Two Young Women in the Stories Dissertation Example

Free Two Young Women in the Stories Dissertation Example

NameProfessor Course Date Comparison of the Two Young Women in the Stories Everyday Use is a book by Alice Walker depicting a story about Mrs. Johnson (Mama), an uneducated Afrocentric woman with two daughters, Dee the older of the two and who does not appreciate her black American culture, and Maggie who suffered burn scars when she was little and is self-conscious of her appearance. Mama possesses a quilt which has been in their family for generations, and which Dee wants to preserve as an artifact, but Mama believes it should be used as an everyday garment. Mama is disappointed by Dee’s behavior which she attributes to education. She says “she washed us in a river of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessary need to know” (Walker 78). The quilt is symbolic of the family`s heritage, pride, struggles and poverty dating back several generations, and contains small pieces of garments that were worn by Dee`s ancestors. Mama wants to give the quilt to Maggie who she believes will put it into good use, but Dee wants it for herself to put in a shelf and preserve. She sees the quilt as an object of beauty while her mother and sister believe it is an important reminder of their past. The fact that Dee sees the quilt as a piece to be preserved shows her lack of understanding of her family heritage and culture. This is further demonstrated by her desire to change her historical name to a Muslim African name and being in a relationship with a Muslim white man. The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick tells the story of a mother, Rosa, her daughter Magda and her niece Stella being marched to a Nazi concentration camp in the 1980s. It depicts the harsh realities that the family goes through in the hands of the soldiers, and a mother`s love and sacrifices she makes for her loved ones. Rosa covers her daughter Magda with a shawl all through their March and stays at the camp, which keeps her safe and hidden from the soldiers. Magda also sucks on the...