Alice Walker is an influential American author known for her work addressing issues of race and gender. She wrote The Color Purple, which won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. Walker was born in Georgia in 1944 and came from a supportive family, though she lost sight in one eye after an accident. She attended Spellman College and marched with Martin Luther King Jr., influencing her activism. Walker published her first poetry book in college and has since written several novels, short stories, and poems addressing themes of black feminism and social justice.

1. Alice Walker "Guided by my heritage of a love of beauty and a respect for strength -in search of my mother's garden, I found my own."

2. Famous for.. American author and poet Wrote The Color Purple, which one the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book award. Most of her work is about race and gender.

3. Early Life… Born at home in Eatonton, Georgia on Feb. 9th, 1944 She is the youngest of 8 children. Comes from lovely and supporting family. Accidently shot by brothers in the eye. Voted valedictorian and queen of her senior class.

4. Personal Life and Activism Attended Spellmen College in Atlanta Walked with Martin Luther King and credits him for her decision to return to the solve and become an activist. Walked in the 1963 famous march on Washington. Transferred to Sarah Lawrence College near NYC Wrote a letter to Obama and considers him “Brother Obama”

5. Writing Career… Wrote her first poetry book in college. Joined Ms Magazine editor Walker's first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, was published in 1970. Walker has published several short stories, including the 1973 Everyday Use.

6. Summary of Story… The story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, starts out with the narrator, who we later found out is the mother of two daughters, Dee and Maggie. Dee and Maggie are the complete opposite of one another. Maggie – shy, in hand-me-downs, and has several scars on her. (There 1st house burnt down). Dee very educated women – went to school because of mom and sister – writer describes her as a “hippy”. The mother describes each of their relationships, she has a strong bond with Maggie (because she still lives with her) and she feels that with Dee, she doesn’t live up to her expectations.

7. Summary Continued.. Contrasts to that, the narrator brags about her ways on her property – she compares herself to a man pretty much, because she’s “a large, big-boned women with rough man-working hands” & has killed a calf with a sledge hammer as one of her manly ways. Which this can tell you that Dee and her mother have different morals and ways of thinking. The narrator goes back to a memory of her house burning down.. The mother and Maggie are trapped in the house, while Dee was standing outside of the house (which she thought it was hideous) by a tree, watching it burn down. Which made me wonder if Dee burnt the house down on purpose.

8. Continue.. The mother also looks back when Dee would read Maggie and her stories – but now it would have educated thoughts built into the stories. This shows that Dee finds everyday use for her education and Maggie/mother sees hard work as being useful. With all the memories said in the story, the two sisters and mother finally meet. Dee drives from college, to visit. They start talking and the mother stats her name, but Dee corrects her and says she changed her name to “Wanger”

9. Continued.. Throughout dinner Dee/Wangero acts as though all of the things she hated growing up (butter dishes, butter churn) are all charming somehow and she shows interest in them. She asked her mother for a butter churn that was handmade by a relative because she thought they were neat conversation pieces. She still rummages around for unique objects she might want to take with her and stumbles upon two old quilts. (which is important to the family/hand made and significant) Wangero asks her mother if she can have them and her mother says she is saving them for Maggie.

10. Continued.. Wangero says that Maggie can’t appreciate the quilts and will not use them in everyday bases. But Wangero would hang them up on a wall. Her mother thinks this is a silly way to use them, so she all of a sudden is filled with strong feelings and hugs Maggie (which was never thought of from her). She then snatches the quilts away from Wangero. The story ends with Wangero making several comments to her family and leaving.