When Dee calls Maggie backward, she means that she is uneducated and ignorant whereas Dee herself is educated and knowledgeable.
While she was away getting an education, Dee changed. She decided to name herself Wangero and became more interested in her cultural heritage. After returning home to visit her family, Dee asks her mother for the heirloom quilts her grandmother made. She wants to display things that her family has created and used—including the quilts.
When Dee...
When Dee calls Maggie backward, she means that she is uneducated and ignorant whereas Dee herself is educated and knowledgeable.
While she was away getting an education, Dee changed. She decided to name herself Wangero and became more interested in her cultural heritage. After returning home to visit her family, Dee asks her mother for the heirloom quilts her grandmother made. She wants to display things that her family has created and used—including the quilts.
When Dee asks for the quilts, her mother says no. She promised the quilts to Maggie, Dee's sister who lives at home and is marrying a local man. Dee gets upset. Alice Walker writes:
"Maggie can't appreciate these quilts!" she said. "She'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use."
Dee means that Maggie is ignorant of their heritage because, unlike Dee, she is uneducated on cultural issues. However, Dee is missing the point. The quilts are meant to be used. They're family heirlooms—not art to put on a wall and point to when discussing cultural histories.
Her mother remembers when she offered Dee a quilt as she left to go to college and her daughter refused, saying they weren't in style. Dee thinks that Maggie can't appreciate the quilts the way she, Dee, can now. However, it's likely that Maggie is able to better appreciate the quilts. She learned quilting from her family and will use the quilts, remembering her grandmother each time she sees one. Dee, on the other hand, would not have the same emotional attachment or experience.
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