Saturday, February 20, 2010

Color Online Quiz: Literature & Women's Studies

Quiz #90
Answer the question and your name will be entered in a monthly drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must include your e-mail to be eligible to win. Winners choose their own book from our Prize Bucket.

According to Alice Walker, what does the name “Mammy” come from?


Evelyn-
but I got that information from a book Alice wrote called Living by the Word. It's on page 58.

Jill-
Alice Walker contended that "Mammy was named for her mammary glands - the body parts that indicate her primary caretaking role." Other writers note that the image of the mammy does relate to a figure in African mythology but the name "mammy" itself is derived from, as indicated above, mammary glands. See Alice Walker in Ms. Magazine, May/June 1994. For more on Walker and also for info on other contentions about mammys see the book "Mothers and Daughters: Connection, Empowerment, and Transformation" by Andrea O'Reilly and Sharon Abbey.

Thank you both.

6 comments:

evelyn.n.alfred said...

Alice Walker said that "Mammy" is originally an African word (Ghanaian version is "mame").

susan said...

Evelyn,

Can you provide a reference link? Sorry, I should have asked this initially.

Thanks,

evelyn.n.alfred said...

I don't want to win, just wanted to answer...but I got that information from a book Alice wrote called Living by the Word. It's on page 58.

Here's a link online to the book: http://books.google.com/books?id=m9vSViOPwN8C&dq=alice+walker+and+mammy&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Color Online said...

Thanks, I have another source but I don't own so I needed to ask.

No worries on the drawing.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Evelyn and Susan,

Alice Walker contended that "Mammy was named for her mammary glands - the body parts that indicate her primary caretaking role." Other writers note that the image of the mammy does relate to a figure in African mythology but the name "mammy" itself is derived from, as indicated above, mammary glands. See Alice Walker in Ms. Magazine, May/June 1994. For more on Walker and also for info on other contentions about mammys see the book "Mothers and Daughters: Connection, Empowerment, and Transformation" by Andrea O'Reilly and Sharon Abbey.

susan said...

Jill,

Thanks for weighing. Thank Maude, we don't have to rely on me. :-)