Sunday, March 29, 2009
Free Post on Everyday Use
What did you think of "Everyday Use"? Post your thoughts, or post a question. Post anything. This is an informal discussion on the story; the only requirement is that you must respond to the person who posts before you. I'd like to see a little more dialogue on the board. I'll chime in too.
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I thought Dee was a strong-minded character and her mother admired that about her. But i feel like Dee did not want to acknowledge where she came from. Though Dee says that where ever they choose to live she would visit them, it still seemed like she was too proud to bring them around her in her new life. I also thought that both Dee and her little sister represented two sides of the mother. Dee was strong-minded, and the little sister was passive. The mother had to have been strong minded to raise a person like Dee and be a part of the reason why Dee accomplished so much. But the mother was also passive. She let Dee take what ever she wants without a fight. It was until she saw the little sister's reaction to Dee taking the quilts, that her mother stood up to Dee and took them back.
ReplyDeleteFlora, I like your comment about Dee representing two sides of the mother. I think you're right on about that. I'm wondering what everybody thinks about the debate over the quilt. How does Dee perceive family history? How about Maggie? Who has a deeper appreciation of her history? Why?
ReplyDeletetest
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Flore comment. Dee and her sister do represent two sides of the mother. But i also think that both sisters represent two different sides inside of everyone of us. Maggie is the weak, selfless, and good side, and Dee is the selfish, strong, and evil side. Me personally I feel like that there a bite of both sisters inside of me. I believe that Dee has a deeper appreciation of her history, because she is educated, and very concern of her history so that people in the city would feel that she is a strong survivor of poverty and ignorance.
ReplyDeleteI disagree, I think that sisters are symbolic of something larger than their mother. It's no concidence that Dee and Maggie are complete opposites; each one represents an ideal that plays out in everyday life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kevin. I think Dee and Maggie represent something larger than just two sides of the mother. You can see a little bit of Dee and Maggie in people all around us. However, i disagree with Samiha. I dont think Dee had a deeper appreciation for her history, I think she wanted the quilt out of selfish motives like always. She wanted to use the quilt so people can see she came up from poverty and view her as an even stronger individual. Maggie didnt need the quilt to appreciate her history, she had it around her and inside her.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with Sonia because Dee had no interest in her heritage. She just wanted to show off the quilts because they were very valuable. If she actually cared about her heritage she would never have changed her name to something as strange and uncommon as it was. Maggie, on the other hand, appreciated her culture and heritage a lot and deserved the quilts more because she would take care of them in a better way and also appreciate them more.
ReplyDeleteCrystal A.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zainab because it’s true that Dee definitely wanted those quilts for selfish reasons. Dee even had her chance when her mother offered them to her when she was going away to college. Dee had said she didn’t want them because they were old fashioned. So in my opinion, Dee had absolutely no right to come up in there and demand those quilts. Especially after her mother told her that she was saving them for Maggie.
I think Dee's character goes a little deeper than we give her credit for. She definitely represents two sides. She, no matter how selfish she seems, is a strong black woman in a time when African Americans are struggling most. But, she feels ashamed of her past, ashamed of her struggle. I think the daughters represent two ideals. One is strong, educated, yet doesn't want to acknowledge her history. The other is quiet, less educated, but has a hidden confidence about her past. Perhaps the author is trying to point out the two extremes to say that a median should be found amongst the two.
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