At the first time we read this story we didn’t get what Alice Walker means with “Everyday Use” and what it has to do with the story. But then we made a conclusion that the author refers to the quilt which both Dee and Maggie wanted. Dee planned to hang them, but not to know the history that comes with it, so that she could show them off to her friends what her heritage was and be proud because the quilts were "all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear. She did all this stitching by hand." (Walker, ) which symbolize an important part of heritage to Dee-while back when she was growing up, she said they were “old-fashioned, out of style”.
Imagine!" She held the quilts securely in her arms, stroking them… Maggie can't appreciate these quilts!" She said. "She'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use."' (423-424) Mama decides to give them to Maggie because she thinks she will use them as they were intended.
Heritage in Alice Walker’s Everyday Use Does Dee really understand her heritage better than Mama and Maggie? In the story Dee makes a big show of understanding her African roots but shows no appreciation for her own family’s history. She visits her family home looking for items that she can use to exhibit her heritage. Dee only has a shallow understanding of her heritage and no desire to live it. Wangero’s quest for her racial and cultural identity mirrors that of the African American community in general.
On one side of the argument, Dee is fighting to preserve the quilts so they may be passed down through future generations. On the other side of the argument, Maggie would like to put the quilt to everyday use. Maggie is right in believing that heritage should be used in our everyday lives, that it should be accepted and appreciated, and that your heritage is something to be proud of. It is obvious that Maggie deserves the quilts, not Dee. Maggie deserves the quilts because they were hers to begin with.
ENG 1102 July 27, 2014 Word count: 1014 Heritage in an Everyday Quilt In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” as the narrator, Mrs. Johnson’s perspective changes from the beginning of the story to the end, at first favoring Dee and eventually favoring Maggie instead. Why does Mrs. Johnson end up favoring Maggie over Dee by the end of the story? What does their heritage have to do with the story? To Mrs. Johnson, each daughter defines heritage to her in a different way. All entwined together with her family quilts, each their own ideas of what heritage means to them through the quilts.
Now stop and think about how you should treat your heritage. Do you simply think your heritage is something to just remember, or do you believe you should apply the things inherited from heritage to everyday use? In Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use,” Mama, Maggie, and Dee, three very different characters, have controversy over this topic. Mama is a tough and robust woman, who has worked all her life to provide for her family. Mama’s always had a soft spot for her daughter, Dee, but when Mama finally stands up to her, she sends the message that the things you inherit from your heritage should be applied to everyday use.
Throughout the story, we can learn from Mama’s description that she plays an active role in preserving her family heritage. The churn top, dasher, and the quilts which Mama values a lot, are her family legacies. Mentioning her ancestors for quite a few times in the story, Mama’s concern for her heritage is reflected. When she reveals her disappointment in Dee for changing her name and explains to her “You know as well as me you was named after your aunt Dicie”, her concern for family heritage is again illustrated. Appointing a character with so much interest and involvement to her family heritage as a narrator of the story, Walker’s hints on the theme of the story is obvious.
Following Atticus’s decision to defend Tom Robinson in Part Two, Aunt Alexandra takes it upon herself to relocate to Maycomb to help look after the children during the trial. She does not approve of Atticus’s involvement in the trial, nor does she believe he is doing a good job of raising his children to the standards becoming of the, “fine folk’ the Finches are. We quickly learn that Aunt Alexandra is a woman of her time and settles into the town, “as if she had always lived with us… Maycomb welcomed her.” At this stage Harper Lee is presenting Aunt Alexandra as a typical southern lady. The use of Scout’s naivety as a narrator, allows Lee to be subtly critical of many of the characters, including Aunt Alexandra.
Essay 1: What is the Meaning of Heritage? Should heritage be a part of daily life or merely a memory of ones past? Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” presents a story of how the meaning of heritage drastically differs between a mother and her daughter. In this story an impoverished mother sends her oldest daughter away to college. Unfortunately, in the process of obtaining an education Dee abandons her family heritage replacing it with a new “modern” way of life.
Dee on the other hand says she will appreciate them as a piece of family history, but in reality she wants to hang them on the walls like a piece of art. Dee lives in a demanding, sophisticated way of life as to where Maggie and Mama are still simple and humble and appreciate things for what they are and what they mean to the family. Mama finally stands up to Dee and instead of giving her the quilts like she has always given her everything she’s ever wanted, she tells her she promised the quilts to Maggie and she is not breaking that