History History shapes and molds us by teaching lessons that later we are either rewarded or punished depending on the outcome of these lessons. Through those punishments and rewards, we learn what is wrong, what is right, what is expected of us, and what most likely going to happen in different situations. These things that are learned become different forms of history such as personal, family, cultural, etc. Each of these has a different significance to each person based on his or her own experiences. To me familial history is the most important type of history. This is because my family taught me what I know now and I use many examples from my familial history to base my decisions. Throughout Alice Walker’s essay, “Every Use,” there are not only several examples of familial history but there are also several examples of cultural and personal history. However, familial history is the most prominent. Through Walker’s revelation of the familial history of the Walkers, she includes example of familial histories that are similar to my own. The similarity between the patterns displayed in the Walker household and my own household has lead me to ask the question, when it comes to family is history doomed to repeat itself? When I was born, I was not alone and have never been alone since. This is because I was born with a twin, Casandra. The result of me being a twin, always having someone around me, and sharing everything family history has become the most important type of history to me. For me this meant that when I wanted a toy I had to share it with my sister, when I wanted to go to an amusement park my sister had to also want to go to, and when I wanted to go to Wendy’s Casandra had to want to go to. However, as I became ol... ... middle of paper ... ... can concluded this continues cycle, of the younger sister complying and the older sister receiving what she wants. In conclusion, familial history is most important for me. Through that history, I, like Maggie, have recognized patterns of compliance with my sister and the only way to stop this cycle is for someone to intervene and let the person who usually complies win. Although, this win might seem like a small victory to most it is not at all small. This win signifies that someday the cycle will stop and the jealousy associated with the cycle will end. That is until the cycle inevitably starts again because no matter what one does history will always repeat itself. Works Cited Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” Literacies: Reading, Writing, Interpretation. Ed. Terance Brunk. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & company. (2000). Web Nov 06. 697-705 Print.
Family defines people making them who they are. A person's family heritage, how their parents met and married, their parents’ occupations, their siblings, and their early lives play an important role in who they are and who they become. Every family is different and has different characteristics and members, but those differences are what make every family unique. Those differences combined with my family members’ experiences and the stories they have chosen to share are what makes this story exclusive to my family.
Throughout the story, it has been Sister who has tried to persuade the reader to take her side in the debacle with her family. The truth is that it was Sister who caused the entire dispute that is going on with her obsession to compete with her sister that goes back to her childhood where she feels that Stella-Rondo is spoiled and continues to be spoiled up to the end following Sister’s desperate need for attention.
... scenario of her sister coming to the post office and begging, and at the end of this unrealistic scenario, she clearly declares that she will not have anything to do with her sister. By doing this, she rules out reconciling with her sister and gives up on ever having a relationship with her sister. It seems that, now, Sister is bitter. Most importantly, when Sister says, “But here I am, and here I’ll stay” (49), Welty shows the severe need for all families to work at being a healthy functional family by ending the short story with Sister being alone and bitter at the post office. Human beings need other human beings for survival; without this, we perish.
Symbolism in Alice Walker's Everyday Use. History in the Making Heritage is something that comes to or belongs to one by reason of birth. This may be the way it is defined in the dictionary, but everyone has their own beliefs and ideas about what shapes their heritage. In the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, these different views are very evident by the way Dee (Wangero) and Mrs. Johnson (Mama) see the world and the discrepancy of who will inherit the family’s quilts.
Most families have some piece of jewelry, furniture, or other symbolic collectible that is passed through many generations. These things often remind a person of a beloved grandparent or great-grandparent and are seen as priceless. In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," the family heirloom, a couple of hand sewn quilts, represents the family members' emotions concerning their heritage.
Web. 01 May 2014. 11. Burke, Kenneth. "Literature as Equipment for Living."
Chang, Lan Samantha. "Hangzhou 1925." Ploughshares 30.1 (2004): 100-106. Academic Search Complete. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
Alice Walker's Literature “Writing saved me from the sin and inconvenience of violence” -Alice Walker (Lewis n.pag) Walker is considered to be an African American novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist, and activist. Most of her literature is mostly from her personal experiences and is moral to a number of African Americans all over the world. Walker defines herself as a “womanist” which means “the prophetic voice concerned about the well-being of the entire African American community, male and female, adults and children.
Their conclusion is that family dynamics have a key role in creating the context where sibling
Sister’s frustration with Stella-Rondo obstructs their relationship, and even though Sister thinks she wants freedom from her family, her self-consciousness will keep her from achieving it. Sister acts hastily about the matter of moving out in order to gain independence. Independence comes from experience, not a split decisions made in a hurry. This quote by Steve Schmidt explains what Sister has quickly found out over the past five days, “the price for independence is often isolation and solitude."
Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," is a story about a poor, African-American family and a conflict about the word "heritage." In this short story, the word "heritage" has two meanings. One meaning for the word "heritage" represents family items, thoughts, and traditions passed down through the years. The other meaning for the word "heritage" represents the African-American culture.
Schakel, Peter J., and Jack Ridl. "Everyday Use." Approaching Literature: Writing Reading Thinking. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 109-15. Print.
Author Alice Walker, displays the importance of personal identity and the significance of one’s heritage. These subjects are being addressed through the characterization of each character. In the story “Everyday Use”, the mother shows how their daughters are in completely two different worlds. One of her daughter, Maggie, is shy and jealous of her sister Dee and thought her sister had it easy with her life. She is the type that would stay around with her mother and be excluded from the outside world. Dee on the other hand, grew to be more outgoing and exposed to the real, modern world. The story shows how the two girls from different views of life co-exist and have a relationship with each other in the family. Maggie had always felt that Mama, her mother, showed more love and care to Dee over her. It is until the end of the story where we find out Mama cares more about Maggie through the quilt her mother gave to her. Showing that even though Dee is successful and have a more modern life, Maggie herself is just as successful in her own way through her love for her traditions and old w...
Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Sixth edition. Eds. X.J. Dennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.
The definition of sociology is the study of society. Social criticism is the practice of analyzing a literary work by examining the cultural, political and economical context in which it was written or received. Alice Walker’s work demonstrates this type criticism very well; from The Color Purple to Everyday Use, or any of her earlier short stories. The majority of her work reveals the struggle of African Americans in society, especially women. Furthermore, her stories mirror a lot of the social characteristic that were taking place in America, from the 1940’s on; thus, making Alice Walker the epitome of sociological criticisms.