Choose a description in Everyday Use by Alice Walker that jumps out to you. What is successful about the way Walker writes that description and observation? Why is it important to the story? Do not forget to respond to a classmates post.
One description that jumps out to me in the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker is how the mother carried the daughter out of the burning house and the daughter was burnt really badly. What is successful about her descriptions and observations are she is very specific and detailed. One time she describes how her daughter wanted something and then she observed how her style of clothing was at sixteen. It is important to this story because everyday something is being described and then observed and then explained so that is why we use them in our own personal lives as well.
I like your points of good descriptions from the story like the part on how she carried Maggie out of the burning house. I also liked the part you touched one were she described how she dressed which seemed kind of weird.
Yes Giovanni, I like your points here. Very good with connecting the story to everyday life which is kind of weird because that is what the title kind of says.
I agree. I liked how she described how her daughter was burned, talking about how her arms were sticking to her and how her hair was smoking. It's important for us readers to create a mental picture and I think she describes the scene really well.
One description that jumps out to me is when their house burned down and she described how she can still hear the flames and feel jaggies arms sticking to me, her hair smoking ad her dress falling off her in little black papery flakes. What is successful about the way Walker writes about description and observation is that she uses great adjectives, nouns and verbs. It is important to the story because if she didn't describe in detail, I wouldn't be able to picture it in my head.
I like your description of an important part of the story. It was a good description by the author with her word use. I agree that if this wasn't described in such great detail then it would be very difficult to picture the scene happening in my head.
One description that really jumped out at me was when she was describing how the fire affected Maggie in such a serious way. Like how she said she’s always just staring at the ground and shuffling around. How she describes the fire is terrifying as well like how she said the little girl smelled like smoke and her little night dress was coming off in ashes cause of the flames. And how her eyes were so wide open cause of the fear the fire put into her it looked like the flames had stretched her eyes wider. As sad as she was about the house burning down at the end of the paragraph the woman mentions Maggie didn’t even like the house. I also liked the disruption of the woman who saved Maggie, like how she is a big boned woman who was pretty much man like in all aspects. This is important because a proper description of what happened and how it affected every one in the story should be told.
The description in Everyday Use by Alice Walker that jumps out to me is in the second paragraph when she is describing how Maggie is standing. the description of her emotional state is very informative. What is successful about this description is how she goes so into detail about how Maggie feels about the Burn scars on her legs and arms. This is important to the story because you get a good sense of how Maggie feels about the scars from the very beginning. If this description was not in the story it might not be as obvious that Maggie is ashamed of the bur scars on her arms and legs.
The description that jumps out at me the most in this essay is when she describes what she really looks like. She says she is a large big boned woman with rough man hands. What is successful about the way she writes her description is that she explains how tough she is as a woman. "My fat keeps me hot in zero weather" "One winter i knocked a bull calf straight in the brain between the eyes with a sledge hammer..." This is important to the story because it lets the reader know how she really is throughout the rest of the story.
Kyle, the description of what the mom actually looks like caught my eye as well. I think it describes herself perfectly. I think this was important to the story because the description taught us who she really is as a person. It showed us that even though she is a woman, she loves to work with her hands.
One description that stood out to me was when she describe herself in the fifth paragraph. It stood out because without actually looking at her I have a clear image of her in my mind. Also it is not a typical way a woman would describe herself because she kind of sounds more like a man. The description was successful because it felt like I know exactly what she looked liked and what kind of women she was. It did not leave me with question about her appearance I felt as she describe herself with a lot of details. It is important to the story because it kind gives the reader things to look for kind of. While the stories continues you probably are going to start looking for some of those traits that she describe earlier.
I agree with you. I like the way she brought herself to life and made it clear that she was not like many other mothers but more of a father and a mother at the same time.
One description that sticks out to me is when the mother is waiting out in the yard for her daughters arrival and she is describing how she wishes that it could be like a commercial where the daughter praises the parents for making their life have a chance for success. This is successful because right when she said TV commercial I could picture it all in my head right there. This is important to the story because it is a critical point where there is a tense return of someone that was badly injured and its hard to know what to expect.
I like this description because it gives you a great picture of a commercial but also that it gives you a feeling of how the mom wants to be appreciated for what she has done. She wants her daughter to show her care for her and make her feel like she had to do with her now more successful life.
One description in Everyday Use by Alice Walker that jumped out to me was the two old quilts Grandma Dee knitted. Alice Walker gave a very specific representation of the two quilts that later on Dee/Wagnero found in her mothers trunk. Alice Walker talks about the design of the two old quilts. She first says, “one quilt was in the lone star pattern and the other was Walk Around the Mountain.” To go into more detail of the two quilts, she states, “There were bits of pieces of their grandfather’s paisley shirts as well as scraps from their grandma’s dresses. One teeny faded blue pieces, about the size of a penny matchbox from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War.” Walker describes the two quilts in a way that that remind both Dee and Maggie of their family’s past heritage and as well as their culture of where they come from. The quilts are important to the story because they represents Dee’s family heritage. As Dee moves forward in her life by starting a new chapter away from home, these quilts will remind her of her heritage. The quilts represent her as the person she grew up to become.
