P3 Everyday Use Discussion by Stephanie Alvizo [Valley HS]

Q1

2025-10-01 16:34:57 UTC

I liked the story because of the reactions and the conversations that the characters had with each other. Like how Dee was seemingly nice and put together but the minute she was refused something she was the complete opposite

1

2025-10-01 16:35:16 UTC

I liked the way you could see and feel how the mom was thinking and feeling.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:35:18 UTC

I liked the story because at first it talks about no one standing up for Maggie and how she is nervous ,shy, timid, and insecure. At the end Mama finally ends up standing up for Maggie giving her the quilts when Dee thought she would keep the quilts.

Q1:

2025-10-01 16:36:20 UTC

I did enjoy the story, I enjoy that the established conflict in the beginning with Dee not taking no for an answer and showing that she doesn't throughout the story. I did dislike how one dimensional Dee was though at times as she never really had other character traits other than the established ones in the beginning and middle.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:36:30 UTC

I liked the story. I liked how it portrayed the jealousy between sisters and how a favored sister can be humbled in families.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:36:42 UTC

I like the story somewhat, how the characters each have their own personality and it builds more depth of how they act in the story. especially towards the end, where they argue over the quilts, it shows their values and perceptions.

Q1:

2025-10-01 16:37:01 UTC

I liked the story because it shows a different family dynamic you don't see in most stories. I like how it shows character development and that the mom finally stands up for Maggie against Dee.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:37:13 UTC

I liked the story for the structure of the text. The flashback (starting from yesterday afternoon) to start the story gives the reader the right amount of context needed in order to not be lost in the story in the beginning.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:37:16 UTC

I did like the story because we saw how both sisters were different and how the mom saw both of them. Something I disliked about the story is how we didn't get much from Maggie and it was focused more on Dee.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:37:19 UTC

I enjoyed the story very much. I enjoyed how the narrator defended Maggie. Seeing that Dee didn't believe that Maggie was capable of appreciating the quilts. I was really pleased to see the narrator stand up for Maggie when she was scared of Dee.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:37:57 UTC

I enjoyed the diologue between the characters and the language/metaphors that the author used. And the amount of detail the author used help you imagine the characters and situations more clearly. Very specific. "A smiling, gray, sporty man." "A dress down to the ground. A dress so loud it hurts my eyes. There are yellows and oranges enough enough to throw back the light of the sun."

Q1

2025-10-01 16:38:10 UTC

The part of the story that I mostly liked was for sure the commentary provided by the mom's thoughts it was pretty funny most of the time but also provided some insight as to her reactions. As for what I disliked I would say that the story fel a little bit rushed especially the ending how as soon as Dee doesn't get the quilt she leaves and there's no ending Convo between Maggie and the mom.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:38:49 UTC

I enjoyed the overall messaging of the story and the mention of how it could be as an African American trying to move into a different position in society. I also enjoyed the portrayal of wishing for more in your life, I felt that I could relate to it.

Q1: Did you like the story? What did you like/dislike about it?

2025-10-01 16:39:03 UTC

I liked the story and how it talked about culture/heritage and it mentions different perspectives when it comes to the characters mentioned in the story. And how the mother stands up for her daughter Maggie I think that showed a very different perspective from the story showing motherly love. But, I'm quite confused with the start of the story since I wasn't able to read the beginning.

Q1

giana2783064 — 2025-10-01 16:39:43 UTC

I like the story because it describes how the reactions of the characters and also their personalities. At the end how the Mom switched her mindset.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:39:53 UTC

The only part i think was troublesome was the beginning. I say this because it just starts in a random spot talking about Tv shows and how maggie was nervous at one point, and i just think it could have been a bit more clear to start the story. it feels as if it started somewhere in the middle. and it was just a bit unclear but you do realize its context.

