Reading Focus - Quick Check

From "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

1. According to Mama, how is Dee different from her and Maggie?

• Dee is different from Mama and Maggie due to her unique and characterized personality and also her unique style that she developed. She is also confident, not afraid to look in the eyes of white people, unlike Mama and Maggie. Another factor that changed Dee is that she received an education in the city, which shapes how she thinks, and also urbanizing her. Another thing that differs between Mama/Maggie and Dee is that Dee has lost her heritage - the way she lives, how she acts, and many of her family traditions, while Mama and Maggie still retain them. For example, Maggie knew how to quilt.

2. What different uses would Maggie and Dee have for the quilts?

• If Dee were to get the quilts, she would not have used them at all. Instead, she will hang it up as a decoration, as she implied in the story. Maggie, however, would actually use the quilts, and not waste them as mere decoration.

3. What is the significance of the story's title?

• It is saying that Dee wouldn't use the quilts at all (just hang it on the wall), but Maggie would actually put the quilts to work and use them everyday, as an everyday item.