Compare and Contrast the Effectiveness of First Person Narration in Everyday Use and the Red Convertible.

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Compare and contrast the effectiveness of first person narration in Everyday Use and The Red Convertible. First person narrative style is used in both Everyday Use and The Red Convertible. First person narration allows the writer to be very selective, withholding certain facts or details from the readers. Our understanding to the story is thus limited to the things the narrator shared with us. The narrator guides us along the path constructed by the writer, revealing us the development of the story step by step, and leading us to the discussion of the themes concerned. Having Mama and Lyman as the narrators respectively, the use of this writing style in the two stories has effectively contributed to the discussion of the main themes as well as the smooth development of the stories. The narrations of Mama and Lyman are essential in bring out the themes of the two stories. To begin with, the theme of tradition versus modernization would not be as significant if Mama was not given the role as a narrator in 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. Without Mama telling us the true value of the items, Maggie and Dee’s conflict on the quilts might become a meaningless fight between sisters. If the focus of the story is

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