Body Paragraph Structure
a. topic sentence
b. context of the quotation
c. quotation
d. reflection
By the end of the story, Dee truly reveals her ignorance. When she doesn’t get what she wants for the first time ever, she becomes angry at her mother and blurts out, “You just don’t understand . . . your heritage.” Dee’s statement is incredibly ironic. Clearly, Mama and Maggie do understand their heritage and she does not. She thinks “heritage” is something to hang on the wall to impress her friends. Maggie and Mama, however, understand that heritage is much deeper, that it involves the connection to and admiration of their ancestors, that is about real people who have passed down knowledge, care, and tradition.
Sample Thesis Statements
In “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker contrasts two sisters, Maggie and Dee, in order to reveal the complex significance of heritage.
Although Maggie and Dee from Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” appear to both value their heritage, in reality they see the concept in totally different ways.
In “Top Man,” James Ramsey Ullman juxtaposes Nace and Osborn as polar opposites in order to convey the importance of methodical thought and patience.