Question

write a essay on , identify and analyze two strategies wangero uses to try to persuade her mother that she should have the quilts. explain why wangero ultimately fails at persuading her mother to give her the quilts what larger message or theme walker is trying to covey through this outcome.
simple no big words

Answer 1

In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” Wangero (formerly Dee) tries hard to get the family quilts from her mother. She uses different ways to convince her mother they belong to her. In the end she does not get them. This outcome helps Walker show an important idea about what heritage really means.

Two strategies Wangero uses

1) She claims the quilts are art and should be displayed.
Wangero says she wants the quilts so she can hang them in her home. She talks about how the quilts were made by her great-grandmother and grandmother and treats them like things to look at. By saying this, she tries to make the quilts seem more valuable if they are shown as pieces of culture or art. Her words suggest that only someone like her, who knows about “heritage” from books and style, can see their worth.

2) She uses her new identity and education to argue she should have them.
Wangero has changed her name and acts proud of her new identity. She speaks in a way that looks down on her mother and sister, as if they do not understand real value. She suggests that Maggie would “put them to everyday use” and not appreciate them. This is a way of saying, “I am the right person because I am educated and know what these quilts mean.” She thinks her schooling and new name give her a right to own the quilts.

Why Wangero fails

Wangero does not succeed because her ideas about the quilts miss the real reason they matter to the family. For Mama and Maggie, the quilts are not just art. They are part of daily life and family memory. The pieces of cloth are scraps from dresses and uniforms worn by relatives. They hold stories and were made by hands that loved and worked for the family. Mama remembers who made what patch and how the quilts were used. She sees their value in being used and remembered, not hung up and admired from a distance.

Wangero’s way of talking comes off as showy and shallow. She treats the quilts as objects to prove her taste. Mama sees this and refuses. She had already promised the quilts to Maggie, the shy daughter who will use them and keep the family stories alive. In the end Mama takes a stand and gives the quilts to Maggie. Wangero’s argument fails because she cannot connect to the real meaning of the quilts. Her claim is based on appearance and status, not love and living memory.

Larger message Walker wants to give

Walker uses this scene to show the difference between two kinds of heritage. One kind is heritage as living practice: it is used, handed down, and kept in families through everyday actions. The other kind is heritage as display: it is treated as exotic, shown to prove identity or taste. Walker favors the first kind. She suggests that true respect for the past comes from using it and remembering the people who made it, not from putting it on display to show off.

Also, Walker shows that pride and education do not automatically mean a deeper connection to roots. Wangero is educated and stylish, but she is disconnected from the family’s everyday life. Mama and Maggie, though simple in their lives, actually keep the family’s memory alive. The story says that real heritage is not something you can claim by words or by changing your name. It is earned through care, use, and love.

Conclusion

Wangero tries to win the quilts by saying they are art and by claiming her right through education and new identity. She fails because the family values the quilts for their stories and everyday use, not for display. Walker’s main point is that true heritage lives in actions and memories, not in showing off or treating family history like a museum object.