Alice Walker Essay Example For Students

Alice Walker Essay My Daughter Smokes Essay My daughter smokes is about Ms. Walker daughter smoking. She relates her smoking to how her father and grandfather used to smoke as well. In fact the brand of cigarettes that her daughter smokes is in fact the same brand that her father and grandfather used to smoke. She describes the horrific story about her father addiction to cigarettes. She goes on to tell us hoe cigarettes changed him; physically and emotionally. Ms. Walker father gained weight, looked as though he was poor, and ad a discolorations to his skin. After a while, he started developing a cough. He was getting weaker and weaker by the day to the point where couldnt barely move anymore. Eventually her father died due to the addiction. Ms. Alice tries to attempt to talk to her daughter about the outcome of smoking and how addicting it is. She told the story about her father addiction and hoe it changed him and how he died from the addiction. As an attempt to get through her daughter, she told the story about how she used to smoke. Ms. Her hair it stand straight up like hair the wool on a sheep(Walker 283). Dee greets her family with a Swahili good morning. Her companion offers a Muslim greeting and tries to show Maggie a ceremonial handshake that she does not understand. Dee mother tried to start a conversation with Dee by calling her name. Dee explain that shes change her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, because I couldnt bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me(Walker 283). Wangero mother attempted to explain to her how far back her name go into the family history. Dee had been embarrass of her mothers house and possessions when she was younger (the mother believe she was happy when the old house burn down), but now she seem to be happy with the old way of life. With her newfound joy with her cultural heritage, she takes photographs of the house, including her mom, sister, and a wandering cow. Dee, while eating, remembered she wanted to ask her mother if she could have the butter churn top whittled by her Uncle Buddy, do she may use it as a centerpiece for her table. Dee, after getting the churn top, she then ask for the dasher. Now her attention turns to a trunk at the foot of her mothers bed. After she goes through the trunk, she returns with two quilts. The quilts become symbolic of the storys theme; in a sense, they represent the past of the women in the family(Master Plots 733). Dee asks if she can have the quilts. Maggie in disbelief that Dee asked for the quilts slammed the kitchen door. The mother offers some other quilts that were in the trunk to her, she refused because the quilts because they were made with a machine. Then she tells Dee that she had promised the quilts to Maggie a wedding present. Dee tells her mother that Maggie would not appreciate the quilts and that she would use them in everyday use.. Dees mother says she hope Maggie would use the quilts. The two sisters values concerning the quilt represent the two meaning approaches to art appreciation in our society. Art can be valued for financial and aesthetic reasons, or it can be valued for personal and emotional reasons