Abstract: In the story, Mama and Maggie are waiting in their yard for Dee to come home. Dee is the oldest daughter, and she is more educated and stylish. She can read while Maggie and Mama can't. Maggie also has scars. She was burned when their house burned down. Dee never liked the house. Maggie is also very timid.She hides and is kind of scared of Dee. When Dee comes home, she brings a boy with her. Dee comes out of the car and is wearing a long dress with very loud and bright colors. Dee now wants them to call her by the name Wangero. She wanted to change her name because she no longer wanted to be named after the people that oppressed her. The man that came with Dee, Asalmalakim, meanwhile is trying to shake hands with Maggie, but she won't. Mama doesn't know for sure if Dee and Asalmalakim have been married. Then they have dinner. While at dinner, Wangero sees a some things that she wants. She wants the churn and dasher. Wangero then went searching through a trunk and found two quilts. These quilts were made out of her grandmothers and grandfathers old clothing. Mama was going to give these quilts to Maggie though when she gets married. Wangero says that Maggie won't really appreciate the quilts and will use them. Wangero says she will appreciate them and hang them on her wall. Maggie then said Wangero could have the quilts. Mama though then took the quilts and grabbed Maggie and went into the room and said that Dee could have different ones. Dee was mad and told her mother that she should start to understand her heritage again and left. Maggie and Mama then sat in the yard and enjoyed the day.
Response: Mama and Dee seem like very different people that have completely different views on life. Mama is more simple and enjoys the simpler things in life like sitting outside. While Dee wants to be cultured. She is more glamorous. She wears big sunglasses and such. She also feels like she is better than her family because she had an education. She also doesn't do manual work like her mother who works hard outside. Dee does not really appreciate her mother. She never liked the house she lived in, and I don't think Dee ever really appreciated that her mother was the reason that she was able to go to school and become educated. Dee also feels like she understands her heritage more than her mother. She changed her name to a more African name and dresses with African attire. Dee wants the quilts with her grandmothers and grandfathers clothing. Mama won't let her though. Mama stands up for her daughter that she knows won't ever have a life like her sister. Maggie is slow, and she is also scared. Dee feels more entitled to things than Maggie because she is educated and beautiful. The title also reflects different aspects of the story. "Everyday Use" could reflect the everyday use of the different character's education. Mama had an education that didn't involve school. She was taught instead by her family and surroundings to be useful and work hard. That is why she sees it as so so odd that Dee would just hang the quilts up and not use them. Dee uses her education differently though. Her education taught her about her culture and its past. Since she is educated and knows about her culture, she wants to embrace it and cherish the different aspects of it. Mama doesn't find the need for that though because she needs to think about other things in order to live. Instead she can only focus on the things that are needed for everyday use, and she doesn't have the time to think about her heritage while Dee has the time because she is not required to help out on the farm because she is educated and lives and works somewhere else.
EXCELLENT!
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