Unit Two Everyday Use

1. Unit Two Everyday Use Alice Walker

2. Alice Walker Alice Malsenior Walker (1944- ) is an American author, poet, and activist. She has written both fiction and essays about race and gender. She is best known for the critically acclaimed novel The Color Purple (1982) for which she won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

3. Alice Walker Alice Walker's most significant novel is The Color Purple, published in 1982, which won all the three major book awards in America--the Pulitzer, the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The novel was an instant bestsell and made into an equally successful movie in 1985, directed by Steven Spielberg and staring Whoopi Goldberg.

4. Alice Walker Alice Walker is at her best when portraying people living in the rural areas where the writer was born and grew up. as a black writer, Walker is particularly interested in examining the relation- ships among the blacks themselves.

5. Alice Walker's other works The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970) Meridian (1976) The Temple of My Familiar (1989) Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992) By the Light of My Father's Smile (1998)

6. Detailed Study Wavy: characteristic of waves, resembling waves.Here the word describes the marks in wavy patterns on the clay ground left by the broom. an extended living room: an enlarged living room by a new addition to the original space. Extended means prolonged, continued; enlarged in influence, meaning, scope, etc. extended care: nursing care provided for a limited time after a hospital stay extended family:a group of relatives by blood, marriage or adoption, often including a nuclear family, living together, esp. three generations are involved.

7. Detailed Study When the hard clay...never come inside the house. Clay:sticky earth that becomes very hard when baked. Fine: not coarse, in very small particles or grains fine cloth fine sugar Be lined with: mark sth with lines. A face is lined with age and worry. Groove: long narrow cut in the surface Their wheels left grooves in the ground. Breeze： light wind

8. Detailed Study She will stand...a mixture of envy and awe. Homely: plainnot good-looking not attractive Be ashamed of: feel shame or embarrassment about sth He's extremely ashamed of his behavior last night. Scar：a permanent mark left on your skin after a wound or cut has healed　 Eye: look at sb/sth carefully, observe Awe:feelings of respect and slight fear;

9. Detailed Study She thinks her sister...learned to say to her. paraphrase: She thinks that her sisiter has a firm control of her life. Dee could always have anything she wanted, and life was extremely generous to her.

10. Detailed Study You've no doubt...from backstage. Make it: succeed, be successful confronted: brought face to face. as a surprise: unexpectedly totter: be unsteady on one's feet; stagger backstage: behind the stage in a theatre, especially in the actors' dressing rooms

11. Detailed Study Out of a dark and soft-seated...tacky flowers. limousine: a large and very comfortable car, driven by a chauffeur. Usher: to take or show sb where they should go The secretary ushered me into his office. Sporty: someone who is sporty likes sport and is good at it Pin: to attach sth onto another thing with a pin, etc: Tacky: cheap, badly made and/or lacking in taste:

12. Johnny Carson Johnny Carson:John William "Johnny" Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years (1962–1992).

13. Orchid Orchid: plant with brightly coloured flowers of unusual shapes.

14. Detailed Study In real life I am a large...man-working hands. The phrase"inreal life" is transitional, linking this paragraph and the one above, implying that those TV programs are nothing but make-believe and the narrator is very skeptical of them. In reality she has the typical features of a black working woman.

15. Detailed Study I am the way...an uncooked barley pancake. like an uncooked barley pancake:a similecomparing the skin to barley dough which has a creamy, smooth texture. this sentence suggests that Dee is rather ashamed of having a black working-class woman as her mother. Paraphrase: My daughter wishes me to have a slender figure and a fair complexion.

16. Detailed Study Johnny Carson has ...witty tongue. Witty: able to say or write clever, amusing things, clever and funny. tongue: the act or power of speaking; manner or style of speaking. Paraphrase: Johnny Carson, popular TV talk show star, is famous for his witty and glib tongue. But in this respect, I am far better than he, and he has to try hard if he wants to catch up with me.

17. Detailed Study with one foot raised in flight. ready to leave as quickly as possible because of discomfort,nervousness, timidity,etc. with my head turned...from them in order to avoid them as much as possible, also from discomfort, shyness,etc.

18. Detailed Study Have you ever seen...my Maggie walks. Lame: (of people or animals) unable to walk well because of an injury to the leg or foot: My horse had gone lame Run over: (of a vehicle or its driver) knock sb down and pass over (a part of) his body. He ran over a six-year-old child as he was driving back from a party. sidle up: to move up sideways, esp. in a shy or stealthy manner.

19. Detailed Study Chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle. shuffle: to change or shift repeatedly from one position to another. paraphrase: Maggie is so shy that she never raises her head or eyes when looking at and talking to people, and she is always so nervous and restless that she is unable to stand still.

