Kieffer, Joshua
College Writing
Essay 1 Part 1
Alice Walker uses Virginia Woolf's phrase "contrary instincts" to describe the creative spirit that her female ancestors valued while working and living in oppressive conditions. Throughout Walkers essay she made many connections between these "contrary instincts" and how she perceived the constraints on the knowledge of women in her childhood era. Although, the knowledge Walker talks about in her essays is not the kind that most people think of when they hear the word. It is the knowledge and creative spirit of ourselves that she talks about; the primary source of what we need to get us through life. She made the relation of how women used art to express their creative spirit; their knowledge. Walker depicted how her ancestors expressed their knowledge through their creative spirits, whether it be through sewing a quilt or creating a garden. She tries to get us to realize that all we have to do is to find our hidden creative spirit and that will be where we will find our knowledge.
Walker speaks about how creative spirit can be passed down from generation to generation. At the age of 17 Walker's mother ran away from home to be married. While taking care of six children, Alice's mother also had to battle with a white landlord over her children's education, make clothes for all of her children, make sheets and towels, can vegetables and fruits, and still find some time in the day to make quilts. Alice's mother barely had time to deal with obstacles pertaining to her own creative spirit. Alice looked up to her mother because of all the suffering she endured while finding time for herself to be creative with her flower garden. According to Alice's views on the heredity of someone's creative spirit, she believes that her creativity came from her mother.
College Writing
Essay 1 Part 1
Alice Walker uses Virginia Woolf's phrase "contrary instincts" to describe the creative spirit that her female ancestors valued while working and living in oppressive conditions. Throughout Walkers essay she made many connections between these "contrary instincts" and how she perceived the constraints on the knowledge of women in her childhood era. Although, the knowledge Walker talks about in her essays is not the kind that most people think of when they hear the word. It is the knowledge and creative spirit of ourselves that she talks about; the primary source of what we need to get us through life. She made the relation of how women used art to express their creative spirit; their knowledge. Walker depicted how her ancestors expressed their knowledge through their creative spirits, whether it be through sewing a quilt or creating a garden. She tries to get us to realize that all we have to do is to find our hidden creative spirit and that will be where we will find our knowledge.
Walker speaks about how creative spirit can be passed down from generation to generation. At the age of 17 Walker's mother ran away from home to be married. While taking care of six children, Alice's mother also had to battle with a white landlord over her children's education, make clothes for all of her children, make sheets and towels, can vegetables and fruits, and still find some time in the day to make quilts. Alice's mother barely had time to deal with obstacles pertaining to her own creative spirit. Alice looked up to her mother because of all the suffering she endured while finding time for herself to be creative with her flower garden. According to Alice's views on the heredity of someone's creative spirit, she believes that her creativity came from her mother.
