Essay, Research Paper: Alice Walker

English

Free English research papers were donated by our members/visitors and are presented free of charge for informational use only. The essay or term paper you are seeing on this page was not produced by our company and should not be considered a sample of our research/writing service. We are neither affiliated with the author of this essay nor responsible for its content. If you need high quality, fresh and competent research / writing done on the subject of English, use the professional writing service offered by our company.

Knowing the meaning of heritage in Everyday Use The story “Everyday Use”, is
being told by a mother who describes herself as a big boned woman, with a second
grade education. She had always had to do the work of a man to provide for her
family. A mother of two girls with different views on the family culture. Dee, a
light skinned girl with nice hair and a full figure. Dee has always scorned the
way the family lived. She comes home to visit and wants to take back some of the
family heritage, such as Grandma Dee’s quilts. Maggie, a dark skinned, slim
and shy girl, who has never been away from home. Maggie has a different love for
the family heritage she will continue to carry it on, like quilting. While Dee
and Maggie lived in the same house growing up, they have different believes
about their heritage. Two women sat in the yard awaiting a visit from the older
daughter, Dee, and a man who may are may not be husband. Dee, was very hard on
the family’s way of life, has gone to college and now seems to be a distant
memory. Her mother imagines of being reunited with her daughter on television.
She visions the perfect reunion someone would tell her what a fine daughter she
has raised. Dee would come out in tears embracing her mother and pinning and
orchid on her dress. Maggie, who is not bright and bears scars from a server
house fire many years ago still, remains intimidated by her glamorous sibling.
Her mother was astonished; Dee arrive wearing an ankle-length, gold and orange
dress, bracelets and gold earrings hanging down to her shoulders. Her hair “it
stand straight up like hair the wool on a sheep”(Walker 283). Dee greets her
family with a Swahili good morning. Her companion offers a Muslim greeting and
tries to show Maggie a ceremonial handshake that she does not understand. Dee
mother tried to start a conversation with Dee by calling her name. Dee explain
that she’s change her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, because “I
couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress
me”(Walker 283). Wangero mother attempted to explain to her how far back her
name go into the family history. Dee had been embarrass of her mothers house and
possessions when she was younger (the mother believe she was happy when the old
house burn down), but now she seem to be happy with the old way of life. With
her newfound joy with her cultural heritage, she takes photographs of the house,
including her mom, sister, and a wandering cow. Dee, while eating, remembered
she wanted to ask her mother if she could have the butter churn top whittled by
her Uncle Buddy, do she may use it as a centerpiece for her table. Dee, after
getting the churn top, she then ask for the dasher. Now her attention turns to a
trunk at the foot of her mother’s bed. After she goes through the trunk, she
returns with two quilts. “The quilts become symbolic of the story’s theme;
in a sense, they represent the past of the women in the family”(Master Plots
733). Dee asks if she can have the quilts. Maggie in disbelief that Dee asked
for the quilts slammed the kitchen door. The mother offers some other quilts
that were in the trunk to her, she refused because the quilts because they were
made with a machine. Then she tells Dee that she had promised the quilts to
Maggie a wedding present. Dee tells her mother that Maggie would not appreciate
the quilts and that she would use them in “everyday use”. Dee’s mother
says she hope Maggie would use the quilts. “The two sister’s values
concerning the quilt represent the two meaning approaches to art appreciation in
our society. Art can be valued for financial and aesthetic reasons, or it can be
valued for personal and emotional reasons”(Jokinen)
2
1
Good or bad? How would you rate this essay?
Help other users to find the good and worthy free term papers and trash the bad ones.
Like this term paper? Vote & Promote so that others can find it

Get a Custom Paper on English:

Free papers will not meet the guidelines of your specific project. If you need a custom essay on English: , we can write you a high quality authentic essay. While free essays can be traced by Turnitin (plagiarism detection program), our custom written papers will pass any plagiarism test, guaranteed. Our writing service will save you time and grade.




Related essays:

1
1
I believe All New People by Ann Lamott was chosen for the Independent Thinkers Ser Sex, drugs, presidential scandals, all this and more is to be found in the magnificently written novel All New People...
4237 views
0 comments
1
1
Grady Cole, the last in a long line of west Texas ranchers, is, at sixteen, poised on the sorrowful, painful edge of manhood. When he realizes the only life he has ever known is disappearing into the...
3336 views
0 comments
1
0
Poetry is often written as a result of reflecting on an intense emotional experience or a significant event. Examine the techniques used by one poet to convey the significance of an experience or an e...
5397 views
0 comments
0
0
The idea of having the power of taming an unknown, rugged territory has always been a significant goal in American society. The early American settlers came over to this continent to find a better hom...
4225 views
0 comments
0
0
English / American Hero
Every child has fantasy’s of being a super hero and leaping tall buildings in a single bound or staring death in the face everyday and somehow finding a way to escape. All of these imaginative thought...
5054 views
0 comments