The Importance Of Family In Everyday Use By Alice Walker
Family, a word that is generally used to describe people who are related to one another or is used to refer to close friends, is not what Maggie and Dee (Wangero) would call each other. To be family, you must care about each other, and in the story, Everyday Use, written by Alice Walker, there is no such connection between the two sisters.
Walker sets the mood of the story by placing us in a home lived in by Maggie and her mother as they wait on the porch for Maggie’s sister Dee to arrive. Maggie is tense, standing there with the scars all over her body that were caused by the house fire just about ten years ago. Uncomfortable in her own skin, Maggie and her body language tell a great deal about her personality, she likes familiar things.
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Hakim doesn’t immediately pick up on Maggie’s behavior and continues trying to make unwelcome advances. Maggie’s personality is one of apprehension and suspicion toward anyone but her mother.
The mood stays the same as Dee, Mama, Maggie and Hakim-a-barber sit down together to talk and Dee announces to the family that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo with the reasoning that she refuses to have the name of the people who oppressed her. Mama doesn’t know how to react and is slightly puzzled because her daughter is throwing away her family name.
When Dee (Wangero) began taking things that belonged to her mother in order to decorate her new house, the mood changed quickly from bewilderment to acrimony when Dee finally went too far. The sole purpose for Dee’s visit was to procure specific items belonging to her mother. Mom was initially perplexed as to why Dee would want the churn top and dasher and quickly incensed over Dee’s insistence that she was the only one capable of properly caring for the quilts. Wangero is astounded that her mother is going to give Maggie the blankets to be used for everyday use, believes that the quilts need to be preserved, and tells her mother that she doesn’t understand her own culture. Mama becomes enraged that her daughter is so condescending and self-centered. With authority, Mama takes the quilts out of Wangero’s hands and sets them in Maggie’s lap, giving them to their rightful
Mama In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'
1400 Words | 6 PagesOnce Mama realizes that Maggie had always stuck by her side she, “Hugged Maggie to [herself] , then dragged [Maggie] on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap” (Walker 616). Mama was acting on her epiphany, she knew that Maggie should be cared for and protected from her sister because she was loyal to her mother, it was the least she could do. She begins to realize that she was holding onto a daughter that did not embrace her family and so she let her go and embraced the daughter who was there for her all along. Mama’s change can also be demonstrated when she notices, “Maggie [smile]… a real smile, not scared… the two of [them] sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house” (Walker 616).
Compare And Contrast Sula And Everyday Use
587 Words | 3 PagesEveryday Use and Sula are coming of age stories. They both illustrate times in people’s lives when they have to decide to how they are going to live with their past and themselves. The short story "Everyday Use", Alice Walker emphasizes the aspect of individuality. The story focuses on the lives of two sisters, Maggie and Dee.
A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Everyday Use' By Alice Walker
1052 Words | 5 PagesSpeaker: Alice Walker writes in a first person point of view. The speaker is a single mother who “never had an education” (Walker 49). She is a minority, and accepts the lower status: “Who can even imagine me looking a strange white man in in the eye?” (48). The mother refuses to challenge the people society deem as better than her.
Examples Of Maggie Can T Appreciate The Quilts
436 Words | 2 PagesAfter Wangero asks for the quilts for the first time, Mama shares that she promised to give them to Maggie at her wedding. Upset by this response, Wangero quickly attempts to convince her mother that Maggie isn't worthy of having the quilts. In paragraph 12, Wangero claims “maggie can't appreciate the quilts” and “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” She was trying to appeal to her mother's love and attachment to the quilts. She wanted to explain to her mother that if she gave maggie the quilts, they would get ruined so instead she should let Wangero have them so they could be preserved.
Everyday Use Literary Analysis Essay
634 Words | 3 Pages(Pg.57, lines 210-211) It is considered one of the main conflicts because of how valuable the quilts are to Maggie and
Characterization In Everyday Use
610 Words | 3 Pages(Nancy Tuten) agrees by saying, "Mama's distaste for Dee's egotism is tempered by her desire to be respected by her daughter.” The Mom’s character changes during the quilt scene, as she realizes that Maggie shares the appreciation of culture and heritage, and Dee's appreciation is entirely different from theirs. During the quilt scene, Dee is demanding Mom to give her the quilts, and Mom says, "when I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet.” In other words the daughter who she has always thought so highly of knew little of their culture and had little appreciation for their heritage. Walker creates the “mom” character to help defend her point, which is the importance of upholding the values and traditions in the African American
Character Analysis Of Dee Kemanjo In Everyday Use By Alice Walker
664 Words | 3 PagesDee hated... “Being named after the people who oppress me” (318). Dee even changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo being who she wanted to be. She could be very ignorant when it came to things about herself and what she wanted. She does not comprehend that her sister does not have much and truly will require the coverlets. Wangero is unmindful all around; she comes off to her family as though she is superior to anything.
Symbolism In 'Everyday Use' By Alice Walker
1561 Words | 7 PagesThese quilts are a ways of honoring her African American heritage and to be given these was very significant in their culture. For once Dee sees the historical background because of the stitching and material used, but doesn’t find any use in using them. Dee is going to try and convince her mom to let her keep the quilts, when Dee says, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” (Walker 721) and “You just will not understand. The point these quilts, these quilts!”
A Comparison Of Maggie And Dee In Everyday Use By Alice Walker
1026 Words | 5 PagesThroughout the story Mama describes both of the girls and how she feels about their differences, even though they are sisters and grew up in the same house. Maggie and Dee are different in their
Dee's Identity In Everyday Use By Alice Walker
721 Words | 3 PagesShe didn’t like her sister Maggie she also doesn’t like her mom allot and she didn’t like their house. From the main changes Dee made was changing her name. “No mama, she says not Dee, wangero Leewanik kemanjo “(Walker, 318, 25). She also brought her friend with her his name is Hakim-a-barber.
Identity In A Lesson Before Dying
1276 Words | 6 PagesIn 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.
Symbols In Everyday Use By Alice Walker
1338 Words | 6 Pages“Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She said. “she’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” (walker). This shows that dee really wants the quilts but not for the reason her mother wants.
Dee Vs. Maggie In Everyday Use By Alice Walker
457 Words | 2 PagesIn the short story, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, their are two distinct characters who are very different from each other. These characters have many different motivations, personalities, and points of views with respect to preserving their heritage. The narrator, Mama, looks at them both with different views. Dee and Maggie are two completely different people. Dee has different motivations than Maggie.
Everyday Use Heritage Analysis
636 Words | 3 PagesMama wanted nothing but the best for her; she did everything in her power to get her to college because she wanted her to have a better life than she did. However, Dee used her education against Mama and Maggie in efforts to present her culture in a “better” way. Changing her name to Wangero because her birth name “Dee”, as she informed them “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people oppress me” (Walker 27). In contrast, Mama and Maggie never changed the way they dressed “African descent” or change their names to portray their true
The Meaning Of Heritage In Everyday Use By Alice Walker
1357 Words | 6 PagesSo there are two different meaning of heritage because The two sister has a very different attitude toward their heritage. However, the truer one is Maggie’s concept of heritage because it means for her more than a shown popular fashion “things“ it means to love and connection to memories and people. “ Heritage is defined as something that is or can be inherited; such as in culture, tradition, or it can be something of importance” (dictionary.com). In Alice Walker 's short story, "Everyday Use", Dee has recently discovered her heritage, so she returns home with the goal of getting some of her mother’s possessions to put it to her new apartment in the college including the “quilt”. Dee wants to take the quilt that her mother has promised to her sister Maggie.
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