2

2025-10-01 16:39:55 UTC

It was hard to understand how the youngest, Maggie, was feeling because she used a lot of unfamiliar words. I also couldn't grasp the time period or the age of the girls or the mom.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:40:07 UTC

A Troublesome part in the story is the lack of depth in some characters like Dee and only get their motives instead of their thoughts and feelings. In my opinion the story should be told from a more omniscient perspective.

1

angelo157540 — 2025-10-01 16:40:09 UTC

I like the story because of the expressions and emotions in it showing exactly how each character acts towards other people showing the difference between a timid person and then the person with the personality to make other person timid showed in dee and maggies relationship.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:40:12 UTC

I think one thing that was a little hard to read was the guy's name, Asalamalakim. As well as Dee's new name. These just made it a little harder to follow. Also, the fact that Dee was so upset when the mom defended Maggie, only when it was the quilts, and she hadn't said anything to oppose her when it came to anything else.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:40:16 UTC

I did like the story. It was an interesting story and it finally was not sad or morbid. I especially like how they each have their own personalities and they are not dry copy and paste, and nearing the end it was refreshing to see Maggie actually be happy and her mom standing up for her, after Dee's/Wangero's spoiled-ness.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:40:17 UTC

The most troublesome part was for sure how we don't really get told too much about the fire since it really seems that a lot of the characters depth was tied to that event and it clearly changed a lot of the dynamics

Q1

2025-10-01 16:40:43 UTC

I like the Mothers' "change of heart" at the end of the story. The entire story, she always did and gave Dee whatever she wanted, spoiling Dee. But at the end of the story, she learns how to tell Dee, or as she calls her at the end of the story, Miss Wangeros, no. I also like how Dee is written, to be a stuck-up know-it-all that lives in the present time, thinking she knows more than everybody, especially about her heritage. She believes she knows more about her heritage than her own family, which created that heritage. And she is never told no until the end of the story, where she goes in shock.

Question#2

2025-10-01 16:41:01 UTC

What was annoying was the way Dee was making her visit, but included "showcasing" what she and her mans had. She also only went to ask for the churner and quilts, thinking she would get what she wanted. Although Dee and the mother argued, she also somewhat bonded Maggie and the mother.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:41:15 UTC

I liked and disliked the story. We did not receive a lot of information on the characters and there wasn't much depth to them. I did like the dialogue between the characters, it showed a lot of emotion and their personalites.

Q2:

2025-10-01 16:41:34 UTC

The troublesome aspects of the story were the clashing personallities of the two sisters since Maggie avoids conflict at all times even at the end while Dee is a lot more straight foward with her intentions which caused a lot of conflicts as Dee wouldn't take no for an answer while Maggie just let it happen at times.

Q 2

2025-10-01 16:41:38 UTC

A part that was troublesome for me is that they didn't give enough detail on the fires and what happened for Maggie to turn out the way she did.

Q1

2025-10-01 16:41:58 UTC

I liked and disliked this story. I liked how they portrayed the characters, you get a good insight about each character. I liked the interactions the characters had with each other and the diologue. What I didn't like was how the narrator talked about Maggie. But I do like how she stood up for her.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:42:03 UTC

I feel like the parts that were troublesome is where sometimes the author would randomly start talking and describing a different situation with no context. Like in the beginning the narrator is describing how Maggie looks/presents herself, then randomly goes to how she had a dream of going on a TV show with her daughter. It can be used for insight into the narrator, but I just felt like it was random and left us with a clifhanger on how Maggie looks and why she looks like that.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:42:30 UTC

I didn't like how Dee was acting towards her family when she felt entitled to the quilts that she had bashed beforehand and now suddenly wanted them once it was Maggie's. I also wished that Maggie would have stood up for herself instead of just her mom.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:42:38 UTC

The part that was troublesome in the story was when the first house burned down. This was troublesome because due to the fire Maggie now experiences past trauma which changed her.Mama described her as "A lame dog" which gives us a little insight on how Maggie is seen by others.

Q2:

2025-10-01 16:42:55 UTC

Some part that was troublesome for me is that there was not much detail on why the narrator believed Dee had not truly gotten married.

