Everyday Use
In the short story Everyday Use, by Alice Walker, the short story is narrated by a black woman in the South who is faced with the decision to give away two quilts to one of her two daughters. Dee, her oldest daughter who is visiting from college, perceives the quilts as popular fashion and believes they should undoubtedly be given to her. Maggie, her youngest daughter, who still lives at home and understands the family heritage, has been promised the quilts. Dee is insistent to possess these heirlooms of family heritage, while Maggie is forbearing in allowing Mama to make her own decision as to who should receive the quilts. Dee shows a lack of appreciation, disrespect, and a distancing behavior towards her mother and sister. Mama ultimately decides to give the quilts to Maggie with sufficient reasons to do so. Mama recognizes Dee's different style of life and the lack of appreciation her character displays. Her mother states, "I didn't want to bring up how I had offered Dee a quilt when she went away to college. Then she had told me they were old-fashioned, out of style." Dee does not appreciate things unless it is for her own self-gratification. After being away at college, she is demanding to be given the quilts
Dee is clearly distancing herself from her mother and sister. She goes so far as to change her name from Dee to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, saying, "I couldn't bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me." Yet, she wants the quilts that are made by the very people that she despises. Mama is uneducated but not so ignorant as to realize Dee's unrooted, superficial motivation to have the quilts. "For her, heritage is something to be displayed on the coffee table and on the wall." Mama, Dee, and Maggie have learned a meaningful lesson through Mama's decision. On the one hand Mama has learned to establish her hidden power in an influential way. Dee has experienced hearing the word "no" for practically the first time. "No is a word the world never learned to say to her." Maggie is lifted to a new plateau that will hopefully help her through the next conflict of life. At the moment of receiving the quilts, she sits with her mouth open as if she is surprised to win, unlocking a new revelation: she certainly is a winner. Being a winner means that you have to assert yourself sometimes and that is the lesson that Maggie learns from watching her mother's conduct on the day that Dee has come to visit. A real smile comes upon Maggie's face as she is saying goodbye to Dee that day. Dee is humbled by covering her eyes in shame. "She put on some sunglasses that hid everything above the tip
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 945
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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