20. Detailed Study Sometimes I can still...black papery flakes. If something is smoking, smoke is coming from it. The chimney was smoking fiercely. papery: thin, light like paper flakes: a small thin mass flakes of snow Grammatical feature: Nominative Absolute Construction

21. Detailed Study Her eyes seemed stretched...brick chimney. stretched open, blazed open: wide open to the fullest extent. And Dee: an elliptical sentence. And there was Dee. Stand off: to stand away, in a distance. a sweet gum tree: a large North American tree of the witch hazel family, with alternate maple-like leaves, spiny fruit balls. Dingy:dark and often also dirty. Fall in:collapse

22. Sweet Gum Tree

23. Detailed Study forcing words, lies, other folk's habits...on us two. The narrater implies that the books Dee read to them were written by the white people and full of their language and ideas, falsehood and their way of life. Other folks refer to the white people. By reading those books, Dee forced them to accept the white people's views and values. force sth on sb: to make sb accept sth that they do not want to force your attentions / opinions on sb

24. Detailed Study sitting trapped, and igmorant underneath her voice. trap: keep (sb) in a place from which he wants to move but cannot. They were trapped in the burning hotel. Her reading was like a trap, and we were like animals caught in the trap, unable to escape. Underneath her voicesuggests a repressive and imposing quality in her voice.

25. Detailed Study she washed us...need to know make-believe (disapproving) imagining or pretending They live in a world of make-believe. Paraphrase: She imposed on us lots of falsity and so-called knowledge that is totally useless to us. The words washed and burned are used figuratively, indicating large quantities of a destructive nature.

26. Detailed Study Pressed us to her...about to understand. Press: to pull us firmly to her; force us to listen to her Shove away: to push sb/sth in a rough way dimwit:If you say that someone is a dimwit, you mean that they are ignorant and stupid. (INFORMAL)= idiot Paraphrase: she forced us to listen to her reading books in a serious and strick way, however, when we nearly understood books, she deserted us away, which made us feel like fools.

27. Detailed Study She was determined...temptation to shake her. stare down: to stare back at another until the gaze of the one stared at is turned away. disaster: personification Flicker: move back and forth lightly and quickly At a time: at a time in sequence; separately Fight back: suppress (feelings, etc) fighting down a sense of disgust temptation:a strong desire to have or do something even though you know you should not do sth　

28. Detailed Study Paraphrase: Dee was determined to face up and defeat any disaster with her efforts.She was undaunted with a strong character. She would look at anybody steadily and intently for a long time. Often I wanted so much to shake her, but I restrained myself.

29. Detailed Study At sixteen she ....knew what style was. Some expressions with the word style: in style: in a fashionable and luxurious way The lady lives in style out of style: out of fashion Is the long skirt out of style this year? Paraphrase: At sixteen she had a unique way of doing things, and she knew what was the current, fashionable way of dressing, speaking, acting,etc.

30. Detailed Study She stumbles along...quickness passed her by. stumble: to speak, act or proceed in a confused, blundering manner to stumble through a speech A good-natured person or animal is naturally friendly and does not get angry easily. Quickness:Someone or something that is quick moves or does things with great speed. Paraphrase: She often makes mistakes while reading, but never losing her good temper. She is not bright just as she is neither good-looking nor rich.

31. Detailed Study They don't make shingle roofs...on the outside. shingle: a thin wedge-shaped piece of wood, slate, etc. laid with others in overlapping rows as a roof. a portholes in a ship: small openings in a ship's side letting in light and air. Rawhide:natural leather that has not had any special treatment. shutter: movable screen that can be closed over a window to keep out light or thieves The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters.

32. Detailed Study Furtive boys in pink...bubbles in lye. Furtive: behaving in a way that shows that you want to keep sth secret and do not want to be noticed. She cast a furtive glance over her shoulder. Hang about: to spend a lot of time with sb washday:the day each week when you wash your clothes impress : if a person or thing impresses you, you feel admiration for them or it. a well-turned phrase is one that is expressed well. Scalding:If criticism is scalding, it is very strong or fierce.

33. Detailed Study When she was courting...time to recompose herself. faultfinding:the practice of looking for mistakes in everything and criticizing people or things because of them, especially in an unfair way flashy:attractive but not in good taste; showy flashy clothes, flashy jewellery Recompose: restore composure

34. Detailed Study Maggie attempts to make...in the sand with her toe. Make a dash: you run there very quickly, for example to escape from someone or something. When the police arrived he made a bolt for the door. I stay her with my hand: I stop her from rushing off with my hand. stay: to stop, halt or check Who could explain the purpose of the simple present tense in this paragraph?