Question #2

2025-10-01 16:43:22 UTC

Q2

2025-10-01 16:43:25 UTC

One troublesome part for me was how they did not add more details on the house burning down. They only showed how Maggie was affected by said fire.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:43:45 UTC

The relationship between the Mother and Dee. The Mother feels that she isn't good enough for Dee and doesn't show her much, even though she has given her everything she wanted.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:44:06 UTC

Besides the quilt there was also a bit of an internal conflict with Maggie and her self-esteem. She expects nothing and even when shes given something it feels like she feels undeserving of the gift.

Q2: What part(s) was/were troublesome?

2025-10-01 16:44:15 UTC

The part where it was troublesome for the family was the character development of the character Dee it was difficult to understand who was who in the story. There was three different names like Grandma Dee, Dee (Wangero) etc.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:45:12 UTC

Although not huge, there are a few conflicts that didn't get as much attention as the quilts. This was because Dee no longer wanted to be called "Dee" and instead wanted to be called " Wangero. This was highlighted by the whole conversation about oppression and their family tree that Dee and the mom had.

q3

2025-10-01 16:45:16 UTC

i think that the only other conflict is maggie and how she acts , based off the trauma and such.

Q3:

2025-10-01 16:45:37 UTC

There was conflict on Dee not liking her mother referring to her as Dee. Her mother didn't exactly understand what was so wrong with the name she had given Dee. Though her mother tried to suppress the confusion and almost bothered feelings she felt towards it.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:45:40 UTC

Most conflict in the story takes place because of Dee but I believe she has her own internal conflict with her identity and the rejection of what is expected of her by her family.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:45:42 UTC

The main conflict besides the quilt was between the mom, Dee, and her husband on their names seeing as Dee and her husband are Muslim and the mom doesn't seem to appreciate the name change.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:46:01 UTC

Parts that were troublesome were near the end and somewhat the start? Dee seemed like she was more favored over her sister. She was "better" than her sister, and it even seemed like she hated her. Near the end, Dee was complaining about the quilts and how Maggie, "wouldn't know what to do with them", Maggie even just let her take them in the end..

Q3

2025-10-01 16:46:03 UTC

There was another conflict in the story which was not really expanded upon with the mother being insecure about herself as she believes that she is not the mother she is supposed to be for her daughters.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:46:08 UTC

Another conflict there was is when Dee told Mama that she doesn't understand their heritage. Dee's perspective on her life/heritage changed and she wanted Mama and Maggie to see the "new day" she's talking about and not live in the same environment that they know of.

Q2

giana2783064 — 2025-10-01 16:46:14 UTC

I think the part where she argues with her mom and also how they aren't able to understand each other, where her sister wants them to live a good and comfortable life not not be stuck in one place whereas the Mom and dee prefers living that way

Q3

2025-10-01 16:46:22 UTC

Another conflict was Dee herself changing her name and lifestyle she had and how she changed her name because of the African American background

3

2025-10-01 16:46:56 UTC

Another conflict could be "fashion" with Maggie, being close to her family, she understands more on a closer aspect than dee.

2

angelo157540 — 2025-10-01 16:47:19 UTC

One of the most troublesome parts of the story is the conflict between Dee and her mother over heritage and identity, shown in the whole part of the quilts. Dee believes she appreciates her heritage more deeply because she wants to preserve the quilts for cultural significance. But mama and Maggie, view heritage as a living part of daily life, not something to be put on display. This tension reveals the deeper emotional disconnect between the characters and the trouble about meaning and value of culture.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:47:23 UTC

There was an unmentioned conflict between the Mother and Maggie. At the end of the story, the Mother says, "I did something I had never done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero's hands and dumped them into Maggie's lap." This was the first time the Mother actually defended Maggie against Dee, or ever.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:47:32 UTC

Maggie didn't grow as a character throughout the story. The story started with Maggie being insecure and ended with her being the same way. Maggie still let her sister get her way instead of fighting for what's hers.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:47:44 UTC

Conflict with Dee and her identity it was difficult to understand what name she wanted to go by, and the conflict between Dee, the mother and Maggie.

