...Alice Walker's "Everyday Use", The critic Timothy Sexton asserts that the older daughter, Dee, is the "embodiment of the struggle for a unifying identity" (par. 4). In contrast with Dee, the critics Houston A Baker, Jr. and Charlotte Pierce-Baker consider Maggie to be a guardian of history, or "griot" (164). Dee is a selfish and egotistical character with a superficial understanding of her inheritance. She characterizes the confusion and misguidance of young African Americans in the late 60s and 70s. This is apparent in her interactions with her mother and sister. As Sexton notes, Dee "considers herself as cultured, and beyond the abased quality of the lives lived by her mother and sister" (par. 3). She makes her feelings clear when she attempts to "take" the quilts Mama had promised to Maggie: "Maggie can't appreciate these quilts... she'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use" (Walker, 103). By using the quilts for purposes other than their original intent she believes that she is respecting her heritage, but this is not the case: her desire to put them on display is "really not quite so different from the white capitalist cashing in on ethnic artworks" (Sexton, par. 4) Not only is she conforming to the worst of American ideals, but she is rejecting and disrespecting her own cultural heritage-- all under the pretenses of preserving it. It is in this sense that she is the "embodiment of the struggle for a unifying identity," because she has not yet come to...
Words: 1207 - Pages: 5
...an adult I’m bumtious and will always get my point across. You would never recognize me from that little kid I used to be. This change I went through wasn’t a choice, rather, a necessity as Herbert Spencer said “survival of the fittest” I changed because I had to. Everyone goes through some form of change. Someone may start a certain way then end up living their lives another way accordingly to the paths they chose to follow. The path I have taken taught me to be assertive and make people take notice of me. People are all traveling down their own roads growing and changing along the way. Joseph Campbell composed “The Hero’s Journey” to glorify...
Words: 2067 - Pages: 9
...Nov. 2010 Everyday Use When I was kid I was quiet, shy and never stood up for myself. Today I’m loud, brash and I always get my point across. You would never recognize me from that little kid I once was. My change was not a choice, rather, a necessity forced upon me to strengthen me. I changed because I needed to. Everybody changes. People start one way and end their lives another accordingly to the roads they have traveled. The roads I’ve taken have taught me to stand up and make people take notice of me. People are all following their own paths growing and changing as they go. We all take roads and each road will take you to a different point. Joseph Campbell came up with “The Hero’s Journey” to illuminate these changes a person goes through. These are a set of stages a hero, or person, go through during a significant time. Campbell writes, “Stories of these mythological adventures are really metaphors and symbols for the “journeys” in life that all of us go through as we pass from one stage to another” (par.2). Everybody goes through these stages one way or another. That’s life. We see these stages in Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use.” Mrs. Johnson, the hero, changes from a quiet, unconfident, passive woman to a woman who at the end of the story finally stands up for herself. She changed because of the situation and people that were placed in front of her. Mrs. Johnson begins the story “Everyday Use” as unconfident and passive. Her oldest daughter Dee is coming home...
Words: 2000 - Pages: 8
...and one personality theory We as humans all the time ask ourselves “why do people act like this,” or how could they do this.” Therefore we are interested in the personality of others even if we don’t know the psychological term for it. Personality in psychology is distinctive and relatively enduring ways of thinking, feeling and acting that characterize an individual’s responses towards life situations. Today there are 3 main characteristics attached to thinking, feeling and action. Feeling, thinking and actions are seen as the behavioural components of our identity, behaviour is believed to be caused primarily by internal than environmental factor and behaviour has organisation and structure. One personality theory that is within my aim to discuss is Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Sigmund Freud became dominant in pursuing this theory after having studied Hysteria with Jean Charcot, hysteria was were physical issues occurred such as blindness without any medical explanation as to why. Therefore Freud associated hysteria occurring due to people having had experiences and feelings that they buried with repression. Freud saw unconscious processes and psychic energy (instinctual drives generate it) as responsible for the behaviour one has. Freud believed that 3 structures that interact form the core of personality, these being the Id, Ego and Superego. The id is the innermost core of personality and is present at birth it acts according to the pleasure principle which...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...As a negotiator or a diplomat, Parker was an excellent communicator. Parker negotiated with Governor Campbell of Texas, the removal of his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker from her gravesite in Texas to Cache, Oklahoma where Parker had a family plot set for future burials. In a well written letter to Governor Campbell, Parker succeeded in negotiating the transfer of Cynthia Ann Parker. Later, the State of Texas sent the remains of her small daughter, Prairie Flower so that the family was laid to rest in the same burial plot. Consequently, the improved technology of munitions required the expansion of impact areas for artillery, Parker’s family plot had to be moved to allow for the extended artillery ranges on Fort Sill. Parker’s family plot was moved...
