Essay Example on Everyday Use: Culture, Egotism & Self-Identity

Culture is a crucial theory to people's life. Being an outlet that lets human beings to bond and progress, culture needs to progress as well. The story "Everyday Use' by Alice walker is a story of culture, egotism and learning what type of person you can make in the society. In the description, the story opens up with context information about the two sisters, the elder is an educated and the young is not.

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Over a humble conflict we are being exposed to a lot, about the manner in which siblings live their lives and what is of importance to them. Despite being a short story, it conveys a crucial message on culture and pride in a developing world. At its best, culture is not something of the past or can stand still but rather it should be a continuous and constantly transforming gradually as period discloses.

The story Everyday Use conveys numerous themes that can be put in practice by people and families in the modern society. There are many lessons being portrayed that needs to be learned in culture, custom and origins. Dee has a contradictory belief to her mother "Mama" and to the sister Maggie. In her view she sees culture as something that is outdated and should be dropped and that it should only be exhibited for scrupulousness. On the other hand Maggie and Mama Feels there is no problem to lead the same life of their fore fathers. They argue that, this is the only way in which they can preserve and maintain their culture which also shows respect their ancestors. For people to truly escalate culture, it is crucial that it is only sustained and day to day routine, nevertheless, it doesn't give it a chance to argue that it cannot undergo changes and human should not be concreted in its rules.

Mama narrates a reunion of her two daughters Dee and Maggie. Dee is a scholar she is an educate lady that has traveled the world while Maggie is a homebody who stays with her at home in Augusta, Georgia. As she awaits the return of Dee, her arrival is planned by an inflight of nervousness as Mama and Maggie are aware of eccentric traditions she may have acquired. She arrives with her foreign boyfriend an act that leaves Maggie cold and Mama shattered. Due to her hatred attitude towards people who mistreats and oppress the African America she opts to change her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemenjo. On her arrival she orders her mother to return back the family artifacts she is possessing such as an old butter churn. . This is a clear indication that Dee is alienating herself from her family as well as origin. However as she continues to put pressure on her mother she is at the same time claiming the ownership of this items. She feels that she suitably escalates them. She meets a family property that causes the war about the current day value of culture .But she nonetheless doesn't notice as she still willing to exhibit the artifact of her family in her own house. This is evident when she takes butter churn as an artifact meant for decoration rather than churn and she still imagine of other artistic thing a dasher can do.

Culture is being preserved only by Mama and Maggie. Although the two do exist in 20th century, they still hold on to culture. On the other side Dee tells them that their time of their ways is a past thing, she tells Maggie "it is a new day for us, and you need to make something of yourself. But the kind of life you and Mama lead, you have no idea over it. It's holding back your steps making you not to progress.

Nevertheless as Dee highpoints culture has got little advantages same applies to Mama and Maggie. They are both making good use of past for their betterment. Mama points outs the advantages behind their perspective on the quilt. This is evident when she reiterates "I reckon she would; God knows they have been in my possession for a long time. I hope she will."

In my view, inside this contradicting opinions of tradition and culture one needs to make a sober decision between which is the best to go with but also the final solution if difficult. In simple terms it can be believed that parts of both opinions joined generates the reality of culture. Heritage at its level best can be conserved by a merger of the immoderations being experienced the story "Everyday Use" in order to for culture to be conserved at its best way possible, Dee's basics of transformation are supposed to meet and satisfies Mama's and Maggie's components of application.

Reference

Everyday Use by Alice Walker