One description that sticks out to me in "Everyday Use', by Alice Walker, would be the 9th paragraph, where the narrator goes into depth of what Maggie and Dee went through when their home caught fire. Walker describes Maggie's eyes as being "stretched open, blazed open by the flames reflecting on them". She also writes about Maggie's hair still smoking, and her dress that had turned into black papery flakes. By the narrator going into such detail from an event that happened 12 years prior, shows what things could not be forgotten. This is successful for the story because she describes the setting so clearly that it gives readers a better image of what horrific memories have stuck with the writer for 12 years.
One description that stood out to me in "Everyday Uses", Alice Walker, was the first paragraph on page 131, where the narrator goes into to vivid detail of the house fire that burned Maggie. As stated, "Sometimes I can still hear the flames and feel Maggie's arms sticking me, her hair smoking and her dress falling off her in black papery flakes...." The image that the narrator creates in this moment makes the reader play this horrid memory of the characters past in there own mind; making that emotional connection. The description is this particular part of the story is important because it gives the reader a background on Maggie and the rest of the characters as to why she and the others are the way they are in the present. How the burns and scars the flames left on her body are a reminder to the narrator, Dee, and Maggie of the past. How these scars have shaped Maggie into the young woman she is.
I agree with that, and the description of the house fire was also another thing that stuck out to me throughout the whole story. The way Walker uses such description and visuals to show what the fire was like for Maggie was awful, and definitely helps the reader in understanding the exact situation at the time.
Good quote for description. I agree, the way Walker describes the fire burning Maggie is awful, but Walker does paint a good picture.Most of us have been burned in some way,hot water, the stove. Maggie burns are far more greater than that and Walker works on that.
One description that really stood out to me while reading the short story was the way the author described herself in real life. I got a perfect picture of her from the words she used and let me kind of understand her as a person. Sometimes when I’m reading I don’t picture the authors as real people, they usually feel fictional. But when she got deep into the way she looked and dressed. She became realer with every description. She said “I am a large, big bone women with rough, man working hands. In the winter I wear a flannel nightgowns to bed….etc.” Also talks about the way she eats and or hitting a bull calf with sledge hammer. It was important to the story because it describes who she is.
I agree, this is the one I choose as well. I thought I could actually her while reading the description. I thought it was interesting that she used moments like "being hot in the cold" instead of saying that she was a thick girl.
I agree with this. I liked how she described herself because it gives us, the readers, a realistic mental picture of what she looks like and what she does.
One description that stood out to me was when the mom and Dee/Miss Wangero were arguing about the quilts and then, Maggie, the younger daughter, tells the mom that Dee could have it. The description of the way Maggie looked at that moment and then the mom snatching the quilts out of Dee’s hand, and before that saying she did something she had never done before, all made me feel like I was there. I thought it gave a perfect image of the point of the story. Dee wouldn’t be preserving the culture, Maggie would. That image of Maggie after she told her mom that her sister could have it, with her scarred hands and her look of fear at her sister yet wasn’t mad, gives us a look at their culture. Dee hadn’t been around like Maggie, all Maggie knew was her culture cause that’s what she had grown up in and lives in, while as Dee has been away changing her name which had ran in the family. Dee might have been preserving the quilts but not the culture that the quilts signify.
I love your whole answer. That part when Dee's mother refused to let her have the quilts was pretty satisfying. Maggie would be using the quilts as they were made to be used, and she deserves them more than Dee does because Maggie seems to be a more significant and relevant part of the family.
One description that stood out to me in this essay would be at the top of the page of 131 when Alice Walker talks about the fire that happened over 10 years ago. I think that this part of the passage was successful in gaining my attention because of the way she describes the way she remembers things. Instead of saying that she remembers seeing the fire, she uses, "Her eyes seemed stretched open, blazed open by the flames reflected in them." This is important to the story because it shows the history of how these scars came to be and how she still remembers it so vividly.
I also liked this part of the passage because, like you said, it doesn't just blandly state that she remembers a fire. Instead it puts the reader into a three-dimensional scene where they can almost see what is happening for themselves.
I agree with you. Instead of telling us that she saw the fire, she showed us how with describing it. I liked how you brought up the history of the scars.
A description that jumps out to me was located on page 130, when the narrator went into great detail describing her physical appearance and who she is as a person. This whole paragraph is successful because Walker uses clear and unusual descriptions such as "rough, man-working hands." Also, the use of actions and every day chores that this woman does enhances the image created of her. An example would be when the narrator said that she "can eat pork liver cooked over the open fire minutes after it comes steaming from the hog." This illustration make this woman seem even tougher and rougher than any other description made her out to be. This whole illustration is important to the story because it gives the reader an idea of what the narrator looks like so they can create a moving picture as the story proceeds. Also, it creates more of a connection between Maggie and her mother because they are still at home together and Maggie is not as pretty or successful as her sister. This connection is strengthened when Maggie was willing to give up the quilts for her sister, but her mother refused to let that happen and made Maggie's sister, Dee, take other quilts. Maggie and her mother knew the real significance and value of the quilts, but Dee did not.