Words: 1968 - Pages: 8
...Hilda Van Duinen 6 October 2014 A Stuffed Toy Bear Walking down a long hallway with bleached white tile, little flecks of paint decorate each square to disguise the drops of food and bits of trash. What room number was it, 1306 or 1309—pretty sure it was bed B? Check the chart. The bleached tile hugs the wall and hides underneath the rustic orange-colored plastic border, creating a gap amid the tile and the wall where the occasional stray syringe cap is lazily tucked in between it. Feet are throbbing; stomach is rumbling, long day, clocked in at four this morning, just want to sleep forever. Following this plastic trimming, the hall seems endless, does it turn left or right, maybe a dead end—you could rarely ever tell if it weren’t for the directional signs. I think this is the room; the girl with the plush stuffed toy bear they said. The wall itself is also white, neutral, seldom decorated with anything other than policies and inspirational posters which are not really meant to look at, more for comfort really. Besides, you could hardly ever see the posters as the halls are constantly filled with running feet. There are lights everywhere, on the ceiling, on the floor, on the walls, above every room, however the hall is surprisingly dim, making it difficult to read patient numbers on doors. Found it, the room with the girl with the plush stuffed toy bear. Finally get to sit. A firm cheap sofa chair that isn’t meant for long term visits—mostly only for show and requirement—but...
Words: 1267 - Pages: 6
...World Mythology 5/7/11 A Creation Story By Victoria Jay “Why do they do that mother?” “Do what? The sunflowers?” Salhi nodded, as she ran her small hands through the soft yellow petals. Her gray eyes sparkled in the dying light as she looked up at me. “Why do they face the trees in the morning, and then bow to the mountains at night?” She twirled around, her light blue sun dress swaying in the breeze, “it’s just…They look so sad, like they’re lost, and cant’ get home.” A soft smile played at my lips, I bent down so my head came up to her shoulders. My little girl turned and looked at me, rubbing her nose and leaving a streak of pollen on its tip. “Would you like to hear a story?” I whispered, placing myself back on our blanket. She nodded, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of another myth. She sat down next to me, curling up and resting her head on my lap. I sighed, turning my eyes upward to the speckled red sky, the last light of day just beginning to hide behind the cloak of night. I closed my eyes, remembering the myth my grandmother had told me years ago; the soft chirping of a Pine siskin floats through the cool air as I begin the story, the Senowee tale of why the sunflower follows the sun. Why the Sunflower Follows the Sun “Once, long ago in a place much different than our home, there lived a burning flame. Her name was Asishkawatz, and she was the mother sun. Now, Asishkawatz had seven children, six of who had extraordinary gifts. Sal, the...
Words: 2414 - Pages: 10
...Except the activities I did in class, I also went outside and got involved with social community. The first paper I wrote was to analysis a kind of text. I chose a painting draw by Da Vinci. I opened the picture on the website by searching it on Google. When I looking at the picture, and when I described the picture, I included the story and history of this painting in order to understand the picture better. The second paper was museum walkthrough guide. This paper was what I liked the most since it was so interesting and fun to write this paper. I went to the museum on the campus and spent about three hours for observation and taking notes. I walked around the museum and visited the museum from the first floor to the third floor. I brought my notebook and draw a map of this museum. Then I go back home and composed this paper by presenting what I seen and how these exhibitions displayed in the museum. The third paper that I wrote was the investigative journalism. The topic I chose was the green space on the campus. I knew that the green space is not big enough for students to use on the campus thus I decided to asked the mower who works on the lawn area. After I asked him and got the information that I want, I started to write what conversations we had. And then I composed it by journalism form. Also, I wrote another paper which is the mystery paper. I talked about a story about a sound. The last paper I wrote was to produce a kind of text. I heard about the news, Paris was attacked...