35. Detailed Study From the other side of the car...your foot on the road. stocky: a stocky person has a body that is broad, solid, and often short. kinky: full of short, twisty curls, tightly curled. mule: an animal that is the offspring of a donkey and a horse. Suck in: to pull air or smoke into your lungs: suck in one's breath wriggle: (cause sth to) make quick, short, twisting and turning movements. Stop wriggling (about) and sit still! Like when you see...on the road. An elliptical sentence. It is the kind of disgusted response you have when you see the wriggling end of a snake just in front of your foot on the road.

36. Detailed Study A dress so loud it hurts...heat waves it throws out. loud: attracting attention by being unpleasantly colorful and bright. a loud pattern. throw back: reflect paraphrase: There are bright yellow and orange colored patterns which shine even more brightly than the sun.

37. Detailed Study The dress is loose ..disappearing behind her ears. The dress is loose and flows: The dress is loose and moves gently and smoothly. It is her sister's hair: this time it is her sister's hairstyle that makes Maggie utter an exclamation of dislike and disapproval. that rope about: that move about like rope pigtail:a hairstyle in which the hair is tied at each side of the head and hangs loose. Rhetorical Device:simile

38. Detailed Study Since I am stout...goes back to the car. stout:slightly fat. something of : to some degree She found herself something of a celebrity. I'm something of an expert on antiques. sandal: type of open shoe consisting of a sole held on to the foot by straps or cords .

39. Detailed Study Out she peeks next...cowering behind me. Polaroid camera:camera that can produce photographs within seconds after the picture has been taken stoop: to bend your body forwards and downwards: She stooped down to pick up the child. line sth up: arrange or organize sth I've got rather a lot lined up (ie I'm very busy) this week. Cower: to bend low and/or move backwards because you are frightened: A gun went off and people cowered behind walls and under tables.

40. Polaroid

41. Detailed Study Meanwhile Asalamalakim is ...trying to pull it back. go through motions with:pretend to do sth; do sth but without sincerity or serious intention. He went through the motions of welcoming her friends but then quickly left the room. Limp:lacking strength or energy a limp handshake, gesture, response pull (sb) back: (cause sb to) retreat; withdraw (sb) The army pulled back after the battle. Paraphrase: Meanwhile Dee's boyfriend is trying to shake hands with Maggie in a fancy and elaborate way. Maggie's hand lacks firmness and is cold though she is sweating. Rhetorical device: simile

42. Detailed Study It looks like Asalamalakim...gives up on Maggie. Fancy: extravagant or exaggerated fancy ideas, prices He don't know:Ungrammatical spoken english. Give up on: no longer believe that sb is going to be successful; lose hope in sb His teachers seem to have given up on him. Paraphrase: however, he soon stops trying to shake hands with Maggie in that elaborate manner

43. Detailed Study "There you are" "There I was not" there you are: a colloquial expression, meaning 1) here is what you wanted There you are! a nice cup of tea. 2) I told you so There you are. I knew I was right. the second meaning suits the context.Dee's boyfriend means " That's what I expected. I knew you couldn't trace it further back. There I was not: NO such expression. Here the mother is playing on "there you are," meaning you are not right. Actually, I could have carried it further back if I wanted.

44. Model A car In 1909 Henry Ford mass-produced 15 million Model T cars and thus made automobiles popular in the States. In 1928 the Model t was discontinued and replaced by a new design--the Model A-- to meet the needs for growing competition in car manufacturing.

45. Detailed Study Every once in a while he and Wangero sent eye signals over my head Paraphrase: Now and then he and Dee communicated through eye contact in a secretive way. We got the name out of the way: Paraphrase: We overcame the difficulty and managed to pronounce it at last. trip over: mispronounce, fail to say sth correctly.

46. Detailed Study Sweet Potatos Chitlin:=chitterlings the intestines of hogs especially when prepared as food Talk a blue streak: to talk much and rapidly over: while occupied or engaged in Wangero, though, went on...sweet potatoes.

47. Detailed Study She jumped up...I want the dasher,too. churn: machine in which milk or cream is beaten to make butter clabber: thickly curdled sour milk whittle: ~ A (from B)~ B (into A) to form a piece of wood, etc. into a particular shape by cutting small pieces from it: He whittled a simple toy from the piece of wood.

48. Detailed Study After dinner Dee...two quilts. rifle through: If you rifle through things or rifle them, you make a quick search among them in order to find something or steal something. I discovered my husband rifling through the filing cabinet hang back: to remain in a place after all the other people have left dishpan: a large plastic container that you wash dishes in. Out came Wangero with two quilts: inverted sentence order

49. Quilts

50. Detailed Study She held the quilts securely in her arms, stroking them. This sentence shows how she cherished the quilts and how determined she was to have them ,later, we will learn that the mother offered Dee a quilt when she went away to college. At that time she thought the quilts were old- fashioned. Note the change in Dee's attitudes toward the quilts.And explain the reason why her attitude has experienced such great change.