I also thought that it was interesting that you can get a clearer picture of what she looks like not only by the description of physical appearance, but also by actions and duties that this woman does. I never really gave attention to that aspect of it before, but I can see how that is significant in generating a mental picture of the characters.
One description that stood out to me was how Alice Walker describes what Dee was wearing, the yellow dress that hurt her eyes, gold earrings that went down to her shoulders etc... The description she uses is good enough for anyone to get an image in their head. In this story the author gives a lot of description on almost everything which I think most authors don't usually do which makes her stand out more . From the descriptions you can get a sense on what the characters are like and how they bond with one another .
i agree on your post. I like your description of Dee. I like how you state you could get a good image in your head. i got the same image/ view of the characters description when i read this scene.
A description that really sticks out to me is " In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during in the day. I can .... This is her description and I can almost feel what it is to be her. This description makes it relatable. Its important because this is how she views herself and its not just a list of adjectives. Very successful in her own description.
A description that really sticks out to me is the description of Maggie, her appearance, and the way she sees her sister. Alice Walker describes that Maggie sees her sister as a person who holds life in the palm of her hands, as well as how she describes the way Maggie watches her sister eave, with envy and awe. It shows readers how highly Maggie thinks of her sister and gives a perfect visual of what was happening. This is important to the story because it gives a background into the life Maggie lives, being ashamed of her burn scars and how she envies the people who live a different ife than her all in one paragraph alone.
A description that stood out to me is the one she gave about Dee's dress," A dress down to the ground, in this hot weather. A dress so loud it hurts my eyes. There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun"(Walker 132). Walker writes this description in a humorous way. As I was reading it, I could imagine a dress so bright that just to look at it you have to wear sunglasses.I like how she tells the colors that are making the dress "loud". The yellows and oranges, she calling the dress the sun, which also makes it easier to visualize.This description of the dress is important to the story in the helping with the description of the character Dee.
I like the description you chose, as I was reading that sentence I was envisioning a beautiful, bright dress shining in the light of the sun as well. She used such great detail that you could almost feel as if you were there looking at the dress. I also loved the fact that she threw humor into her descriptions and observations.
In short story Everyday Use, written by Alice Walker, she gives you a taste of her writing style right within the first few sentences. A description that stood out to me while reading was the description on page 130, paragraph 4, first sentence, " In real life I am large, big-boned woman with rough, man working hands." Her style of writing descriptions is successful because she uses great detail when describing herself or others. Alice includes colors, textures, sizes, etc, to really help you envision exactly what she was observing. You can visual in your ,mind what she is describing because she uses such great detail and that can help to keep a reader interested in the reading. Another thing I appreciate about her writing style is her use of humor. She is very subtle about it but slips humor in here and there, like when describing herself as having "man-working hands".
Throughout this short story, Alice Walker uses a lot of description to allow the readers to vision what she is trying to portray. One of the parts that stood out to me the most is when she talks about her appearance. I believe that the adjectives and the way she describes herself is very descriptive because it allows the readers to vision exactly what she is talking about. Page 130, four paragraphs down, "in real life i am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day." I think that her writing style is important because in this quote and throughout the short story it is so easy to read because you are watching it in your head because she is so descriptive. Her use of size and texture is important too.
The fact that you mentioned that the use of size and texture is vital brought my attention. Size and texture brings a more three dimensional vision of the matter, and that's what we want as a reader, to be able to vision every single detail in a way that even unfamiliar objects will become familiar.
In the story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, a description that stood out the most to me was when the narrator was describing her appearance on page 130, forth paragraph down: "In real life, I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands". I think that the way this description was written really helps the reader create a mental picture in their head of what she looks like, and I liked how she didn't beat around the bush when she was describing what she looks like. She straight up said that she was big and manly, and I think that being straight forward with an audience is important when telling a story.
Same, I thought this description was well put together because I, myself, could envision her large manly hands and how rough they looked. It made envision the hands of many other hard working men. I also agree with being straight forward with an audience, but I also love how Walker doesn't always have to be straight forward and cause the reader to still know exactly what she is talking about.
A description in Everyday Use by Alice Walker, that jumps out to me is when she describes Dee getting out the car and her physical appearance. The adjectives and vocabulary Walker uses is very easy, but creates a great sense of vivid imagery. On page 132, Walker describes Dee getting out the car and quickly focuses on her feet and emphasize how neat-looking they are - as though they were crafted from God himself. This causes the reader to envision how delicate and nice her feet must look, considering the fact how it was "shaped" from God. Next she describes Dee's dress, in the next paragraph. I greatly appreciate the use of Walker's language and success in this paragraph because it very detailed and very vivid. I, myself, could see how bright and loud Dee's dress was, how the colors of yellow and orange radiate off Dee's dress and create its own heat waves that warmed MY skin. Not one difficult word was put in that description, instead she knew exactly how the to describe the dress to the reader so they can actually envision it. Compared to just saying Dee's dress was yellow and orange. I also loved when Walker described Dee's hair standing up straight like the wool on a sheep. Any writer can simply say Dee has an afro, but the wool on a sheep, implies how big her hair must stand up and how SOFT it must be. I found that important because within that description she is able to to create vivid imagery as well as trigger the reader to know how physical touch of her hair.