Words: 7547 - Pages: 31
...CEDAW in Kyrgyzstan: a movement towards justice On 18 December, 2009, the world will celebrate 30 - year anniversary of the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). To mark Convention’s 30th birthday, Kyrgyz women’s organizations launched a nation – wide collection of stories, testimonies and reflections about changes which CEDAW brought into lives of Kyrgyz women. The six selected stories, written by the NGOs and women selves were included into this brochure. UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations. It provides fi nancial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality. UNIFEM focuses its activities on the over-arching goal of supporting the implementation of existing commitments at the national level to advance gender equality. In support of this goal, UNIFEM works in the following thematic areas: • Strengthening women’s economic security and rights; • Ending violence against women; • Reversing the spread of HIV and AIDS among women and girls; • Achieving gender equality in democratic governance in times of peace as well as war. ActiveArt is co-founded by long-term art-collaborators Tarot Couzyn and Orla O’Flanagan. They work in partnership with local and national groups, to create innovative and participatory community art. Over the past 6 years they have worked in South Africa, Ireland and the Kyrgyz Republic creating art for egalitarian social and political...
Words: 9296 - Pages: 38
...Proceeding for the School of Visual Arts Eighteenth Annual National Conference on Liberal Arts and the Education of Artists: Art and Story CONTENTS SECTION ONE: Marcel’s Studio Visit with Elstir……………………………………………………….. David Carrier SECTION TWO: Film and Video Narrative Brief Narrative on Film-The Case of John Updike……………………………………. Thomas P. Adler With a Pen of Light …………………………………………………………………… Michael Fink Media and the Message: Does Media Shape or Serve the Story: Visual Storytelling and New Media ……………………………………………………. June Bisantz Evans Visual Literacy: The Language of Cultural Signifiers…………………………………. Tammy Knipp SECTION THREE: Narrative and Fine Art Beyond Illustration: Visual Narrative Strategies in Picasso’s Celestina Prints………… Susan J. Baker and William Novak Narrative, Allegory, and Commentary in Emil Nolde’s Legend: St. Mary of Egypt…… William B. Sieger A Narrative of Belonging: The Art of Beauford Delaney and Glenn Ligon…………… Catherine St. John Art and Narrative Under the Third Reich ……………………………………………… Ashley Labrie 28 15 1 22 25 27 36 43 51 Hopper Stories in an Imaginary Museum……………………………………………. Joseph Stanton SECTION FOUR: Photography and Narrative Black & White: Two Worlds/Two Distinct Stories……………………………………….. Elaine A. King Relinquishing His Own Story: Abandonment and Appropriation in the Edward Weston Narrative………………………………………………………………………….. David Peeler Narrative Stretegies in the Worlds of Jean Le Gac and Sophe Calle…………………….. Stefanie Rentsch...
Words: 117240 - Pages: 469
...2013 Biography of Diana Princess of Wales Diana was born on July 1, 1961, a direct descendent of King Charles II, she became Lady Diana Spencer in 1975 when her father became eighth Earl of Spencer. She lived with her father and three siblings after her parent divorced in 1969, father Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorpe, and mother Francis Ruth Burke Roche, Viscountess Althorpe, and later Honorable Francis Shand Kydd. Diana was a shy child loved music, ballet, and had a fondness for children, although she was a poor student she became a teacher and taught kindergarten at Young England School. As a child, she played with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward she was no stranger to royalty they rented Park House. Later she went on to marry Prince Charles, twelve years her senior on July 29, 1981 with a much publicized wedding, a year later Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was born on June 21, 1982, two years later Prince (Harry) Henry Charles Albert David was born September 15, 1984 and was a very devoted mother. Diana gave up her title of Her Royal Highness after divorcing Prince Charles in 1996. Extreme pressure of wife, mother, and princes left her depressed, she often cut herself on the arms and legs and several suicide attempts, and she became a model for depression and bulimia. Diana dedicated herself to the cause of eliminating Aids, leprosy, the ballet, a hospital for children, cancer. 'The image of her holding hands with someone with AIDS shattered the...
Words: 5686 - Pages: 23
...Minimalist contentions: Fight Club Introduction Chuck Palahniuk is one of the most influential American fiction writers who emerged in the 1990s. His debut novel, Fight Club (hereafter: FC) reached cult status after the film adaptation by David Fincher was released in 1999, and widespread and divided critical reception was soon to follow. Much of the current debate about Fight Club focuses on the political implications of the text, but most often recourse to it by way of referencing the film. These arguments usually question or celebrate the transgressive potentials of the book (Giroux; Mendieta), or address issues of masculinity brought into the fore by their literary and cinematic representations emergent in the same decade (Tuss; Friday). However, few, if any, have addressed the literary aspirations of the text and its author. Although none of the approaches to the thematic concerns of Fight Club are unjustified, in the argument that follows I will suggest that conclusions drawn and critical judgments passed have been hasty, and not only failed to take into account the formal aspects of story-telling, but that the narrative features of Palahniuk’s text have largely went unexplored, and constitute a blind spot of the reception. Critics condemning or acclaiming the novel, and, indeed, many a cultic reader of Palahniuk ignored Fight Club as a literary narrative, and have inadvertently been repeating the catchphrases of the text, either reinforcing or trying to undermine what...
