Human Nature and Heritage
Human nature is defined as “the typical character that all human beings share.” One definition of heritage is “the status, conditions, or character acquired by being born into a particular family or social class,” and another is “something such as a way of life or traditional culture that passes from one generation to the next in a social group.” Is there a connection between human nature and heritage? Explore this through both your own experience and in “Everyday Use.” Use evidence (short quotes and/or details) from the text to support your ideas.
I believe that there is similarities between human nature and heritage. Heritage is what you have grown up from, traditions, and family ect. What your grown up from is who makes you, you. Human Nature is the act of which one acts. You act this certain way because of how you were brought up. So yes i believe that Human Nature and Heritage connect in a way.
ReplyDeleteHuman Nature is something that runs through the lives of all human beings. Your heritage slightly changes your human nature because you and the people of that heritage have seen certain triumphs and hardships that no one else can relate to. We all have the basic human characteristics, defined in Human Nature. Then you have your heritage which adds to your characteristics. Finally you have your very own, personal, unique characteristics. These three layers are the most simplistic way to explain the construction of the human personality.
ReplyDeleteConnecting Human Nature to heritage is very difficult. I believe the definition above of human nature is a very simple way to put it, it's the easiest way to put it and I agree with it. I believe heritage is. as what is said above: "something such as a way of life or traditional culture that passes from one generation to the next in a social group.". I also believe it means what has been descended from generation to generation of families, where a family came from and what they suffered, what they experienced, and what they lived and died for. These characteristics that were passed through the family and directly reflect who we are today because of our heritage. There is a connection to human nature and heritage I believe. I believe that our past ancestors and our families human natures can be passed on to the future generations. What they experienced and what they did to directly influence the future for their family's future generations.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I have heard about heritage during my 12 years of schooling, (not that I heard much about it during the first few years), Images of overly-patriotic Americans essentially bragging about the saint-ism of the pilgrims who "founded" the culture here pops into my head. And even in that sentence, I find myself too proud of our heritage, just by using the word "Americans" instead of "citizens of The United States". There is more than one country in America.
ReplyDeleteSo sure, at first I have a pretty biased opinion about learning about heritage during school. Of course there are many different kinds of heritage, just as there are many different kinds and ways to define human nature.
The heritage in "Everyday Use" was much more interesting than I expected it to be when I first started reading. The differences in what the individual family members thought of heritage was pretty interesting. I think heritage is different for everybody, some embrace their past while others try their best to grow away from it. I think it's just a matter of perspective.
The connection between human nature and heritage is that both of these aspects are something that everyone has. Everyone has been descended from their own family, but every family still shares "the typical character that all human beings share."
ReplyDeleteI think that heritage is part of human nature itself. We as humans want to carry on the traditions of our families/religions. In "Everyday Use" this is shown by the name "Dee" being passed down through 3 or more generations.
ReplyDeleteI guess heritage and human nature could be connected. I can easily see both sides.
ReplyDeleteOne being you have a super sweet family that you are proud of and you believe that your background has influenced you and caused you to believe in the things you believe in and make decisions because of that. That you were raised the same as your great-great granny Ida-Sue. The ways of life that she ways raised with are the ways of life you were raised with. Your nature is her nature.
On the other hand, what if you were adopted? You know absolutely nothing about your family and there ways of life... They could have been trapeze artists, with millions of dollars. Who thought green was blue and never said please or thank you. But you grow up to be a accountant who knows that blue is blue and always says please and thank you. You even hold the door open. Just because they were your family doesn't mean the trapeze gene is tattooed into your life. Your heritage would have been lost.
I do not see a connection between human nature and heritage. Perhaps it is human nature to create heritage. However, in reality human nature and heritage are different. It is human nature to act in certain ways simply because we are human. Heritage, on the other hand, influences the way in which we act based on the world we grew up in. When the author describes the characters, they all were unique. This uniqueness is not human nature, but from heritage and how our surroundings influence who we become. Heritage could not be the same as human nature or else, basically everyone would be the same, according to the definition of human nature.
ReplyDeleteCEW
A connection that I draw between the two is that it is human nature to want to share our heritage, our traditions with those who come after us. I think that this is because we feel as though part of us will live on through the things that are passed on. We don't want people to forget us so we pass on things that have always been in our families or we share traditions withy each other so that we will always live on in the memories of others.