A description that I liked in Everyday Use was the description of Dee's yellow dress by Alice Walker. On page 131, Alice stated that Dee wanted nice things and how her yellow dress she wore to high school graduation. Alice also states on pg 132 that " a dress so loud it hurts my eyes... there are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun." she goes on to state how here earrings are gold and that her bracelets dangling with noise and how her dress is loose and it gets looser as she gets closer. this detail Cooper gives really makes you get a good picture of what Dee's character and personality is like and how you could actually picture yourself at the scene of the story.
Alice Walker's writing is successful in the short story Everyday Use, because she uses very vivid descriptions that comes from a good act of observation. One of the passage that i could really well imagine in my mind as i was reading, was the passage on page 135, in the last paragraph when the author describes how Dee went away. " Maggie smiled; maybe at the sunglasses. But a real smile, not scared. After we watched the car dust settle i asked Maggie to bring me a dip of snuff. And then the two of us sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed." Description and observations are extremely important because they form the bridge between the author and the reader, without perfect words or let's say strong adjectives and nouns the reader will feel the lack of comprehension, therefore losing interest.
One description that really stood out to me was on page 131 in the first paragraph. When Walker was describing her recollection of the house burning. Specifically she said, "...her dress falling off her in little papery flakes. Her eyes seemed stretched open, blazed open by the flames reflected in them." This description caused my mind to recall every memory involving house fires, from movies to personal experiences, and then apply details from the scene(s) that I remember. This is what causes my mind to recreate and envision the scenarios that are described to me.
I agree with you, I think this description really gives you a vision of the fire. The dress falling off in little papery flakes is such a specific detail that it makes you really picture everything that went on
One part that really stuck out to me was when she was describing here dream. She states, "There I meet a smiling, gray, sporty man like Johnny Carson who shakes my hand and tells me what a fine girl I have". The words she used were misleading and I could not understand what she was implying until Walker said "Johnny Carson". I remember hearing stories about him from his old show and these words seemed to fit the description. It really stuck out that she gave different words to initially move me off course, but ended up connecting them in the end.
The description that stuck to me was the dress that Dee was wearing on page 132. I could actually picture the dress when Alice was talking about it "a dress down to the ground... A dress so loud it hurt my eyes... There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the lightoc the sun." In my mind I could actually see the dress and it looked in my option really pretty. That description really brought the dress to life for me.
One description that stood out to me was when Alice Walker described how Dee was dressed. She described her dress as "loud" because it is so bright and colorful and she also describes her jewelry and the sound it makes when she moves. This stood out to me because the way she described her outfit really gives you a mental picture of how she looked.When she says she can "feel the heat waves it throws out" it really emphasizes the color of the dress and how stunning it is.
The description that jumped out to me the most was the description of the quilts that Dee (Wangero) found in the trunk. The way the author gave a description of the pieces on the quilts was successful. It is obvious that the quilt has had a lot of work done on it when the mother said there were pieces of dresses and shirts from Grandma Dee, Grandma Jarrell and Great Grandma Ezra. She gave history to it and she gave Dee a good reason why it was so sentimental. It is important to the story because it shows how much dedication the mother puts into her work and also that memories mean a lot to her.
The description that stood out to me the most was the description of the dress that Dee wore. The dress really shows what kind of personality dee has."A dress so loud it hurts my eyes. There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun". This quote is from page 132 and it really shows how Dee's personality is different from the others. It also gives the reader a sense of how Dee is her own person. I think that these specific observations about a character gives the reader an specific image in there head of what a certain character is actually like.
In the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker I liked how descriptive it was when it talked about how the mother carried her daughter out of the burning house and the description of how the daughter was burnt severely. I liked her observations and attention to detail throughout. For example, she describes how her daughter's fashion style was when she was sixteen and payed close attention to how it changed. I think that it is important because people in todays society are very observant and the more in depth it is, the better it will be for everyone to paint a mental picture.
One description that jumps out to me in the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker is how the mother carried the daughter out of the burning house and the daughter was burnt really badly. What is successful about her descriptions and observations are she is very specific and detailed. One time she describes how her daughter wanted something and then she observed how her style of clothing was at sixteen. It is important to this story because everyday something is being described and then observed and then explained so that is why we use them in our own personal lives as well.
ReplyDeleteI like your points of good descriptions from the story like the part on how she carried Maggie out of the burning house. I also liked the part you touched one were she described how she dressed which seemed kind of weird.
DeleteYes Giovanni, I like your points here. Very good with connecting the story to everyday life which is kind of weird because that is what the title kind of says.
DeleteI agree. I liked how she described how her daughter was burned, talking about how her arms were sticking to her and how her hair was smoking. It's important for us readers to create a mental picture and I think she describes the scene really well.
