(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”. Besides, Dee thought that Maggie “can always make some more; Maggie knows how to quilt." (Walker, ) and that made her more unwillingly to give the quilts to Maggie. But Maggie-who would use them everyday-said to her Mama to give the blankets to Dee, because she “can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts. "(Walker, ).
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
I AM NOT AN ASSIMILATIONIST! Shanticia McFarland Literature 118, Woods April 19, 2012 In the short story A Raisin in the Sun, Mama’s dreams portray a family-oriented individual. She is very devoted to her family and enjoys being with them. The decisions that she made were for the benefit of her family, not just herself. For instance, she was expecting a check from the insurance company for the death of her husband.
Process Paper #4 The Century Quilt serves to connect the speaker’s life to her diverse background. First of all, the quilt brings her back to her youthful days. The speaker describes her dreams of “wrapping [herself] at play with [the blanket’s] folds and [play] chieftains and princesses.” This quilt connects her to her past and thus to her family. She reminisces about her first blanket, which serves as a doorway to her past experiences and emotions. She wants a blanket to “have good dreams for a hundred years.” The speaker makes a connection with Meema, who “dreams of her yellow sisters” and “about Mama.” She recalls her father coming home from his store and the family cranking up the pianola.
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.