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Symbolism and Heritage in "Everyday Use"

Symbols in Alice Walker's Work

  • Walker often uses quilts as symbols in her work.
  • They stand for African heritage, their roots, so to speak.
  • In "Everyday Use," she also uses the dasher and the churn top.

African vs. African-American

Dee vs. Maggie

  • There are many ties from African to African-American.
  • During the African-American Movement, many of these connections were brought to life by African-Americans seeking to find their roots.
  • They did this by recreating original African folk art.
  • In "Everyday Use," Alice Walker uses Dee and Maggie's disagreement to express controversies over African American cultural roots.
  • She poses questions such as where to look for traditions and cultural values and how to express such beliefs.
  • Dee believes that they should connect with their African roots and preserve the quilts. Maggie just wants to use the quilts for everyday use.

Works Cited

  • Kerr, Christine. ""Everyday Use"." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 14 Nov. 2013
  • Noe, Marcia. "Teaching Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" Employing Race, Class, and Gender, with an Annotated Bibliography." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 14 Nov. 2013
  • Streeter, Caroline A. "Quilting." The American Mosaic: The African American Experience. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013
  • Gillespie, Carmen. "African-American quilting in the works of Alice Walker." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 14 Nov. 2013
  • Brown, Martha H. "Slave Clothing." The American Mosaic: The African American Experience. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
  • Walker, Alice "Everyday Use"

Significance & History of Quilting

  • African women made quilts out of scrap material that would be sewn together.
  • It is suspected that quilts were used to send messages in the underground railroad.
  • Quilts were originally made both for artistic purposes and to keep warm in Africa. They were often packed with cotton for insulation.
  • The art of quilting experienced a resurgence during the African-American Movement in the mid- to late-20th century.
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