Cory Cresswell
John Michael Moran
ENG 2 1302-073
28 July 2013
The Horrible Dee In the story “Everyday Use” there is a young daughter, of a caring mother, named Dee. Dee is the sister to a sweet girl named Maggie. However, the sweetness and caringly characteristics of the two ladies did not transfer over to Dee. Dee is a very hurtful, spiteful, unsocial, and insensitive woman not only to her mother but to her sister as well. Dee grew up with only her mother and sister in a small wooden house out in the country. Her mother had to work all day like a man and still be there for her children as a mother when they needed her. Life was probably not the easiest for the young Dee but her actions only made them more difficult. Dee was always the better looking sister, she was more intelligent then both her mother and Maggie, and she were also a very materialistic woman even though her family could not afford these things.
When Dee was just a child the family’s house was burnt to the ground in a horrendous fire. For no reason specified Dee “hated that house.” (Pg. 1088) While her sister had her “arms sticking to her mother, with her hair smoking and dress falling off from being charred in the fire” (Pg. 1088) Dee just “stood off in the distance around her gum tree” (Pg. 1088) not caring whether the house was on fire or if her family was safe and okay. After she graduated high school her mother and the church sent Dee to Augusta to go to school in order to further her education. After her education Dee showed no appreciation for what her mother did for her, when she read to her mother and sister she would “force words, lies, and other folks’ habits while washing both of them into a river of make-believe. (Pg.1089)
During her high school years Dee was a very unsocial person and people were not found of her probably because of her horrible attitude. While away in Augusta Dee wrote home saying how she would never let her friends meet her family because she is ashamed of them. However heartless this may seem, this did not bother Maggie or her mother because “Dee never had any friends.” Even though Dee was so unsociable she somehow found a man while at school and did indeed bring him home. When Dee returned she hurt her mother more then she had ever done in her life. Dee changed her name to Wangero because she “couldn’t bear Dee any longer being named after the people she oppressed.” Wangero was so tired of being a part of her family she broke the multi generation name of Dee who went as far back as her mother could remember.
Now I cannot personally think of a reasonable reason on why a child would act such a way her whole life but someone could possible say it was due to her horrible childhood in the circumstances she was brought up in. As I mentioned before Dee was born into a very unfortunate single mother family with a low income and bad living experiences. Even if this could be used as an excuse for Dee’s horrible behavior, it could only really be used as an excuse for her the way she treats
cultural importance of the valuable date, rather than celebrating for its music and liquor. Such as Dee wanting to redo her heritage and focus on the cultural heirlooms and fashionable, rather than on what really matters about it. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” Dee deeply fails to know her true identity, rejecting her family name, culture style and heritage. When Dee comes home to visit her family she rejects the name Dee and changes her name to Wangero ,because she understand that the name has no…
Sibling fight The quilt is the center of the problem In Everyday Use By: Alice Walker Everyone who has siblings eventually ends up fighting over things with them. In Everyday Use, Dee finds herself lost in her family culture. On other hand, Maggie, Dee’s sister, embraces her culture. Cultural traditions are passed down from parents’ generations to children’s. In Everyday Use, Mama gives the tradition of the quilts to her daughters. The quilt is used as a symbol of heritage and at the…
What is the true meaning of heritage? Heritage is family traditions that are passed on from generation to generation. In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” Walker seems to display the importance of heritage between two sisters in which one is successful and the other is younger and less fortunate. When growing up we all fantasized about leaving the nest. We envisioned a successful life for ourselves; going to college, getting our dream job and building a family with someone just as…
important because many people receive things of both emotional and historical value. It could either be an item or a tradition passed down from generation to generation. It teaches the person inheriting that something a little bit of family history. In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, mother’s daughters Maggie and Dee fight over who gets to keep two quilts. Momma, Dee, and Maggie know the quilts are important because heritage is important to them. Mama the narrator is a loving mother who is strong and hardworking…
the African American culture since it was stripped from our ancestors decades ago. It has and still is common for African Americans to delve back into the past to gain understanding about their history, heritage, and culture. In Alice Walker’s, “Everyday Use” utilizes the accounts of the protagonist Dee while she searches for personal meaning and a stronger sense of self. In contrast to her sister Maggie, a round character that transforms from a shy and timid girl to a confident and comfortable young…
Chris Sladic English 1302 Dr. Hasell Word Count: Everyday Use Final “Everyday Use” is a focus on the bonds between women of separate generations and their legacies, as symbolized by the quilts they fashion together. The connection between these women is strong, but the bonds are proven to be vulnerable as shown by the arrival of Dee, who shows a lack of understanding of her heritage. The relationship between the Mother and Aunt Dicie, the makers of the quilt, is completely different from…
David Zhang Pre-IB English 9B Ms. Brown February 2, 2013 Dee, the Outer Shell of Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo “Be careful of Maggie” I had told Hakim in the car. “She completely detests me.” He assured me that it was alright, as he always did. Oh Hakim, he always understood. He was one of the few that did. Hakim with his hair flowing over his head like the proud mane of a lion. Hakim reminded me of Africa. Of our proud, ancient heritage. It was a shame that my…
I look at it this way, no human should treat an animal being tested for the latest drug, medicine or cosmetic, how they wouldn’t want their little dog Rufus or cat Sophia treated at home. There are some up sides to testing animals for our personal uses. For one what if one of your loved ones was sick and needed some new form of medicine that needed to be tested, and tested efficiently. The safer route I feel would be to test a vaccine out on a monkey, rat or a dog and not a human. It may just be…
Ellen Johnson Mr. Roberts AP English 4 13 Apr 2010 Dee: the Sister Who Lost Her Identity Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" is a short story about the clash between a mother and daughter. Dee is the child returning home to visit. The visit is not exactly pleasant and ends after a stand-off between her and Mama. Many readers see Mama as finally standing up for her own ideals while also refusing to conform to the rules Dee wishes her to follow. Dee follows different rules of society and religion than…
Jade Brylon Dipple Everyday Use Essay English Quinn 4th September 3, 2014 In the story everyday use there are two sisters that both want the quilts that there mother has kept for many years. In the story we learn that the oldest sister Dee is very fashionable. For example, when Dee steps out of the car she is described wearing a dress down to the ground. “There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun. Earrings gold to, and hanging down to her shoulders. Bracelets dangling…
