... to teach about family heritage. Heirlooms teach a family what their ancestors did to pass time. So much about our family history originates from heirlooms. In the short story Everyday Use, Grandma Dee would sew beautiful quilts. One of the characters, Dee, only wanted the quilts so she can show them off. She had no intention of valuing the quilts for what ... they were. Maggie, another character in the story, ended up keeping Grandma Dee's quilts. Maggie knew how to quilt herself, and she was able to appreciate her family heritage. But not all heirlooms explain to us about what our ance...

• Word Count: 617
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... them to everyday use. The second level of meaning in the title can be the two sisters have different ideas when it comes to their culture. From down the line Grandma Dee and Big Dee created their quilts for everyday use and that's what Maggie wants to continue. Dee actually is putting the quilts to everyday use also by having them ... quilts to stay grounded in her family. Walker wants us to recognize what we have and not show it off to the world. Maggie should have stood up for herself, Grandma Dee and Big Dee. She comes from a line of quilters and she should be proud of that. Dee is j...

• Word Count: 648
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... 't bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me," (Walker 300). Dee's name however, comes from a line of family history of her aunt, Mama's sister and Grandma Dee tracing back to the Civil War (Walker 300). Prior to Dee going off to school, Mama offers her a quilt and Dee denies. Since returning from university, Dee (Wangero) has ... ...

• Word Count: 1247
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... he said he didn't eat collards and pork was unclean. The two quilts mentioned in the story were very special to the author for they were made from scraps of Grandma Dee's dresses over fifty years ago. She had full intentions of giving them to Maggie after she married so keep them a special heirloom in the family. Dee on the other ... ...

• Word Count: 722
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... nervous about her sister's visit. Maggie was not even able to confront Dee about wanting the quilts. She was so use to giving in to Dee she said "I can "member Grandma Dee without the quilts", just so Dee could have them. Unlike Maggie, Dee is a Henry 2 bold young woman. Her mother said "She was determined to stare down any disaster in ... ...

• Word Count: 550
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... " and as a consequence she will never make anything of herself. Maggie may not understand what Dee means by "heritage" buth seh "knows how to quilt" and furthermoer she "can' member Grandma Dee without the quilts" These quilts, which have become an heirloom, not only represent the family, but are an integral part of the family. Dee covets the quilts for their ... ...

• Word Count: 314
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... Maggie feels inadequate compared to her sister. However, Maggie seems to be a happy child despite where she came from. Maggie even offers Dee her quilts saying; "she can still remember grandma without them." It is obvious that she loves her family very much. Even though Dee constantly puts Maggie down, she still is not angry with her. She even sits down ... ...

• Word Count: 733
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... the truth, considering that "Wangero" has cast aside her name, her family's history, her poor family, and the culture of her mother. "In both of them were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece . . . that was from Great Grandpa Ezra's uniform that ... ...

• Word Count: 264
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... have the butter churn and the dasher which were both hand carved by Uncle Henry. After dinner Wangero takes it and asks if she could also have the quilts that Grandma Dee and the mother had made. The mother denies Wangero's request because the mother had promised to give the blankets to Maggie when she married John Thomas. This makes Dee ... ...

• Word Count: 503
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... take some different quilts. However, she refuses to take the other quilts because they were made by a machine. She only wants Maggie's quilts because they were hand made by their Grandma Dee. She tells her mother "you don't understand your heritage." Dee wants the quilts, so she can hang them as a display of her heritage, and does not think Maggie is ... ...

• Word Count: 929
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the stories of their ancestors as far back as she can remember stored in her brain. When they are discussing the quilts Mama recollects, "They had been pieced together by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them,"(361-362). The quilts don't have any sentimental value ... ...

• Word Count: 574
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... , ""Hang them!" As if that were the only thing you could do with quilts" (94). The reason that Maggie wanted the quilts is because she would be reminded of her Grandma Dee every time she saw them, but that is not why her sister wanted them. Dee wanted to hang them on the wall so she would be reminded of her ... ...

• Word Count: 709
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School