In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, a mother and daughter argue about whether they should use a quilt or hang it up on the wall. The quilt is made up of relics from the civil war. For example, it has a piece of a soldier’s uniform. The mother says that they should use the quilt as it was intended to be used, but the daughter thinks they should treat it as a relic of their African American past and culture. Another conflict in the story is one regarding embracing the past. The daughter is named Dee, but she later changes it to an African name. She thinks that black people in America should not use the culture of their oppressors, and stick to their African roots instead.
On the issue of the quilt, the daughter’s proposal is more reasonable. With so much history in it, it holds much more value as an heirloom. If it is simply used as bedding, it can only be seen by the person who uses it. But if it is put on display, guests can view an amazing piece of history. Besides, a quilt from over one hundred years ago would probably not function well anyway.
However, the daughter changing her name to be more African is disagreeable. It is established that their family has lived in America since at least the Civil War, possibly farther back. After years of slavery and assimilation, any African culture in their family is completely gone. It is obvious that the daughter is an American, so by changing her name she is assigning her self to a culture that she knows nothing about. Ignoring the skin color similarities, her and an African have nothing in common. In conclusion, the daughter has varying levels of disagreeably.