Everyday-Use

Unit4EverydayUse--foryourgrandmamaAliceWalkerPre-readingTasksHowmuchdoyouknowaboutthehistoryofAmericanblackpeople?Talkaboutwomen’sliberationmovementinAmerica.GiveabriefintroductiontoAliceWalker.BrainstormingLookatthepictures,howmuchdoyouknowaboutvesselsmadeofwood?Arethereanytraditionalthingsforeverydayuseinyourfamily?Whatarethey?Couldyoutellustheirorigins?BackgroundAliceWalker(1944-):Apoet,novelistandessayist,wasbornintoapoorruralfamilyinEatonton,Georgia.Herwritingcareerbeganwiththepublicationofavolumeofpoetryin1968,whichwasfollowedbyanumberofnovels,shortstories,criticalessaysandmorepoetry.NowsheisregardedasoneofthemostprominentwritersinAmericanliteratureandamostforcefulrepresentativeofwomen’sliteratureandblackliterature.BackgroundHerworks:TheThridLifeofGrangeCopeland(1970);Meridian(1976);abiographyofLangstonHughes（1973).HermostsignificantnovelisTheColorPurple(1982),whichwonallthethreemajorbookawardsinAmerica--thePulitzerPrize,theNationalBookAwardandtheNationalBookCriticsAward.Thenovelwasaninstantbestsellerandmadeintoanequallysuccessfulmoviein1985.AliceWalkerisatherbestwhenportrayingpeoplelivingintheruralareas.Asablackwriter,sheisparticularlyinterestedinexaminingtherelationshipsamongtheblacksthemselves.TheAuthor:AliceWalker(1944-)BackgroundAbouttheArticleEverydayusewaspublishedearlyinAliceWalker’swritingcareer,appearinginhercollectionInLoveandTrouble:StoriesofBlackWomenin1973.Theworkwasenthusiasticallyrevieweduponpublication,andEverydayUsehassincebeencalledbysomecriticsthebestofWalker’sshortstories.BackgroundTheMainIdeaThestorybeginswiththenarrator,ablackwoman,awaitingthehomecomingofherdaughterDee,aneducatedwomanwhonowlivesinthecity.AccompanyingherisheryoungerdaughterMaggie.Astheywait,thenarratorrevealsdetailsofthefamilyhistory,specificallytherelationshipbetweenhertwodaughters.Tothemother’ssurprise,Dee,whohasbeenscornfuloftheblack,isnowdelightedbytheoldwayoflife,andsheisevenmoreinterestedintheoldhandmadequiltspiecedbyGrandma.However,thesequiltshavealreadybeenpromisedtoMaggie.AlthoughMaggieisintimidatedenoughtosurrenderthebelovedquiltstoDee,themothersnatchesthequiltsformDeeandoffersherinsteadsomeofthemachine-stitchedones,whichDeedoesnotwant.Background“EverydayUse”(1973)isincludedintheNortonAnthologyofShortFiction,2ndEdition,1981.Asoneofthebest-writtenshortstoriesbyAliceWalker,itdescribesthreewomen.Themotherisaworkingwomanwithoutmucheducation,butnotwithoutintelligenceorperception.Thetwodaughtersformasharpcontrastineveryconceivableway:appearance,character,personalexperiences,etc.ThestoryreachesitsclimaxatthemomentwhenDee,theelderdaughter,wantstheoldquiltsonlytoberefusedflatlybythemother,whointendstogivethemtoMaggie,theyoungerone.Theoldquilts,madefrompiecesofclotheswornbygrand-andgreatgrand-parentsandstitchedbyGrandma’shand,areclearlyasymboloftheculturalheritageoftheblackpeople.Theirdifferentfeelingsaboutthequiltsrevealtheirdifferentattitudestowardstheirheritageasblacks.TextStudy1.wavy:characteristicofwaves,resemblingwaves.Heretheworddescribesthemarksinwavypatternsontheclaygroundleftbythebroom.2.anextendedlivingroom:anenlargedlivingroombyanewadditiontotheoriginalspace.Extendedmeansprolonged,continued;enlargedininfluence,meaning,scope,etc.e.g.extendedcare:nursingcareprovidedforalimitedtimeafterahospitalstayTextStudyextendedfamily:agroupofrelativesblood,marriageoradoption,oftenincludinganuclearfamily,livingtogether,esp.threegenerationsareinvolved.3.andthefinesand…groves:Beforetheword“lined.”Thelinkverb“is”isomitted.fine“notcoarse,insmallparticles.e.g.finecloth,finesugar4.“no”isawordtheworldneverlearnedtosaytoher:Shecouldalwayshaveanythingshewanted,andlifewasextremelygeneroustoher.TextStudy5.aTVprogramofthissort:“Thissort”carriesaderogatorytone,suggestingthattheTVprogramisofpoororinferiorkind.6.InreallifeIamalarge,big-bonedwomanwithroughmanworkinghands:Thephrase“inreallife”istransitional,likingthisparagraphandtheoneabove,implyingthatthoseTVprogramsarenothingbutmake-believeandthenarratorisveryskepticalofthem.Inrealityshehasthetypicalfeaturesofablackworkingwoman.TextStudy7.overalls:loose-fittingtrousersofsomestrongcotton-cloth,oftenwithapartextendingupoverthechest,worn,usuallyoverotherclothes,toprotectagainstdirtandwear.8.Iamtheway…anuncookedbarleypancake:Mydaughterwishesmetohaveaslenderfigureandafaircomplexion;likeanuncookedbarleypancake:asimile,comparingtheskintobarleydoughwhichhasacreamy,smoothtexture.ThissentencesuggeststhatDeeisratherashamedofhavingablackworkingclasswomanashermother.TextStudy9.JohnnyCarsonhasmuchtodo…wittytongue:JohnnyCarson,popularTVtalkshowstar,isfamousforhiswittyandglobtongue.Butinthisrespect,Iamfarbetterthanhe,andhehastotryhardifhewantstocatchupwithme.tongue:theactorpowerofspeaking;mannerorstyleofspeaking10.withonefootraisedinflight:readytoleaveasquicklyaspossiblebecauseofdiscomfort,nervousness,timidity,etc.TextStudy11.withmyheadturned…fromthem:inordertoavoidthemasmuchaspossible,alsofromdiscomfort,shyness,etc.12.Augusta:cityineasternGeorgiaontheSavanahRiver.Itisobviousthatthefamilylivesi