Ahmya Ash
Advanced Composition 213
Professor Ruby Lewis
August 27, 2020
Outline
Broad Subject: Heritage
Specific Topic: Dee’s superficial view of her family heritage
Thesis Statement: In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” Dee (Wangero) Johnson neglects her real heritage and adapts a new one, while belittling her family who lack education.
Supporting Points:
1. Dee’s distant relationship with her family
2. Dee’s newly acquired identity
3. Dee’s distorted perception of her heritage
Supporting Statements:
1. Dee’s relationship with her family became estranged when she went to Augusta for school.
2. During the black consciousness movement, Dee acquired a new Afrocentric identity.
3. Dee’s distorted perception of her heritage stems from her not wanting to be connected to slavery.
Concluding Statement: Dee (Wangero) lives in her own world as she tries to find her new identity within African cultures, she rejects her real heritage in favor of a constructed one.
Title: Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”
Dominant Mode of Development: Character Analysis
