My Mother Pieced Quilts

Words: 480

Pages: 2

Open Document

Many people keep objects that have sentimental value; they can mean many things. Some buy souvenirs to remember places they have been, and others for remembering a passed loved one. These two reasons, along with a few unmentioned ones, have a common theme: remembering something. In the poem “My Mother Pieced Quilts” by Teresa Auste and the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, both authors use imagery and figurative language to establish a quilt as a symbol or memories to illustrate their themes. In “Everyday Use”, this idea is shown when Dee wants some quilts, but mom will not give them to her, as she had promised to give them to Maggie. Dee proclaims “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be rags…” (Walker 64) Dee thinks Maggie does not understand the value of the quilts with all the memories they hold, while Maggie thinks the quilts should be put to use rather than being hung on the wall. Maggie is shown to know what the quilts mean when she says “I can ‘member Grandma Dee …show more content…
In lines 22-23, it uses the imagery of “galloping along the frayed edges, tucking them in / as you did us at night”. This conveys that the quilt’s different parts can be compared to childhood memories and experiences. When describing the scenery of the quilts, the narrator exclaims “… you plunged me sobbing and laughing / into our past” (lines 46-47). This metaphor is used to show that the quilt’s vibrant scenery brought upon memories through the use of different fabrics in the construction. In the last three lines of the poem, another example of the quilts being used as a symbol for memories can be found. “[A]rmed/ready/shouting/celebrating / knotted with love / the quilts sing on” (lines 55-57). The heavy use of personification to describe the quilts portrays that they had more than just scenery; they have a voice, communicating the memories they

My Mother Pieced Quilts

Culture is a something that differs for everyone. Culture includes your traditions, beliefs, and values. Culture is something that will always influence you like in “My Mother Pieced Quilts” and “An Indian Father’s Plea”. For example Christmas is a part of culture that not everyone has but holidays like that affect your culture. Culture always influences your views of the world because everyone has it and it affects the core of a person. In “An Indian Father’s Plea” the dad talks about how the…

Words 381 - Pages 2

Analysis Of My Mother Pieced Quilts

in the poem My Mother Pieced Quilts ( ) And the short story Everyday Use ( ). Everyday Use uses direct examples of family dynamic and values to portray family life and memories. My Mother Pieced Quilts uses melancholy and nostalgic thoughts and feelings of the past to convey family life and memories. The themes of family life and memories are also illustrated by alluding to the quilts within each story. Each of the literary works have a unique way of alluding to the quilts, along with…

Words 145 - Pages 1

My Mother Pieced Quilts Analysis

Walker and the poem "My Mother Pieced Quilts" by Teresa Acosta, both authors use of imagery and figurative language to establish the quilt as a symbol for the importance that a object could have in a family's heritage to illustrate the theme In the short story "Everyday Use", the author uses imagery and figurative language to authorize the quilt as a symbol that helps create the theme. When Dee takes the quilts and argues that she wants them, the author says, "She held the quilts securely in her arm…

Words 542 - Pages 3

Patricia Polyacco And My Mother Pieced Quilts

family heritage. One way to achieve this is through quilts. Two stories that use quilts in this way are “The Keeping Quilt” by Patricia Polacco and “My Mother Pieced Quilts” by Teresa Paloma Acosta. These quilts are viewed somewhat like journals to these families. They tell of where these families came from, what they have been through, and what to look forward to in the future. “The Keeping Quilt” by Patricia Polacco is a personal essay about a quilt made by her great-grandmother that has been passed…

Words 388 - Pages 2

Teresa Acosta My Mother Pieced Quilts

In the poem, she described her perspective on the making of the quilt and also the quilt as a whole. Teresa said, “ but it was just that every morning I awoke to these october ripened canvases.” ( Acosta 54 ) She vividly describes the quilt as “ october ripened canvases”; therefore she highly values the quilt, greatly due to her culture she grew up with. I personally don’t care for quilts due to the fact I wasn’t raised with them. Changes may occur in your views as you get older…

Words 637 - Pages 3

Everyday use essay Jade Dipple

Jade Brylon Dipple Everyday Use Essay English Quinn 4th September 3, 2014 In the story everyday use there are two sisters that both want the quilts that there mother has kept for many years. In the story we learn that the oldest sister Dee is very fashionable. For example, when Dee steps out of the car she is described wearing a dress down to the ground. “There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun. Earrings gold to, and hanging down to her shoulders. Bracelets dangling…

Words 564 - Pages 3

Mount Pleasant Miners Essay

07/30/2008 A snapshot of history, or fine art – Nancy Brown takes us on a journey to Grizzly Flats, California with her 1993 quilt titled: Mount Pleasant Miners. Brown utilizes her skills as a quilter, superb design elements, and the title of the piece to bring life to this cloth masterpiece. The quilt was originally created as a tribute to her grandfather who worked for 17 years as a blacksmith and later a superintendant at the mine. Her grandfather is one of…

Words 830 - Pages 4

everyday use Essay

Sibling fight The quilt is the center of the problem In Everyday Use By: Alice Walker Everyone who has siblings eventually ends up fighting over things with them. In Everyday Use, Dee finds herself lost in her family culture. On other hand, Maggie, Dee’s sister, embraces her culture. Cultural traditions are passed down from parents’ generations to children’s. In Everyday Use, Mama gives the tradition of the quilts to her daughters. The quilt is used as a symbol of heritage and at the…

Words 1123 - Pages 5

Everyday Use Heritage Essay

(1973), among other works. The central theme of the story concerns the way in which an individual understands his present life in relation to the traditions of his people and culture. Dee tells her mother and Maggie that they do not understand their “heritage” because they plan to put “priceless” heirloom quilts to “everyday use.” The basic conflict in this story is Maggie's knowledge of everyday objects and her intention; to use them for their purposes, and her sister Dee (Wangero), who considers herself…

Words 1233 - Pages 5

Susan Glaspell's Comitment to Sisterhood Essay

was unwilling to overlook his son’s shortcomings.” (Glaspell She). Not only did Glaspell manage to defend Mrs. Hossack’s reasons for arguing with her husband, but she also shares that their arguments were over her son that she was defending; most mothers could sympathize with considering the circumstances. This was so early in the case that it is clear that the people who claimed that this was suspicious or proof that she had murdered her husband had clearly already decided her verdict. During…

Words 1578 - Pages 7