'Everyday Use': A Cultural Analysis

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Culture is a cluster of intangible and tangible aspects of life passed down from generation to generation- Dr. Felipe Korzenny. A culture is similar to a tradition; when you embrace your culture, you are doing things the way your ancestors have. Culture greatly influences a person because that’s all they grow up knowing until experiencing other cultures. My great aunt Shena is Cambodian and she is greatly influenced by her culture. She lives in America, but still visits her old home in Southeast Asia. She connects and teaches others about her culture. In the story An Indian Father’s Plea, his son is labeled a slow learner because he learns differently than others in the classroom setting. He grew up culturally different than others. (Robert Lake)

Culture highly influences a person’s perspective on others. Wrong and right varies in cultures, due to this what might be right in one culture may be very wrong in another. This leads to snarls and acts of displeasure. In the short story “Everyday Use”, (Alice Walker) Maggie and Dee (Wangero) are sisters, yet they have different beliefs and different perspectives on life. Which is because Maggie is still concentrated on the past and her roots. Maggie’s mom taught her how to sew like her past relatives and taught her the …show more content…
Someone may appear disrespectful, deceitful, maybe even violent all due to the differences of cultures. The story “An Indian Father’s Plea” (Robert Lake) is a great example. The father talked about how his son was educated differently from others due to his culture. Some may believe he came off a little unmannerly, but the teacher may have thought differently. The father wrote about how his son grew up learning about his ancestors and spiritual life. Although his son, Windwolf was taught to learn by experience and touch due to his culture, others in his class grew up

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of “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. From the rural South to the bustling streets of Harlem, each of the stories portrays how the search for personal identity and cultural identity affects different characters. Both explore the tenuous relationship between family members against the backdrop of African American struggles and the journey of self discovery, yet one embraces both the cultural and personal identity while the other rejects it. Through the analysis of…

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