it acts as a barrier between the protagonist character, Lily Owens, and her only mother figure, Rosaleen, who is colored. The search of freedom and spirituality of Lily, who is desperate to escape her abusive father, leads to the deliverance of guilt, abuse, and separation. Kidd uses the novel to express herself and society through the characters in The Secret Life of Bees by incorporating the interconnectedness of life, nature, and spirit (Emanuel 2). The combination of racial tensions, social wounds, and political uprisings are used by Kidd to demonstrate the universal need for love and redemption in both private and public relationships throughout the novel (Hamilton 1).Born on August 12, 1948 in Sylvester, Georgia, Kidd was exposed to racial discrimination as the Civil Rights movement took place in her adolescent years through the 1950s to the 1960s. We will write a custom essay sample on In The Secret Life of Bees, w or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Her environment was used as inspiration in The Secret Life of Bees as the setting of Sylvan, South Carolina reflects Kidds hometown of Sylvester, Georgia. Living in the South during this era, racism along with the search of spirituality played a huge role in Kidds life as her surroundings left her abandoned in pneuma. Growing up Kidd had a passion for writing in which she wrote short stories but acquired a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nursing at Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1970. It was not until after marriage and two children later that Kidd decided in taking writing classes where she wrote her autobiography, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, in which she recounts her own attempt to find a feminine God in 1996 (Emanuel 1). As her interests in feminine theology grew, Kidd tackled her encounters of racism in society and spirit by publishing her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, where she still possessed the search for spirituality through Lily Owens while combining the exclusion of women from society and racial discrimination. Kidd allowed this novel to reflect herselfs coming of age along with her search of having to find her own spirituality in times of white patriarchy and chauvinism (Gale Cengage).Many issues are incorporated in The Secret Life of Bees as they exemplify t he period of the Civil Rights movement where women are excluded and the main social issue becomes racism. Growing up in the South, Kidd was exposed to racial discrimination in which the racial tensions were absorbed and used as fuel for her first novel. Kidd depicts herself through the eyes of Lily Owens, the main character in The Secret Life of Bees, who experiences neglect from her parents, racial discrimination, and guilt. At only fours years of age, Lily took her own mothers life after her parents got in an argument. Dealing with this guilt of knowing what happened and not being able to talk to her father about it, Lily mourned for freedom to find answers about her mothers past. Now at fourteen years of age, Lily is in search of her mothers past as she only has a picture of the Black Madonna to follow that has Tiburon, South Carolina on it. This symbolizes Kidds own struggle and journey to find spirituality in times where racism exists while African Americans and Whites are not allowed to have interracial churches thus, leading to separation and disoriented spirits that become unfulfilled. By embracing her own life to resonate Lilys character, Kidd includes her own struggles making the novel more personal and surreal feeling. Lily shows acceptance that she has prejudice inside of her even though her mother figure and nanny, Rosaleen, is colored. T. Ray did not think colored women were smart. Since I want to tell the whole truth, which means the worst parts, I thought they could be smart, but not as smart as me, me being white. Lying on the cot in the honey house, though, all I could think was August is so intelligent, so cultured, and I was surprised by this. Thats what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me ( Kidd 78). Lily is neglected by her father as he exposes her to racial discrimination and makes her believe it is right to mistreat colored people. Lily and Rosaleen encounter a group of Caucasian men who beat Rosaleen and land her in jail after she attempts to register to vote. This becomes the first time Lily witnesses racism and cruelty. Lily then breaks Rosaleen out of the jail hospital in which they set out on their life changing journey to Tiburon, South Carolina. Here they find the Boatwright sisters who are all African Americans and are also known as the Calendar sisters as their names are May, June, and August. The sister take Lily and Rosaleen in and give them a home and eventually a family. Lily has to overcome what she has been taught about the place of African Americans, using her own humane intuition and moral judgement (Gale Cengage 239) as she accepts the Boatwright sisters generosity and guidance. While being in the home of the sisters, they are all aware of the fake story Lily is selling them of her parents being dead and June dislikes Lily. With the reverse racism, Lily becomes shocked. Through time Lily forms a bond with all of the sisters as they become mother figures to her and also forms a romantic bond with Zachary Taylor. He captures Lilys attention as he is handsome, intelligent, and plans to become a lawyer despite how difficult it is for African Americans. Racism interferes in their relationship with Lily being Caucasian and Zach being African American as they have to hide their love affair in the home of the Boatwright sisters with hidden kisses and sweet looks to each other. Interracial relationships were not a thing during this period as it was a disgrace.

