Alice Walker’s Everyday Use

Quiz Demonstrate your understanding of the text by composing a brief character analysis of Dee. Provide at least one full paragraph of analysis that includes an assertion, evidence, and commentary.

Anticipatory Questions What do we mean by racial or ethnic identity, and why is it important? What are some of the ways people honor their heritage? When does an individual’s concern for heritage go too far? Are different generations equally concerned about racial heritage and ethnic pride?

Anticipatory Questions Think of treasured items from your family. Who decides who will inherit these items? What makes these decisions a point of strife in some families?

Mini-lesson: African Names Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo Combines three misspelled African names from different tribes Leewanika: variant spelling of King Lewanika from Zambia (subconscious yearning for royalty?) Hakim-a-Barber Young man oblivious to spiritual connotation of “Hakim” Hakim – Arabic for “wise one” Asalamalakim “Peace be with you” Satirizes Mama’s humorous confusion with the name

Butter Churn Clabber: food made by unpasteurized milk souring at specific humidity and temperature which curdles to a yogurt-like substance with a strong, sour flavor; typically eaten in rural areas of the South as breakfast with brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, or molasses added http://www.oldandinteresting.com/history-butter-churns.aspx

Quilt: Lone Star

Quilt: Walk Around the Mountain

Approach to Reading Consider your quiz topic. Consider how the opening pages lead up to the conflict over the quilt. (Keep in mind that the story is filtered through the narrator’s perspective.) Infer what Dee/Wangero is thinking. Note details that reveal her character.

Responding Examine the three main characters as static or dynamic and identify the point in the story where a dynamic character changes.

Responding Reread lines 24-44 on pp. 170-171. Then reflect on the symbolism of Dee/Wangero’s old and new names. What differing elements of her heritage do the two names emphasize? What attitude does she communicate when she says to her mother, “You don’t have to call me by it if you don’t want to..I know it might sound awkward at first”? What other details in the story reflect the same attitude? Compare your attitude toward your name to Dee’s attitude toward her given name. Are you named for someone in your family? Why did your parents choose your first and middle names? To what extent does our acceptance of our names reflect our acceptance of our parents?

Close Reading: Sisters as Foils Dee Maggie List specific ways Dee is a foil, particularly in the way she would use the quilt if it were hers. List specific ways Maggie is a foil, particularly in the way she would use the quilt if it were hers. Foil: a character who sets off another character by a strong contrast (emphasizes the differences between the two and brings out the distinctive qualities of each)

Close Reading: Mama List details supporting these ideas Value Placed on Practical Nature Intuitive respect for authentic heritage List details supporting these ideas List details supporting these ideas

Discussion and Analysis Although Dee/Wangero complains Maggie will put the quilt to “everyday use,” she, too, will use it for her own purposes. Which “uses” more authentically express the heritage the quilt embodies and symbolizes? How do these uses reflect the values of the characters? Don’t simply view Maggie as the “good daughter” and Dee as the selfish one. Some critics have seen Dee as closer to the author herself, the artist who moves away from her origins, finds success in the world, and returns to embrace her heritage.

Essay Assignment Read from line 55 on p. 172 to the end of the story. Then write an essay responding to this prompt: Although her mother narrates the story, how does this passage characterize Dee/Wangero? Evaluate Dee’s character based on the indirect characterization provided.

Extension Persona writing, in which students write from the point of view of a character, is often an effective avenue to understanding characterization. Write the letter that Dee/Wangero might write to a friend, narrating and interpreting what happened during her visit and indicating how she feels about it now. Since she’s a sophisticated and education woman, the letter should reflect these attributes, but her attitude is entirely up to you.