Question #3

2025-10-01 16:47:51 UTC

Another conflict was just the way Dee treats Maggie while she's there. Dee doesn't apologize/acknowledge Maggie, or doesn't seem to take her under consideration when fighting for the quilts. Dee feels like she can just walk over Maggie because Maggie won't be able to do things like Dee wants to.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:48:09 UTC

Besides the quilt, there was a conflict between The Mom and her inner-self. She didn't feel like she was a good mom and feels like shes not good enough for her daughters.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:48:40 UTC

It seemed like Dee had a conflict with herself. She said that, Dee, was dead, and is now Wangero. It was like she had an identity crisis, and her whole personality switched up. When she left to college, she called the quilts out of style, but now shes so fixated on having them.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:49:04 UTC

I feel like the parts that were troublesome was the structure. It seemed like we have been all over the place before settling on the present time they were in. Another thing would be the fire, the house fire. This disabled Maggie I think mentally and physically. Another problematic thing was the quilts, Dee wanted them for decorations as maggie was to use them for the intened use. I believe another troublesome was there ways of communication. Momma seemed to had given Dee anything she wanted so now that she wont give up the quilts I think Dee feels flabbergasted

Q4

2025-10-01 16:49:23 UTC

The narrator being the mother gives us more detail into the past including the house fire but also details as to why Dee presents herself a certain way and behaves the way she does.

3

angelo157540 — 2025-10-01 16:49:55 UTC

Yes, there are other conflicts besides the one about the quilts. Another major conflict in my eyes is between Dee and her family’s way of life Dee looks down on her mother and sister for living a simple, rural life and not embracing what she sees as a more “authentic” African heritage. There’s also an internal conflict within Mama, who struggles with wanting to please Dee but also wants to do what’s right and fair, especially when it comes to giving the quilts to Maggie. These conflicts show the differences in how each character views heritage, identity, and family.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:50:08 UTC

We are through the P.O.V. of the Mother, only being able to view the thoughts and feelings of hers and no one else. We aren't able to view how Dee truly feels about not getting the quilts, how Maggie felt when Dee arrived, and who even was Hakim-a-Barber.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:50:45 UTC

The narrator impacts the understanding of the plot by the mother not only givng us her point of view but also what she thinks of herself and her daughters like the quilt conflict.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:50:51 UTC

The narrator impacts our understanding of the characters by putting us through the mind of the Mother. It gives us insight on how the Mother thinks and how she wants to be better for her daughters and that internal conflict shes having, and it also shows us how shes observing the other characters as well. When she sees Maggie shake, or how she almost praises Dee. Or how Akim might not know how to shake hands, by observing how he presents himself.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:50:52 UTC

The narrator impacts our understanding of the characters and plot overall by doing the story in first pov of the mom and how she sees everything going on and the inner monologue about how she feels about both of the different sisters.

Question #4

2025-10-01 16:50:53 UTC

The narrator impacts our understanding of the characters & plot overall by structuring the text in the first-person perspective by the mother. It gives us a "biased" view of what the mother feels like, for example, when she feels she isn't good enough for her kids. We can see more of how the mother thinks/feels, more insight.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:51:07 UTC

The narrator is the mom so we only know what the mom thinks about the different characters. She thinks of Dee as more "prettier" than her sister Maggie. This could be impacted by how the mom is also insecure. We can't see what the other characters are actually thinking and what made them the way that they are.

