Have you ever tried to convince someone to give you something? In the excerpt “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Wangero is trying to convince her mother that she, and not her sister Maggie, should own the quilts made by their late grandma. Wangero fails to convince her mother to let her have the quilts because she has a bad temper. She hates the idea of her sister using the quilts and believes they should be preserved because they are priceless. The message Walker conveys in this short excerpt, is that you shouldn’t let other people walk all over you and to not sell yourself short. Wangero starts her argument for getting the quilts by speaking “sweet as a bird.” She is alluding that she wants the quilts by changing her demeanor and talking
Furthermore, Sarnowski acknowledges mother’s disappointment as Maggie gives up the quilts, pointing out that they represent memories of family members. The author believes that displaying these quilts will disintegrate the sense of family history they carry. Consequently,
In Paragraphs 7 and 9, Walker says “Imagine!” This is done to express that Wangero is imagining the process it took to create such delicate embroidery, and in turn, is expressing appreciation for the quilts. This tactic can persuade her mother that she is the right one to have the quilts, as she is truly taking them in and appreciating the process of quilt making. She also says “These quilts, these quilts” (Walker 16). This repetition emphasizes the point that Wangero is trying to make; these quilts should be her’s, not Maggie’s.
In the essay “An Overview of Everyday Use” the author Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton explains in detail the significance of quilting in the short essay “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. She discusses how walker uses quilt making in many other stories and essays that she creates. Marton goes on to talk about the characters in the story Maggie and Dee comparing them to one another when it comes to the quilt. Marton Explains that Dee returned home trying to take the quilt for fashion that she before thought of as “out of style” and doesn’t appreciate nor see the heritage behind the quilt. Being that she is ashamed of her past she tells Maggie that she won’t ever be anything if she continues to stay around in what kept them oppression,
(Dontrell Whitfield) In “Everyday Use” the two sisters are arguing over the quilts and what the use of them is for. The character Dee feels that the quilts are not for everyday use. “You will just not understand
Mama ultimately decides that she wants to keep the quilts for their sentimental value and to pass them down to future generations. Mama makes an effort to counteroffer and convince Dee to take some other quilts that have less sentimental value. Dee declines, “No, I don't want those. They are stitched around the borders by machine,” and instead asks for “pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear,” (Walker 320). Her decision to keep them symbolizes her desire to maintain the family’s traditions and protect their history.
Whereas, Dee has said she would hang up the quilts and admire them from afar, while “‘[Maggie would] probably . . . put [the quilts] to everyday use’” (120). Rather than using the quilts as decoration, how Dee plans to use them, Maggie would genuinely use the quilts by loving and cherishing them until they are worn out. By using the quilts for what they are intended for, Maggie is respecting her grandma and other family members who put their time and effort into making the quilts. In the event that Maggie uses the quilts until they are completely worn out, she would be able to restore them since “‘Maggie knows how to quilt.’ . . .
When her first technique failed, she tells Mama, “But they’re priceless!” The use of the word “priceless” is used to help Mama see more of a significance to these quilts. To Wangero, these quilts have an equivalent importance as something that could be found in a museum. She tells mama that “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be in rags”. Wangero thinks that the quilt should be hung, while mama thinks that using it would be more
Mrs. Wright’s quilt is evidence that she is angry or nervous. The quilt has a “‘log-cabin pattern’” and is quilted nicely, but the last few stitches are not. It “‘Looks as if she didn’t know what she was about.’” This difference in sewing shows a sudden change in mood or thought process. When nervous or angry people tend not to care as much about what they are doing and can even be aggressive.
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” tells the story of a mother and her two daughters who have conflicting ideas with their heritage and culture.
After 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.
The narrator and her children feel the quilts symbolize generations of war and poverty that their family endured over the years. On the other hand, not all family members share the same appreciation for the quilts. Adopting a different culture after going to college the oldest daughter, Dee, appreciates the quilt for being part of her legacy. She can't believe that the quilt was handmade. "These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear.
Maggie valued her family quilts differently than what Dee thought they meant. In the passage Dee states Maggie’s use of the quilts, “Maggie would put them on a bed and in five years they’d be in rags. Less than that!” little did Dee know that the purpose of these quilts were intended for everyday use. Maggie was taught to quilt by her grandmothers’ and she remembers them by using the quilts.
“the quilts are the central symbol of the story representing the connectedness of history and intergenerational tries of the family” (“everyday use”). This means that the quilts mean heritage and remind the daughters of grand mom dee. The quilts are fought over at the end of the story because of the meaning of them. One daughter wants them for everyday use and one wants them just to have them because it means heritage to her. The mother at the end of the story agrees that they should be used for everyday use.
How does a person value heritage and what type of impact does it hold on a family with a substantial history? Taking a glimpse beneath the surface of family relationships and views on traditional heritage, author Alice Walker showcases a true grasp on letting readers see into the compassionate lives of three strong female leads. With her short story “Everyday Use” each character relatable and described in such detail, the reader can truly sympathize and understand the impact heritage brings to a family. Walker’s compelling short story “Everyday Use” explores how complicated family dynamics can impact the attitude towards heritage through the three female leads. Family can occupy strong roots dating back generations with steadfast traditions that appreciate true meaning and personal endearment to family members.
At first, These imagery clearly divides the characters in the story into two types of people. One type is the people who keep following their traditionally African-American culture such as Mama and Maggie, and the other is the people who follow the mainstream which is a kind of fashion trend like Dee. Then, the writer implicitly discusses about the question of whether the quilts should be used or not. The imagery helps readers to understand this question and get the answer from the story. At the same time, the key item in the story “quilt” echoes the story title-Everyday Use.