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Cultural Heritage In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

547 Words3 Pages

In addition to the cultural impact of unconscious bias, culture also severely influences the way a person perceives and interacts with others by transforming their perspectives on heritage. Cultural heritage is forever growing and changing as a person is subjected to new culturally impactful memories, events, and people. An individual's cultural heritage can range from beloved childhood memories woven into quilts to the words and memories shared with loved ones, to the material objects and heirlooms passed down through a family for generations, but also extends to the way a person thinks, acts, and perceives others. Cultural heritage is commonly defined as the legacy of physical science artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past …show more content…

Dee does not appreciate her true cultural heritage and she is intentionally rebelling against their background and family. “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (Walker 79). Dee’s negative perspective on her heritage affects the way she views and interacts with others, by creating this tension with Mama. She views anyone who is not educated as primitive and she feels superior over then and feels oppressed by the limited conditions of her childhood. Mama tries to explain the deep family and cultural meaning of the name Dee; how it has been in the family beyond the civil war, but Dee refuses to accept her true cultural heritage which causes her to be condescending and oblivious to the arguments and desires of her family. Along with the cultural importance of names, Walker incorporates the symbolic element of quilts to develop the theme of culture and heritage. “But they’re priceless!” she was saying now, furiously; for she had the temper. “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be in

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In the poem The Century Quilt, by Marilyn Nelson Waniek, the speaker expresses the deeper meaning by presenting a story about a quilt that has been passed down through the family. She continues to look back and express her family history though the memories as well as the passing on of the quilt to future generations. The quilt contains multiple meanings such as, her heritage and identity and even the diversity within family. As an author, she knows that to get this message across, it requires more than a simple story or memory, but also provide detailed imagery in which the reader will gain an insight to how meaningful and impactful this quilt is. The intensity in which the speaker describes this undertaking and the appreciation she feels

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These differences cause tension to wear on family relationships, ultimately causing Dee to leave in anger. Walker uses characterization, contrast, and imagery to portray Dee and Mama’s relationship, and that mother-daughter relations are not always as the parties wish them to be. Mama and Dee are characterized by their appearances, thoughts, and actions. Mama describes herself as stout, broad boned, and man-handed. Mama is described as somewhat inferior to her daughter, whose “humor…erupted like bubbles

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In many places, respect for the heritage of all people is extremely important. Some say that one's own heritage is essential to understand where one is from and who one is from. In many cases, material objects are a gateway to ignite this sense of enlightenment. In the poem "My Mother Pieced Quilts" by Teresa Acosta and the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, both authors use imagery and figurative language to establish a quilt as a symbol providing an example to ignite respect for one's own heritage and to encourage one to develop their own traditions.

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“Dee” does not share in the recognition and reverence of their culture even though her mother does. She describes this type of culture as a fragile heritage and she points out the aspect of clothing and design as a reason. She considers the dress code by her grandfather and mother an outdated mode of living. Dee wants to go by the current standards of life and she cannot have a second thought about this. Being an African American she comes out strongly to condemn the oppression that the blacks underwent in the hands of the whites.

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Everyday Use By Alice Walker Summary

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The family leads a hard working, simple and minimalistic life that allows them just enough to get by. Mama is described as a “large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands” (Walker 418). Her day to day life doesn’t allow for the high standards of her eldest daughter Dee. Dee is described by Mama as being unappreciative and bratty. Mama makes is clear that the family’s socioeconomic status would never be good enough for the eldest daughter.

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How does a person value heritage and what type of impact does it hold on a family with a substantial history? Taking a glimpse beneath the surface of family relationships and views on traditional heritage, author Alice Walker showcases a true grasp on letting readers see into the compassionate lives of three strong female leads. With her short story “Everyday Use” each character relatable and described in such detail, the reader can truly sympathize and understand the impact heritage brings to a family. Walker’s compelling short story “Everyday Use” explores how complicated family dynamics can impact the attitude towards heritage through the three female leads. Family can occupy strong roots dating back generations with steadfast traditions that appreciate true meaning and personal endearment to family members.

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The Symbolism Of The Quilt In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

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Importantly, the quilts which Mama promised Maggie on her marriage were highly symbolic, representing the Mama's heritage of the past. The quilt was very significant thing in a way that it represented history; it included clothes that Dee's great grandma was wearing and pieces of grandpa uniforms that he used to wear during the civil war times. The guilt also signifies the experiences of Negro American civil war; as Walker indicated the importance of civil war legacies in her story. The quilt also complements to the idea of creative activities, which women created during generational lineages.

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Finally, the most obvious and the most important element of fiction is symbolism, that Walker has used, and it is all about “Quilts”. These quilts not represent as an everyday use object but also symbolize their heritage and their family tradition. The quilts also portray the background of African-American culture throughout the tale and Walker’s use of quilts throughout the story also assists the readers to understand the difference in each character’s view about their heritage. The use of several sorts of patterns in the quilts symbolizes the history of Mama's family and the creativity they had. Mama wanted to give those quilts to Maggie after her marriage so that they had so much importance in them and so that she can utilize those quilts

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This new outlook on her life caused Dee to place different values on the items with which she had grown up. She wanted to take the items as things to put on display like art hanging on a wall. Dee even wanted the cherished quilts to “hang them” (Walker, 1973) instead of using them as blankets. As she saw it, to use the quilts for their original purpose would destroy them, or as she said, “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they 'd be in rags” (Walker, 1973).

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Essay On Everyday Use By Alice Walker

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In the story, “Everyday Use,” the oldest sister Dee redefines her views of her family’s heritage. Dee leaves her rural home to receive an education in the city, but when returning back home she has changed completely. Specifically, Dee changes her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo which creates difficulties for her mother. In the story Dee explains, “Couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me" (Walker 318). She views her past name as a reminder that African Americans are not given original names.

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Alice Walker wrote what Mama said about Dee or Wangero, “Dee wanted nice things.” Mama describes Dee as a lavish person who is only interested in herself and her fulfilling’s. Dee had changed her name to show that she is not accepting that a “white person” named her ancestors in way, so it can be passed down. Walker describes Mama as someone who is satisfied with what they have. “I will wait for her in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean and wavy yesterday afternoon,” Walker demonstrates how Mama is pleased with nature where her life takes place in.

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Dee tells her mother “I couldn't have it any longer, been named after the people who oppress me. You know as well as me you was named after your aunt dicie.” displaying Dee’s unwillingness to be associated with her family and past. Not being able to accept these two circumstances reveals her betrayal towards her own heritage.

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Having done so, she goes on to highlight the ‘womanist’ culture. Afro-American tradition, for Mama, is symbolized by churn. It is a tradition of bonding, of mutual nurturance. Similarly, the symbol of quilt for Mama is not just a utilitarian item but a living tradition. Alice Walker, in fact, uses the imagery of the quilt to suggest what womanism is all about.

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