Unit 7 Everyday Use for your grandmama

1. Unit 7 Everyday Use for your grandmama Alice Walker (para.45-end)

2. Give an analysis of the quilts for the three characters Student's Presentation

3. Para. 45 They have dinner together Her way of eating

4. Pork was unclean? the greens: green leafy vegetables eaten cooked or raw talk a blue streak: blue streak: (colloquial) anything regarded as like a streak of lightning in speed, vividness, etc. ? to talk much and rapidly

5. Para. 46-54 Dee wanted the everyday use Dee’s asking for the things she wants to take from her home: ? the churn top; the dasher

6. Para. 46-54 rump: the buttocks churn: a container in which milk or cream is beaten, stirred or shaken to form butter 搅乳器 clabber: to turn into curd(凝结)

7. Para. 46-54 How did Dee talk to her mother in these paragraphs? "Oh, Mama!" she cried. Then turned to Hakim-a-barber. "I never knew how lovely these benches are. You can feel the rump prints," she said, running her hands underneath her and along the bench. Then she gave a sigh and her hand closed over Grandma Dee's butter dish. "That's it!" she said. "I knew there was something I wanted to ask you if I could have." She jumped up from the table and went over in the corner where the churn stood, the milk in it crabber by now. She looked at the churn and looked at it.

8. Para. 46-54 Didn't Uncle Buddy whittle it out of a tree you all used to have? Who do “you ” refer to? What can you see about it?

9. Para. 46-54 Dee (Wangero) looked up at me. Why? Not familiar with her family history Who gives the answer? Comparison between Dee and Maggie

10. Para. 46-54 Maggie’s brain’s like an elephant’s: Elephants are said to have good memories. ? Here Dee is being sarcastic. What will Dee do with the churn top and the dasher? What are they used by mama?

11. Para.54 You didn't even have to look close to see where hands pushing the dasher up and down to make butter had left a kind of sink in the wood. What’s the subject of “left”? What’s mama’s feeling towards the dasher?

12. Para.55-81 Dee’s asking for the the two old quilts Her mother’s refusal and quarrel with Dee Dee’s argument mother’s recall of Dee’s refusal to accept the quilts when she goes to college Mama’s decision The end of the story

13. Questions What is Dee going to do with the quilts? What’s Maggie’s attitude towards Dee’s asking for the quilts? What does Maggie say? Can you see her attitude towards the heritage? What does mother do finally? What does Dee do in the end?

14. (para.55-81) rifling through it: ? search through Maggie hung back in the kitchen: Maggie was reluctant to come out from the kitchen.

15. (para.55-81) • had been pieced by …: • had been put together by… scraps of dresses； bits and pieces of shirts； faded blue piece

16. breathe again: to feel calm again after something unpleasant has ended Once he was safely back in prison, she was able to breathe easy again.

17. (para.55-81) to give them quilts to Maggie for when she marries John Thomas: In correct grammar: to give these quilts to Maggie (for the occasion) when she marries John Thomas.

18. (para.55-81) She’d be probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use: Here the snobbish Dee says that Maggie is not as well educated or sophisticated as she and that Maggie will not be able to appreciate the value of the quilts and will use them just as quilts, not as works of art.

19. (para.55-81) stump: confronted E.g. Farmers are aware of the problem but are stumped by what to do about it. As if that was the only thing you could do with quilts: She answered the question firmly and definitely as if that was the only right way of using quilts.

20. (para.55-81) dopey: stupid or silly hangdog: ashamed and cringing（蜷缩）

21. (para.55-81) something hit me…of my feet: It shows that one is suddenly filled with a new spirit or a thoroughly thrilling and exciting emotion caused by an entirely new experience.

22. (para.55-81) try to make something of yourself, too: try to be successful like me.

23. Dialogue analysis

24. "Mama," Wangero said sweet as a bird. "Can I have these old quilts?" "Why don't you take one or two of the others?” I asked. "These old things was just done by me and Big Dee from some tops your grandma pieced before she died."

25. "No," said Wangero. "I don't want those. They are stitched around the borders by machine." "That'll make them last better," I said.

