1. The central character in this story is Mama. At the beginning of the story she seemed almost quiet and standoffish. She is a round character in this selection. Yes, Dee (Wangero) is Mama’s foil.
2. The events are told from present to past and back to present day. Yes, the plot is somewhat significant the story’s meaning.
3. Suspense served a small role in the plot. The author used flashback in this story. They keep the reader asking himself/herself what will happen next?
4. Irony was used here. In the story Dee (Wangero) hates her heritage and where she is from, yet she wants her family’s heirlooms.
5. The quilt is symbolic of their heritage. It shows that you need to live your heritage everyday and not just hang it up like a picture.
6. The setting is not specific, but it is reasonable that is in the rural south in the 1960’s. Yes, the events could take place in another time or place.
7. The mood starts out as nervousness and excitement, because Dee was coming home.
8. The story is told in first person and Mama is the narrator in the selection. Yes, she is unreliable. If it was told in a different point of view the understanding of the story would be different.
9. The meaning of the title of this story is live and use your heritage everyday and not choose which days to be true to your roots.
10. Yes, heritage. Don‘t leave your heritage behind you, it is who you are.
11. It does not affect my understanding. Conversational, unfamiliar, ornate, and ironic.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
2. Trace the timeline of this story, and then analyze why the author decided to recount the tale in this…
- 756 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
3.) “Philbert was placed with another family in Lansing, a Mrs. Hackett, while Reginald and Wesley went to live with a family called Williams, who were friends of my mother’s. And Yvonne and Robert went to live with a West Indian Family named McGuire.”…
- 485 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
I. The names of the characters symbolistically foreshadowed the unforeseeable ending and portrayed the culture of rural America.…
- 2906 Words
- 12 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker reflects on the heritage of a family of African Americans. The majority of the African American population has forgotten where they came from. The Webster dictionary defines heritage as “ the traditions, achievements, beliefs, etc., that are part of the history of a group or nation.” Maggie, Dee or Wangero, and their mother, who is also the narrator, are the basic characters for this short story.…
- 634 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Dee/Wangero seeks her heritage without understanding the heritage itself. She values the family quilts because she sees them as being priceless and that these historical pieces of her heritage should be displayed. She wants them for materialistic reasons not for Everyday Use. She is overly confident and is the first in the family to embrace modernization. Dee/Wangero feels that she is preserving her heritage by displaying the quilts so that they may be looked at. She clearly does not see the history behind the hand-stitched…
- 469 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
2. Characterize the mother. Compare her with stepmothers from fairy tales like “Cinderella” and “Hansel and Gretel”…
- 624 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
3. The type of narration that is used in this story third person. It is effective because the reader is learning the story at the same time as the characters do which makes the story more suspenseful.…
- 628 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Mama has resentment for Dee. Dee has the looks, smarts, and money, mama never had. Although she sacrificed for Dee to have a better life she also somewhat ostracized Dee for the way she carried herself without the hard labor evident on her…
- 575 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, the author chooses to place emphasizes the aspects of individuality. The story centers around the lives of two sisters, Maggie and Dee. Even though both sisters have grown up together under the same conditions, they clearly have become two very distinct individuals with contrasting views regarding their past, present, and future.…
- 1375 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Dee is a force in the family, but she is arrogant and condescending towards Mama and her sister. Dee, too, is full of resentment about everything. She hates the way she grew up. She hates their family home. She hates that her mother was more like a man than a woman. She hates that Mama and Maggie aren't as smart and "stylish" as her. Yet, when Dee becomes captivated by the “Back to Africa” movement, suddenly her family's own heritage becomes something popular rather than a source of embarrassment. She returns home demanding the family quilts not for sentimental reasons, but because they now considered “special” and is shocked when Mama denies her of them. Dee's potential narration would be a delusional one, as even she with her self-confidence denies her connection to her family, is swayed by society's views of culture and popularity and even takes on her own new persona as Wangero.…
- 738 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
a. Attention Getter: Most people that are the first in their family to get an education always will try to make their family members feel inferior and want to take advantage of them in every way possible.…
- 734 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Have you ever not seen eye to eye with your mother? In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use”, we are shown how many of the choices we make and the things we value create our identity. This story focuses on two characters, mama and her daughter Dee (Wangero), who struggle to see the same way about their heritage. Dee wants the things made by her grandmother, to not admire it as an artifact, but rather to remake it. She wants to take them, and change them to match her lifestyle as it is today. She loves them for the way they look. Mama, on the other hand, views the things from her mother as artifacts. She loves the items more than how they look. She admires the quilts because of their everyday use. Transformations take place between these characters. Dee’s transformation is more external than it is internal. She shows her transformation in the way she speaks, the clothes she wears, and her judgement. Mama’s transformation is more internal. She begins to see Dee’s real thoughts, and she stands up against her. When she takes the quilts away from Dee, she doesn’t only stand up for herself, but Maggie, as…
- 809 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The first character we are introduced to in the story is the mother. Her character stands as the lead commentator to what is transpiring in the story being the view point for the reader. This fact alone gives us some insight into the personality of Mama; she is a strong mother and the leader of the household, the moral compass of the family giving insight into what ought to be done amongst the family. Mama is not described as a very beautiful woman by her own description she states, “In real life I am a large, big boned woman with rough, man working hands” (Walker. 1973). By no means do you find self-esteem or self-worth problems in Mama. Her honesty in the description of herself shows her love and acceptance of who she is and how she looks. Mama never had a formal education pass the second grade but she is a fierce worker who not only can but takes pride doing hard manual labor and can work as hard as her male counterparts.…
- 1022 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
3) Analyze the plot structure of the story. Is there any foreshadowing? What would you say is the climax of the story?…
- 752 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Question: The use of a dead narrator to describe events that took place in her life provides an emotionally intense plot. Discuss with reference to the author’s intentions and techniques, as well as your own reaction to the characters.…
- 1031 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays