Alice Walkers Everyday Use
Alice Walker's life as an African-American novelist and poet has led to many award winning short-stories and books. She was raised in the southern state of Georgia and her parents were sharecroppers. This taught her that being an African-American can have its rough times. After being shot by a BB gun when she was eight, Alice remained blinded in one eye. Her ailment caused her to seclude herself from other children her age. Alice's feeling of being older than she was shows in her writing of the short story "Everyday Use". One of the story's main character's, Maggie, is a direct relation to the beginning of Alice Walker's life. Maggie, though we don't know her exact age, appears to be a young woman. The story tells of her past as though Alice Walker was telling a slightly altered version of her own life up to that point. Maggie was burned in a fire that was, though never proven, thought to be set by an older sibling. After the fire, Maggie walked "chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle", ashamed of her looks (Perrine 91). In relation, Alice's older sibling shot her in the eye. This blinded her and made her feel likeshe was unpleasant to look at. She secluded herself and felt ash
Only those people who take the time to research their actual roots, are the ones who, in my opinion, can claim any positive connection to their heritage. These events led to the other, non-social activities. Alice Walker's, "Everyday Use" shows the bitterness Alice has for the great number of black people, and any other race, who just joins on the bandwagon because it sounds good and will probably get them some kind of benefit. Many of her writings are related to her life as a young black woman. In reaction, Dee's mother casually explains a little of where her name came from, but it truly seems to be Alice's reaction towards the ignorant people who do not take time to research their given name before trading it for a new one. Dee could try to preserve her heritage, if she actually cared about it, by hanging the quilts. Those that are only guessing, or someone who has heard it from a family member and taken it for truth, do not have the proof required to be considered a part of that background. Dee is following a fashion of celebrating the distant African roots and quickly gives up her real name for one that is not even related to her heritage. Dee's character in the story is a direct relation to the number of people in modern society that does not know their true heritage. Maggie is taught by her grandmother to make quilts, and quilts are made to put to everyday use. Alice Walker, after being blinded by the BB gun, turns to reading stories and writing poetry. Alice uses Dee to show the ignorance of the trendy people pretending to be into their culture and where they come from, but haven't bothered to take the time to research African heritage. Alice also relates the story to bits and pieces of her life growing up and how her culture and surroundings affected her.
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Acceptance Essays
