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- Quilts were originally made both for artistic purposes and to keep warm in Africa.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.