In “Everyday Use” the author Alice Walker gets around the relationship that the mother has with both her daughter Maggie and Dee. Maggie is described in the text as “She has been like this chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle”(2). Almost as if saying Maggie confidence wasn’t present and she was just a shy little girl. While on the other hand she goes on ranting about her older daughter, almost seeming like if it’s out of jealousy in some parts of the story. For instance when she say “Dee is lighter than maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure. She’s a women now, sometimes I forget”(2). Dee is look upon as the superstar from the rest of them throughout the story. This connects to how in life there would always be someone who is either different or is a rebel from the rules. Dee choose to leave the life she was living from and began to be different from how her mother and younger sister are. While Maggie is the complete opposite and followed the things her mother and grandma loved to do, like quilting. People get to choose the journey they want to, but sometimes some of us get accustom to the life we are already living. This could be a negative things because then people don’t get to explore different things that they might never experience. To be the Dee in the family could lead to the opportunities she was able to figure out about herself, like the kind of style she likes to wear. She was even able to read to her mother and sister, something that her mother wasn’t able to do. While reading this story I was wondering if I was the Dee or the Maggie in my family since I have seven siblings. I notice that I was sort of the Dee in the sense of exploring and finding myself. I’m the first of my siblings to actually consider college as a option in life instead of getting a “quick” job to have for the rest of my life. I was allowed to branch out and see different opportunities that I was offered while being in college that my sibling wouldn’t be able to have since they all picked the same route. Overall I’m able to say that in a couple of years I’ll be the odd one in the family since I wouldn’t be leaving as the rest check by check.
3 thoughts on “Blog post (connect) Xiara Guzman”
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I agree and disagree with this blog because my sister and I were like Maggie and Dee. My sister was like Dee, she never received a no for and answer because everything she wanted, she will demand my parents to get them but me If I knew they couldn’t get what I wanted I will just stay quiet. Also my sister was the smart one and the adventure type like my Mom and Dad. I was just like Maggie who used to stay home all day and play video games and who was very curious of what my mom and grandma did in the house like cooking and sewing and more and how my dad fix a lot things in the house. I eventually knew how to do all the things by asking and seeing how my parents and grandma did it. While my sister who was always the smart one in the house always thought she can do everything will comes to me, asking for help to cook some of the food she wanted, sew her clothes because she couldn’t and to fix her jewelry or other things she owns. So I do believe most people who are accustomed to that kind of life we are living we do lose out of other experiences but most of those people are probably late bloomers and eventually will find there spark, like I did I found out what I wanted to do in life or they just love what their parents did and they just want to do it better like Maggie, she love quilting like her mom and grandma and you never know that one day she will create her store making and fixing quilts and she probably would make a lot of money in the near future. While those who want to do there own things maybe be successful but most of them will fall and end up doing bad things and eventually never becoming a leader and end up being follower. From the look of how Dee acted with her mom and sister of who gets their grandma quilts, Dee was making her sister look bad by saying “Maggie could appreciate these quilts, She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” In reality her mom knew Maggie will be inspired by them and one day would make more and someday make a business out of it. So never judge book by its cover you never know who will succeed and who will fail.
I understand and agree with the sibling rivalry because I also have an older sister. She is more outgoing than I am and those results showing bright colors and would always get what she wanted, kind of like Dee. I was the one that play all kinds of games, from chess to video games. And like all Asian parents, they think that any and all video games were bad for you. So they told me countless times to study and I did, but my grade were always just average. It wasn’t bad by any means but I would still compare my scores to my sister, which were almost all above average. I can be compared to Maggie, laid back I little and didn’t worry about the future, or what will happen next.
I agree with this blog post. The text did make it seem like Maggie was a shy little girl by the way she was acting. I also agree that Dee started to bloom farther than her own mother. Being able to read she has surpassed her mom. Dee looked at her surroundings and saw the way everything was and wanted to be better.