...Meredith Butler English 1102 Fiction Essay In the story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, the author attempts to show the contrasts between family members in regards to their heritage during the 1960’s. Ms. Walker tells the story of how different the family members are in education, lifestyle and beliefs. In doing so, she illustrates the importance of everyday items and of everyday people. Ms. Walker, through the point of view of the mother, paints the picture of a young woman, too good for her family, running off to the city only to find that the city values her heritage and conversely, now must she. The character of Dee is first described by her mother in the excerpt, “Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure” (Walker, 1973). This is in contrast to her “large, manly mother who can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man” (Walker) and her sister who was disfigured in a fire as a young child. The same fire that Dee stands and watches, so intently, that her mother thought to ask her “why she didn’t do a dance around the ashes” (Walker). It is never stated why Dee feels such deep hatred for her home, however shame and ignorance play a key role. “Dee wanted nice things” (Walker), things that would be difficult if not impossible to a young black girl of the time to obtain. Her mother often notes that Dee daydreams to the point of not blinking, determined to get what she wants. When Dee’s mother and the town raise money to send Dee off to school...
Words: 826 - Pages: 4
...Hannah Huie Kate Evans Composition II 05 February 2015 Analysis of Characters in “Everyday Use” Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use,” illustrates the importance of family and heritage. Many times in the story, Ms. Walker brings up heritage and the importance of recognizing of what it means to belong to something or someone. Her characters each go through change. Mama seems to switch her favoritism from Dee to Maggie and realizes that Dee is not the perfect child she had come to idolize her as being. Dee comes back home to realize that she no longer able to get her way as she used too and that her place in the household has changed. Lastly, Maggie is recognized as having the gift of knowing her heritage and having the ability to add to it by being able to quilt. As we read through the story we see that Ms. Walker paints a wonderful picture of difference between Dee and the family she left behind. Mama is the voice behind this short story. She narrates and you only see the story through her point of view. As she waits for her daughter Dee to arrive she has a fantasy about her life being on a TV show. She dreams of being a beautiful women, whose hair glistens in the spotlight of the stage, whose witty tongue has the famous TV personality Johnny Carson trying to keep up. As the reader continues they would be able to see that Mama’s true view of herself is not as flattering, she doesn’t mince the truth, and doesn’t have any false illusions about her looks...
Words: 942 - Pages: 4
...Associate Level Material Appendix E Final Paper Matrix Fill in the matrix below, in which you will select two pieces of literature from the assigned course readings to compare and contrast in your final essay. Additionally, develop three possible topics for your paper, which your instructor will review for approval. Lastly, list and describe three to five sources that you will use to write your essay. |Literature |Title: Everyday Uses | |Selection One |Author: Alice Walker | | |Why I Chose This Piece: I chose this because of the symbolism it uses on the values placed on old quilts. | |Literature |Title: The House on Mango Street | |Selection Two |Author: Sandra Cisneros | | |Why I Chose This Piece: It emphasizes the symbolization on the emotions that Esperanza feels about her life circumstances. | ...
Words: 256 - Pages: 2
...In Everyday Use, Alice walker uses rich characterization and distinct tone to demonstrate sympathy for other characters to show their discrete differences as individuals in order to convey that each character has a profound reasoning for having possession of the quilts. The dramatic and selfish character in Dee sparks because Mama offers the quilts to Maggie. Mama promises to bestow the dearly prized quilts for Maggie for her wedding. The fierce intensity in Dee builds up and she knows that Maggie would not appreciate the quilts and she said, “ She would probably be backward enough to put them out to everyday use ”(Walker 159). Beforehand, the girls discuss family history giving a serene vibe. Until, a dramatic occurs shift because Dee backfires...
