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The Use Of Tone In Alice Walker's Everyday Use

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What does heritage mean to you? Momma and her youngest daughter Maggie value a very simple and cultural lifestyle. When Momma´s older and more futuristic daughter, Dee, comes home unexpectedly demanding quilts, arguments arise causing tension. In "Everyday Use", by Alice Walker, Dee uses body language and tone to persuade Momma that she, and not her sister Maggie, should own the quilts; She ultimately fails, revealing the theme that you should respect your heritage and where you come from. As Dee riffles through the house she finds family quilts and quickly claims them as her own with body language. She clutched the quilts to her chest and when Momma reached for them she “moved back just enough so that I couldn't reach” (Walker1). By bringing the quilts closer to her and not letting Momma grab them, Dee is trying to emphasize that the quilts already belong to her. Despite her efforts, Dee fails to persuade Momma and …show more content…

Dee doesn't think that Maggie should own the quilts because she will put them to everyday use and ruin them, but Momma disagrees and thinks that the quilts should be used. Her emotions shine through as she argues that,“‘...they’re priceless!’ she was saying now, furiously;for she has a temper” (Walker2). By changing her tone and using strong diction such as ‘priceless’, Dee is attempting to convince Momma that the quilts are too important and that by giving them to Maggie she would be making a mistake. Despite Dee’s efforts, momma was not persuaded to give her the quilts and instead was furthermore convinced that Dee did not deserve the quilts. Momma and Dee both demonstrate what their heritage means to them, but momma's belief that the quilts should be put to use keeps her obstinate. This further reveals the theme that you should respect your heritage and where you come from because Momma refused to give up the quilts to Dee who didn’t respect the same beliefs or views of her

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