Walker 46-56; HW # 3-7

Language:
The word choice for Dee’s character, as well as how she is presented, provides a clear air of superiority around the character.
The comparison of Maggie to a lame animal seems harsh but paints a picture of her shy and unsure demeanor.

Argument:
The way Mrs. Johnson speaks of Dee as if she is in just as much awe of her as Maggie is until the point in time where she refuses to give her the quilts made by the girl’s grandmother. After that moment she had a new way of describing both Maggie and Dee’s actions.

Structure:
On the bottom of page 50 I found it interesting how Mrs. Johnson broke from her thoughts in order to announce Dee’s arrival. That small aspect added a very human element to the reading.

You:
I would have to say that I actually PARTIALLY identify with Dee’s character in this piece. Though our situations are infinitely different I too went away from the place I had always called home and went to school. Now that I’ve been here a few years I am a completely different person. I find going back to where I come from both exciting and strenuous in that though everything is pretty much the same it all seems different to me.

Homework #3-7

3) Why is Dee-Wangero suddenly interested in the house, the furniture, the butter churn, and the quilts? How has Dee-Wangero's attitude changed since she refused the quilts with her when she went to college?
Dee-Wangero was suddenly interested in the house, furniture, butter churn and quilts because she felt that those tangible items were her link to her heritage. This seemed to be a vastly different attitude from how she felt when she left for college. She was ashamed of where she came from upon her departure but as time went on it seemed that she linked where she came from to a heritage far broader than the small house in a pasture that she left behind.

4) In what ways does Dee-Wangero's education serve to further distance her from her heritage? How does it lead her to embrace what she thinks is her heritage?
Dee-Wangero’s education distanced herself from her heritage. The idea of going back to the place she had once called home became a novelty to her. She didn’t want anything to do with the heritage that her family could have provided, such as learning to quilt like Maggie. In straying from her near family heritage she embraced a broader ideal for her heritage and left her personal history in the past.

5) How does the contrast between Maggie and Dee-Wangero contribute to the theme of the story? In what ways is Maggie truer than Dee-Wangero to their heritage?
Maggie and Dee-Wangero’s contrasting characters heighten the theme of the story strictly by showing how very different they are and what could have been. Without Maggie there to show an example of a person embracing their heritage through lessons passed from generation to generation Dee may not seem quite as off balanced in her search for heritage. Maggie is truer to her heritage than Dee-Wangero in the simple aspect that she is taking up the heritage of her mother, aunts, and grandmother rather than Dee-Wangero who is skipping over her heritage and assuming heritage based on her race rather than where she personally comes from.

6) What is the significance of Mrs. Johnson's focus on her own masculinity and her ability to do hard work? How does this characterization contribute to an understanding of her attitude toward her daughters?
I would say that Mrs. Johnson's focus on her own masculinity aids in showing how very different she is from her daughter. Dee is portrayed as the type of person who does not partake in manual labor while for Mrs. Johnson and Maggie it is apart of their daily lives. Even Maggie who still lives with her mother and didn't move from home doesn't seem to posses the physical strength it would take to perform some of the more masculine jobs described by Mrs. Johnson.

7) What finally motivates Mrs. Johnson to take the quilts from "Miss Wangero" and give them to Maggie? How does her description of this moment, with its reference to God's work and church services, emphasize its significance?
The defeated look on Maggie's face when she said "She can have them, Mama" was the breaking point for Mrs. Johnson. The sheer realization of Maggie’s plight in life seemed to hit her in that instant. The reference to God’s work and church services emphasizes the significance of the moment in that