Critical Analysis Essay on Everyday Use

Everyday Use is a short story written by the American author Alice Walker. The story was first published in 1973 and belonged to the author’s collection of short stories called In Love and Trouble. 

Everyday Use is quite a thought-provoking and relevant story that demonstrates the modern problem of globalization. Moreover, it touches upon the eternal problem of generation gap. Alice Walker being of African-American origin, decided to present a very gripping and specific problem of cultural heritage. She tries to find the roots of her people.

The plot of Everyday Use is based on the narration of Mama about her daughters Dee and Maggie. The short story is told in the first person by the mother. She told about her daughter Maggie who was a shy child and loved the mother and her house. Another daughter, Dee, was completely different. She was arrogant and tried to reject from her family and its traditions. She decided to find her African roots and found a Muslim husband. She criticized Mama’s lifestyle and dreamt only about the idealized Africa. The crucial point of the text is related to the episode in which Dee asked to mother to give the family quilts to her. She wanted to have them as decoration. Mama decided to give the quilts to Maggie whereas this daughter was going to put the mentioned quilts for ‘everyday use’.

Analytical Essay on a Poem Example

I would like to analyze one of the earliest and well-known examples of Old English literature called Beowulf. This epic poem is believed to be the oldest survived piece of European literature. The manuscript dates back to the 10th century and tells us a story about the personalities that probably lived in the 6th century. The author of Beowulf presented this epic poem in the 8th century and it was recorded on paper in the 10th century. I should say that we are lucky to possess this ancient document that illustrates the life of the Scandinavian society of the 6th century. Although Beowulf is written in Old English, the plot touches upon the Geats (the tribe living on the south of Sweden) and the Danes demonstrating the realities of the English Scandinavian past. Beowulf belongs to the genre of epic poem though some experts define it as an elegy.

Argumentative Essay on Animal Cruelty

Animal cruelty is a relevant and shameful problem. More and more people decide to pay attention to the human activity that causes harm to animals. People believe that they are the most important creatures on Earth. Animals, birds, fish and insects are not weighty to them. Such creatures exist just to serve people. This wrong belief of the human total dominance has made people cruel towards animals. They treat animals like unworthy organisms that exist for food or entertainment. No wonder, more and more wild animals become extinct whereas people do not let them live in their natural wild areas. Every animal is supposed to serve a human being in the particular way. Some of them are killed for food. Others are captured for entertainment. They have to live in zoos, cages or circuses in order to amuse people. There are different types of animal cruelty. One can mention neglect, farming, violence, cultural rituals, bullfighting, film making, circuses, unnecessary scientific experiments and abandonment, etc. Every type of animal cruelty is harmful to in physical or psychological way. I will try to attract your attention to this urgent problem.