“Everyday Use”

Alice Walker

Historical Background

• Written in 1973• Black Nationalism/ Black Pride

– Ideas encouraged African-Americans to learn about their African ancestry

– emphasized cultural, political, and economic independence for African Americans

– Discriminated against women• Alice Walker was against this movement

Black Feminism

• Women’s Rights– Movement was started by

white suburban females– African-American women

felt excluded– Alice Walker, Toni

Morrison, Gloria Naylor represented this movement

Point of View/Strategy/Purpose• 1st person – Retrospective

• Retro = back / spec = looking – Ms. Johnson is uneducated, but uses sophisticated

diction to explain her narrative– Expresses mixed emotions about her two

daughters, Dee and Maggie• Strategy

– Narrative– Comparison/Contrast

• Purpose– To express/explore the traditional vs. progressive

attitudes of young African-American females.

Symbolism and the Quilts

• Quilts contained pieces of the clothes Maggie and Dee’s grandparents wore.

• Presents a snapshot of the life of the Johnson heritage.

ancestry

life

struggle

Symbolism and the Quilts

• Dee – Perceives the quilt as an ornate

item/artifact of her culture• Wants to hang the quilts

• Maggie – Perceives the quilt as both a product

and a process (quilt making is process) upon which her way of life is dependent

• Quilts should be put to “everyday use” rather than hung on a wall.

– Scarred body resembles the faded patches of the quilts.

Language of Ms. Johnson

• 2nd grade education

• Can be described as simple to complex– Uses simple sentence constructions and

words to express complex perceptions and feelings

Contrasts

• Maggie– Shy, devoted, awkward, sweet-natured,

domesticated

• Dee– Outspoken, stylish, attractive, “educated”, free

spirited

• Attitudes– Traditional vs. progressive

Dee’s Name

• Named after her Grandma

• Regards “Dee” as a slave name

• Denies her authentic heritage by changing her name

Irony/Taking Pictures of House

• House– Hated her house, but wanted to show

friends pictures of her house

• The Quilts– Refused them when her mother tried to

offer them to her; now she wants to display/show them off.

Title of the Story

• Quilts should be put to everyday use – not hung.

• Quilting symbolizes the process out of which the unimportant and meaningless may be transformed into something that is valued and useful.

Homework• Questions on Writing Strategy and Language• Explain each of these themes as it corresponds to “Everyday

Use” Heritage, Materialism, Community vs. Isolation • “Everyday Use” was published ten years after Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Explain how the story reflects the themes of “I Have a Dream” In other words, how is Walker commenting on the aftermaths of this movement?

• Beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many African Americans resembled Walker’s character Dee in embracing their heritage – particularly their roots in Africa – to claim a history beyond slavery and segregation. Research the specifics of this movement and write an essay on how it influenced literature, education, fashion, and other aspects of American life.

• Responses must be at least three paragraphs in length, containing 6-8 sentences.