Words: 608 - Pages: 3
...Have you ever wondered about what family heritage means, and the value of it? Some people seem to think that family heritage is only family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation that could be viewed by the family as very important. This is partially true; however, there are traditions and legacies that can be passed down to display the family’s heritage and also be cherished as much as an heirloom. In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use,” family heritage is defined as what a person deems “valuable.” Walker begins her short story by using Mama’s point of view. In the story, Mama seems to be an observant and opinionated parent. Throughout the story gives her assumption of what she sees going on in her family. And it is her assumptions that reveals what she values in heritage. Mama sees her daughter Dee or Wangero as being different than her and her daughter Maggie. Mother shows what is important to her from the start of the story by saying “I will wait for her in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean and wavy yesterday afternoon(Walker).” In other words, here she tells us what matters – her home, her family, the place she belongs. She showed how much she wanted to feel love from her daughter Dee. Not only did she want to show her love for her daughter Dee but for her other daughter Maggie as well by taking the quilts that she promised to Maggie from Dee’s arms and giving it back to her. The mother’s longing for family and love displays the mom’s sense of family...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
...Everyday Use ‘’Point of View’’ Outline Thesis Statement: In the short story ‘’ Everyday Use’’ Alice Walker captured the importantance of honesty and integrity, above artificiality and posturing which resulted in a positive change. * Artificiality and Posturing 1. ‘’She never took a shot without the house included’’ (158) a. How can you appreciate air looms, when you can’t appreciate family 2. ‘’She’s dead’’ Wangero said ‘’ Not Dee’’ Wangero Leewanika Kemango’’ (160) a. Why would you change your name and it came from a great great grand mother 3. “ She’d probably be backwards enough to put them to everyday use’’ (160) a. That’s actually what mother wants her to do use them ‘’ I’ve been saving them long enough with nobody using them, I hope she will!’’(160) * Honesty and Integrity (what it really meant) 1. ‘’ They had been pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me had hung them on the quilt frames on the front and quilted them’’ (159) 2. ‘’ In both of them were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago’’(159) 3. ‘’ Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jerrell Paisley shirts: one teeny faded blue piece was worn by Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War’’(159) * Positive Change 1. ‘’This was Maggie’s portion’’ (160) a. Finally she had something that was hers 2. ‘’ I did something I never had done before; hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out...
Words: 339 - Pages: 2
...Name Tutor Subject Date Everyday Use Alice walker in her short story “Everyday Use” teaches on heritage and inheritance. A quilt is made up of patches of cloth intricately stitched together to make the final product. Symbolically, an individual's perception of the world is constructed out of different influences, circumstances and events, which dictate how one responds to the world. Mama as the narrator in “Everyday Use” tell us of the conflict of two worlds personified by the daughters. Dee is infuriated by what she sees as a past of oppression in her lineage and has created a new heritage for herself while rejecting her true heritage. She is obstinate to her family name and takes up a new name Wangero (158), which she believes best portrays her African heritage, however, like her African jewelry and clothes it is meaningless. She does not fully understand Africa; therefore, her conception of true heritage is false and empty. Additionally, Dee considers her heritage to be of the past and dead, instead of something ongoing and living. She wishes to have the family quilts and the carved dasher, but Dee considers them to be old artifacts not suitable for practical use but for display. She alienates herself from her own history through rejection of her true heritage and adopts a constructed heritage. The family quilts and the carved dasher symbolize heritage and inheritance and are the epicenter of conflict in the short story. Maggie, on the other hand, is nature portrayal...
Words: 963 - Pages: 4
...The comparison of characters is something an author allows us to do while reading a story. They do so by, describing to us the characters appearance, personality, lifestyle, and any other unique qualities that might help illustrate someone. In the story “everyday use”, written by Alice walker, it is written from a mother’s point of view as she talks about her two daughters, Maggie and Dee, and how different they are. They are both similar in some ways yet, have very individual personalities, physical appearances, and perspective on things. The first thing I noticed while reading the story was how the two girls differed in appearance. with the way the mother describes Maggie she says of how Maggie is vary skinny like a small child, dark skinned and has burn scars down her arms and legs, from when her home had caught on fire and she had to be pulled out as her mother had explained, causing her to be ashamed of her looks. Her mother says “she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe.” Maggie’s scars have really affected the way she carries herself. She walks like a dog run over by a car as her mother describes it. Maggie is not only physically but mentally scarred. So traumatized from the fire Maggie is very timid, anti social and self conscious. Unlike her sister Maggie never got the proper schooling to learn to read or write vary well, the only things she knows how to do truly...