ReplyDeleteFrom above, I can comprehend that human nature is more qualities of a human, while heritage is the setting, and surrounding environment of a human. Heritage is where you are born into, and more of your cultural environment. When I first think of heritage, I immediately think of my family. I think about my nationality and what I am made of. Then, I begin to think about genetics and how this all connects together. Heritage is where we are born into, genetics are how we are born, and human nature is how we will live the rest of our lives.
ReplyDeleteIn the story, "Everyday Use", there seemed to be a struggle of the family's view on heritage. The family in the story seemed to be of African decent, and they seemed to have different ideas about the meaning of heritage. One of the daughters in the family, Dee, seemed to take a more cultural root to the meaning of heritage. She changed her name to Wangero, and tried to re-evaluate her life so she could become more culturally aware. This was her take on the word heritage. The mother in the story, seemed to take a more personal take. When Wangero asks to take the quilts of her grandmother, the mother sees that it is only because she wants to be "culturally aware" and not because she actually accepts the quilts for what they are. While Wangero (Dee) seems to believe that heritage is more about cultural values, while the mother seems to believe it is more about family values.
i think it is our human nature to want to know more about what we don't know, as well as to look out for our own selves. this is what i believe the need to know our heritage is a mixture of. Both wanting to know the facts and wanting to know things that pertain to the one thing we as individuals know best, ourselves. In the story, it seems like roles are reversed. on one hand, Dee has convinced herself that being proud of your heritage is simply know the facts (and in her case, also to collect the artifacts),but she doesn't seem as interested in knowing herself and her present family. I think the charactors that best embrace their heritage are Mama and Maggie because not only do the know the facts, they know themselves, and they are not ashamed of who they are. Not that becoming a different person over time is a bad thing. its being a poser that seems wrong to me.
ReplyDeleteI think that where one grows up can affect his or her reaction to certain situations. I think that someone from a lower class background will react quite differently from someone from more affluent parents. This is not to say that each person from each social network will act the same, I just think that there will be more similarities between those of similar social standings.
ReplyDeleteI that Dee, or Wangaroo (or something like that), was correct in wanting to have some of the things from the house. I think that she went about getting them in the wrong way. Just taking without knowing the background; just taking for the sake of taking is pointless. I'm glad that we got to read about what each thing meant to the mother and sister as Dee ran around trying to obtain all that she could. I was glad that the mother stood up for the quilts. They are quilts, and quilts are usually used. I understand that want to keep them pristine but they were made to be used, not to be looked at, so I'm quite glad that that piece of the mother's heritage she kept for someone who would appreciate it.
I for one, don't really think of heritage too often. I know back to my great grandparents, and where they're from and what languages they spoke. I've seen my family tree dating back to way, way long ago. I know some random facts about my family. But that's about it. It's not really something I think about a lot.
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ReplyDeleteWhenever I have heard about heritage during my 12 years of schooling, (not that I heard much about it during the first few years), Images of overly-patriotic Americans essentially bragging about the saint-ism of the pilgrims who "founded" the culture here pops into my head. And even in that sentence, I find myself too proud of our heritage, just by using the word "Americans" instead of "citizens of The United States". There is more than one country in America.
ReplyDeleteSo sure, at first I have a pretty biased opinion about learning about heritage during school. Of course there are many different kinds of heritage, just as there are many different kinds and ways to define human nature.
The heritage in "Everyday Use" was much more interesting than I expected it to be when I first started reading. The differences in what the individual family members thought of heritage was pretty interesting. Dee seemed to be less attached to it, and seemed to use it just as a selfish tool to get ahead in her own life. Although she was still experiencing it more than Dee was, Maggie seemed to find it much more important, and she was definitely much more respectful towards the idea of it. I think heritage is different for everybody, some embrace their past while others try their best to grow away from it. I think it's just a matter of perspective.
question to Courtney....do you believe that where you came from or who you came from adds to your personality in which human nature is apart of your personality?
ReplyDeleteDo you think your family has added to who you are today?
I disagree with O Pedone's reasoning for the Mother not letting Dee have the quilts. I think that the mother saw through her and saw her real motives. She was wearing her heritage like a coat. Taking it on and off as she pleased. In the story, the Mother said that she remembered a few years earlier that Dee wanted nothing to do with the quilts. She met a man who was very cultural and wanted to prove that she too could dig into her ancestors lives. However, the Mother recognized this and would not let her take the quilts. she did not appreciate them for what they were. You have a choice as a human being to either embrace your heritage or ignore it and find a new path, but you cannot switch on and off. Embracing is a commitment. Otherwise, it is not genuine.
