Often times, there is a sense of shame among people of mixed races. Not being able to identify with one particular race can create an unnecessary stigma of disgrace. As an African American poet, Marilyn Nelson Waniek sought to combat the idea that identifying as one race is superior to identifying to another. In Waniek’s poem, “The Century Quilt”, a nine-squared quilt represents the complexities of the speaker’s family heritage and the simplistic beauty that extends beyond their physical attributes. Waniek uses sweet, endearing diction to reveal the poem’s blissfully nostalgic tone. The poem is written almost as if it were a personal diary. It does not have any particular rhyme scheme which exemplifies the personal tone. The speaker reminisces …show more content…
about times when she would “play in its folds and be chieftains/ and princesses” (lines 10-11). The sweet memories within the quilt allow her to relive the past and dream about the future. She personifies the quilt “whose fingers I imagine/ would caress me into the silence” (lines 18-20). Waniek uses enjambment to emphasize the imaginative nature of the quilt. It allows her to blissfully drift into a sweet dream of the past and of the possibilities in the future. There is a simplistic beauty in the quilt that allows her to find solace within its embrace. Color is the preeminent source of imagery in the poem.
The first color mentioned is the “army green” of the blanket that was “issued to Daddy by Supply” (lines 4-5). The blanket is a singular, bland color which contrasts the detailed and vibrant illustration of the grandmother’s quilt. The quilt has “six Van Dyke brown squares, two white ones, and one square, the yellowbrown of Mama’s cheeks” (lines 15-17). Each color on the quilt holds a different sentiment that the speaker feels towards a part of her cosmopolitan heritage. She describes the “yellowbrown” square with the most affection. Comparing the color to her “mama’s cheeks” is endearing and personal rather than descriptive. She also refers to the yellowbrown as her mother’s “ochre gentleness” (line 40), exemplifying her deep compassion for her mother. The speaker associates the color brown with with her father’s “burnt umber pride” (line 39), expressing the dignity that she feels towards her father’s ethnicity. Brown is the most numerous color and has the strongest presence on the quilt, reinforcing her honorable heritage. White is the only color in the poem with a negative connotation. The speaker describes the cold “nodding” that her “grandfather’s white family” greeted her “yellow sisters” with (lines 25-27). Despite the white family’s blunt disdain, the sisters danced and had a wonderful time. She is proud to have inherited both the quilt and her family
heritage. The quilt in Waniek’s poem, whether literal or metaphorical, represents the rich, multifaceted culture that emerges when ethnicities are woven together. The sweet memories of each generation should bring a jubilant hope for the future, rather than a disdain for the past. Cultural superiority is one of the most dangerous mindsets that humanity can have. Humanity should praise and celebrate different cultures for their uniqueness rather than shame them for their differences.
Imagery is used in thus poem to help the reader unsderstand exactly what hte Century Quilt looks like, and to know more about the speakers family. The first use of imagery can be seen on line 15-17 when the speakers says’ six van Dyke brown squares, two white ones, and one sqaure the yellow brown of Mama’s cheeks.”(15-17) This quote explains exactly how the Century Quilt looks and how specifally the speaker describes the Century Quilt shows how important it is to her. Within this quote it can also be reasonably inferred that this quilt is hand made. When the poem says “the yellow brown of Mama’s cheeks” it helps to show how this
Quilt making in the African American community has a long history dating back to the 18th century and has been important for ways of communicating social and political conditions. During the time when African Americans were enslaved, quilting became a popular way of communicating safety to African Americans escaping their way to freedom, up north. The tradition of Quilting was past down form generation to generation, by mother’s to daughter’s as a way of teaching the daughter about the past and giving them a valuable skill that could add to their lives. In the series Bitter Nest by Faith Ringgold, Ringgold’s communicates her life experiences with her daughters though using the art of story telling, traditional African materials, the art of quilting, and elements of art to make a unique story-quilt that appeals to African Americans of all ages.
There exists, in each and every individual, a desire to belong to something greater than one’s self. While there is much in life that one must discover on their own, the security ensured through the bonds of acceptance provides many with a means of identification. Such classification is exemplified in the poem “The Century Quilt” by Marilyn Nelson Wenick, where familial bonds are examined through the means of a family coverlet. Through the utilization of literary techniques, the author effectively develops the complex meaning of the century quilt.
Symbols are displayed in both stories; the quilts in “Everyday Use” symbolize the memories of Mama’s family. The quilts are made of pieces of old clothing from Mama’s family. Each piece of the quilt represents that person and who they were. They are passed on to future generations along with stories of the ancestors’ past. The quilts represent pride of their ancestors’ struggles, where they came from and the fight to preserve their individuality. Unlike Dee, Mama and Maggie acknowledge their heritage from memories of their family members. Dee bases her heritage off ...
Quilts were used for various reasons throughout history and they have been a sentimental part of the African American culture for many years. According to Professor Florett Barnett Cash “Quilts can be used as resources in reconstructing the experiences of African American women. They provide a record of their cultural and political past” (Cash 30). “Everyday Use”, by Alice Walker illustrates how a quilt that was prepared by Miss Johnson and Maggie played a sentimental, yet important part in their family’s, heritage and bond they shared.
