Everyday use by alice walker discussion questions and answers

Discussion Question

Address the discussion questions in response to any TWO of these short stories from Seagull: Tillie Olsen, “I Stand Here Ironing” p. 390, Katherine Anne Porter, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” p. 408, and Alice Walker, “Everyday Use” p. 480.

· Book: Kelly, Joseph, ed. The Seagull Book of Stories. / ISBN:

9780393631630

· How do these stories attempt to capture the "unrecorded tragedies and triumphs" (Kelly 480) of women?

· In your selected stories, how is women's work seen as important? Or as trivial? Do you agree with Granny Weatherall's deathbed reflection that, "It was good to have everything clean and folded away, with the hair brushes and tonic bottles sitting straight on the white embroidered linen" ( Porter 410). Why is "it good"? Why do these things matter?

· How do your authors help you consider Herstory (or the female experience of the past)? Should we be concerned that women's experiences and views can be lost to more "official" versions of history? How do we preserve the uniquely female experiences of a time period, and does "private" work matter in comparison to the more "public" endeavors?

Address the discussion questions in response to any

TWO

of these short

stories from

Seagull

:

Tillie Olsen, “I Stand Here Ironing” p. 390,

Katherine Anne

Porter, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” p. 408, and

Alice Walker, “Everyday

Use” p. 480.

·

Book:

Kelly, Joseph, ed.

The Seagull Book of Stories. /

ISBN:

9780393631630

·

How do these stories attempt to capture the "unrecorded tragedies and

triumphs" (Kelly 480) of women?

·

In your selected stories, how is women's work seen as important? Or as

trivial?

Do you agree with Granny Weatherall's

deathbed reflection that, "It

was good to have everything clean and folded away, with the hair brushes and

tonic bottles sitting straight on the white embroidered linen" ( Porter 410).

Why is "it good"? Why do these things matter?

·

How do your authors hel

p you consider

Herstory

(or the female experience of

the past)? Should we be concerned that women's experiences and views can

be lost to more "official" versions of history? How do we preserve the

uniquely female experiences of a time period, and does "pri

vate" work matter

in comparison to the more "public" endeavors?