ReplyDeletethough i disagree with O Pedone about the charactors in the story slightly, i think how she defined the differences between human nature, heritage and genetics is perfectly put.
ReplyDeleteHeritage can be connected to human nature by the social order a individual is in. For example they could have a rich heritage of aristocrats in the family, or they could have a rich religious heritage. Another example is the royal family in England. There is a rich bloodline or heritage that makes up the family that has been going on for many many years. We also often talk about our heritage today as our ancestors who make up our family tree, as well as different nationalities that we are part of.
ReplyDeleteI believe that social class has nothing to do with Human Nature. No, wait, yes. I do. But back to that in a second.
ReplyDeleteI think that a lot of the time the way your family acts, the choices your parents make in every day life, impact you. Especially as kids-you see what your parents are doing, see the choices they make, and do as they do. Unless there's some kind of outside source. I think we're all influenced by some thing or some one as children. Every person I've ever know has had some type of role - model figure or idea, someone they want to be like or someone they never want to be like. Things like that influence the choices we make.
If it's your heritage that you're choosing to follow then yes perhaps your true nature does show through. In "Everyday Use" Maggie is a lot like her mother, she's sort of quiet and timid and awkward. She'll probably continue her life as her mother did, in a small house, living simply with only the things she really needs. On the other hand, Dee has always been different. She never liked her family or wanted to be like them, and now all she wants them for is their neat old artifacts, so she can use them as decorations and not even put them to "everyday use".
Whether or not this-the way you were raised and the role models you had-has any effect on your human nature I think it's hard to say, but if given only two choices I'd have to say yes. Your social class puts things in perspective, helps you decide for yourself what's really important in life. It's a lot about priorities.
BUT IN THE LONG RUN I believe social class has NOTHING to do with TRUE human nature. In the long run it's life or death, survival of the fittest, as Kara said.
A connection that I draw between the two is that it is human nature to want to share our heritage, our traditions with those who come after us. I think that this is because we feel as though part of us will live on through the things that are passed on. We don't want people to forget us so we pass on things that have always been in our families or we share traditions withy each other so that we will always live on in the memories of others. However, this heritage can get lost. In Everyday Use Wangero felt like she had lost her African heritage and was trying to reconnect with it by changing her name, among other things. She came home for the sole reason of getting things from the house because she thought they were part of her roots. I think that by doing all these things, especially changing her name, which had been in her family for generations, she was trying to make her heritage into something it wasn't. She was trying to forget the pain and suffering that her people had been through during slavery by saying that they were in a new age. She was reconnecting with her African roots but maybe forgetting the most important part of her families past.
ReplyDeleteI think that heritage is part of human nature itself. Some of us are willing and enjoy taking on traditions of our families/religions, however some of us (like Wangero In "Everyday Use") don't like this idea. this is shown by the name "Dee" being passed down through 3 or more generations, but Wangero didn't like it:"'what happened to 'dee'?" i wanted to know. "she's dead," Wangero said. "i couldn't bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me."'
ReplyDeleteI think it's human nature to be attached to our heritage. We want to belong to some certain group, and a group is defined by it's heritage, so we attach ourselves to that heritage so that we can feel even more like we belong. I think that knowing other people's heritages is more important than knowing one's own, because our friends and family constantly remind us of our own. knowing other people's heritage and background as if it was your own allows you to think in their shoes, which is the most important part of human relations. I think it is especially important to know all the world's heritage because i think people should not be divided by ignorance and hatred based on what group they belong to. Group heritage has caused the worst aspects of human nature to appear: think of the holocaust, when Germans killed Jews because of their different heritages. if the world's people were united, such things would not happen. However, I know that different heritages can never be eradicated, and even if they could, I would be horrified if they were. The world would be made a very boring place. I think that heritages should be maintained, but that people should be as free as possible to adopt customs from other cultures that they appreciate.
ReplyDeleteLooking at this last statement, it's obviously influenced by my own heritage. I'm from america, the land of the melting pot.
I respectfully disagree with courtney. I feel that human nature and heritage do have a connection. Though it might be a little harder to see the common thread, I do believe that these things are connected. I do not believe that these two words are polar opposites, like courtney makes it sound. I do believe courney's definitions for human nature and heritage, both simple but true, but I do not believe that they cannot be connected.
