Family values mean a lot to families and often have objects passed down from generation to generation leaving behind the initial meaning of the object. My mother pieced quilts by Teresa Palomo Acosta tells of a woman revisiting memories of her mother making her quilts whilst the short story everyday use tells of a poor African American family with a daughter who rejects her original heritage. Both pieces express the importance of family and its heritage, Teresa showing how she cherishes the quilts due to its meaning and the memories it holds and in everyday use it shows the families long traditional ways and their value to its members by showing how they refuse to give in to the opposing forces Dee in this case, to protect what they see precious. …show more content…
Alice showcases the amount of Dee’s insolence when Dee returns a completely different person, impesizing this on pages 61 and 62 when Dee introduces herself as “Wangero leewanika Kemanjo” stating that “Dee is dead, I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after those who oppress me” these lines express just how rude and ignorant dee is when it comes to her family. She uses “oppress “as if her mother has ruled over her unfairly with strict authority even though this is not the case. The mother obviously cares a great deal about Dee and respects her daughter’s choices, even paying for her school and other things despite their financial difficulties. This story wills the reader to understand to respect family heritage, using the scene in which the mother Denys Dee the Quilts, the quilts she would not use or
Aniela Giarmo Ms. Rafferty “The Century Quilt” by Marilyn Waniek is a look at the importance of family from the perspective of the speaker. The quilt shows the speaker’s pride in her mixed heritage and the strong love that her family shares for their family tree. Time changes throughout the poem, and through symbolism, imagery, and tone, Waniek reveals to the audience how important it is to value family history. The speaker’s use of diction creates a nostalgic, reminiscent tone.
Throughout “The century quilt” by Marilyn Nelson, she exaggerates her use of literary devices to provide a story of a family heirloom. The poem is based on a mixed family consisting on Native Americans and Americans that passed down a quilt to the oldest grandchild. Nelson includes theme, symbolism and literary devices to rely this powerful story. Majority of the time, every family has some type of heirloom that is passed down. In this poem, the heirloom is a guilt passed down to the oldest grandchild from their grandmother.
In some families, it is a tradition to pass along items from generation to generation, ranging anywhere from a piece of jewelry, to, like in Marilyn Nelson’s poem, “The Century Quilt,” a blanket. Because the blanket is not passed along to her, the speaker decides to make her own quilt. In “The Century Quilt,” Marilyn Nelson uses imagery, symbolism, and theme to signify the importance of the quilt in the speaker’s life. Imagery was heavily used in the poem to present to the readers a description of the quilt and how it related to the speaker’s life. In lines 15-17, (Six Van Dyke brown squares…the yellowbrown of Mama’s cheeks,” the speaker provides us with a vivid description of the squares of the quilt she has made.
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.
According to Erik Erikson, an identity crisis is, "to find a balance between developing a unique, individual identity while still being accepted and 'fitting in '" (Oswalt). In the short story "Everyday Use" a character, named Dee, is having an identity crisis. This is shown throughout the story in many ways in the way she acts, the way she talks, and the way she presents her attitude. The character Dee is experiencing an identity crisis and it obvious for three reasons, she is changing her life style, when confronted about the new changes she was anger, and she wants everyone to accept this new person, Wangero.
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.
Dee is also really selfish which makes her have tension between her family since she only cares about herself. Throughout the story, there were a lot of conflicts between Dee and her family which shows with the quilt incident, butter churn controversy and lastly different views on heritage. One of the main conflicts in Everyday Use is the quilt incident. The conflict started when Wangero (Dee) came out with two quilts that had been pieced by Grandma Dee and big Dee.
This shows how the indirect evil acts from her mother, the creation of the imbalance, has affected someone who has done no wrong so poorly. However, the reader starts to understand the side of good in this story as well. Throughout the story, it is evident that Mama is going to give the quilts to Dee. One could only assume that she would, she has given everything that had any value you to the family to her despite the absence of her
The quilts had a very special meaning to Mama and Maggie, that Dee did not understand;she viewed the quilts as a priceless piece of history. They were indeed pieces of history because they were made up of fragments of history, such as scraps of dresses, shirts, and uniforms of past family members, that made up the family’s culture, heritage, and value. Dee viewed these pieces of history as art; however, that was not the real case because the quilts were made up of everyday use
“My Mother Pieced Quilts” Theme Analysis In “My Mother Pieced Quilts”, Teresa Paloma Acosta presents the idea that family can provide comfort and safety through times of hardship. To begin with, Acosta mentions that her mother’s quilts were used “As weapons / Against pounding january winds” (3-4). This quote is a very explicit demonstration of how the quilts kept protected them from seasonal weather conditions. It also exaggerates the quilt, calling it a weapon which one can infer means that the quilts were vital to their lives.
In attempts to reconnect with her African roots, Dee has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Dee has also taken an interest in embracing her African heritage and has dressed in traditional African clothes to visit her mother. Her mother knows that Dee’s intentions are not genuine. Worrying more about taking pictures of her mother and collecting items that represent the African culture to take back home, Dee neglects to spend time with her family. Her mother notices that Dee, “Lines up picture after picture of me sitting there in front of the house with Maggie cowering behind me.
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.
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” illustrates Dee’s struggle for identity by placing her quest for a new identity against her family’s desire for maintaining culture and heritage. In the beginning, the narrator, who is the mother of Dee, mentions some details about Dee; how she “...wanted nice things… She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts… At sixteen, she had a style of her own: and (she) knew what style was.” Providing evidence to the thesis, she was obviously trying exceptionally hard to find for herself a sense of identity. She wanted items her family couldn’t afford, so she worked hard to gain these, and she found a sense of identity from them, but it also pushed her farther away from her family.
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.
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.