How to Use Video to Stand Out as an Author

How to Use Video to Stand Out as an Author I adore trailers, and I was thrilled to have the chance to interview Jerome McLain from BookFrenzyStudios.com about the relevance of book trailers for authors as well as the importance of having a professional one done. My eyes were opened! Hopefully my questions drew out information you, as writers and authors, can use in your marketing. Notebook trailers arent necessarily for novels! Enjoy. 1) Visual is a strong attraction for most people as has been demonstrated on Facebook and other social media. Have you seen video work for books as well? Yes. Larger publishing companies have entire departments devoted to video and book trailer creation because they realize video drives engagement on the web more than any other content. If combined with a video marketing strategy, book trailers are a fantastic book marketing tool. 2) Can a video take a book from obscure to a sales success? No. A books sales success depends on many moving parts such as launch strategy, content and timing in the marketplace. What a video CAN do is get the book noticed among its competitors. According to Invodo.com, 80 percent of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after seeing a prom video. Placing the book trailer on a webpage that contains book purchase links is highly recommended because the trailer can prompt an impulse buy response. 3) How do you cram an entire book into a thirty second, one minute, or ninety-minute segment? What is the art to a great short video trailer? I always begin 4) Are some genres more conducive or appropriate for book trailers? I believe all book genres can benefit from a trailer. It just needs to be appropriate for the tone of the book. For example, trailers dont always need to be fast-paced and dramatic. They can take a subdued approach and be just as powerful. A popular trailer style used currently is to edit together interview clips of the author discussing the book. So, it’s really a matter of creating a trailer in the style that best compliments the book. 5) Do book trailers cost a lot to do well, or are they like most things, you get what you pay for? You definitely get what you pay for. Creating a really good book trailer requires time, creativity and technical expertise. Throwing together a PowerPoint slideshow with some dramatic music does not entice many people to buy. It comes off cheap. You dont need to spend a fortune but you do need to invest enough to look professional. Pricing can range between $500 for a very nice :30 teaser video to $10,000+ which includes live actors, location filming, etc. 6) What makes for a bad trailer? All bad trailers have these elements in common: == no clear or interesting story arc == too many book details (if you tell them everything, why read the book?) == poorly chosen music (audio is 50 percent of the video!) == copyrighted music and or images (this error can prove costly!) == unprofessionally edited (images stay up longer than necessary, bad transitions, etc.) == too long in length (:30 to :60 is a good rule of thumb) 7) Can authors create trailers themselves with little experience? They definitely can create a trailer without experience but it will most likely be perceived as amateurish. Online video editing software or DIY video apps allow you to easily create video. But no software or online app can replace the knowledge, skill and talent required to produce a professional book trailer. Its like an author creating their own book cover: If they are not also experienced in graphic design and typography, it probably wont turn out well. 8) When should an author decide to do a trailer for their upcoming book? When the marketing plan for the book is being developed is a great time to consider how to use a promo video/book trailer to amplify exposure and publicity. The trailer can be used to create buzz and awareness on social media platforms as well as a visual elevator pitch for the book to the media. Also, sending a professional book trailer out to prospective reviewers creates a great first impression of the book. 9) Whats the one brief word of advice you have for authors who are on the fence about investing in a short video for their projects? Youve spent a considerable amount of time writing. Youve invested in professional editing and book cover design. Dont let the first impression of your book be determined Find out more: BookFrenzy Studios provides professional video marketing services for authors including Cinematic Book Trailers, Promotional Videos and Social Media Video Ads. To learn more, visit their website at www.bookfrenzystudios.com