Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is about a mother and her youngest daughter waiting for the oldest daughter to return home for a visit after she had left for college. In this scene Mama tells us about how weak Maggie, the youngest daughter, comes off. Using new criticism I will be analysing six words from one of the sentences from the scene. Everyday Use reveals how cowardice can prevent one from excelling in personal growth. Maggie has her chin on her chest. Chins generally relate to attractiveness. Someone who has confidence keeps their chin level to the floor, but it this case, Maggie has it pointed down and covering her throat. Throats help us communicate with others, and by Maggie being-unconfident and keeping her chin and head dropped, …show more content…
The lungs being filled with air will help the voice become louder if chosen to be, and the heart is the center of emotion, rather than the brain. Maggie keeps her chin on her chest. Her seeing herself as unworthy Maggie keeps her chin weighing down her chest. She weighs down her emotions and the power of voice. She is too scared or threatened to speak up- a clear sign of cowardice. The ground is a place where organisms grow and die. These organisms represent Maggie’s growing dreams for her to achieve. It can also be a place where one can stomp on their own dreams. The ground can relate back to cowardice by representing the dreams that are growing for Maggie, but how she is too hesitant to go for them. Eyes symbolize many different things. They can symbolize someone’s perspective and how clearly one can see their future. Throughout the story the reader will generally learn that Maggie does not have very good sight. She can not read very well, which shows her lack of intelligence. The fact that Maggie’s eyes are facing the ground shows that her vision is not clear on her future. Her disability prevents her from growing as a person because she thinks that since her vision is not exactly clear, is it unreachable. She is not brave enough to push forward, showing