Alice Walker’s
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.
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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?
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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?
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Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo
 Combines three misspelled African names from
different tribes
 Leewanika: variant spelling of King Lewanika from
Zambia (subconscious yearning for royalty?)
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Hakim-a-Barber
 Young man oblivious to spiritual connotation of
“Hakim”
 Hakim – Arabic for “wise one”
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Asalamalakim
 “Peace be with you”
 Satirizes Mama’s humorous confusion with the name
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
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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.
Examine the three main characters as
static or dynamic and identify the point in the
story where a dynamic character changes.
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?
DEE
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List specific ways Dee is a
foil, particularly in the way
she would use the quilt if it
were hers.
MAGGIE
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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)
VALUE PLACED ON PRACTICAL
NATURE
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List details supporting
these ideas
INTUITIVE RESPECT FOR
AUTHENTIC HERITAGE
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List details supporting
these ideas
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?
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 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.
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.
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.