Words: 720 - Pages: 3
...English 101, Analyzing Short Stories with Dr. Caroline Nobile. Tuesday, November 11, 2014 Everyday Use Outline. Place: In the south, in Maggie's house Author: Narrator herself. Main of Characters: Maggie Johnson, Dee (Wangero Leewanika Kemango), Asalamalakim, Mama Johnson (Narrator). Hero: Mama. Dynamic character: Mom, Maggie Short briefing how the character changes: At first, the mom is passive, and allowing Dee to take whatever she wants. Then she stands up for Maggie, and refuses to give the quilts to Dee. Maggie changes her view on her sister, in the past she was scared of Dee, but now she is not. Antagonist: Dee Static character: Hakim A Barber, Dee’s boyfriend Briefly explanation of the battle: Dee believes that her family doesn't understand their heritage. And she does well, thus she want to own the quilts for herself....
Words: 535 - Pages: 3
..."Everyday Use” - Literary Analysis Alice walker writes about the importance of inheriting family heritage and how it passes on to generations. This story is based on conflicts of two generations; on the bonds of a mother and daughter and their legacy which is symbolized as two hand stitched quilts. The narrator, Mama introduces us to her two daughters who have conflicting minds. Mama is disappointed on the behavior and the tension that takes place when Dee forces her to make a difficult decision about who gets the quilts. The story unfolds when Mama’s eldest daughter Dee, returns home for the first time after finishing college and starts claiming for possessions. The younger Maggie has never left home and is shown to be of quiet character, who was severely burned in a house fire when she was a child due to which her sympathetic and generous nature is over shadowed by her ugly scarred face. Dee, being stylish and blessed with good looks is the centre of agitation between the family and invokes jealously. Her feet appear "as if God himself had shaped them with a certain style." (385). Around Dee, the younger sister is a coward and since the fire she walks with "chin on her chest, eyes on the ground." (384) . The narrator is protective around her daughters hoping that Maggie becomes self confident and stands up for her right. The narrator fantasizes about reuniting with Dee on a television talk show and day dreams about Dee expressing gratitude to Mama acknowledging what all...
Words: 825 - Pages: 4
...Everyday Use The text “Everyday Use” is a short story written by Alice Walker, from 1967. The story is about an African-American family, a mom and her two daughters. Maggie, the youngest daughter, is a nervous young girl and a bit of shy. “»How do I look, Mama?« Maggie says […] almost hidden by the door.” (p.10, m). The narrative, the mother, talks about the way Maggie walks. “Have you ever seen a lame animal, […] that is the way my Maggie walks.” (p. 10 m). The fire had given her scars, not only physical but also psychological. The physical scars on Maggie’s arm and legs make her feel less attractive. She looks up to her sister, Dee, even they haven’t much in case. After the mother has given the quilts to Maggie, she just sits there and smiles a real smile; there she knows that she has deserved the quilts. Dee, the oldest daughter, is opposed to Maggie; she’s almost perfect, she is good looking with nice hair and a beautiful figure. “Dee is lighter than […] though I sometimes forget.” (p. 10. b). Style is a thing Dee has too, “At sixteen she had a style […] and knew what style was.” Maggie thinks that Dee gets just what she wants and she doesn’t have the most difficult life. “She thinks her sister […] the world never learned to say to her.” (p. 9. m). When Dee is coming out of the car, the mother and Maggie see that she wearing accessories. “Earrings gold, too, […] the dress out of her armpits.” It shows us that she has success and tells that she is a strong woman, who is...
