Emily is 16 years old living in Sydney, Australia, with a very strong sense of her Mauritian culture, in which she inherited from her mother’s side of her family. Her mother was also her primary teacher of the culture, and Emily feels as though she has belonged to her Mauritian background for as long as she can remember. Her cultural education was, and still is, full of stories, dance, music and tradition lifestyle, to which Emily states, “it’s the Mauritian way.” When asked about the beginning of her involvement in her heritage, Emily believes that she became fully aware of it when she was 14 years of age. This was caused by her grandmother, ‘Gomie,’ introducing her to a customary Mauritian dance and dress: “Since then I’ve been interested …show more content…
“We go to church as separate families, then come back to Gomie’s house. We fill up on enormous amounts of food... the children would go to sleep and be woken up at midnight to find Santa was in the house, which is usually one of the male adults dressing up. We give out the presents there from all the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.” Emily feels that her Mauritian culture is somewhat important to her identity, and placed it as a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. Her daily expression is quite limited, as she feels as though it’s simply apart of who she is, and not her actions. In saying this, Emily was very passionate in saying that she would impart her culture on her children, as she deems it is “so unique and different, and I would hate for the traditions to die out.” On the topic of Emily’s interaction with people of other cultures, it was mentioned that she does not face any conflict or discrimination based on her heritage. However, she does encounter some stereotypes in which she fails to meet as someone of Mauritian culture. “There’s a stereotype that all Mauritian’s should have quite a dark complexion, and have dark coloured hair. However, I’m quite fair and have red hair.” Also, Emily believes that these expectations have no impact on her behaviour or values, fully embracing her Aussie upbringing and education, behaving according to her own
In "Museum Indians", Susan Powers describes her mother from her childhood perspective.Power uses vivid imagery, similes, and metaphors, to convey details about her mother.These details help readers to understand some of her culture and why she wants to be like her mother, and why she feels like she is only "half" of her
Claireece’s used her culture to acculturate from the dominant culture. This was practiced at home for reasons of self preservation. She took on traits of her mother to appease her and attempt to lessen the episodes of abuse. In society, Claireece’s used her culture to isolate herself. She often commented about loneliness and feelings of isolation.
Emily's father suppressed all of her inner desires. He kept her down to the point that she was not allowed to grow and change with the things around her. When “garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated…only Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps” (Rose 217). Even when he died, she was still unable to get accustom to the changes around her. The traditions that her and her father continued to participate in even when others stopped, were also a way that her father kept her under his thumb. The people of the town helped in
Emily’s father considered themselves superior than others in town. . He believed none of the young boys were suitable for Emily, and always chased them away. Her
My ultimate take is that Faulkner portrayed her to have a dark soul. Emily lived in disgust for someone who held themselves to such a higher standard than most people. He portrayed this not only by her actions but also on the description of her home inside and out. The people in the town felt sorry for her quite possibly because she was alone, perhaps this is why they put up with her in the manner they
There are many instances where Emily resists change, unable to let go of the Southern, antebellum lifestyle she grew up with. This creates a contrast between Emily and the rest of the town, which is progressing and modernizing as time goes by. Emily’s traditional nature puts an emphasis on her representation of the past. She actively resists modernization, choosing to reply to the mayor’s offer to call with a letter “on paper of an archaic shape, [written with] thin, flowing calligraphy in faded ink” (Faulkner 1). Emily’s actions represent the past and an inability to let go of it. She is stuck in the past, unwilling to accept the change that the future brings. Emily and her house are the last glimpses of the past in her town; as the town progresses, her house stood unmoving, “lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons” (Faulkner 1). The house continues to display the style of the past, despite the decay and progression of style. Emily and her house represent the past, when her house was new and in style. Emily’s resistance to change and longing for the past is appropriate, considering her age and upbringing. She is an older woman, who grew up during the Civil War era in the South. The reason the South fought in the Civil War was to protect their lifestyle at all costs. The South was unwilling to change, stubbornly clinging to the antebellum way of life. This philosophy shaped the
culture and it teaches important life lessons that anyone can learn from. Tan depicts in her stories
Emily is angry and resentful. She is angry at her mother and blames her for her life and the way she has turned out. Her mother has always put her down and constantly tell her that she was
Emily comes from a family with high expectations of her a sort of “hereditary obligation” (30). Emily has been mentally manipulated by her as so indicated in the line of the story “we did not say she was crazy then we believed she had to do that we remember all the young men her father had driven away” (32). There is already proof of mental illness in the family “remembering how old lady Wyatt, her great aunt, had gone completely crazy last” (32).
In responding to Emily’s statement that her file “Says it all”, First, I would acknowledge that I am aware she has been receiving treatment for several years. among psychiatric disorders (Be izario, 2017). Some of the questions I would ask is, how long she has been feeling this way. Does she feel like hurting herself, how many hours of sleep do you get, do you have unintentional weight loss or gain, during the last month have you often been bothered by having little While expressing the fact that although her file may contain detailed information with her past treatment, I would like to hear from her on what she thinks her problem is. Explaining to her after we identify her current concerns we can work on mutually define goals to achieve measurable outcomes. After by giving me a detailed description of what she feel is her current problem will allow me to better help her and give me a better understanding of who she is. I would also ask Emily what she
Emily is a character surrounded by mystery, leaving a mark on the influence of others, causing them to create their own scenarios about her life. It happened when she met Homer, when everyone hoped she will marry him, or when she bought poison and everyone thought she would poison herself. Her high wealthy status and respect were emphasized when she kicked out the people who
Her entire life has been based on southern tradition implemented by the old generation, all of her decisions in life have been made in order to correctly conform to that tradition. If she conforms to modern standards, she loses all of the power and respect that was entitled to her. So, she does not conform, she gets rid of the new generation in order to keep herself sequested away from modern change. She protects herself from them so she can continue to live in denial that any change is necessary. For Miss Emily modern chage is unwanted and tradition is used to justify her denial. Miss Emily allows southern tradition to fester within herself, “She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallied hue” (220). She is barely living. Miss Emily no longer ventures outside, she is a walking corpse dwelling within a mousoleum structured to keep her rooted in southern tradition. She may have died of natural causes but it was not free of suffering. Miss Emily was slowly dying because she sequested heself away from any modern changes like paying her taxes. She cut herself off from the rest of the world in order to conform to tradition. Miss Emily’s slow march towards death is the same march the older generation faces. Just as Miss Emily refuses to give up her status and entitlement so do the older generation. Modern laws will be establish to blur the lines
Through contrasting family members and views in "Everyday Use", Alice Walker illustrates the importance of understanding our present life in relation to the traditions of our own people and culture. Using careful descriptions and attitudes, Walker demonstrates which factors contribute to the values of one's heritage and culture; she illustrates that these are represented not by the possession of objects or mere appearances, but by one's lifestyle and attitude.
Emily’s upbringing is plagued with difficulties. She is the first-born of a young mother and the eldest of five brothers and sisters. As a baby, she is
Emily behaves the way she does for numerous reasons. She is born into an aristocratic family. Emily is brought up as a Southern belle by her father and is placed on a pedestal by the townspeople. The Grierson’s are known in town for being extremely wealthy and having the nicest house in Jefferson, Yoknapatawpha County. Due to the fact that her father, Mr. Grierson, keeps her isolated and socially restricted as a child, she behaves abnormally. Emily feels as if she is pressured to live up to her father’s expectations. Because Emily is kept away from everything, she is not yet exposed to the real world.