Q2

2025-10-01 16:51:18 UTC

Where Dee argues with her mom is troublesome because the mom did not understand the heritage of the quilts. Dee had said that there is a heritage about the quilts because generations passed them down, and Mom was just saying they were just quilts and hoped that they would get used instead of just being hung up.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:51:21 UTC

The narrator (being the mom) leads to Dee and her husband being kind of portrayed as ridiculous since anytime they say something she doesn't understand we get a little bit of snarky narration from the mother. On top of this the narration being in a first person pov denies us the ability to get a feel for how the other characters see themselves or the others like maybe Dee could have given us more reasoning as to why she wanted the quilt beside you don't understand.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:51:30 UTC

The narrator impacts the story because we mainly understand her POV, we definitely lose her daughters POVs, so we may not know how Dee's thought process was when she changed her name, why Maggie is so quiet, and especially why it seems like her (Dee) mother/the narrator, thinks she hates Maggie.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:51:54 UTC

The narrator impacts our understanding because she has a biased view at times against Dee along with a biased view with the main conflict as she was a part of it though she also gives us background on certain events that we wouldn't have known with a different narrator.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:51:54 UTC

The narrator impacts our understanding of the characters and the plot overall in a good way and bad way. The narrator provides reasoning as to why the Maggie,Dee, and The Mom but it is only in perspective of the Mom. This doesn't allow us as readers to analyze as in depth as we could if the story was told in a different perspective.

Q4:

2025-10-01 16:52:06 UTC

The narrator had impacted our understanding of other characters because she was the mother of Dee and Maggie. So, we were able to see the narrator's daughters grow up. It also allowed us to see how they acted from when they were little to now that they are much older. It almost allows us to see Dee's and Maggie's character development.

4

angelo157540 — 2025-10-01 16:52:08 UTC

The narrator who is Mama, has a big impact on how we understand the characters and the plot. Since the story is told from her point of view, we see everything through her eyes her thoughts, feelings, and judgments. This helps us understand her strong connection to her home, her love for Maggie, and her confusion and frustration with Dee’s attitude. Because Mama is honest and straightforward, it makes us trust her view of the story, and it makes us more likely to side with her and Maggie. Her perspective also helps show the main theme that heritage is something lived and valued every day, not just something to show off.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:52:21 UTC

The POV of the story is 1st person. This allows us to delve into the thoughts of the Mother. How she's perceiving Dee's arrival and how she perceives Maggie. Like when it says "'mama' Wangero said sweed as a bird 'Can have these old quilts'", she sensed her tone to be a lot kinder. I also noticed and started to think that when the mom sees Dee act like how shes familiar with, she doesn't call her Wangero but Dee and the other way around, when shes acting weird or unfamiliar she calls her Wangero ("Calls" in her mind).

Q4:

2025-10-01 16:52:31 UTC

The narrator made an impact on the characters by the dynamic running in their household. She was the one who defended her daughter Maggie. Differing views from the family's household.

Q3

2025-10-01 16:54:26 UTC

I think Maggie has a conflict within herself and as well as Dee. Dee seems to be unsure of who she is. She enjoys the food and wants to understand her heritage. She wants more for her life and when she looks towards her mom and sister she seems to look down on them. Maggie doesn't have confidence in herself. She seems to lack the ability to speak up and is very nervous around people. Mama talks down on herself at the start of the story saying "...I am the way my daughter would want me to be: a hundred pounds lighter, my skin like an uncooked barley pancake..." so she may feel as if she isn't good enough for her daughter

Q4

2025-10-01 16:54:28 UTC

The narrator impacts our understanding by switching from 1st Person Pov to 2nd Person Pov in the beginning, it then introduces the mother and Maggie and the mother talking about her own thoughts. This helps the reader understand her pov and thoughts before introducing Dee. This contributes to the plot by only allowing us to see the mothers perspective and keeping the reader wondering what Dee went through to keep us attentive of the story.

Q4

giana2783064 — 2025-10-01 16:54:37 UTC

The way the narrator describes each character shows what their personality would be like. This also shows us through the perspective of the mother It seems like both the perspectives of the sister aren't as clear

Q4:

2025-10-01 16:54:57 UTC

The narrator made an impact on the characters by the dynamic running in their household. She was the one who defended her daughter Maggie. Differing views from the family's household.

