Alice Walker's The One-Way Diner

Cultural assimilation undoubtedly plays an extreme role in society as a whole, but more specifically in the African American Community. Alice Walker gives slight insight into  what being forced  to assimilate is like. She says in her short story "Everyday Use": "She will stand hopelessly in corners homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe." Statements such as these are a regular occurrence in her works. Walker often speaks on the ever so disheartening topic of cultural assimilation and the hegemony in societal beauty standards in her many works of literature. In "Everyday Use” Walker addresses longing to regain one 's true culture after centuries of being forced to

In the familiar more traditional version, Cinderella is a poor maid girl that, with the help of fairy godmother, gets a chance to meet prince charming. They fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after, and then what? What is a happily ever after? Is this even a realistic thought? In the dark comedic poem Cinderella, Anne Sexton forces the reader to examine this question. Utilizing literary devices such as tone, imagery, and style, Sexton encourages the reader to think about how silly and unlikely a fairy tale ending actually is.

In “everyday Use,” Alice Walker tells a narrative of a mother’s frustrating relationship together with her two daughters. At this facet, “,Everyday Use”, tells that how a mom little by little refuses the cursory values of her older, successful daughter at the aspect of the useful values of her younger, much less lucky daughter. On a deeper outlook, Alice Walker takes on the theme of heritage and its norms as it applies to African-Americans.

her. The beginning of the story is told from the white people 's perspectives as they see an old black woman come to their church and go inside. Inside the church, the point of view switches to the usher who tells the old black lady to leave. The point of view then switches back to the white women inside the church, who take it as a personal insult and feel the most threatened about the old black lady being at their church. They rouse their husbands to throw the old lady out. The perspective then changes to the old black lady. This constant changing of point of view is useful in that it portrays the fears, thoughts, and feelings of almost everyone in the story. Firsthand, the reader is able to know what the people are thinking and why. In

How does the difference between the way Dee (Wangero) and Maggie would use the quilts represent their two different ways of defining and treating their family’s heritage? Does the narrative give approval to Dee’s way or Maggie ’s?

Fairy tales usually have happy ending. What could have been a better alternative ending of the story?

Heritage is what we receive from those that came before us. A person can learn about heritage through formal education; however, true heritage is passed down from generation through the stories, pictures, and other memorabilia that our parents and grandparents hold dear to their hearts. In the short story, "Everyday Use," Alice Walker teaches us lessons on true inheritance; what it is and who can receive it. Two hand stitched quilts become the center of conflict in the story. They are also used to symbolize the true inheritance.

The struggles a parent goes through in life when raising children who have different attitudes and different characters, can be very difficult and sometimes heart breaking. When a person decides to become a parent, often times they elect to walk a path of self-sacrifice, where reasoning in the majority of the times and reward from you love ones, are not always obtained. Sacrifices done and incredible efforts of protection and love can be forgotten easily and never appreciated. It is the journey that a person will embark in which love and self-consciousness will always judge silently.

Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is a short story included in her collection In Love and Trouble published in 1973. The story’s setting takes place in the Deep South during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s as many “blacks” were struggling to define their cultural identities (White). Traditions and culture in “Everyday Use” is portrayed contrastingly between Ms. Johnson and Maggie, who still follow rural black cultural of the south and Dee who has newly adopted a “native African” culture. An encounter over the use of quilts simplifies into two different interpretations of culture. Walker uses symbolism and contrasting characters to portray these interpretations and implies that culture and heritage are a part of everyday life.

1. What role does the Queen of Hearts play against Alice? The Queen of Hearts bears similar qualities as a boss in a game; she is the final obstacle Alice encounters before waking up. The Queen is the ruler over Wonderland and is described as a cold-hearted, short-tempered tyrant.

“‘You ca’n’t think how glad I am to see you again, you dear old thing!’ said the Duchess, as she tucked her arm affectionately into Alice’s, and they walked off together.” , Page 78. This new side of the Duchess is one that makes Alice believes that “perhaps it was only the pepper that had made her so savage when they met in the kitchen”, Page 78. This helps the audience notice the differences between her original and current persona. Upon analysis, it can be said that her transformation is symbolic of how Alice grows

They cautiously opened the door and to their surprise they saw Alice of Wonderland on the ground with the same red and puffy foot that Goldie had .Alice said in a muffled voice I was chased by a white rabbit.The hares had no suprise that she was being chased .Alice was dazed from the fall arose from the ground . Alice tried to climb up the the stairs she fell again. The Hares had no option and just let her in. Alice did not complain at all and treated the Hare family with respect. The Hare family actually did not want her to leave. Alice had to go on her way so she said her goodbye and left the hole with a skip and the Hares lived happily ever

Alice registers at the State Mental Hospital. She is scared of the inmates. She meets a thirteen year old girl, named Babbie, who used to be a prostitute, drug user and has a history of sexual abuse. Life in the insane asylum sucked the energy from Alice. Her father explains that Jan has taken back her statement, and they're trying to get the other girl to do it also, this will free Alice. She soon returns home and is happy to be reunited with her family. The family goes on vacation and when they arrive back home, Alice gets invited swimming by Fawn. She hopes that Fawn and her friends haven't heard stories about her because she had a good time. Joel makes a surprise visit and gives her a promise ring, she says she promises to wear it her whole life. Alice is worried about starting school again but support of her new friends and Joel she is gaining confidence. She writes that she doesn't need the diary because she has people in her life she can express her feelings with. Her diary later says that Alice passed away three weeks later from an overdose. Her death wasn't mentioned if it was accidental or she did it on

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and “Brownies” by ZZ Packer are two different short stories with different lessons but both talk about the topic of race. Both stories talks about the time in the 20th century when slavery just ended but racism are still active between African Americans and Caucasians. Walker described a story about a single African American mother who is waiting for her daughter to arrive from college. Packer described a story about these African American fourth graders who are in summer camp that plans to attack this group of white girls for calling them a nigger. While both Alice Walker “Everyday Use” and ZZ Packer “Brownies” mainly focus on the impact racism had on African Americans even after slavery was done, Alice Walker “Everyday Use” discusses about sibling rivalry and appreciating a parent 's efforts for their children and ZZ Packer “Brownies” wrote about the impact racism have towards African American children’s.

At the very ending of the book, the King and Queen of Hearts make everyone attend court over the case of the missing tarts. Alice thought everything seemed very official with the jury box that held all of the jurors with their slates, and the king as the judge with his white wig on. Eventually, Alice discovers that the jury is writing the words “Stupid things” on their slates, and one of them does not even spell the word “stupid” correctly (130 Carroll). This continues on with the witnesses, but between every break the king calls for the verdict of the jury. This does relate to the time period because it was rumored that when it came to the court system in the 1800’s, the witnesses never really mattered to the judge. This rumor was reflected onto the King of Heart’s character. Throughout the court case, Alice begins to openly announce her thoughts to the courtroom. She criticizes the queen’s decision to make the sentence before the verdict,”Stuff and nonsense! The idea of having the sentence first!”(146). It is thought that the Queen of Hearts actually symbolizes a real queen of England. Queen Margaret of Anjou ruled from 1445 to 1461, and then again from 1470 to 1471. She was married to King Henry VII and she had a son named Edward. She fought for the house of Lancaster which has a red rose for its family name (Margaret). This does connect to the Queen of Hearts when her servants had to paint the roses red. “Why, the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake; and, it the Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know.” (90). The white roses were the symbol for the house of York, these two houses fought for the right to the English throne in the War of the Roses. In the end of Queen Margaret’s reign, her son was killed by getting his head cut off, which is