“Everyday use" by Alice Walker was set in the late 1960s or early 1970s, a tumultuous time when many African Americans were struggling to redefine and seize control of their social, cultural, and political identity in American society.
The time in which “Everyday Use” took place was an era when groups of all ideologies—some peaceful, some militant—arrived on scene. The Black Panthers and Black Muslims were groups created to resist what they saw as a white-oppressive society.
The sentence that best identifies the main theme of the text is:
A.- Sometimes adopting a new heritage can result in the rejection of a person’s true heritage and family history.
And we can see it depicted in these quotations from the short story:
“Mama disapproves of the strange man’s presence and is equally disapproving of Dee’s dress and appearance. Hakim-a-barber greets and tries to hug Maggie, who recoils.” In this quotation we can read that there is strong rejection to both Dee and her boyfriend, and it is based on cultural aspects.
“Dee tells her mother that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo to protest being named after the people who have oppressed her.” This quotation explains the idea quite directly.
“Dee informs Mama that Mama does not understand her own heritage. Kissing Maggie, Dee tells her to try and improve herself and that it’s a new day for black Americans.” Here we can read that Dee sees her own heritage from a whole new and different point of view because she has changed forever.
The final answer is:
A.- Sometimes adopting a new heritage can result in the rejection of a person’s true heritage and family history.