Q5

alvizs — 2025-10-01 16:55:20 UTC

inner conflict, motherhood, identity, authenticity, symbolism of quilt, eye contact,

Q5

2025-10-01 16:55:45 UTC

Maggie doesn't know her heritage, and Dee believes that she knows all of the topics mentioned and rather arrogantly too.

q4

2025-10-01 16:56:19 UTC

in terms of appearance , in the beginning it talks about identity and inner conflict,

Q3

2025-10-01 16:56:20 UTC

Another conflict was not direct, but the Mom was having her own problems about her identity, feeling like she was not a good mother, feeling fat ¨big boned woman¨, feels like she has man working hands.

Q5.

2025-10-01 16:56:40 UTC

The story gives us the POV of the mother and so when it starts talking about education like how Dee went off to college, she sees it as something she personally doesn't like the idea of her daughters becoming almost "City Girls" you could say.

Q5

2025-10-01 16:56:50 UTC

The story tells us about how all families arent perfect; How Dee thinks she was being oppressed and being demanding about the quilts. About how Maggie got scars from the old house fire. How the mom finds Dee and her Husband hilarious but also praises Dee sometimes. (Describing her appearences very positively while talking about Maggies scars instead)

Q5

2025-10-01 16:56:55 UTC

The story mentions their old house burning down years ago, giving Maggie her scars. But I feel the scars are meant to be a symbol of Maggie having a troubling past, being ashamed of it.

Q5

2025-10-01 16:56:58 UTC

The story mostly touched on how sometimes the parents aren't really all that in control of the kids and how sometimes they just kind of let them run amuck and either let them become brats or let them get rolled over and loose their abilities to fight for themselves since they go for the easier solution rather than one that teaches both kids.

5

angelo157540 — 2025-10-01 16:56:59 UTC

The story shows that education can create distance between people when it’s used to feel superior, like Dee does instead of helping others. Appearances are also important, Dee changes her name and clothes to look more connected to her African roots, but it feels shallow compared to Maggie and Mama who live their heritage every day. When it comes to family, the story shows that true connection comes from love, respect, and shared experiences not from showing off or acting better. Most of all, the story says that heritage isn’t just about objects or history, but about living traditions, memories, and values passed down through generations.

Q5:

2025-10-01 16:57:49 UTC

The story spoke a lot about family by showing problems that would happen against siblings especially with one that doesn't talk a lot being almost exploited for items and parents having to stand up for the more introverted sibling.

Q5

2025-10-01 16:57:50 UTC

The eye contact is that Maggie wouldn't hold eye contact showing she is a nervous person while Dee is able to hold eye contact easily showing confidence.

Q5:

2025-10-01 16:57:57 UTC

The story talks about family/heritage after Dee returned back to the family household. Wanting to take home a quilt and use it for decorating purposes and it was a family heirloom.

Q4

2025-10-01 16:58:02 UTC

The narrator impacts our understanding of the characters and plot because she is the one telling us the story. With how straightforward she is we have a better insight on how she treats both her daughters. How their household worked when Dee was around

Q5:

2025-10-01 16:58:02 UTC

The story says a lot about family and appearances. This is because Dee's name had come from a long chain of past relatives. Showing that the name had come from family far passed. Though, it also mentions a lot about appearances. This is because the narrator often mentions how Maggie and Dee are completely different. This is because it mentions how Maggie has many burn scars. While Dee didn't have any injuries.

Q5

2025-10-01 16:58:20 UTC

The story talks about appearance and many other things. But when talking about appearance, the narrator talks about her appearance and seems like she is insecure about herself. She also compares Maggie and Dee, Dee being lighter than her sister, nicer hair and a fuller figure.

Q5

2025-10-01 16:58:42 UTC

The story says that the mom never had an education but her daughters did and when Dee was talking about the history behind her name the mom didn't know to much about it and didn't care too much.

Q5

2025-10-01 16:59:24 UTC

The story talks about identity crisis and how people experience it like the Mother feeling like she isn't good enough for her daughters, or like how Dee went through changing her name and how at 16 she found out what style was and her own style.