"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker and "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker


1. What does the term "everyday use" mean in this story? Why did Walker choose this as the title?
Everyday use in this particular story is about Mama and Maggie living a normal life, they didnt have much going to themselves. While the other daughter, Dee was at school trying to do bigger things with her personal life. I would say Walker chose this title because what the main characters did was basically live the same life everyday, basically they lived inside the box although Mama did have dreams for her and her family.

2. How do Dee, Maggie, and Mama define heritage? Whose views does Walker want us to agree with?
I think Mama and Maggie define their heritage the same. This is why they live the way they do, they express their heritage in the way of how they live. What I mean by the way they live is they live in the box, this to me is because thats all they really know and thats how there family has always lived. In which they've learned this through their heritage. As for Dee I feel as if she knows her heritage the same way as her mother and sister do but she wants to move on from the same old and branch off and start something new for herself to live by, and she very well does so. Walker wants us to Agree with Mama and you can see this by the way the story is narrated, through mamas perspective. She wanted us to feel how mama felt and understand why she feels the way she does about everything.

3. What is ironic about Dee's name change to Wangero?
Whats so ironic about the name change from Dee to Wangero is that its almost as if Dee erased her name in order to feel like she was really doing something with her life. But Dee some how realizes that she wants to move on and do better things but she still wants things in the state they were when she left even though she prants around saying how education is important. Thats when the quilts come into play, she wants to keep it in its original state so she has something to remind her of what she came from.

4. How would the story have changed if Mama was not the narrator?
If the story were to be narrated by another character I feel like the story would be more focused on that one person rather then how everything really was and how people really were. The story would be less meaningful and probably wouldnt have much irony to it.


"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson


What do you think the purpose of "The Lottery" is? Why did Jackson write this fiction piece? What is the theme or message of the story?

I guess you could say the purpose of "The Lottery" is to bring the realistic setting of the story on paper. The story is so realistic but then at the end it throws a cureball will the stoning of Tessie Hutchinson. The reason that Jackson wrote this fiction piece is because it was told in a way to bring people out of their element and thats just what it did. It was proven because people were angered by the story ending. Jackson did exactly what she wanted to do and thats what makes the story that much better. The theme of the story is that reality is a real thing but sometimes reality changes all the time and thats what reality is all about.