Essay on everyday use

Essay on everyday use

Essay On Everyday Use By Alice Walker. Words4 Pages. Defining Heritage In the short story, “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker defines and explores the concept of heritage in the African- American culture. The story was first published in nineteen seventy three as part of the short story collection, In Love and Trouble Jul 01,  · Updated: Jul 1st, In the short story Everyday Use, Alice Walker talks about the conflict that exists between Mama and Dee. This observation is shared by many. All the literary critic and commentator will agree that there is conflict between the mother and her eldest daughter. All of them will also agree that Mama chose to stand beside Maggie and supported her while she turned her back on everyday use Essay. Words3 Pages. Through contrasting the family members and views in “Everyday Use”, Alice Walker illustrates the importance of understanding African American traditions of their own culture. Using careful descriptions and attitudes, Walker demonstrates which factors contribute to the values of one’s heritage and culture; she illustrates that these are represented not by the

everyday use Essay - Words | Bartleby

In the short story Everyday UseAlice Walker talks about the conflict that exists between Mama and Essay on everyday use. This observation is shared by many, essay on everyday use. All the literary critic and commentator will agree that there is conflict between the mother and her eldest daughter. All of them will also agree that Mama chose to stand beside Maggie and supported essay on everyday use while she turned her back on Dee. However, there is no universal agreement when it comes to who is right and who is wrong.

There are those who said that Mama recognized the superficiality of Dee while she favored the moral strength of Maggie, essay on everyday use. The reader must not take sides and instead find a way to reconcile the opposing worldviews of Mama and Dee. Nancy Tuten echoes the sentiment of most readers and most commentators who said that Dee was a bad example of how a girl should behave. She said it with affection and pride:. A yard like this is more comfortable than most people know.

It is not just a yard. It is like an extended living room. When the hard clay is swept clean as a floor and the fine sand around the edges lined with tiny, irregular grooves, anyone can come and sit and look up into the elm tree and wait for the breezes that never come inside the house Walker,p. The simple life is favored over the sophisticated life essay on everyday use the urban dwellers.

Based on the world view of Tuten someone has to preserve the best of yesteryears, when the world was all about the beauty of family and enjoying the slow-paced lifestyle. A world populated by people who are not pressured to buy the latest gadgets and be updated with the latest trend. Tuten condemned her using a strong word and she said that is superficial. In other words she implied that Dee is all about the outward appearance and yet unable to fathom and appreciate what is deep and real. It is being overly romantic to keep on wishing that the old days will not pass away, essay on everyday use.

Sooner or essay on everyday use change will overtake every country and every community. The well swept hard clay may be nice during summer but what will happen when there is heavy rain? Is it possible that Mama and Maggie will not be able to come out of the house because the place is all muddied and they can even walk to buy their food?

On essay on everyday use other extreme Susan Farrell disagrees with the worldview of Mama and Maggie and instead favored the forward-thinking attitude of Dee. However, Farrell went to the extreme. It is difficult to understand why she turned a blind eye to the faults of Dee. One has to question who had the correct worldview. It has to be said that perhaps Dee was not materialistic but simply wanted to improve her life. She simply wanted progress over backwardness and chose improvement over stagnation.

However, Farrell just like Tuten went to the extreme in their praise and condemnation of the main characters. Both Mama and Dee needed to see the big picture. Mama cannot keep on postponing her date with the present reality. It is time for her kids to experience what it feels like to be educated.

There is nothing wrong with the fact that Dee decided to go to school and desire for a better life. It is wrong for her in not encouraging Maggie to reach for the stars.

On the other hand Dee must learn to value family and traditions. She must value it the way Mama and Maggie values their family history and heritage. It seems that Dee can only manage to appreciate what they have on an intellectual level while Mama and Maggie were able to embrace what they went through and their past history from an emotional and spiritual level. It can essay on everyday use argued that Alice Walker is suggesting that the qualities of Mama and Dee must be fused, essay on everyday use.

This is perhaps the reason why she inserted Maggie in the story. But at the same time Maggie is sensitive enough to honor and respect her mother and their traditions. The only thing that Maggie needed to do is to get out of her shell and not use her injuries as an excuse to grow and mature as a person. It is not correct to take sides to choose between Mama and Dee, essay on everyday use.

Both of them are correct and both of them are wrong when it comes to specific areas of their lives and their worldview. Mama essay on everyday use force her daughters to be like her — uneducated and living in a mud hut. On the other hand it is wrong for Dee to reduce everything into an intellectual treatise. She knew the value of the quilts from a historical and analytical perspective but she is unable to show her mother and sister how much she respects the spiritual and emotional value of those quilts.

Both mother and daughters must learn to live in the modern world without forgetting where they came from. Tuten, Nancy.

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Everyday Use analysis

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"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker - Words | Essay Example

Essay On Everyday Use By Alice Walker. Words4 Pages. Defining Heritage In the short story, “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker defines and explores the concept of heritage in the African- American culture. The story was first published in nineteen seventy three as part of the short story collection, In Love and Trouble everyday use Essay. Words3 Pages. Through contrasting the family members and views in “Everyday Use”, Alice Walker illustrates the importance of understanding African American traditions of their own culture. Using careful descriptions and attitudes, Walker demonstrates which factors contribute to the values of one’s heritage and culture; she illustrates that these are represented not by the Everyday Use is a masterpiece novel written by African American writer Alice Walker, being published in The highlighted perspective of the social conflicts in marginalized members of the society, like females and colored people, has earned the novel great popularity for both readers and