DeleteOne description that jumps out to me is when their house burned down and she described how she can still hear the flames and feel jaggies arms sticking to me, her hair smoking ad her dress falling off her in little black papery flakes. What is successful about the way Walker writes about description and observation is that she uses great adjectives, nouns and verbs. It is important to the story because if she didn't describe in detail, I wouldn't be able to picture it in my head.
ReplyDeleteI like your description of an important part of the story. It was a good description by the author with her word use. I agree that if this wasn't described in such great detail then it would be very difficult to picture the scene happening in my head.
DeleteOne description that really jumped out at me was when she was describing how the fire affected Maggie in such a serious way. Like how she said she’s always just staring at the ground and shuffling around. How she describes the fire is terrifying as well like how she said the little girl smelled like smoke and her little night dress was coming off in ashes cause of the flames. And how her eyes were so wide open cause of the fear the fire put into her it looked like the flames had stretched her eyes wider. As sad as she was about the house burning down at the end of the paragraph the woman mentions Maggie didn’t even like the house. I also liked the disruption of the woman who saved Maggie, like how she is a big boned woman who was pretty much man like in all aspects. This is important because a proper description of what happened and how it affected every one in the story should be told.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the good description tells readers how much it affected her and the family .
DeleteThe description in Everyday Use by Alice Walker that jumps out to me is in the second paragraph when she is describing how Maggie is standing. the description of her emotional state is very informative. What is successful about this description is how she goes so into detail about how Maggie feels about the Burn scars on her legs and arms. This is important to the story because you get a good sense of how Maggie feels about the scars from the very beginning. If this description was not in the story it might not be as obvious that Maggie is ashamed of the bur scars on her arms and legs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say why it is successful. The detail can make the reader imagine what she looks like with these scars.
DeleteI also agree because the readers talks a lot about Maggie's scars throughout the video .
DeleteThe description that jumps out at me the most in this essay is when she describes what she really looks like. She says she is a large big boned woman with rough man hands. What is successful about the way she writes her description is that she explains how tough she is as a woman. "My fat keeps me hot in zero weather" "One winter i knocked a bull calf straight in the brain between the eyes with a sledge hammer..." This is important to the story because it lets the reader know how she really is throughout the rest of the story.
ReplyDeleteKyle, the description of what the mom actually looks like caught my eye as well. I think it describes herself perfectly. I think this was important to the story because the description taught us who she really is as a person. It showed us that even though she is a woman, she loves to work with her hands.
DeleteOne description that stood out to me was when she describe herself in the fifth paragraph. It stood out because without actually looking at her I have a clear image of her in my mind. Also it is not a typical way a woman would describe herself because she kind of sounds more like a man. The description was successful because it felt like I know exactly what she looked liked and what kind of women she was. It did not leave me with question about her appearance I felt as she describe herself with a lot of details. It is important to the story because it kind gives the reader things to look for kind of. While the stories continues you probably are going to start looking for some of those traits that she describe earlier.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the detail given about herself was very uncommon for a woman, but gave a very clear image of what she looked like.
DeleteI agree with you. I like the way she brought herself to life and made it clear that she was not like many other mothers but more of a father and a mother at the same time.
DeleteI agree with the description of herself being something that you wouldn't expect. But I also liked how I got to picture how she actually is.
DeleteOne description that sticks out to me is when the mother is waiting out in the yard for her daughters arrival and she is describing how she wishes that it could be like a commercial where the daughter praises the parents for making their life have a chance for success. This is successful because right when she said TV commercial I could picture it all in my head right there. This is important to the story because it is a critical point where there is a tense return of someone that was badly injured and its hard to know what to expect.
ReplyDeleteYes John, i agree with the description because she does describe it like a commercial which makes you picture it very well.
DeleteI also thought this description gave the readers a great mental picture of the tv commercial. Making an easy connection for any reader.
DeleteI like this description because it gives you a great picture of a commercial but also that it gives you a feeling of how the mom wants to be appreciated for what she has done. She wants her daughter to show her care for her and make her feel like she had to do with her now more successful life.
DeleteOne description in Everyday Use by Alice Walker that jumped out to me was the two old quilts Grandma Dee knitted. Alice Walker gave a very specific representation of the two quilts that later on Dee/Wagnero found in her mothers trunk. Alice Walker talks about the design of the two old quilts. She first says, “one quilt was in the lone star pattern and the other was Walk Around the Mountain.” To go into more detail of the two quilts, she states, “There were bits of pieces of their grandfather’s paisley shirts as well as scraps from their grandma’s dresses. One teeny faded blue pieces, about the size of a penny matchbox from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War.” Walker describes the two quilts in a way that that remind both Dee and Maggie of their family’s past heritage and as well as their culture of where they come from. The quilts are important to the story because they represents Dee’s family heritage. As Dee moves forward in her life by starting a new chapter away from home, these quilts will remind her of her heritage. The quilts represent her as the person she grew up to become.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I think that without the description of the quilts you wouldn't be able to get a sense of there families culture/ heritage.
