I found “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker to be a compelling short story about a mother getting a visit from her most well-achieved child. Although what I found most compelling of the story were the elements implemented into the story such as Point of View, the setting, the establish of the characters and much more. The most appealing of the elements that mainly intrigued me was the element of the Point of View. The one element that left me in bewildered was the Theme.This story takes place in first person Point of View, we use I just as the narrator, or the mother, in “Everyday Use” uses I to depict herself. “I will wait for her in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean and wavy yesterday afternoon”. The reason I find this element to be the most appealing is the aspects of this element. Point of View allows us the reader to see and take in the emotions and the thought process of the mother who is being visited by her daughter. “But even the first glimpse of leg out of the car tells me it is Dee. Her feet were always neat looking, as if God himself had shaped them with a certain style”. This quotes goes to show the very idea of how much a mother pays attention to her kids and the her thoughts of her own daughter. On the other hand, I found the Theme to be a little difficult to understand. Theme is the meaning of the story, or what is the story trying to convey to the reader. The story has a compelling ending and an emotional peak, the incidents with the quilt, but I don’t quite understand what Alice was trying to convey as the theme of the story ; Justice? I would have thought that the theme was never going back on your words but the story seems to be more oriented towards the traditions and the culture that it seems to be aimed at following ones’ values. “They had been pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them “. The quotes shows how much of a tradition and maybe how cultural most of the things in the house were from the quilts to the benches.
HW for September 7; Blog Posts, step-by-step
Dear class,
Great discussion today. Below is the homework for September 7, followed by blog instructions and reading questions.
1. In light of the CUNY standard of 3 hrs of out-of-class prep time for a 75 min session, the following includes a suggested breakdown of how you might spend those 3 hours of HW/prep.
-Read and take notes on “The Elements of Fiction” (1 hrs)
-Read “Everyday Use,” taking margin notes using reading questions (see below) and plot graph (ENG 2001 plot graph F16) (1-1.5hrs)
-do blog, or comment (30 mins-1hr).
-Print out + bring Charters, Walker, and the Plot Graph (with notes) to class. (Your plot graph does not have to be exhaustively detailed, but it should show some attempt to break down “Every Day Use” into its parts.)
There will be a quiz on “The Elements of Fiction.” If you’ve read it carefully, you will be fine!
2. As noted in class, Blog Group 1 is up to post for this Wednesday. Whether you’re in that group or not, please make note of the following steps, as they include commenting instructions.
a. Read the Guiding Questions below and select ONE Blog Prompt.
b. Blog prompts are divided in to 3 categories: Clue (explain how a passage offers a clue to the story as a whole), Connect (connect the story to the world outside the text), or Create (do a creative writing piece, followed by a brief explanation of how your piece directly responds to the original story), . By the end of the semester, you should have tried at least one of each category.
c. Go to “Posts” and “Add New.” Write a 300 word post, by 5 pm the day before class. The post should feature the minimum # of quotations, directly respond to the prompt, and adhere to professional standards of civility and proofreading.
d. Create posts should include both a creative writing section and a brief explanation/analysis, explaining how your piece is directly rooted in the text. If you write a creative writing piece that either has nothing to do with the original story, or directly contradicts it, you’ll be penalized.
e. Before posting, select your category: Clue, Connect, or Create.
f. Post!
g. The rest of the class now has until 10 am the following morning to post a comment. Comments should be 100-150 words and should directly respond to a point in the original post. Again, standards of civility and professionalism are expected. You are expected to post 14 comments, approx. one per week, throughout the semester.
g. Remember, blogs and comments are part of a process. They grow out of engaged in-class participation, and they lead to better, more thoughtful papers. Conversely, if you’re not doing the blogs, it will affect both your blog grade and, in all likelihood, your papers.
3. Below are the reading questions and prompts for Wednesday’s class. I suggest reading these questions before you start “Everyday Use.”
- Which Elements (e.g. Style, Character, POV) were most appealing in “Everyday Use”? Which Elements were the most troubling or confusing? Blog prompt: clue. Write about one appealing and one troubling/confusing Element in “Everyday Use.” Refer directly to at least one quote from the story for each Element. Explain how that quote offers a clue to why your chosen Element is appealing or confusing.
2. Ann Charters defines the rising action of a story as “the dramatization of events that complicate the situation and gradually intensify the conflict.” Locate moments or actions that intensify the conflict, or complicate the situation, in “Everyday Use.” They could be a comment that Dee/Wangero makes, or an action that Ma Johnson takes, or even one that she doesn’t take. Blog prompt: create. Pick one “rising action” moment in “Everyday Use.” Pretend you are Wangero/Dee. If you were writing an email to a friend about that moment in your visit home, what would you say? What feelings did that moment spark in you? As you create this imagined response, refer directly to at least one quote from the story.
3. Ann Charters defines the climax of a story as its “turning point,” its “emotional high point.” After the climax, “the pace of the narration [tends to] break off dramatically.” What single moment would you identify as the climax of “Everyday Use” and why? Blog Prompt: connect. Think of a climactic moment in your own life – a moment of maximum drama or suspense. It could be taking an important exam, or waiting to hear news from the doctor, or avoiding an accident. How does that moment resemble, or differ from, the climax of “Everyday Use”? Refer directly to at least one quote from the story, explaining how that quote helps you connect the story to your own experience.
best,
Professor Kwong
HW for August 31; reminder re: email address
Hi class,
Great meeting you in class today. Looking forward to continuing talking about narrative and storytelling with you this semester.
A reminder that your homework for Thursday includes the following: fill out the welcome survey (see Menu tab); read the syllabus, and bring any questions you might have; read “Elements of Fiction,” 1003-1006. (Like many of the other readings, “The Elements of Fiction” is available under the “Readings” Tab.)
Finally, a reminder to activate your City Tech email address, as you’ll receive important information through that address this semester.
Thanks!
Professor Kwong
Welcome!
Welcome to your section of English 2001!
Please take a look around, browse the Syllabus, and note the Readings. Please complete the Welcome Survey by the end of next week. If you have further questions, you can contact me here:
LKwong@citytech.cuny.edu.
best,
Professor Kwong