English IV: "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

Mama Johnson has two daughters: Maggie, living with Mama and steeped every day in their heritage; and Dee (now Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo), who is college-educated, has moved away, and has embraced a "new day" lifestyle. Which daughter shows more respect for their heritage?
15 words 0 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. embrace
    squeeze tightly in your arms, usually with fondness
    On TV mother and child embrace and smile into each other's faces.
  2. limousine
    large luxurious car; usually driven by a chauffeur
    Out of a dark and soft-seated limousine I am ushered into a bright room filled with many people.
  3. tacky
    tastelessly showy
    She pins on my dress a large orchid, even though she has told me once that she thinks orchids are tacky flowers.
  4. flannel
    a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothing
    In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day.
  5. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him?
  6. deliberately
    with intention; in an intentional manner
    I have deliberately turned my back on the house.
  7. porthole
    a window in a ship or airplane
    There are no real windows, just some holes cut in the sides, like the portholes in a ship, but not round and not square, with rawhide holding the shutters up on the outside.
  8. furtive
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    Maggie and I thought about this and Maggie asked me, "Mama, when did Dee ever have any friends?"
    She had a few. Furtive boys in pink shirts hanging about on washday after school. Nervous girls who never laughed.
  9. scalding
    marked by harshly abusive criticism
    Impressed with her they worshiped the well-turned phrase, the cute shape, the scalding humor that erupted like bubbles in Iye.
  10. cower
    show submission or fear
    She stoops down quickly and lines up picture after picture of me sitting there in front of the house with Maggie cowering behind me.
  11. oppress
    come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
    "I couldn't bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me."
  12. doctrine
    a belief accepted as authoritative by some group or school
    Hakim-a-barber said, "I accept some of their doctrines, but farming and raising cattle is not my style."
  13. alcove
    a small recess opening off a large room or garden
    "I can use the chute top as a centerpiece for the alcove table," she said, sliding a plate over the chute, "and I'll think of something artistic to do with the dasher."
  14. paisley
    a fabric with a colorful swirled pattern of curved shapes
    Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jattell's paisley shirts.
  15. heritage
    practices that are handed down from the past by tradition
    "Your heritage," she said, And then she turned to Maggie, kissed her, and said, "You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It's really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it."
Created on Fri May 08 21:30:57 EDT 2026 (updated Mon Jun 08 20:33:48 EDT 2026)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.