Essay Database

The "Everyday Use" of Heritage They say the keys to the future lye in the past, and to embrace the past and the heritage that is there develops a strong individual and family environment. In Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use", she brings up such issues that discuss and compare the relationship between heritage, tradition, and the past. The story also questions whether or not heritage is something one uses or something one possess. How …

…the civil war." (p640, 2) Everything is constructed for a reason and to let an object of any significance sit around and collect dust, would be a waste of heritage. In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use", she shows how heritage should be used by making reference to the butter churn, the hand made benches, and even a couple of old quilts. Even though such objects can be perceived as small, they served significant purposes in everyday use.