Free Essay on Alice Walker's Poem Woman and Short Story Everyday Use

Both the literature works highlighted above talk about women from different generations. The works generally talk about women and the girl child highlighting the differences that occur in social norms from generation to generation.

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One of the major concepts addressed in both the poem woman and the short story education is education of children. This issue is addressed in various scenarios within the story. On the first account the narrator of the short story [Dees mother] saves money and with the help of the community she is able to send Dee to school to study and to learn how to read and write at a school at a school in Augusta. On the other hand she is on a mission to secure a better future for her daughter through education. On this account, the mother expresses the importance of education in the success of the girl child in the society. Even though she couldnt read or write she still prioritised saving some money to send her daughter to school even though she was poor and dint even have enough to take her through the day

On the second account the importance of education of the girl child is displayed in the short story when Maggie is portrayed to be having the capabilities of quilting that Dee lacked. Even though Maggie did not get the opportunity to go to school to know how to read and write she is portrayed in the story that she had learnt how to quilt and this was the basis for the conflict resolution between their mother and Dee over who should inherit grandmothers hand-stitched quilts

In the poem Woman Education of children is portrayed as a major concept in the poem. The poem narrates the struggles that women had to go through for their children to get the opportunity to go to school. In the poem it is narrated that the women head dragged generals across mined fields and booby-trapped ditches to discover books, desks and a place for us. This shows the determination of the women to take their children to school even though they themselves never deed.

The other value that stands out in both of the literature pieces is the selflessness of the parents. The short story portrays Dee and Maggies mother to be coming from such a humble background and did not own much. This is displayed by in the story when their Dees mother grips the handle of the dasher that is described as worn-out and was made by a relative. She is also describing herself as a big-boned woman whose hands were rough due to the several years of physical labour. A midst all these hardships and struggles she still manages to save up and with the help of the community she is finally succeeds to send her daughter to school.

On the other hand in the poem Woman This is portrayed as being selfless as the poem describes the women to have changed as the generations changed too. The poem narrates that they were women then but now they have fists as well as hands. This symbolically portrays women to be having two sides. On one side they are the normal women that protect, feed and clothe their children and on the other hand they are warriors fighting for equal rights for their black children to get the chance to go to school. This portrayed the women as being selfless. Even though they had no idea what they were fighting for they still went ahead for the better future for their children amidst all the risks.