Name____________________________ Period_______
“Everyday Use”: Representing Family Heritage (25 Points Due Tomorrow)
Heritage: (n.) 1. something that comes or belongs to someone by birth, like property or possessions (inheritance), 2. Something reserved for
someone by family members, 3. Also, valued objects and cultural traditions passed down from previous generations.
Explanation: The word “heritage” has many meanings (see above definitions), and it takes on many forms
in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” Mama reserves the family quilts for Maggie rather than Dee because
Maggie is more likely to carry on the family heritage of quilt making. Mama also gives Maggie the quilts
because she has more respect for the cultural heritage that the ancestors had before her. Dee is one who
casts off, or refuses, her family heritage, by only seeing it for its material value (the value of the quilts, for
example).
Directions: We all have some family or cultural heritage that our parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters,
aunts, uncles, and other family members try to pass down from generation to generation. Sometimes this
heritage takes on a material form in an object, like the quilt and quilt making; other times, the heritage
simply involves certain nonmaterial things, like beliefs or values, that are passed on from generation to
generation (like religious beliefs, political beliefs, certain activities, or certain ways of living).
My Heritage: (5 Points)
In the space below, make a list of objects, beliefs, values, activities, or ways of life that represent
YOUR family or cultural heritage. You should try to have at least 12-15 heritage items listed.
Your Heritage “Quilt”: (20 Points) Just like in “Everyday Use,” represent your heritage by including a
visual representation of FOUR objects, beliefs, values, activities, or ways of life that are central to your
family or cultural heritage. These do not have to be works of art, but in order to get credit, you must have
demonstrated that you’ve put some time and thought into these. You can use small images from computer
print outs or from magazines, but you must get these outside of class.
___________________________ Heritage