McGraw-Hill OnlineMcGraw-Hill Higher EducationLearning Center
Student Center | Instructor Center | Information Center | Home
Complete Glossary
Glossary of Drama Terms
Glossary of Fiction Terms
Glossary of Poetic Terms
Career Considerations
Avoiding Plagiarism
Summary & Paraphrasing
Internet Guide
Electronic Research
Study Skills Primer
About the Author
Reading
Evaluating in Context
Experiencing
Interpreting
Test Your Knowledge
Feedback
Help Center


Responding to Literature: Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays, 4/e
Judith Stanford, Rivier College


Interpreting

These writing prompts are followed by text boxes for your input. If you are working online and your instructor has given you the go-ahead, you can send your work to him or her by clicking the "Submit Answers" button. If you are working offline, you will have to copy your answers (CTRL-C on most systems) and paste them (CTRL-V) into a text document to retain a record of your work.
<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg:: ::/sites/dl/free/0767422783/42106/about.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (1.0K)</a> <a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg:: ::/sites/dl/free/0767422783/42106/reading.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (1.0K)</a> <a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg:: ::/sites/dl/free/0767422783/42106/evaluating.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (1.0K)</a> <a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg:: ::/sites/dl/free/0767422783/42106/experiencing.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (1.0K)</a> <a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg:: ::/sites/dl/free/0767422783/42106/interpreting.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (1.0K)</a> <a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg:: ::/sites/dl/free/0767422783/42106/testyour_knowledge.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (1.0K)</a>





1

How do you interpret the title, "Everyday Use"? You may recall Dee's remark that if Maggie got the quilts, she might be "backward enough to put them to everyday use." What kind of statement does the author make by titling her work "Everyday Use"? How do you interpret Dee's remark about Maggie and Mama not understanding her heritage?
2

How does the description of the fire, and the speaker's characterization of Dee and Maggie affect your understanding of their relationship? Were you surprised by the behavior of either sister in "Everyday Use"? Why or why not?
3

What did you think of the end of the story? How is the alliance between Mama and Maggie at the end foreshadowed earlier in the story?