26. "That's not the point," said Wanglero. "These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear. She did all this stitching by hand. Imagine!" "Some of the pieces, like those lavender ones, come from old clothes her mother handed down to her,”

27. "Imagine!" "The truth is," I said, "I promised to give them quilts to Maggie, for when she marries John Thomas” “Maggie can't appreciate these quilts!" she said. "She'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use." "I reckon she would," I said. "God knows I been saving ’em for long enough with nobody using 'em. I hope she will! ”

28. "But they're priceless!" she was saying now, furiously, for she has a temper. "Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they'd be in rags. Less than that!" "She can always make some more,” I said. "Maggie knows how to quilt. "

29. "You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts!" "Well," I said,, stumped. "What would you do with them?" "Hang them,"

30. "She can have them, Mama,” "I can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts." "Take one or two of the others," "You just don't understand," "Your heritage," "You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It's really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it." "What don't I under stand?"

31. Dee • “Mama,” Wangero said, ”Can I have these old quilts?” • “No,” said Wangero. “I don’t want those. They are stitched around the borders by machine.” • “That’snotthe point,” said Wanglero. “These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear. She did all this stitching by hand. Imagine!” • “Imagine!” she breathed again, • “Maggiecan’t appreciate these quilts!” • “But they’re priceless!”

32. “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they'd be in rags. Less than that!” • “You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts!” • “Hang them,” • “You just don’t understand,” • "Your heritage,” • “You ought to try to make some-thing of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it.”

33. Mama • “Why don’t you take one or two of the others?” 1 asked.“These old things was just done by me and Big Dee from some tops your grandma pieced before she died.” • “That’llmake them last better,” I said. • “Some of the pieces, like those lavender ones, come from old clothes her mother handed down to her,” • “The truth is,” I said, “I promised to give them quilts to Maggie, for when she marries John Thomas.”

34. “I reckonshe would,” I said. “God knows I been savage ’em for long enough with nobody using ’em. I hope she will! ” • “She can always make some more,” I said. “Maggie knows how to quilt. “ • “Well,” I said, stumped. “What would you do with them?” • “Takeone or two of the others,” • “What don’t I understand?”

35. Maggie • “Shecan have them, Mama,” • “I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts.”

36. Dee • started rifling through it • sweet as a bird • She held the quilts securely in her arms, stroking them. • Dee (Wangero) moved back just enough so that I couldn’t reach the quilts. • Then she breathed again, clutchingthem closely to her bosom.

37. She gasped like a bee had stung her. • furiously, for she has a temper. • Dee (Wangero) looked at me with hatred. • But she turned without a word and went out to Hakim-a-barber. • She turned to Maggie, kissedher • She put on some sunglasses that hid everything above the tip of her nose and her chin.

38. Mama • stumped. • huggedMaggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap.

39. Maggie • something fall in the kitchen, and a minute later the kitchen door slammed. • Maggie by now was standing in the door. • she said like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her. • She had filled her bottom lip with checkerberry snuff and it gave her face a kind of dopey, hangdog look. • She stood there with her scarred hands hidden in the folds of her skirt. She looked at her sister with something like fear but she wasn’t mad at her. • Maggie just sat there on my bed with her mouth open.

40. Dee • Mama • Maggie

41. Mama changes her mind • I looked at her hard. She had filled her bottom lip with checkerberry snuff and it gave her face a kind of dopey, hangdog look. It was Grandma Dee and Big Dee who taught her how to quilt herself. She stood there with her scarred hands hidden in the folds of her skirt. She looked at her sister with something like fear but she wasn’t mad at her. This was Maggie’s portion. This was the way she knew God to work.

42. Mama changes her mind • When I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet. Just like when I’m in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout. I did something I never had done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie's lap. Maggie just sat there on my bed with her mouth open.

43. Mama Dee Maggie quilt Dress greeting to wash dishpan heritage name to quilt churn top dasher

44. What’s mama’s attitude towards Dee • Dee (Wangero) Wangero Para. 55 • Wangero Para. 56 • Wangero Para. 59 • Wanglero Para. 61 • Dee (Wangero) Para. 62 • Dee (Wangero) Para. 67 • Dee (Wangero) Para. 69 • Miss Wangero Para. 75

45. Part III: the end of the story Maggie and the mother are sitting in their yard, enjoying their beautiful scene until it is time for them to go to bed.

46. Part 3(Para. 82) Mother and Maggie felt relieved to see Dee leave Maggie and mother are sitting in their yard, enjoying their beautiful scene until it is time for them to go to bed.

47. fashion Dee Pursuing African culture bewildered mother never accept it Maggie

48. Assignment What’s your attitude towards heritage?