“Everyday Use” By: Alice Walker World Literature LAP 1 Day 2

Chapter 1 Fiction: An Overview Fiction originally meant anything made up or shaped. Today, it refers to short or long prose stories- and it has retained this meaning since 1599, the first year for which we had a record for it in print. The essence of fiction, as opposed to drama, is narration, the recounting or telling of a sequence of events or actions.

Myth Fiction is rooted in ancient legends and myths. Myth- : an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true: a story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence

Epic An especially long tale, an epic, was recited during a period of days. To aid their memories and to impress and entertain their listeners, the storytellers chanted their tales in poetry, often accompanying themselves on a stringed instrument. Epic- a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.

Fable Perhaps nowhere is the moralistic-argumentative aspect of ancient storytelling better illustrated than in the fables of Aesop, a Greek who wrote in the sixth century B.C.E., and in the parables of Jesus as told in the Gospels of the New Testament. In these works, a short narrative provides an illustration of a religious, philosophic, or psychological conclusion. Fable- a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral.

The Short Story Because novels were long, they took a long time to read-hours, days, even weeks. A short, concentrated story was ideal to produce a strong impression on readers.

Elements of Fiction II: Character, Plot, Structure, and Idea or Theme A character may be defined as a reasonable facsimile of a human being, with all good and bad traits of being human. Most stories are concerned with characters who are facing a major problem that develops from misunderstandinding, misinformation, unfocused ideas and goals, difficult situations, troubled relationships, and generally challenging situations.

Quick Write: Put yourself in the character’s shoes… Think about the objects in your home. Which objects have been passed down from other family members? Why do they continue to have a place in your home? If you were to move away to live on your own, which objects in your home would you want to take with you? Explain why for each object selected. How would your parent/guardian feel about you taking the/each item? Explain your response.

“Everyday Use” Discussion What point of view is “Everyday Use” Who is the narrator? How do we know this? What happened to the first house? What happened to Maggie? Where is Dee? Why did she leave and why did she return?

Discussion (continued) How are Maggie and Dee different? What type of literary device is used in the story and specifically comes to light towards the end of the story? Quick write discussion…

Concept of Heritage Share your quick write. What is heritage to you? Which character(s) can you relate to in the story? Discuss with your partner. Share as a class.