Words: 708 - Pages: 3
...Characters in “Everyday Use” Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” examines the conflict between family members that are debating over whether to use or to preserve pieces of their family’s heritage. Mama, the mother of Maggie and Dee, is a self-reliant and hardworking woman who can perform any task that a man can. She lives at home with Maggie, who is rather shy and is embarrassed by the burn scars covering her arms and legs. Both Maggie and Mama are awaiting a visit from Maggie’s educated sister, Dee. Upon Dee and her male companion’s arrival, Mama and Maggie stand in awe while gazing at Dee’s exquisite dress and golden earrings. Shortly after her arrival, Dee announces...
Words: 868 - Pages: 4
...Families on Families What is a family? If you really think about what is it? Family can mean many things,it can just be two people in a family as long as there is love,loyalty,and unity.In the story “Everyday Use” Maggie and her mother both live together and have received a message that Dee Maggie’s sister was coming to visit.Dee had left to go to college leaving Maggie and her mom at home,Maggie didn’t get the opportunity to finish school like Dee did.Dee is very spoiled but on the other hand Maggie is shy and quiet.I know if I had a sister I would want us to be equal and be comfortable with each other.Not all families get along all the time there’s always some type of conflict.Families most of the time resolve their conflicts because in the end they are family. Respect is always very important when it comes to parents,without respect its as if there was no care,no privacy, and no understanding.People often choose to disrespect someone when either they,re mad,they don't like a person ,or they just don't care.In the story “Everyday...
Words: 734 - Pages: 3
...The Symbolism of Quilts Designs used in quilts are not necessarily symmetrically organized; rather the art of quilting reflects an aesthetic understanding by the makers of what the quilt represents for them in their everyday experience. (Barkley-Brown, 1990). The shape of a quilt results from the meaning that the individual quilters give to the pieces that compose it. This art form is known as gumbo ya ya in Creole which means everybody talking at once. (Barkley-Brown, 1990). Alice Walker’s usage of quilts in her short story Everyday Use reflects the importance and significance of a quilt in African-American history. A quilt embodies heritage and personal stories and events; a quilt is similar to a person’s own journey in that each scrap stitched into a quilt represents “a person’s world view [which] is made up of events, circumstances and influences that shape how [she] see[s] and respond[s] to the world.” (Eshbaugh, 2008, August 21). Narrated by the mother of the two main characters, the symbolism of the hand-stitched quilts in Everyday Use represents the conflicts between two sisters who each experience the world and their heritage differently. The story begins with Dee, the eldest daughter, first homecoming since leaving for college. Walker describes Dee as a woman who no one ever told “no.” Dee is well-educated, wears bright colors that accentuates her full-figured body and exudes confidence. However, Dee will never be satisfied in life, and she...
Words: 1116 - Pages: 5
...In her short story “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker takes up what is a recurrent theme in her work: the representation of the harmony as well as the conflicts and struggles within African-American culture. “Everyday Use” focuses on an encounter between members of the rural Johnson family. This encounter––which takes place when Dee (the only member of the family to receive a formal education) and her male companion return to visit Dee’s mother and younger sister Maggie––is essentially an encounter between two different interpretations of, or approaches to, African-American culture. Walker employs characterization and symbolism to highlight the difference between these interpretations and ultimately to uphold one of them, showing that culture and heritage are parts of daily life. The opening of the story is largely involved in characterizing Mrs. Johnson, Dee’s mother and the story’s narrator. More specifically, Mrs. Johnson’s language points to a certain relationship between herself and her physical surroundings: she waits for Dee “in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean and wavy” (88). The emphasis on the physical characteristics of the yard, the pleasure in it manifested by the word “so,” points to the attachment that she and Maggie have to their home and to the everyday practice of their lives. The yard, in fact, is “not just a yard. It is like an extended living room” (71), confirming that it exists for her not only as an object of property, but also as the place...
Words: 937 - Pages: 4
