Discussion Question of “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker
- When and how does the author use dialogue tags?
- Find an example in the story where the adage “Dialogue is what people do to each other” rings true.
- Point out two to three places where gesture or word choice help the reader understand how something is said.
- How does the vantage point (or point of view) shape the narrative? (Give specific examples from the text.)
- Does the author use an equal balance of scene and summary? Which scenes would you have preferred to be summarized, and which would you prefer to have written as scenes?