Alice Walker’s Short Story “Everyday Use”

Alice Walker’s Short Story “Everyday Use” –

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Didactics – English – Pedagogy, Literature Studies, grade: 2,0, University of Passau, language: English, abstract: This term paper provides the concept of a teaching unit concerning the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker. Apart from the different analyses there should also be given an overview of recommendations and possibilities that could be used for creating a teaching unit.

Everyday Use was published in 1973 and is basically about a black mother and her two daughters. Whereas one daughter, Dee, had the possibility to go to school and visit college, Maggie, the younger daughter, still lives with her mother and did not enjoy higher education. One day, Dee, who is accompanied by her boyfriend, visits her mother and her sister at her old home. As the story continues it becomes clear that obvious differences have developed between the opinions of Dee and her mother alternatively her sister.