The forests between our house and the full-banked river were very beautiful. The wild cherry and the dogwood were in full bloom. The squirrels were leaping from tree to tree, and the birds were making a various melody.” She truly appreciated every aspect of her time with her father, the imagery shows that.…
Symbolism is a way an author gives a reader the ability to interpret the story. Symbolism is heavily used in “A Jury of Her Peers” to describe the relationship and characterization of Mrs. and Mr. Wright. The broken stove is a representation of neglect with Mr. Wright, and for Mrs. Wright her decline since her marriage. The birdcage is a representation of life for both Mrs. and Mr. Wright. Mrs. Wright is trapped and Mr. Wright is the cage. The bird represent the joy Mrs. Wright wants and use to have, and for Mr. Wright it represents his cruelty and abuse. The symbolism of Mrs. and Mr. Wright in “A Jury of Her Peers” represents the oppression of women by men.…
Family, for some has always been the glue that holds people together, whether liked or not, like branches on a tree, spreading its leaves for what seems like miles. In "The Century Quilt" by Marilyn Nelson Waniek, the speaker creates a simile of her grandmother's blanket and her quilt, beginning with explaining the memorable colors and thoughts about her grandmother's blanket and continuing with her quilt. In "The Century Quilt", Waniek gives the poem complex meaning through literary techniques such as diction to add complexity and to give insight to the meaning, imagery to show the connection of the speaker's family, and symbolism to show the similarities of the speakers quilt and her grandmother's blanket.…
“Undressing Aunt Frieda,” is a poem about the narrator’s remembrance of his Aunts life while visiting her on a death bed. The narrative is in first person, and takes place as the narrator and his daughter are about to leave the relative. The first half of the poem explores Frieda and her past. The second half is about how the narrator and daughter have grown and learned from the aunt. While undressing her aunt, the narrator feels emotions and remembers his past with Frieda. The poem describes these emotions and memories in a metaphor explaining unique characteristics of how Aunt Frieda undressed, and how she impacted the relatives.…
She thinks to herself, “I didn’t want to bring up how I has offered Dee (Wangero) a quilt when she went away to college. Then she had told me they were old-fashioned, out of style”(320). The mother is in disbelief at Dee, who only wants to use her heritage as something for show and tell. Those same blankets she had once refused she now wanted because they fit her own aesthetic, and not at all for the value and meaning behind those quilts. The mother then decides to do something unheard of and, “hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snactched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap”(321). The mom has chosen her true heritage over the false, glamorized one that her eldest daughter has decided to create. She gives the quilts to Maggie because in her heart she knows that Miss Wangero does not deserve them, that Maggie can truly appreciate them and know who she is and where she’s come…
Have you ever not seen eye to eye with your mother? In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use”, we are shown how many of the choices we make and the things we value create our identity. This story focuses on two characters, mama and her daughter Dee (Wangero), who struggle to see the same way about their heritage. Dee wants the things made by her grandmother, to not admire it as an artifact, but rather to remake it. She wants to take them, and change them to match her lifestyle as it is today. She loves them for the way they look. Mama, on the other hand, views the things from her mother as artifacts. She loves the items more than how they look. She admires the quilts because of their everyday use. Transformations take place between these characters. Dee’s transformation is more external than it is internal. She shows her transformation in the way she speaks, the clothes she wears, and her judgement. Mama’s transformation is more internal. She begins to see Dee’s real thoughts, and she stands up against her. When she takes the quilts away from Dee, she doesn’t only stand up for herself, but Maggie, as…
The quilts are pieces of living history, documents in fabric that chronicle the lives of the various generations and the trials that they faced. “These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear.” (Walker 9) “Some of the pieces, like the lavender ones, come from old clothes her mother handed down to her,” (Walker 9) The quilts serve as a testament to a family’s history of pride and struggle. With the limitations that poverty and lack of education placed on her life, Mama considers her personal history one of her few treasures. She mentions that "After second grade the school was closed down." (Walker 3) and because of this she is not educated and cannot…
Written by Marilyn Waniek, “The Century Quilt” describes the importance of heritage in the narrator’s life. Using imagery, tone, and structure, Waniek effectively illustrates the importance of her quilt. The quilt represents not only her family’s heritage but also her future heritage.…
meanings attributed by the speaker to the quilt. The prompt mentioned structure, imagery and tone as…
irony- the different reasons for why the two sisters want the quilts. Like " Who will light the incense when mothers gone" its about tradition and caring on things passed down from generation.…
him and do the work of true religious belief for the whole family was a…
the bowl you put them in. Bonsai trees twist in miniature. I would have given anything to keep her little. They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.” In this quote the mother is speaking about how she wished her daughter hadn’t grown up and is reluctant to let her go. In “Flight of the Firstborn”, Peggy Carr addresses the feelings of parenthood when a child outgrows their parents and in turn leave their parents to start their own lives. Through metaphors, imagery and through constant use of enjambment the author expresses the parental feeling of having a child grow up in front of their eyes.…
In the short story, “Everyday Use” Walker addresses the conflict with cultural and personal issues within family heritage. Mama, Maggie, and Dee are the main characters within the story. They each have their own point of view and this evokes conflict amongst them. The story centers around the symbol of legacy exemplified through the “quilt”. Walker uses her own personal history and life struggles and intertwines them into the story through the characters thoughts, actions and feelings under a contemplative tone and conversational writing style.…
Throughout this excerpt from “My Garden” by Mary Abigail Dodge, the author uses extensive amounts of imagery to envelope the reader in her writing in order to convey her message. Through the use of imagery Dodge enables the audience to understand that women can be accomplished writers just like men…
Growing up surrounded by a pack of strong dynamic females shaped who I am today. From an early age, I observed these women and tried to make sense of who they were. I have used my work to visually capture the moments that have, and continue to, shape the lives of women, particularly in the South. My work is a commentary of Southern women and the many reasons why their lives continue to be affected by gender roles and familial bonds. I have incorporated these themes into my work by using visual narratives that describe moments of emotional jubilation and depression.…