Everyday Use or Trend
All human beings have a heritage. Some aspects of heritage may make one proud, while others lend embarrassment. It is very easy for two people to perceive the same heritage with very different viewpoints. In “Everyday Use,” Dee values her heritage only from a trendy point, while Mama and Maggie value the same heritage for its usefulness and personal significance.The first clue in the story that Dee has strayed away from her heritage, when it is not trendy, is her appearance. Mama describes Dee as having on a dress “so loud it hurts my eyes.” Mama goes on to talk about the yellows and oranges in the dress. Mama describes the jewelry Dee is wearing and how the “bracelets dangle and make noises.” Dees hair is portrayed, as “black as night and around the edges are two long pigtails that rope about like small lizards disappearing behind her ears.” From earlier descriptions of Mama and Maggie, it is evident that Dee is not wearing clothes from her heritage. Mama talks of wearing “flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day.” The day of Dee’s arrival Maggie is dressed in a “pink shirt and a red blouse.” Mama and Maggie’s apparel is quite different from Dee’s.
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Mama Maggie, Dee Quilting, Maggie Dee, Kemanjo Mama, Dee Mama, Aunt Dicie, Mama Dee, Everyday Trend, Mama Maggies, Everyday Dee, mama maggie, yard house, heritage mama, mama talks, pictures yard house, mama dee, passed generation, maggie learned, pictures yard, heritage trendy, mama describes,
Approximate Word count = 812
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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