The Secret Life Of Bees By Sue Monk Kidd

In the book The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, racism plays a huge role in shaping the plot of the story. Though slavery has been illegal for 153 years and African Americans along with other minorities have full rights as American citizens today, racism is still alive and well in the American society. As supported by the Catholic Church, one of the most important Catholic Social Teaching was respect for the dignity of human life. This means that each human life is irreplaceable and should be treated with respect and compassion regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sex, and economic backgrounds. Since racism is defined in dictionary as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief

According to the book, Lily exclaimed, “This was a great revelation—not that I was white but that it seemed like June might not want me here because of my skin color. I hadn’t known this was possible—to reject people for being white” (Kidd 87). This shows that reverse racism can occur as well with minorities feeling resentment toward the majority of the society. Though most people feel more comfortable communicating with their own race, they should not feel any resentment toward others who are different from them. Lily later said this in frustration, “There was no difference between my piss and June’s. That’s what I thought when I looked at the dark circle on the ground. Piss was piss” (Kidd 88). Although many minorities at that time and today would justify their reverse racism toward the dominating whites by arguing that this was a retaliation to the whites’ traditional racism, God created everyone equal in His own image regardless of race and ethnicity. In Matthew 5: 38-48, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to

According to book, Lily said, “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. That’s what let me know I had some prejudice buried inside me” (Kidd 78). This is an example of covert racism in which a subtle resentment toward a particular race is embedded in a person’s daily actions. While others would try to justify this type of racism as having social preference toward a particular race, this is still morally wrong as one group of people might be labeled as having this trait regardless of their true talents and abilities. For example, Asians are labeled as inherently smart in mathematics yet lack the trait of being a proper driver. This is a stereotype as not every Asian fits into this category. In school, the idiom “Do not judge the book by its cover” is taught to students to remind them to accept others and avoid judging them before any type of interaction. As a result, all humans should have an open mind before meeting other people as this gives others the opportunity to let their true personality shine through