June 9, GML, EU, Girl

1. As examples of generational conflict, how do these three stories present the different generations? the struggles within a family? In Gorilla, My Love, I saw the conflict as a matter of maturity. "Scout" was just a feisty little girl who didn't really understand the ways of adults the way she thought she did. In Everyday Use the conflict was between Wangero (Dee), who was more educated and exposed to the new social ideas of her time, and her mother and sister, Maggie, who still lived a simple country life. Girl expressed the struggle of a girl to assimilate the wisdom and the expectations of her mother. Do the points and messages of each story seem like ones that could apply to many families? Or do they seem too specific to apply to other experiences? I really feel that these stories all have a universal theme, even though they are based on a specific cultural experience. Every family could potentially deal with a precocious daughter, or an educated, liberated, pseudo-enlightned daughter. The theme in Girl feels especially universal. It's very common for a mother to attempt to pass down her wisdom to her daughter.
   

1. In each story, who do you side with? the older generation? the younger generation? a specific character? Why do you take the side of that person or group? In Gorilla, My Love I side with noone. I don't see that there's any side to take here. All of the charachters are just there to be understood. If I have to choose, I'll say Hunca Bubba. In Everyday use, I side with the mama. I lived in that world that Ms. Walker writes about, and I have, in my own way, been Wangero. As I matured, I grew to understand the selfish, self-righteous, insensitive arrogance that disguised itself as social evolution for what it really was. In Girl, I side with the mama, again. It's her duty to pass on the best of her wisdom to her daughter. Although, I get the feeling that the daughter feels over-whelmed by the onslaught of information, life itself has way more power to overwhelm you if you are not prepared by the wisdom of those who love you and have lived before you.