“Everyday Use” Response
In the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a story where the author focuses on black heritage. She uses the story to explain what black heritage mean to some in reality. She uses characters to show what culturally defines them. The author grew up in Georgia and was the first college student just like Dee. I thought this story was very interesting and a good reading. The author incorporated good details that grabbed the reader's attention. I think the theme of this short story is to enlighten the topic of black heritage. I think the author express this well through the character Dee. Even though Dee had an attitude I think she was my favorite character besides Mama. She was my favorite because she was not the typical …show more content…
The character in “Everyday Use” changes her name. The character ,Dee, changes her name to Wangero. Dee had just arrived from college and her mother had just learned that she had changed her name. Dee changed her name thinking it was a good way to show appreciation in the black culture or black heritage. According to the article “Personal Names:Alice Walker ‘Everyday Use’” by Helga Hoel, it was stated that Wangero was not an ordinary African name. It was a name that was mixed together from two different cultures.Hoel also stated that Dee is a little confused because she doesn’t have enough knowledge to change her name(36). Hoel also says that Alice Walker does know that she has made Dee misinterpret the pieces of the culture(37). I thought this was the whole point of the story after I first read it. Walker wanted the reader to think about what was really going on and why was Dee acting the way she was. Hoel also says that Dee fails to realize that her name was originally given to her because it was passed down from previous generations. In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Mama and Dee have a discussion about Dee changing her name. Mama explains that she had inherited the name from her aunt which she should already know (53-54). Dee’s name symbolizes family and connection that they have in their family. It also represents tradition in their family. In “African-American Women Writers,Black Nationalism, and The Matrilineal Heritage” by Joan Korenman, it was stated that the thing that upset Alice Walker the most and the reason why she wrote the short story was that “Black people skipped over their parents,grandparents and great- grandparents in great rush to return to Africa”(144). What she means by this is that some people don’t value the knowledge that has been handed down from generations. That is also another reason why Alice Walker wrote the dedication “For your grandmama” in the short story “Everyday
In the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a story where the author focuses on black heritage. She uses the story to explain what black heritage mean to some in reality. She uses characters to show what culturally defines them. The author grew up in Georgia and was the first college student just like Dee. I thought this story was very interesting and a good reading. The author incorporated good details that grabbed the reader's attention. I think the theme of this short story is to enlighten the topic of black heritage. I think the author express this well through the character Dee. Even though Dee had an attitude I think she was my favorite character besides Mama. She was my favorite because she was not the typical …show more content…
The character in “Everyday Use” changes her name. The character ,Dee, changes her name to Wangero. Dee had just arrived from college and her mother had just learned that she had changed her name. Dee changed her name thinking it was a good way to show appreciation in the black culture or black heritage. According to the article “Personal Names:Alice Walker ‘Everyday Use’” by Helga Hoel, it was stated that Wangero was not an ordinary African name. It was a name that was mixed together from two different cultures.Hoel also stated that Dee is a little confused because she doesn’t have enough knowledge to change her name(36). Hoel also says that Alice Walker does know that she has made Dee misinterpret the pieces of the culture(37). I thought this was the whole point of the story after I first read it. Walker wanted the reader to think about what was really going on and why was Dee acting the way she was. Hoel also says that Dee fails to realize that her name was originally given to her because it was passed down from previous generations. In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Mama and Dee have a discussion about Dee changing her name. Mama explains that she had inherited the name from her aunt which she should already know (53-54). Dee’s name symbolizes family and connection that they have in their family. It also represents tradition in their family. In “African-American Women Writers,Black Nationalism, and The Matrilineal Heritage” by Joan Korenman, it was stated that the thing that upset Alice Walker the most and the reason why she wrote the short story was that “Black people skipped over their parents,grandparents and great- grandparents in great rush to return to Africa”(144). What she means by this is that some people don’t value the knowledge that has been handed down from generations. That is also another reason why Alice Walker wrote the dedication “For your grandmama” in the short story “Everyday