Toycie died in this chapter!! how sad!! ;((((( it made me cry wen i read it.....
‘All right then, but try not to fret too much, especially on a day
like today.
It represents her desire to be that of the English culture and to detach herself from the low standard creole way of living. She has had a great influence by the English culture . Her strong refusal to cultivate hibiscus and bougainvillea shows her effort to imitate the English way of living.
I think that the way in which Zee Edgell explores growth and maturity in her novel is in the form of Beka Lamb realizing that she was taking her lying thing a little too far. She grew out of that when she accepted her mother's gift and used the book and pen as she asked of her.
Also, we can use Toycie's misfortunes as a learning experience for Beka and she is able to look at that and grow from it. I use Toycie's death because Toycie was a very intelligent individual and her downfall was unforseen. This then can help Beka distinguish right from wrong better than she would have been able to before.
Also, when Beka accepts the invitation to enter the essay competition she shows growth and maturity, as it is something that Toycie would have done. By her winning this competition, we have evidence that she has indeed grown and matured. I hope I helped . . . :)
In the novel, Beka Lamb, Granny Ivy and Beka get along well, and even share a room together. Beka has a tense relationship with her parents, and Granny Ivy usually takes Beka's side, and is able to console her.
You can read a limited preview at google books. I don't think you can read the whole thing though. Hope that helps!!!
The book deals with social insecurity, racial prejudice and the rule of the conservative church in a small town. The book's protagonist
Bill Lamb is considered to be Beka's Father and Lilla Lamb's husband in the novel, Beka Lamb. He has good intentions but could be seen as harsh as he calls Beka words like fake and phony.
how far does the catholic church influence events and people in the novel beka lamb
http://www.goshen.edu/english/ervinb/BekaLamb.htm. this goes in depth
i think there is not a movie for the novel beka lamb
In both texts the main focus is on two individuals who face different hardships. In both texts the main character has a best friend ( who eventually dies), the difference however is noted in the time period in which each best friend affects the main character. For billy in A Kestrel For A Knave his best friend is a kestrel (Kes) even though his friend is a bird the impact it has on the character is to be noted. Due to the amount of care the bird requires billy no longer has time nor motive to participate in disruptive behaviour. The change for billy occurs while his best friend is alive. on the other hand in Beka Lamb the main character Beka begins to change as a result of her friends death. after the death of toycie it can be seen where beka becomes more focused and determined she conquers her habit of lying and she improve academically.
The main character in both texts have a problem when it comes to society accepting the. Bekas problem arises when she is unaware of her true identity, at school she is taught one way and at home she is expected to act another. Beka coming from a middle class family is looked down upon by the upper class and scorned because of her life style by the lover class. she is unaware of where she belongs in society. Billy is from the lower class, he resides on the "Estate" (irony) billy is ostracised by society because of where he is. Billy trough out the text struggles for acceptance. his life is made difficult by the friends he used to keep, his bad relationship with his brother and his mother (there is strong suggestion that she is a prostitute). these factors cause society to look down on Billy.
family also varies in the two books. in Beka Lamb, beka's familly is very supportive and close problems are resolved through the help of all the members. in contrast Billys family is estranged and there is great tension bettween billy and his older brother Jud. Billy's mother is portrayed as selfish and unreliable.
In chapter 16, there is an excerpt/ quote states, 'National unity, my people, that is what we have left. Let us present a united front to the world. We must show, as we said in the memorial, that a poor, suffering, homeless, undernourished people can stand together until our not unjust demands are met. National unity, shoulder to shoulder...' The speaker's call for 'National unity' is ironic, because even at the level of personal relationships between creole and panias, terrible difficulties arise.
Toycie and Beka had a sister-sister relationship.... they were like best friends and Beka looked up to Toycie. She saw her as a rode model. Beka and Toycie spent alot of time together.... they were much more than friends....
However, seventeen year old Toycie and fourteen year old Beka had an unusual relationship as well. They were too close if you take their ages into consideration. Toycie was naive and childlike which allowed her to share that kind of relationship with Beka.
She was black:
She had a cut on her face:
She had curly hair that was usually straitened
Her breasts were not even
The basic theme is the struggle of the Creole population of Belize to hold on to their ethnic heritage and assert their civil rights while faced with opposition from the Hispanic community. (IMO, reading great literature should be seen as a privilege and an honor not a tedious obligation).