Culture And Culture In Maggie Walker's Everyday Use

When two daughters are raised alike yet live differently, there is a fine line of distinction between the traits and aspirations of the two, as Alice Walker drew portraits of three women in a family in "Everyday Use". Maggie Johnson was the youngest of the two daughters, and her older sister Dee had gone to college and hadn 't been home in over a decade. Maggie stayed at her mother 's side, to make a life for herself that seemed suitable for her. In this story, Maggie is a fragile young woman, however a strong character that is opposite of her sister Dee, who underestimates Maggie for the person she is.

Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," is a story about a poor, African-American family and a conflict about the word "heritage." In this short story, the word "heritage" has two meanings. One meaning for the word "heritage" represents family items, thoughts, and traditions passed down through the years. The other meaning for the word "heritage" represents the African-American culture.

The short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, the story is about two sisters and a mother. Despite the family being poor, the mother works hard to provide for the both of her daughters. Dee is the eldest daughter and despises where she came from. Dee later on gains an education, attends college, and obtains a degree. In the story she is going through an identity crisis and changes her name to "Wanegro." On the other hand, Maggie is a shy young girl. At such a young age, she is still suffering from a tragic event. Maggie is intimidated by Dee; solely since Dee carries many accomplishments and her appearance. Soon after, Dee remembers the

Have you thought of someone’s culture as weird? Have you thought that you are completely different from them? If so, what prompts us to make that assumption. Culture is a very good reason for this. So, to what extent does one’s culture inform the way one views others and the world? Culture informs a person on the way others are and the world.

“Everyday Use”, by Alice Walker, is a story of Mrs. Johnson and her two daughters, Dee and Maggie, whose personalities are totally different. In this story, Walker uses two hand-stitched quilts to symbolize the inheritance. Walker explain her characters as someone who accept African-American heritage and appreciate its values. The mom is a dynamic character because of the change in her way of judging her two daughters and finally acknowledging the beauty of Maggie. Maggie, too, is a dynamic character compared to Dee because Dee’s character remains the same throughout the story. Walker has written "Everyday Use" with a historical touch, especially when Mrs. Johnson speaks about Maggie receiving the quilts her ancestors made. However, Dee, Maggie’s

The author of “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker, portrays that society values people like Dee more so than Maggie. The two sisters in the story are described as two complete opposites in personality, how they carry themselves, and even overall appearance. Walker describes Maggie with a quote, “she has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground” (71). This description of Maggie relates to someone who is clearly shy, not very confident, and appears closed off to the world. Society does not appear to value people who are not very confident and not open to the world in general. Describing the illiteracy of Maggie also adds to the view of society valuing Dee over Maggie.

The culture in which we were raised in has a big impact on who we are and how we behave. Our culture effects things such as how we dress, the way we interact with others, and our manners such as what we may or may not find funny or what we may find offensive or weird. In the Ethan Watters Article “Being WEIRD: How Culture Shapes the Mind” we see examples of how being raised in different cultures affects our decisions and the way we perceive things. For example, in the ultimatum game (which is played by giving the first player $100 dollars, he can then offer player 2 any amount of the $100 but if the second player rejects the money they both end up with nothing) we can see how differently Machiguengans and Americans were likely to play. We

In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”, Walker juxtaposes two different daughters in their quest for a cultural identity. The narrator, their mother, talks about how each daughter is different; Dee went off to college and became well-educated, contrary to their impoverished and low status as black women in the south. Meanwhile, Maggie isn’t nearly as educated as Dee is, but is still literate. The entire story centers around Dee’s visit with her new Muslim significant other. The story’s climax is when Dee wants to take two special quilts back home, but those quilts are for Maggie. These precious quilts comprise their culture. Henceforth, Dee does not deserve to take the quilts with her because she has decided to take on a culture that varies significantly from her own and she is already used to getting what she wants.

When C.S. Lewis wrote "That Hideous Strength", the characters Mark and Jane show their differences when it came to values and morals. Even though culture can be educational, in today's society it has effects when it comes to the learned behaviors. I will show comparisons and contrast when it comes to my culture and the culture that is portrayed in the book. Cultural behaviors shape who we are and what we stand for. In the text I gathered Jane to be restricted and resentful while Mark on the other hand has many friends, but always seems to fall short when communicating with other fellows at Bracton College.

Throughout an individual’s childhood, it is evident that they model what they see and hear. Children are taught lessons at a young age that pertain to their family’s values, heritage, and what is important to them. Although one is taught at a young age it is not guaranteed that those lessons will stick with them throughout life. Individuals often encounter a period of change within themselves. They begin to develop their own identity from what they experience and encounter in life. Within this development, it is common for one to stray away from what has been taught to them because they want to grow and see life for themselves. This period of change permits an individual to either gain an understanding or experience confusion. In Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use,” readers are shown two characters who have different views on heritage. The plot of the story displays how the characters either accept or deny where they come from which leads to a searching of one’s identity. With the use of characterization, and Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, this paper will showcase the character’s ideas on heritage which lead to the central event and realizations that are made within the story.

Culture influences people’s perspectives of the world and others through their childhood and how, when, and where they were raised. In the essay, “An Indian Father’s Plea,” Robert Lake writes about how his Indian child’s traditional way of learning is different from those in western education systems and that he's not a “slow” learner but learns in a unique way from his peers. In the personal essay, “Two Ways to Belong in America,” Bharati Mukherjee describes her differing views of living in America with her sister, despite both being raised in India. In the poem, “My Mother Pieced Quilts,” by Teresa Palomo Acosta, Teresa how this quilt that her mother made for her incorporates all these pieces of her past that are stitched together. In the short story, “Everyday Use,” a mother describes the effects of living in a low income community and a certain style of parenting that shaped the way her two daughters view their past and their heritage and how both views are completely different. In all these pieces of writing, they all illustrate the effects of beliefs, heritage, and symbolism within a culture and how it molds the way people interpret others and the world.

Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is a short story about a mother and two very different daughters set in rural Georgia during the late 1960’s. The plot is centered around on the two daughters, Dee and Maggie, and focusing on the differences between the two and who will gain possession of two hand-made quilts that are seen as a coveted trophy by Dee and are viewed as everyday items Maggie. The final decision of which daughter ultimately receives the quilts will be made by Momma Johnson. Momma, who is never given a first name in the story, is a strong black woman with many man-like qualities. “In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the

"Appearances can be deceiving”, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and “Life is not what it seems” are three phrases heard often. One does not often think about how those phrases are played out in one’s own life on a daily basis. Typically, one thinks one’s own behavior and heritage are amiable and good. Few people ever study their own behavior as they do others; however, Brenna Yovanoff does just that.

Dee was influenced by her grandmother about the quilts being important to them. “It was Grandma Dee and Big Dee who taught her how to quilt herself.” (Walker 82) Culture can change a person’s view on anything, in this short story Dee’s judgement

Family influences your perspective on culture. One example of this in the short story Everyday Use, by Alice Walker, are the two girls, Maggie and Dee. Everyday Use is a story about these girls and their challenges with each other’s culture.