DeleteOne description that sticks out to me in "Everyday Use', by Alice Walker, would be the 9th paragraph, where the narrator goes into depth of what Maggie and Dee went through when their home caught fire. Walker describes Maggie's eyes as being "stretched open, blazed open by the flames reflecting on them". She also writes about Maggie's hair still smoking, and her dress that had turned into black papery flakes. By the narrator going into such detail from an event that happened 12 years prior, shows what things could not be forgotten. This is successful for the story because she describes the setting so clearly that it gives readers a better image of what horrific memories have stuck with the writer for 12 years.
ReplyDeleteThat description stuck out to me too, it really put a nice picture of the scene into my head.
DeleteThat description also stood out to because of all the details. It gives you a really good image in your head of the scene.
DeleteOne description that stood out to me in "Everyday Uses", Alice Walker, was the first paragraph on page 131, where the narrator goes into to vivid detail of the house fire that burned Maggie. As stated, "Sometimes I can still hear the flames and feel Maggie's arms sticking me, her hair smoking and her dress falling off her in black papery flakes...." The image that the narrator creates in this moment makes the reader play this horrid memory of the characters past in there own mind; making that emotional connection. The description is this particular part of the story is important because it gives the reader a background on Maggie and the rest of the characters as to why she and the others are the way they are in the present. How the burns and scars the flames left on her body are a reminder to the narrator, Dee, and Maggie of the past. How these scars have shaped Maggie into the young woman she is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that, and the description of the house fire was also another thing that stuck out to me throughout the whole story. The way Walker uses such description and visuals to show what the fire was like for Maggie was awful, and definitely helps the reader in understanding the exact situation at the time.
DeleteGood quote for description. I agree, the way Walker describes the fire burning Maggie is awful, but Walker does paint a good picture.Most of us have been burned in some way,hot water, the stove. Maggie burns are far more greater than that and Walker works on that.
DeleteOne description that really stood out to me while reading the short story was the way the author described herself in real life. I got a perfect picture of her from the words she used and let me kind of understand her as a person. Sometimes when I’m reading I don’t picture the authors as real people, they usually feel fictional. But when she got deep into the way she looked and dressed. She became realer with every description. She said “I am a large, big bone women with rough, man working hands. In the winter I wear a flannel nightgowns to bed….etc.” Also talks about the way she eats and or hitting a bull calf with sledge hammer. It was important to the story because it describes who she is.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this is the one I choose as well. I thought I could actually her while reading the description. I thought it was interesting that she used moments like "being hot in the cold" instead of saying that she was a thick girl.
DeleteI agree, sometimes I can't picture character or authors in my head but she did such a great job describing everything in detail.
DeleteI agree with this. I liked how she described herself because it gives us, the readers, a realistic mental picture of what she looks like and what she does.
DeleteOne description that stood out to me was when the mom and Dee/Miss Wangero were arguing about the quilts and then, Maggie, the younger daughter, tells the mom that Dee could have it. The description of the way Maggie looked at that moment and then the mom snatching the quilts out of Dee’s hand, and before that saying she did something she had never done before, all made me feel like I was there. I thought it gave a perfect image of the point of the story. Dee wouldn’t be preserving the culture, Maggie would. That image of Maggie after she told her mom that her sister could have it, with her scarred hands and her look of fear at her sister yet wasn’t mad, gives us a look at their culture. Dee hadn’t been around like Maggie, all Maggie knew was her culture cause that’s what she had grown up in and lives in, while as Dee has been away changing her name which had ran in the family. Dee might have been preserving the quilts but not the culture that the quilts signify.
ReplyDeleteI love your whole answer. That part when Dee's mother refused to let her have the quilts was pretty satisfying. Maggie would be using the quilts as they were made to be used, and she deserves them more than Dee does because Maggie seems to be a more significant and relevant part of the family.
DeleteOne description that stood out to me in this essay would be at the top of the page of 131 when Alice Walker talks about the fire that happened over 10 years ago. I think that this part of the passage was successful in gaining my attention because of the way she describes the way she remembers things. Instead of saying that she remembers seeing the fire, she uses, "Her eyes seemed stretched open, blazed open by the flames reflected in them." This is important to the story because it shows the history of how these scars came to be and how she still remembers it so vividly.
ReplyDeleteI also liked this part of the passage because, like you said, it doesn't just blandly state that she remembers a fire. Instead it puts the reader into a three-dimensional scene where they can almost see what is happening for themselves.
DeleteYes I agree it also helps connect the first part where the flames origin is uncertain
DeleteI agree with you. Instead of telling us that she saw the fire, she showed us how with describing it. I liked how you brought up the history of the scars.
