Independence

I feel that going away to college has made me a more independent person. College has forced me into many new situations that I have to deal with. Sometimes I may not feel like doing certain things such as laundry, but I have learned to make myself do these tasks because no one else is going to do them for me. An important part of independence is responsibility. They almost seem to be one in the same, but they are not. Without responsibility, independence becomes empty and meaningless. I have always considered myself responsible, but it has been taken to a new level in college.

In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” Dee asserts her independence through dominance over her mother and her sister, Maggie. Dee went to college and she would use her knowledge to belittle her family. Dee’s mother states that she “burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessarily need to know” (3). Dee associates her independence with being distant from her family, both in miles and in love and care. Her goal for maintaining her independence is to get away from her family and not even communicate with them. An example of her lack of communication is when she brought her boyfriend to Mama and Maggie’s home. She never really explains who her boyfriend is or how long she has known him. Mama and Maggie seemed surprised to see that Dee brought him.

Dee and I assert our independence in very different ways. Dee becomes distant with her family and she feels that she is no longer obligated or responsible to keep in touch with them. She also lacks responsibility when it comes to her heritage. She sees it as more of a fad or expression. She has lost the sense of where she has come from. I feel that I have become independent while maintaining a sense of responsibility to my family and also my friends before college. I call my family on a regular basis to see how they are doing and to tell them what is going on in my life. I also use the internet to communicate with my friends using such tools as Facebook. Keeping in touch helps me to maintain connections to where I have come from while still remaining independent.