· Essay, Pages 6 ( words) Views. In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, she introduces a rural black family who struggle with the meaning of heritage. To Mama, the narrator, and Maggie, the youngest daughter, heritage is whom they are, where they come from, and the everyday use of the things around blogger.comted Reading Time: 6 mins · “Everyday Use”, a short story written by Alice Walker, is told in the perspective of Mama. Mama is described as “a big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands”. The story begins with Mama waiting on her oldest daughter Dee to arrive home. It is learned that Mama and the church raised enough money to send Dee to school in Augusta · “Everyday use” by Alice Walker is a fictional story analyzed years over, in academic and professional circles from an initial collection of In live and trouble (Donnelly ). The story is narrated from a first person point of view (by a single mother, Mrs. Johnson) and dwells on the perception of two sisters regarding cultural artifacts (Wangero)
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker Free Essay Example
The story is narrated from a first person point of view by a single mother, Mrs. Johnson and dwells on the perception of two sisters regarding cultural artifacts Wangero. Maggie has a shy personality but Dee is a representation of a pretentious native African identity.
The quilt is especially mentioned as a representation of culture and heritage, especially when Dee wants to hang the quilts: she has essentially removed the artifacts from their everyday contextual meaning and creates some form of symbolic representation of the quilts, everyday use by alice walker essay.
This study therefore identifies there points; in that, Walker seeks to convey the principle that art is a living and breathing part of its origin, a significant cultural possession, and a critique of the postmodern treatment of cultural art.
The story asserts that art should be valued in the context of its cultural and heritage origin. The quilt is strategically used in the story as a representation of cultural art and its existence has a rich cultural significance.
The quilt is later depicted as inseparable from its culture because the historical trace of the quilt essentially represents the history of the Johnson family. The gist of this symbolism is that, not only is the quilt a representation of the Johnson culture but also an inseparable element from the culture itself. How Mrs. Johnson treats the quilts shows that cultural artifacts should be treated as a significant cultural possession.
Dee on the other hand views the quilts as financially and aesthetically valuable. When Dee realizes her mother intended to give them to Maggie; she exclaims that they were priceless.
Dee further adds that Maggie has the capability of wearing them everyday, something that she did not think was right for the quilts; implying that she viewed the quilts as an object instead of an item that should be used on a daily basis. Maggie therefore implies that she perceives the quilt from its deep family connection. The author however does not leave us a in a huge dilemma of which perception is right because Mrs.
Johnson snatches the quilts from Dee and gives them to Maggie thereby depicting the contemporary view of art as the right perception. Basically art in its right form should be kept alive through generations on end in everyday use. Walker therefore shows that the true significance and meaning of art that can only be traced back to the culture or the root it came from, everyday use by alice walker essay. This is contrary to postmodern use of ancient artifacts as an object to be observed, by future generations, as Dee tries to express.
Walker therefore shows that cultural artifacts should be used as a significant cultural possession, and be kept alive through generations. In summary, the author says that cultural artifacts with a special reference to the quilt should be put into everyday use. Donnelly, Mary. Alice Walker: The Color Purple and Other Works. New York: Marshall Cavendish, Need a custom Essay sample written from scratch by professional specifically for you? certified writers online. Select a citation style:.
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Everyday Use by Alice Walker.
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· Everyday Use by Alice Walker is a story about the concept of heritage and different perspectives individuals may have about it. In particular, Everyday Use revolves around the dynamics of one family whose members experience a powerful cultural gap that sets the elder daughter, Dee, apart from her mother and sister Maggie In the short story “Everyday Use” written by Alice walker, she showed the conflicts and struggle throughout the African- American culture. “Everyday Use” addresses the dilemma with African Americans, trying to escape prejudice and poverty. The short story “Everyday Use” focuses on the encounter. Read More · “Everyday use” by Alice Walker is a fictional story analyzed years over, in academic and professional circles from an initial collection of In live and trouble (Donnelly ). The story is narrated from a first person point of view (by a single mother, Mrs. Johnson) and dwells on the perception of two sisters regarding cultural artifacts (Wangero)
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