I look up at the round object, suspended above my creamy white door. Admiring all three of its hands. One short but significant, another longer and black like the first, and the last seems as if it is running in circles around the other two. I listen for its subtle sounds that only the sharpest of ears can hear. "Tick, tick, tick," I watch as one of the hands is continuously in motion, seeming to never run out of energy. The other decides to chase the moving hand, but abruptly stops after the shortest of moments. The other moves so slowly, so slightly, so steadily, that its displacement becomes unnoticeable almost like that of a turtle or slug. I analyze the three hands again, but this time they whisper something to me, "it's time to leave or else you'll be late".
What is heritage? In the shirt story, “Everyday Use”, heritage is presented in two different ways. First, there is Dee. Dee tries to Africanize herself very much. She wears her hair tall, lavish jewelry, and loud clothing, as if she was an African princess. However, one must question, is she trying too hard to keep in touch with her roots? The answer is probably yes. Dee is faking a personality for the sole reason of trying to keep in touch with her roots. You should just be who you are and not have to fake anything about yourself.
Then, there is Maggie. Maggie does not fake anything about her. She is very much in touch with her heritage by simply being herself. She has assimilated into American culture, rather than put on a facade and act African like her sister has. Towards the end of the story there is a debate of who deserves these old hand-stitched quilts. Dee argues that Maggie will not appreciate them and will use them everyday. However, Maggie does not have to fake her image to appear close with her roots. So, who deserves the quilt? One can make an argument for both. I believe heritage is a combination of one’s traditional roots (Dee) and one’s new roots from the current country in which one lives (Maggie). Overall, this short story was pretty interesting and I hope we read more like this one.