In the story, she introduces two sisters with almost opposite personalities and different views on heritage: Maggie and Dee. She uses the contrast between the two sisters to show how one should accept and preserve one's heritage. Beyond the contrast between two sisters there exist the judge figure mom, the narrator and the Dee's irony. The irony on Dee's opinion is the key to understand the story and why the mother let Maggie keep the quilts, which symbolize the heritage.
The quilts were pieced together by Mama, Grandma Dee, and Big Dee symbolizing a long line of relatives. The quilts made from scraps of dresses worn by Grandma Dee, Grandpa Jarrell’s Paisley shirts, and Great Grandpa Ezra’s Civil War uniform represented the family heritage and values, and had been promised to Mama to Maggie when she married. However, Dee does not understand the love put into the making of the quilts, neither does she understand the significance of the quilts as part of her family heritage. It is evident she does not understand the significance of the quilt, having been offered one when went away to college declaring them “as old-fashioned” and “out of style”. She does not care about the value of the quilts to her family, rather she sees it as a work of art, valuable as an African heritage but not as a family heirloom. She wants the quilts because they are handmade, not stitched with around the borders. She tells Mama, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!... She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use… But, they’re priceless!.. Maggie would put them on her the bed and in five years they’d be in rags. Less than that!” (317). The quilt signifies the family pride and history, which is important to Mama. She makes the decision to give the quilt to Maggie who will appreciate it more than Dee, to whom she says, “God knows I been saving ‘em for long enough with
...rn 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 he wore in the Civil War" (Walker, 65). These quilts, which have become an heirloom, not only represent the family, but are an integral part of the family. A concept in which Dee, could just not possibly understand. Mama then grasps the quilts out of Dee’s clutch and places them on Maggie’s lap, for Maggie knows that the quilts are personal and emotional rather than by any means financial (p.66). These quilts are for “Everyday Use.”
In “How It Feels to Be Colored Me,” Hurston breaks from the tradition of her time by rejecting the idea that the African American people should be ashamed or saddened by the color of their skin. She tells other African Americans that they should embrace their color and be proud of who they are. She writes, “[A socialite]…has nothing on me. The cosmic Zora emerges,” and “I am the eternal feminine with its string of beads” (942-943). Whether she feels “colored” or not, she knows she is beautiful and of value. But Hurston writes about a time when she did not always know that she was considered colored.
Most families have some piece of jewelry, furniture, or other symbolic collectible that is passed through many generations. These things often remind a person of a beloved grandparent or great-grandparent and are seen as priceless. In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," the family heirloom, a couple of hand sewn quilts, represents the family members' emotions concerning their heritage.
The contradiction of being both black and American was a great one for Hughes. Although this disparity was troublesome, his situation as such granted him an almost begged status; due to his place as a “black American” poet, his work was all the more accessible. Hughes’ black experience was sensationalized. Using his “black experience” as a façade, however, Hughes was able to obscure his own torments and insecurities regarding his ambiguous sexuality, his parents and their relationship, and his status as a public figure.
Quilts symbolize a family’s heritage. Maggie adheres the tradition by learning how to quilt from her grandmother and by sewing her own quilts. Maggie also puts her grandmother’s quilts into everyday use. Therefore, when Dee covets the family’s heirloom, wanting to take her grandmother’s hand-stitched quilts away for decoration, Mama gives the quilts to Maggie. Mama believes that Maggie will continually engage with and build upon the family’s history by using the quilts daily rather than distance herself from
The early 1900s was a very challenging time for Negroes especially young women who developed issues in regards to their identities. Their concerns stemmed from their skin colors. Either they were fair skinned due mixed heritage or just dark skinned. Young African American women experienced issues with racial identity which caused them to be in a constant struggle that prohibits them from loving themselves and the skin they are in. The purpose of this paper is to examine those issues in the context of selected creative literature. I will be discussing the various aspects of them and to aid in my analysis, I will be utilizing the works of Nella Larsen from The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, Jessie Bennett Redmond Fauset, and Wallace Brown.
...eding hearts” and “mouth . . . . myriad subtleties” (4-5).Today, everyone is entitled to having equal opportunities in the US. Back in Dunbar’s time, on the other hand, slavery prohibited blacks from being an ordinary person in society. Although they prayed heavily and persevered, they wore the mask for the time-being, in the hopes of living in a world where the color of one’s skin would not determine his or her character.
“She wears her yellow sleeveless top that I gave her for her birthday last year.” (103.) Even when Rayona dreams of her perfect life, it includes her mother and the people she loves. Rayona does not wish for a perfect family to appear for her, she wants her family to become perfect. Even as she tries to imagine Ellen’s family in the roles of the letter she cannot, she can only imagine her own family. “I try to picture Mrs. DeMarco using a green felt-tipped pen at the kitchen table in their house wherever it was. I look through her eyes out the door and try to see Mr. DeMarco in his blue suit and tie, cutting the grass. And I can’t. They don’t fit the letter that I’ve heard again and again in my Mom’s voice, It’s Mom I’ve imagined.” (103). Yellow represents her dream for the family she does not