“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
What makes something VALUABLE?
• The word value means
different things to
different people.
• For example, an old vase
might have high monetary
value or high sentimental
value.
• To some, it might have
great historical, cultural,
or artistic value.
• But others might think it’s
a useless piece of junk.
What makes something VALUABLE?
• QUICKWRITE
• If you could save only
one precious possession
of yours from being
destroyed or left behind,
what would you save?
• Write a short paragraph
identifying the item and
telling why it is valuable
to you.
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.
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.
Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
•
Figure out the meaning of each
boldfaced vocabulary word from
the context. Sample answers
appear in brackets. In your
Reader/Writer Notebook, write a
sentence that shows your
understanding of each word.
1. sneaky, furtive behavior
[secretive]
2. need time to recompose after
your outburst
[become calm again]
3. accept the club’s doctrine
[set of rules]
4. remember your heritage when
you leave home
[family traditions]
•
doctrine
•
furtive
•
heritage
•
recompose
Homework
•
“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?