Analysis of Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo (Dee) in Everyday Use

digest of Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo (Dee) in mundane UseWhere Must iodin Fit analysis of Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo (Dee) in frequent UseWhat made the B need Power bm of the 1960s and 70s such a powerful force, and wherefore did it start in the first place? Author Russell Rickford explains in We Are an Afri lav throng Independent Education, threatening Power, and the Radical Imagination, what Pan-Africanism means. The definition consists of rethinking African-American identity non in terms of macrocosm a minority or racial group, but as an African people. The exercise was grounded in the importance of cultural rebirth to a people who were deemed unworthy of moral treatment, excluding them from the label of human. They did not know anything nor were aw be ab fall out their African heritage. In Alice Walkers story Everyday Use she describes two sides of the aforementi wizardd(prenominal) coin when it comes to heritage. Maggie, who stays at home with ma and lives their her itage with traditions which are passed down. And Dee, who becomes enthralled with the concept of African-nationalism, practicing forward-looking habits which alter her psyche. This leads Dee to denounce her recent heritage, excluding florists chrysanthemum and Maggie for being uneducated and categorizing the objects employ every day as priceless folk-art.With the fight for desegregation of schools and the well-behaved rights movement of the 1970s, African-nationalism was born. This is the time period when Dee, who was college educated, where the trend originated, had a unseasoned-found outlook on her African roots. So much so that she changed her outward appearance and lay down. When mum inquired on why she changed it to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, Dee simply replied with Shes dead. I couldnt bare it any persistenter, being named after the people who oppress me.(27) Perplexed by the concept of the name change, Mama told her she was named after her aunt Dicie and that Dee was handed down through the generations. Wangero, get tired of the conversation, jumped to the conclusion that somewhere down the line her ancestor was a striver to a white family and thus gave her a white name. some(prenominal) outside sources such as The Nation of Islam encouraged Africans to abandon their break ones back names, their leader Elijah Muhammed writes You must remember that slave-names will keep you a slave in the eyes of the civilized world today. You have seen, and recently, that Africa and Asia will not honor you or give you any respect as long as you are called by the white mans name.Along with changing her name, Wangeros prink transformed as well. Straight hair, for Africans was a sign, another step towards culture into white society. Too more effectively exclude herself as an freelance black woman Wangero grew out her afro. To Africans it was a symbol of defiance and repossession of her contractable identity, embracing who they were naturally without being categorized as undesirable for their lack of straight fine hair. She dressed herself in a long silky bright dress that looked a lot uniform a tralatitious African garb and instead of saying hello she greeted Mama with the African term Wa-su-zo-Tean-o. The introduction to the new and improved Dee attests to the psychological process of chastely separating herself from the past generations and reclaiming her Blackness. This includes wanting to take items from Mamas house in order to pompousness them in a show and tell way further amplifying what she had to oercome.We are lead to question Dees sincerity when it comes to the acquisition of the items. Mama, our narrator, reminds us on how Dee despised the childishness house they used to live in and was joyful when it burned down. Dee was embarrassed by Mama and the house, not wanting to bring friends over for introductions. She also tells us that when Dee was first going away to college, she offered her the very same quilts she n ow wanted to take and cherish. At the time, Dee abruptly refused them claiming they are old-fashioned, out of style. One can argue that the new-found appreciation for the family heirlooms is just part of the trend. That Dee can be seen as falsely affirming herself and becoming manipulated by the movement. Seeing that is it quiet to have lived the scrape, that she came through by showing off her heritage through the art of hand stitched quilts made by her aunt. It seems as if she wants to advance respect from others following the movement by hanging and using these objects as art pieces rather than the circumstances onto why they were made. Furthermore, at the beginning of the story, she snaps a picture of Mama and Maggie on the front porch. This is done after Mama describes herself as a large, big-boned women with rough, man working hands, one of the reasons why Dee never brought anybody over. This is done to further disrespect Dees own childhood, using it as a sort of show and t ell, objectifying Mama and Maggie grouping them in the same category as the quilts, perhaps because she has missed out on the struggle of her heritage not learning the traditions of her ancestors.Dee, as Mama has lead us to believe, has never truly go bad in. Always having her style even when she was young. passing game away to college although has educated her academically, has left her out of learning the skills of her heritage like Maggie has. Quilting, field work, and all things Mama and Maggie have to deal with on a day to day bases is left untouched by Dee. This only solidifies Dees impulse to be part of a culture and heritage she may get hold left out of. She feels obligated to present herself as part of the movement with the objects she wants to display. An African-American woman taking back her black identity. Trying so hard to claim the ranks on the social ladder leaves Dee unfeeling towards Mama and Maggie. This is especially seen when Mama refuses to give Wangero the quilts. Dee storms out to the car saying you dont view your heritage.Understanding the character of Dee is complex. Because of the time period, Dee seems to be manipulated into a movement. While it is just, Dee resents her childhood forgetting where she came from. This in turn, leads her to denounce her recent heritage, demeaning Mama and Maggie and trying to fit within this movement by displaying folk-art. It is sad to see Dee pitying them as she gets into the car saying to Maggie Its really a new day for us. barely with the way you and Mama live youd never know it just for one last verbal stab in defiance of her not getting her way. However, I end up feeling sorry for Dee, for within this new world she is living in, one must have asked the question where do I fit in?Work CitedChristian, Barbara T. Everyday Use and the Black Power Movement. 11th ser. (1944) n.pag. An Introduction to Fction. Web.Baker, Houston A. Stylish Vs. Sacred in Everyday Use. 11th ser. (1985) 466-468. An In troduction to Fiction. Web.In search of African America One collectors experience. An exhibit at the Herbert Hoover presidential museum. 21 Mar. 2004. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.B. Glaser, Linda, and AS Communications. The Black Power Movement and Its Schools. N.p., 2 Feb. 2016. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.Franchi, Elena. What is Cultural hereditary pattern? Khan Academy, 2014. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.Makalani, Minkah. Pan-Africanism. African Age. Rutgers University, 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.