Thursday, December 3, 2009
everyday use
This story was interesting because you see what one quilt can represent. The representation of culture and heritage lies in this quilt also based on the characters ideas of what culture and heritage actually are. Any view can differ of something depending on any person and their way of thinking. For instance, Dee is the beautiful one with the personality and her sister Maggie is boring and shy, and they both have different outlooks on the same thing. Sometimes people that start from the same background like Dee and her family, go on to a higher education and forget where they came from. Others are stuck in the past and need to update their lives, which is the case in this story with the mother and Maggie.
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Grouping characters according to different points of view about the meaning and value and material circumstances that constitute "heritage" can be a good way into this story; don't be too quick to judge Maggie as "stuck in the past," however. Maggie and the girls' mother do represent a different take on Heritage and Dee and Dee's friend...
ReplyDeleteThe main theme in the story concerns the characters' connections to their ancestral roots. Dee Johnson believes that she is affirming her African heritage by changing her name, her mannerisms, and her appearance, even though her family has lived in the United States for several generations. Maggie and Mrs. Johnson are confused and intimidated by her new image.
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