March 22

1. March 22 • Syllabus • Introductions - MLA Format • Email Addresses • Chapter 1 – Reading a Story • Read Selections • Writing Assignment on Plot • Chapter 2 – Point of View • Make sure to check the syllabus for assignments due Thursday.

2. “Everyday Use” & Plot p.22 • Plot & main characters: Maggie and her mother await the arrival of Dee while the narrator depicts each of the main characters. • The Mother is a stout, tough woman who has taken care of herself and her family for many years. Clearly understands her daughters and how they contrast. • Maggie was burned in a house fire 10-12 years ago, so she is described as mangled by scars, but also slow and unattractive. She is shy, inhibited, young, simple, yet humble and reverent toward her sister even though she does not deserve the honor. • Dee is the highlight of the family, having gotten an education, taking concern with the way she dresses, etc. She changes her name in an effort to appreciate her heritage in a way she previously had not. The whole trip is an attempt to draw something from the heritage that she never wanted to claim. She has surface-level, is arrogant, selfish and unappreciative.

3. “Everyday Use” & Plot p.22 • How the protagonist is changed or tested: Dee or her mother? • Dee’s, (as the main character), actions reveal that she is selfish and cares nothing about her heritage other than to show off its antiques. She angers easily over the fact that she cannot have the quilts when in reality, they are much more important to Maggie than to her.

4. How to write the analysis • See sample on page 1398 • MLA format • Use third person (I, me, we, our, you, your) • In-text citations (page numbers in parentheses) • Work Cited (anthology…should be just like the entry on page 1399 with the exception of the author and title.