Question

Read the passage. From “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker [Dee explains to her mother that her name is now Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Her mother wonders what happened to her real name, Dee.] “She’s dead,” Wangero said. “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.” “You know as well as me you was named after your aunt Dicie,” I said. Dicie is my sister. She named Dee. We called her “Big Dee” after Dee was born. “But who was she named after?” asked Wangero. “I guess after Grandma Dee,” I said. “And who was she named after?” asked Wangero. “Her mother,” I said, and saw Wangero was getting tired. [To prevent further discussion, the narrator tells Dee (Wangero) that she doesn’t know any more history. She actually does.] Why has Dee changed her name?

Answer 1

she doesnt like having a white persons name

Answer 2

Dee changed her name because she no longer wanted to bear a name that belonged to the people that oppressed her.

In her view, Dee is a name that belongs to white people. It is not a name that would come from her culture. Her mother responds that Dee *is* a part of her culture, as it has origins in their family.

Regardless, Dee believes that the name she has chosen (Wangero) is a better reflection of herself as an individual and of the culture to which she belongs.