Preserving Family Traditions and Cultural Legacies:
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use†and Individual Identity
In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use,†the conflict between a desire for personal fulfillment and the need to honor one’s tradition is dramatized in the conflict shown between two daughters, Maggie and Dee. Maggie has never had a desire to leave home and seems content to live with her mother. Mama is a woman who has grown up poor, tough, but also very deferential to white people, because of the profound societal injustices she has endured. “Who can even imagine me looking a strange white man in the eye? It seems to me I have talked to them always with one foot raised in flight, with my head fumed in whichever way is farthest from them†(Walker 1). In contrast, her other daughter Dee is brave, goes away to college, and seems to have a confidence her sister lacks. But this comes at the cost of a break with Dee’s family. Even when Dee comes back to show appreciation for the African-American traditions she spurned in high school, she regards them as objects to be displayed for social esteem, rather than values their everyday use. However, it is important not to generalize Dee’s experience for all people, particularly today, where it has become easier for people to negotiate blended identities.
It is true that overall, the Walker story does not paint a very hopeful picture of the ability to preserve cultural traditions and move forward in society, despite the fact that this is in many ways the American Dream. Dee initially views her family tradition and cultural legacy as something that inhibits the full expression of her sense of self. Once she loses this sense, she can never regain it, even though she tries to do so by framing her ancestors’ quilts. It is Maggie who retains the ability to make more quilts, despite the fact she is unlikely to ever get an education or move out of her childhood community.
Walker portrays Dee as superficial and only interested in Afrocentric culture because liberal, college whites are now appropriating it in the wake of the Civil Rights movement, to seem cool. But on a personal level, I sympathize with Dee, because Maggie’s fear and lack of daring shows that simply replicating the traditions of the past is not enough. Dee’s struggle shows the challenges of negotiating a blended identity, one which I have personally felt myself as a multiracial individual who embraces many ethnicities within her family and life. Walker suggests that showing respect for her culture and heritage is merely Dee’s way of fitting into college and showing off in front of her new boyfriend. However, as an author Walker does not show much compassion for the difficulties Dee may be facing as an African-American who is the first child to attend college, perhaps in a largely white student body made up of people who are much more comfortable in an academic environment.
My father is Hispanic and my mother is Caucasian (French, German and Polish). They met one other while they were both serving in the United States Navy, working in the same job (electronic technician). Unlike Dee, neither of them ever felt that they had to choose between home and moving into a new future, and both of my parents seem comfortable in their cultural identities. My grandparents accepted my parents’ marriage with open arms. The U.S. Navy’s own culture was very accepting of diversity. Unlike Dee and her college environment, my parents were surrounded by friends who were accepting, and as long as people in the Navy worked hard, their background did not matter.
Walters’ story suggests that people who are trapped between two cultures like Dee have to put on a fake persona, like Dee uses her African heritage to seem “cool†in front of her boyfriend and the presumably white students who make up the majority of their college. But this says a great deal about Dee’s insecurity as a person. Although Maggie is portrayed as the shy sister, in her own way Dee may be just as uncertain of herself, even though she hides it with false bravado. In contrast, my parents felt assured that they would be loved and accepted no matter what, and going into the multicultural environment of the Navy did not mean that they would lose their identities, just acquire a new one. As the poet Adrienne Rich writes in her poem entitled “Delta:†“…my story flows in more than one direction…with its five fingers spread†(Rich 5; 8).
People’s stories do not necessarily have to be singular and fixed. As in Rich’s poem, their stories flowed from more than one direction. Rich presents a much more positive and fluid view of cultural legacies, much like a flowing river. Within my own life, I see my father’s, mother’s, and even the Navy’s culture blended within my own. I too have joined the Navy, given the example set by my parents and my feelings of pride in the work ethic it inspired. Rather than seeking to identify and take pride in only one culture like Maggie, I can take pride in many cultures. Rather than objectify a single, fixed component of myself like Dee, I can adapt to new circumstances and see my culture as something constantly shifting and changing with both my needs and the needs of society.
In contrast to Walker’s story, culture does not have to be chosen in a singular or either/or fashion. Passing down trinkets or heirlooms and preserving them does not mean that people confuse the spiritual values of community and family with those objects like Dee in the story. Even if I cannot make quilts like Maggie in the story, this does not mean I do not honor the handicrafts of the traditions that are preserved in the various family mementos that have been given to me over the course of my life. I hope I will be able to make more of the same and pass them down to my own children someday.
Walker’s story is very much a product of her time. She was writing during the American Civil Rights movement, when there was a great deal of conflict between old and new, between younger African-Americans who had benefited from its legacy like Dee an older people like Mama who had not and felt a mixture of resentment and awe at the accomplishments of their children. Walker’s humorous story seems very schematic as a result, but as the real, lived experience of people such as Robyn Kelley suggests, as exemplified in Kelley’s essay, “The People in Me,†very few people resemble such stereotypes in reality: “My mother never fit the ‘black momma’ media image. A beautiful, demure, light brown woman, she didn’t drink, smoke, curse, or say things like ‘Lawd Jesus’ or ‘hallelujah,’ nor did she cook chitlins or gumbo†(Kelley 5). Instead, Kelley writes, her mother was a vegetarian who did yoga.
As a half-Hispanic, half-European career member of the U.S. Navy and a former military brat, I similarly defy such conventional categories and seek to make my own new ones. My identity categories do not define me, but nor do I shun them like Dee did when she was younger. I feel confident of who I am, where my ancestors have come from, and where I am going. To embrace who we are, I believe, means embracing who are family members were in the past, but it also means understanding that they were human beings who were not solely defined by a unitary culture and lifestyle. People are always complex and always have been, both past and present.
Works Cited
Kelley, Robin G. “The People in Me.†Colorlines (1999), 5. Web. 24 Sept 2018.
http://harvey.binghamton.edu/~pgay/etext/The_People_in_Me.html
Rich, Adrienne. “Delta.†Poetry Society of America. Web. 24 Sept 2018.
https://www.poetrysociety.org/psa/poetry/poetry_in_motion/atlas/Fresno/delta/
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.†Web. 24 Sept 2018.
https://www.acpsd.net/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=6626&dataid= 60620&FileName=everyday_use_full-text.pdf
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