DeleteA description that jumps out to me was located on page 130, when the narrator went into great detail describing her physical appearance and who she is as a person. This whole paragraph is successful because Walker uses clear and unusual descriptions such as "rough, man-working hands." Also, the use of actions and every day chores that this woman does enhances the image created of her. An example would be when the narrator said that she "can eat pork liver cooked over the open fire minutes after it comes steaming from the hog." This illustration make this woman seem even tougher and rougher than any other description made her out to be. This whole illustration is important to the story because it gives the reader an idea of what the narrator looks like so they can create a moving picture as the story proceeds. Also, it creates more of a connection between Maggie and her mother because they are still at home together and Maggie is not as pretty or successful as her sister. This connection is strengthened when Maggie was willing to give up the quilts for her sister, but her mother refused to let that happen and made Maggie's sister, Dee, take other quilts. Maggie and her mother knew the real significance and value of the quilts, but Dee did not.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that it was interesting that you can get a clearer picture of what she looks like not only by the description of physical appearance, but also by actions and duties that this woman does. I never really gave attention to that aspect of it before, but I can see how that is significant in generating a mental picture of the characters.
DeleteOne description that stood out to me was how Alice Walker describes what Dee was wearing, the yellow dress that hurt her eyes, gold earrings that went down to her shoulders etc... The description she uses is good enough for anyone to get an image in their head. In this story the author gives a lot of description on almost everything which I think most authors don't usually do which makes her stand out more . From the descriptions you can get a sense on what the characters are like and how they bond with one another .
ReplyDeletei agree on your post. I like your description of Dee. I like how you state you could get a good image in your head. i got the same image/ view of the characters description when i read this scene.
DeleteA description that really sticks out to me is " In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during in the day. I can .... This is her description and I can almost feel what it is to be her. This description makes it relatable. Its important because this is how she views herself and its not just a list of adjectives. Very successful in her own description.
ReplyDeleteThis was also my favorite part! I'm glad you talked about it being relatable because it's true that all of us woman view ourselves differently.
DeleteA description that really sticks out to me is the description of Maggie, her appearance, and the way she sees her sister. Alice Walker describes that Maggie sees her sister as a person who holds life in the palm of her hands, as well as how she describes the way Maggie watches her sister eave, with envy and awe. It shows readers how highly Maggie thinks of her sister and gives a perfect visual of what was happening. This is important to the story because it gives a background into the life Maggie lives, being ashamed of her burn scars and how she envies the people who live a different ife than her all in one paragraph alone.
ReplyDeleteA description that stood out to me is the one she gave about Dee's dress," A dress down to the ground, in this hot weather. A dress so loud it hurts my eyes. There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun"(Walker 132). Walker writes this description in a humorous way. As I was reading it, I could imagine a dress so bright that just to look at it you have to wear sunglasses.I like how she tells the colors that are making the dress "loud". The yellows and oranges, she calling the dress the sun, which also makes it easier to visualize.This description of the dress is important to the story in the helping with the description of the character Dee.
ReplyDeleteI like the description you chose, as I was reading that sentence I was envisioning a beautiful, bright dress shining in the light of the sun as well. She used such great detail that you could almost feel as if you were there looking at the dress. I also loved the fact that she threw humor into her descriptions and observations.
DeleteI'm happy you brought this up! This was one thing I also visioned when reading it because I looked at the dress as being magnificent in the sun light.
DeleteI wrote about this same description and I could really see the dress when I was reading.
DeleteIn short story Everyday Use, written by Alice Walker, she gives you a taste of her writing style right within the first few sentences. A description that stood out to me while reading was the description on page 130, paragraph 4, first sentence, " In real life I am large, big-boned woman with rough, man working hands." Her style of writing descriptions is successful because she uses great detail when describing herself or others. Alice includes colors, textures, sizes, etc, to really help you envision exactly what she was observing. You can visual in your ,mind what she is describing because she uses such great detail and that can help to keep a reader interested in the reading. Another thing I appreciate about her writing style is her use of humor. She is very subtle about it but slips humor in here and there, like when describing herself as having "man-working hands".
ReplyDeleteThroughout this short story, Alice Walker uses a lot of description to allow the readers to vision what she is trying to portray. One of the parts that stood out to me the most is when she talks about her appearance. I believe that the adjectives and the way she describes herself is very descriptive because it allows the readers to vision exactly what she is talking about. Page 130, four paragraphs down, "in real life i am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day." I think that her writing style is important because in this quote and throughout the short story it is so easy to read because you are watching it in your head because she is so descriptive. Her use of size and texture is important too.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you mentioned that the use of size and texture is vital brought my attention. Size and texture brings a more three dimensional vision of the matter, and that's what we want as a reader, to be able to vision every single detail in a way that even unfamiliar objects will become familiar.
DeleteIn the story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, a description that stood out the most to me was when the narrator was describing her appearance on page 130, forth paragraph down: "In real life, I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands". I think that the way this description was written really helps the reader create a mental picture in their head of what she looks like, and I liked how she didn't beat around the bush when she was describing what she looks like. She straight up said that she was big and manly, and I think that being straight forward with an audience is important when telling a story.
ReplyDeleteSame, I thought this description was well put together because I, myself, could envision her large manly hands and how rough they looked. It made envision the hands of many other hard working men. I also agree with being straight forward with an audience, but I also love how Walker doesn't always have to be straight forward and cause the reader to still know exactly what she is talking about.
