Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay -- Every Day Use Alice Walker

Everyday Use by Alice Walker In the story 'Everyday Use', by Alice Walker, the value of ones culture and heritage are defined as a part of life that should not be looked upon as history but as a living existence of the past. Walker writes of the conflict between two Black cultures. Dee and Maggie are sisters whom do not share the same ideals. Mama is torn between two children with different perspectives of what life truly means. In the story, Walker describes the trial and tribulations of one daughter whose whole life is tormented by fear, failure and weakness; while the other "has held life always in the palm of one hand"(61) and moves to a better lifestyle. The possessions of the past will ultimately change the relationships of the future. "Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eying her sister with a mixture of envy and awe."(61) She is afraid of being weak and unable to project her happiness with the life she has chosen. Maggie attempts to remain quiet and reserved during the visit of her sister. The difference of their lifestyle interpretations is one of humble to extravagant. Unlike other young women, Maggie continues to live in an un-educated world where happiness is formed in the heart, not with possessions. Dee, (Wangero) is a self ? centered young woman who ?manages? to come for a visit. Unlike Maggie, she is not living her cu...

To Kill A Mockingbird Truth Essay - 2116 Words

As Mahatma Gandhi said, â€Å"Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of morality.† Demonstrated every day in reality, and expressed in many works of art and literature, this maxim may best be shown in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is the multifaceted and passionate story about and narrated by young Jean Louise â€Å"Scout† Finch as she grows up in 1930s Alabama, telling of the lessons she learns about prejudice, justice, and social rules. The narrative of her family, her neighbors, and society in general are seen through her eyes, and her own growth in response progresses throughout the book. The themes of To Kill a Mockingbird - of innocence, prejudice, morality, belief, and justice - each†¦show more content†¦Even direct evidence can’t change what they think of Arthur. It is easy to see how smoothly and quickly these rumors can be adopted as fact; there is only a short step to this â€Å"knowl edge† being passed on. When Scout first describes the situation regarding Arthur, she mentions that â€Å"Jem received most of his information from Stephanie Crawford, who said she knew the whole thing.† (11) This is one of many times in which Scout mentions Jem, her older brother, gathering this information. It is always framed this way, coming from an outside source, to subtly show the reader that it should not be accepted as fact. Yet, Scout rarely reiterates â€Å"Jem said that†; she accepts it as truth. The reason that Scout and Jem accept what they hear so quickly is that they are children; they have been taught to believe what they are told by adults and it is in their best interest to do so. Gullibility, which results from this, is a primary facet of innocence, and it is this innocence that allows the most absurd of lies to be carried on. Gossip and rumor - the ability to take a kernel of truth and grow it into any falsehood desired - is quite frequently seen throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Since it is incredibly rare that the rumors are true, this theme contributes largely to the theme of truth in general, and its recurrence in the Maycomb community shows how important Harper Lee deems it. What plays an even more influential role inShow MoreRelatedEssay On The Truth In To Kill A Mockingbird1128 Words   |  5 Pageslearn in life, or teach your children, is that life is not castles in the skies, happily ever after. The biggest lesson we have to give our children is truth† (Safire 99). In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, a lawyer, emphasizes teaching his children the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. To Kill a Mockingbird exposes the reader to several situations in Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1930s, and reveals Atticus’s beliefs concerning those situations. Atticus’sRead MoreMaycombs Unusual Disease1211 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Maycomb’s ‘Unusual’ Disease In the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, the residents seem to have all been infected by the same disease. Harper Lee, the author of the very famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has used several ways of portraying this idea and is able to convince readers that her characters really do have some sort of ‘illness,’ an illness which affects people’s thoughts on how others should be treated. The novel highlights several issues including racism, childhood, injustice andRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Essay1076 Words   |  5 Pagessociety think otherwise. In this essay I’ll be discussing the 5 books I’d save from the firemen if I was Guy Montag in Fahrenheit 451, and which of the 5 I’d choose to remember and â€Å"become†. The books I’d save would be Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun, the Bible’s book of Genesis, and Dave Canterburyâ⠂¬â„¢s Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an unforgettable novel ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Angela s Ashes By Frank Mccourt Essay1425 Words   |  6 Pageslife for those who are poor. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee~ Pulitzer Prize winner -This book is the sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird, which follows 26 year old Jean Louise Finch (Scout), home from New York to visit her father, Atticus. While visiting Scout discovers troubling truths from her past. This book would be a good choice for me because, when I read To Kill A Mockingbird in eighth grade I fell in love with the story. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes~ Man Booker Prize -This bookRead MoreAnalysis Of Kill A Mockingbird 843 Words   |  4 Pagesdrunk and one of them is that he wants people to leave him alone. One major theme from To Kill A Mockingbird is to not judge a person by his appearance. This theme refers to Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Raymond because they seem to be bad from a normal person perspective,but on the inside they’re good humans who try to live there life but can’t because the world has people who interfere with them. This essay will explain about how to character are criticized and judged but later show who they veryRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird Essay About Racism795 Words   |  4 PagesBurrell Period 5 TKAM Essay 10/6/09 (Re-Write 10/24/09) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee depicts racism in the 1930’s and shows the characters had to overcome challenges because of it. The 1930’s was a difficult time to live in because of racism against African Americans and the depression, where thousands of people lost their jobs. The idea â€Å"an extraordinary challenge can sometimes make an ordinary person into a hero† shows that anyone in To Kill a Mockingbird could have been a hero,Read MoreA Silent Truth in To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee Essay1809 Words   |  8 Pagesmost likely the case with the stories that are based on the truth, but are not the whole truth. Stories that are based on the truth are not completely the truth in that the author adds small details to make the story more interesting. There are various assumptions that Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is a story related to her own life. Similarities and differences are found between Lee’s life and Scout’s l ife in To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee wrote about a little girl named Jean Louise FinchRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird Essay-Emotional/Moral Courage1417 Words   |  6 PagesTo Kill A Mockingbird Essay-Emotional/Moral Courage Websters dictionary defines courage as mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. According to Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, Courage is when you know youre licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. (Chapter 11, Page 124) No matter how you define it, Harper Lee definitely portrays the theme of mental courage inRead MorePersonality Review : Atticus Finch From Harper Lee s Kill A Mockingbird1265 Words   |  6 PagesPersonality Review Essay: Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird What do you think when you picture a good leader? Do you picture someone who possesses integrity, loyalty, and knowledge or someone who is strong, loud and powerful? Leaders can have many different qualities and still be successful, respected, and admired. There are some leaders who are in total control, they tell a group of people what to do and people follow orders. Others may be focused more on morals, they teachRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1165 Words   |  5 PagesPheng Lao Mr. Abbott English 9 15 December, 2015 To A Mockingbird Essay In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by harper lee, the setting is based on a little town, Maycomb, as scout grows up she sees the changes in her society, role of women, and courage. Scout learns more about the world as she grows up and she starts to see the discrimination between the blacks and the whites. Scout hears a lot about Boo Radley but never sees him. She knows how her society is bad from the day Tom