The poem, “The Century Quilt”, by Sarah Mary Taylor demonstrates the meaning of The Century Quilt through the use of tone, imagery and symbolism. This complex quilt has a way of bringing family together through means of remembrance, as the quilt will be passed on and on. Symbolism in this poem is most prominent in the title itself. “The Century Quilt” makes its implication of being passed on by the word, century. A century is a long period of time and within that time period the quilt will have been passed down through means of connecting with family.
Furthermore, Sarnowski acknowledges mother’s disappointment as Maggie gives up the quilts, pointing out that they represent memories of family members. The author believes that displaying these quilts will disintegrate the sense of family history they carry. Consequently,
In Marilyn Nelson Waniek's "The Century Quilt" there is a diverse and loving home, and a sure symbol of generations of a family and childhood within the blanket. Through warm imagery and reminiscent tone, the measure of this quilt to Waniek's life is illustrated as a profound connection and admiration of her family and a nostalgic escape. The color illuminated imagery draws a relationship between family and love through the quilt. "
‘Then whose blanket is that?’ ‘Blanket?’ ‘Yes ma’am,blanket. It isn't ours.’ I looked down and found myself clutching a brown woolen blanket I was wearing around my shoulders.
The leaves on the quilt likely represent the leaves, or the people, of a family tree. The quilt itself is like the tree and the stitching and mashing together of the sections of the quilt are like the trunk and branches, connecting the family together. The love and respect with which she treats the quilt as well as the immortality she assigns to it (“The Century Quilt” and “each square holds a sweet gum leaf”) show the importance the speaker places on family. With this, the speaker is implying that family is forever, and your familial identity is just as, if not more, important than any other label the world assigns to you.
By doing so the author is further developing the significance. The narrator recalls multiple key memories that contribute to the significance of the blanket, as well as including her meema’s perspective and how she felt towards the quilt as well. The main character reflects on when she first found the quilt “how we used to wrap ourselves and play in its folds and become chieftains and princess” The quilt becomes far more than a blanket to her. It is the representation of her childhood. It is key to unlocking all her memories from long ago and also being a memory of meema.
“Brrrring!” rang the alarm. I woke up, turned the alarm off, and buried myself under the covers. They were as soft as a kitten’s fur, and as warm as the air from a heater. After a long hug from my blanket, I finally got hot and went to use the bathroom.
Other than that, I’m glad that I had a special stuffed animal that got me through my childhood and made my days
It reminds me of the great memories I had with her, the way she was able to make me laugh, and how she was there for me, even though she lived in California, it always felt like she was always there right by my side. This is an item that I will always carry with
My mother gave me this blanket for christmas. It is gray with fake fur and a nice soft side. I take this blanket with me to hotels, family occasions, vacations, and normally just to bed. Although I am an adult, and don’t need my blanket to fall asleep. I do like to have my blanket so it gives me warmth and comfort at night.
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).
A sentimental item can allow one to tie their memories to it once a moment comes to an end, letting them continuously cherish that memory. The item can range from anything a person wants, depending on them and their experiences; such as, the quilts in the short story "Everyday Use" and the poem " My Mother Pieced my Quilts". Both Teresa Acosta and Alice Walker use imagery and figurative language to establish the quilt as the love and respect for both of their family's heritage.
‘Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!’ She said. ‘She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.’ … ‘But, they're priceless!’ ” (172).
As she looks at her quilts, Mama remembers that a certain patch came from her grandfather's paisley shirts, that some pieces came from dresses that Grandma Dee wore 50 years earlier, and even that there was a very small piece of her great-grandfather's Civil War uniform. From this, we can all see how and why they mean so much to her. To Dee, the quilts are a quaint "primitive" art. To Mama and Maggie, they represent more than that. They are family memories, very personal and very special mementos of loved ones who are gone.
I jump out of bed, slide on a pair of leggings, and find a comfy sweatshirt. I grab my necklace off the nightstand and put it around my neck. I feel the coldness of the metal on my skin. My dad gave it to me 2 years ago when