DeleteA description in Everyday Use by Alice Walker, that jumps out to me is when she describes Dee getting out the car and her physical appearance. The adjectives and vocabulary Walker uses is very easy, but creates a great sense of vivid imagery. On page 132, Walker describes Dee getting out the car and quickly focuses on her feet and emphasize how neat-looking they are - as though they were crafted from God himself. This causes the reader to envision how delicate and nice her feet must look, considering the fact how it was "shaped" from God. Next she describes Dee's dress, in the next paragraph. I greatly appreciate the use of Walker's language and success in this paragraph because it very detailed and very vivid. I, myself, could see how bright and loud Dee's dress was, how the colors of yellow and orange radiate off Dee's dress and create its own heat waves that warmed MY skin. Not one difficult word was put in that description, instead she knew exactly how the to describe the dress to the reader so they can actually envision it. Compared to just saying Dee's dress was yellow and orange. I also loved when Walker described Dee's hair standing up straight like the wool on a sheep. Any writer can simply say Dee has an afro, but the wool on a sheep, implies how big her hair must stand up and how SOFT it must be. I found that important because within that description she is able to to create vivid imagery as well as trigger the reader to know how physical touch of her hair.
ReplyDeleteA description that I liked in Everyday Use was the description of Dee's yellow dress by Alice Walker. On page 131, Alice stated that Dee wanted nice things and how her yellow dress she wore to high school graduation. Alice also states on pg 132 that " a dress so loud it hurts my eyes... there are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun." she goes on to state how here earrings are gold and that her bracelets dangling with noise and how her dress is loose and it gets looser as she gets closer. this detail Cooper gives really makes you get a good picture of what Dee's character and personality is like and how you could actually picture yourself at the scene of the story.
ReplyDeleteAlice Walker's writing is successful in the short story Everyday Use, because she uses very vivid descriptions that comes from a good act of observation. One of the passage that i could really well imagine in my mind as i was reading, was the passage on page 135, in the last paragraph when the author describes how Dee went away. " Maggie smiled; maybe at the sunglasses. But a real smile, not scared. After we watched the car dust settle i asked Maggie to bring me a dip of snuff. And then the two of us sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed." Description and observations are extremely important because they form the bridge between the author and the reader, without perfect words or let's say strong adjectives and nouns the reader will feel the lack of comprehension, therefore losing interest.
ReplyDeleteOne description that really stood out to me was on page 131 in the first paragraph. When Walker was describing her recollection of the house burning. Specifically she said, "...her dress falling off her in little papery flakes. Her eyes seemed stretched open, blazed open by the flames reflected in them." This description caused my mind to recall every memory involving house fires, from movies to personal experiences, and then apply details from the scene(s) that I remember. This is what causes my mind to recreate and envision the scenarios that are described to me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I think this description really gives you a vision of the fire. The dress falling off in little papery flakes is such a specific detail that it makes you really picture everything that went on
DeleteOne part that really stuck out to me was when she was describing here dream. She states, "There I meet a smiling, gray, sporty man like Johnny Carson who shakes my hand and tells me what a fine girl I have". The words she used were misleading and I could not understand what she was implying until Walker said "Johnny Carson". I remember hearing stories about him from his old show and these words seemed to fit the description. It really stuck out that she gave different words to initially move me off course, but ended up connecting them in the end.
ReplyDeleteThe description that stuck to me was the dress that Dee was wearing on page 132. I could actually picture the dress when Alice was talking about it "a dress down to the ground... A dress so loud it hurt my eyes... There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the lightoc the sun." In my mind I could actually see the dress and it looked in my option really pretty. That description really brought the dress to life for me.
ReplyDeleteOne description that stood out to me was when Alice Walker described how Dee was dressed. She described her dress as "loud" because it is so bright and colorful and she also describes her jewelry and the sound it makes when she moves. This stood out to me because the way she described her outfit really gives you a mental picture of how she looked.When she says she can "feel the heat waves it throws out" it really emphasizes the color of the dress and how stunning it is.
ReplyDeleteThe description that jumped out to me the most was the description of the quilts that Dee (Wangero) found in the trunk. The way the author gave a description of the pieces on the quilts was successful. It is obvious that the quilt has had a lot of work done on it when the mother said there were pieces of dresses and shirts from Grandma Dee, Grandma Jarrell and Great Grandma Ezra. She gave history to it and she gave Dee a good reason why it was so sentimental. It is important to the story because it shows how much dedication the mother puts into her work and also that memories mean a lot to her.
ReplyDeleteThe description that stood out to me the most was the description of the dress that Dee wore. The dress really shows what kind of personality dee has."A dress so loud it hurts my eyes. There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun". This quote is from page 132 and it really shows how Dee's personality is different from the others. It also gives the reader a sense of how Dee is her own person. I think that these specific observations about a character gives the reader an specific image in there head of what a certain character is actually like.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker I liked how descriptive it was when it talked about how the mother carried her daughter out of the burning house and the description of how the daughter was burnt severely. I liked her observations and attention to detail throughout. For example, she describes how her daughter's fashion style was when she was sixteen and payed close attention to how it changed. I think that it is important because people in todays society are very observant and the more in depth it is, the better it will be for everyone to paint a mental picture.
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