Everyday use Answers By: Zachary Lipinski

1. The theme in the article is talking about the Black Consciousness movement which deals
with race because in the article it says that "When Dee arrives at the farm, she is
fascinated by the rustic objects in Mama’s home, as though she’s seeing them for the
first time. The bench, the churn, and the dasher have always been there, but her
embrace of Black Consciousness turns them suddenly into objects of interest. Dee
claims to embrace her heritage, but she rejects her given name, which was passed down
to her through her matrilineal line. Most importantly, Dee now insists on having her
mother’s patchwork quilts, which Mama unsuccessfully attempted to give Dee before she
left for college. Then, Dee declared the quilts “old-fashioned, out of style."

The role of Dee was that he wanted knowledge as a provocation because Dee is Mrs.
Johnson’s oldest daughter; the one who has always been determined, popular, and successful.
Upon returning home after escaping her impoverished home life and forging a new identity at
college, one which ostensibly celebrates her African heritage. Then she comes home about the
news that Dee is dead and her name is now Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Dee’s other
attempts to appreciate her cultural heritage miss the mark, she wants to display her mother’s
possessions in her home for her mother and sisters. She claims she could not stand being
“named after the people who oppress me."