Words: 7514 - Pages: 31
...When Mary Shelley’s mother dies of “puerperal fever on September 10, 1797, she left her newborn daughter with a double burden: a powerful and ever-to-be-frustrated need to be mothered, together with a name, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, that proclaimed this small child as the fruit of the most famous literary marriage of eighteenth-century England” (Mellor 1). Mary‘s childhood is filled with a desperate need for love and affection as her father, William Godwin “found it easy to express his obvious affection when his daughters were small, but as they grew older together he became remote and awkward, more dutiful than sensitive, unable to show what he really felt for them. They, too, had to fitted into the methodical timetable, with periods allotted when they might interrupt his writing or listen to his latest story” (Locke 217). Although Godwin admires Mary, he does not seem to feel any special affection for her and finds it difficult to express his fatherly love for her. Anne K. Mellor adds, as Mary Shelley grows into the author of one of the most famous novels ever written, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, “we can never forget how much her desperate desire for a loving and supportive parent defined her character, shaped her fantasies, and produced her fictional idealizations of the bourgeois family-idealizations whose very fictiveness, as we shall see, is transparent” (1). Just as Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley’s childhood is filled with solitude and a desperate...
Words: 4169 - Pages: 17
...Mao's Last Dancer Li Cunxin Dedication To the two special women in my life—my mother and my wife Mao’s Last Dancer A Wedding Qingdao, 1946 On the day of her marriage, a young girl sits alone in her village home. It is autumn, a beautiful October morning. The country air is cool but fresh. The young girl hears happy music approaching her house. She is only eighteen, and she is nervous, frightened. She knows that many marriage introducers simply take money and tell lies. Some women from her village marry men who don't have all their functional body parts. Those women have to spend the rest of their lives looking after their husbands. Wife beating is common. Divorce is out of the question. Divorced women are humiliated, despised, suffering worse than an animals fate. She knows some women hang themselves instead and she prays this is not going to be her fate. She prays to a kind and merciful god that her future husband will have two legs, two arms, two eyes and two ears. She prays that his body parts are normal and functional. She worries that he will not be kind-hearted and will not like her. But most of all she &+x worries about her unbound feet. Bound feet are still in fashion. Little girls as young as five or six have to tuck four toes under the big toe and squeeze them hard to stop the growth. It is extremely painful, and the girls have to change the cloth bandages and wash their feet daily to avoid infection. The tighter the feet are bound the smaller the feet will...
Words: 147409 - Pages: 590
...Часы из золоченой бронзы The OrmoluClock The Hotel Stroh stood side by side (отель Строх стоял рядом: «бок о бок»; Stroh— нем. солома, зд. фамилия владельца, side— стенка, поверхность, сторона) with the Guest-house Lublonitsch (с пансионом Люблонич; guest(гость) +house(дом)), separated by a narrow path that led up the mountain (разделенный /только/ узкой тропинкой, которая вела в гору; toseparate— отделять, разъединять, toleadup— вести куда-либо, приводить к чему-либо), on the Austrian side (с австрийской стороны), to the Yugoslavian border (к югославской границе; border— граница, край, предел). Perhaps the old place (возможно, /это/ старое имение: «место») had once been a great hunting tavern (когда-то было настоящей охотничьей таверной; great— большой, огромный, колоссальный, hunting— охота, поиски). These days, though (сейчас: «в эти дни», однако), the Hotel Stroh was plainly a disappointment (отель Строх был, очевидно, разочарованием; plainly— ясно, четко) to its few drooping tenants (для нескольких его изможденных постояльцев; todroop— наклоняться, сутулиться, изнемогать). They huddled together (они теснились /вместе/; tohuddle— сваливать в кучу, собирать вместе, съеживаться) like birds in a storm (как птицы /во время/ в грозу; storm— буря, ураган, шторм); their flesh sagged over the unscrubbed tables (их фигуры ссутулились над нечищеными столами: «их плоть обвисала над нечищенными щеткой столами»; flesh— тело, мясо, плоть, tosag— прогибаться, покоситься, обвисать, toscrub—...
Words: 12993 - Pages: 52