ReplyDeleteI guess heritage and human nature could be connected. I can easily see both sides.
ReplyDeleteOne being you have a super sweet family that you are proud of and you believe that your background has influenced you and caused you to believe in the things you believe in and make decisions because of that. That you were raised the same as your great-great granny Ida-Sue. The ways of life that she ways raised with are the ways of life you were raised with. Your nature is her nature.
In "Everyday Use" heritage meant quilts and slitting pigs. The mother and Maggie were not ashamed of there heritage. There nature was there heritage The mother knew that her daughter Dee (Wangero) wanted a different life, but she didn't ignore or try to change her previous one. Her heritage was her life and soul, it enveloped her life and made her who she was. The mother had two daughters, they were raised in the same house, sat at the same table and drank the same milk. Yet Dee and Maggie saw things differently. Dee saw a different life for herself and wanted nothing of her childhood. Maggie was a shy version, a selfless person
On the other hand, what if you were adopted? You know absolutely nothing about your family and there ways of life... They could have been trapeze artists, with millions of dollars. Who thought green was blue and never said please or thank you. But you grow up to be a accountant who knows that blue is blue and always says please and thank you. You even hold the door open. Just because they were your family doesn't mean the trapeze gene is tattooed into your life. Your heritage would have been lost.
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I think that human nature and heritage is connected by HUMANS!!! It's so obvious yet so vague that it can be true... right?!? I'll give anyone five dollars to come up with anything smarter... hehe maybe not, its only human nature... right!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm obviously only kidding, but it got your attention, right? Apart from the connection of humans, there is a bigger and more deeper one: the soul! Without a soul there wouldn't be any humans, so the soul is it.
Apparently I'm in a goofy mood, lets blame it on the fever I had for the past couple days (I'm completely over it now, but there must be lingering effects). I think the main difference between the two is that one is personal and one is communal. Heritage is something that is unique to everyone, except maybe brothers, but even then it means something different to everyone. Human nature, on the other hand, is something that we all share just because we are the same species, but when we look at heritage it is a smaller scale.
When we look at the story there is a good example that shows the difference of heritage between siblings, who have the same basic heritage. The quote is from the part where Wangero is arguing with the mother and Maggie about why she wants the quilts. The quilts are promised to Maggie, but Wangero is angry because she doesn't understand, "You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts." She says that this is all about heritage and that they won't understand it. Maybe the mom and the sister still understand it, but don't take it to the extreme of changing their names, like Wangero.
Thats why heritage is personal and human nature is different. Everyone can feel love, hate, and greed, but only you can feel and know how important your heritage is to you.
I liked kia's description of Dee's use of her heritage. I agree with that she used it only to her own advantage as opposed to being truly proud of where she came from. I think that had she been proud of her heritage she would have thought very differently about the objects she was trying to take away from her mother. But, I also wonder if it is part of her human nature to be so insecure about herself and want to be able to change the way she is able to change her interactions with people depending on where she is at that point in her life.
ReplyDeleteI think heritage, among with many other aspect, has a lot to do with human nature. A person born into the upper class may not know the same things as those of a lower class-and vise versa. This can change how a person reacts to situations. Someone of the upper class is probably not used to having to pay for all of their belongings (with their own earned money). Now someone of the lower class may be more appreciative of what they have, having had to work for everything they own. I'm not saying this as a stereotype or anything, but something that you can observe. Of course, not everyone of the upper class has the need to buy new and luxurious things, and not everyone of the lower class is appreciative of what they have. In this case, it is a persons characteristic and not their social class that creates their unique personality.
ReplyDeleteIn, "Everyday Use," by Alice Walker we are able to see what this family thinks of heritage. In the beginning of the story Dee doesn't appreciate any of her families heritages, but when she shows up as Wangero, she realizes how important and valuable all of the things are, that her family has had. The mother didn't see these things as valuable goods, but something needed. She saw the use of things, not the worth, like Wangero.
I very much agree with Laura about the fact that we are all influenced by different people and things and that shapes who we are, and I think, although we are obviously able to make our own choices, I think the thousands of things that influence us truly affect who we are, even if we can't always pick out what those influences are.
ReplyDeleteAsa I believe that although "Wangero" did not want her name which was passed down through countless generations of her family, that having heritage has more to do with a bloodline that an actual name. Heritage is inevitable and even if you don't want it you have it anyways
ReplyDeleteI agree with Courtney...it's our heritage that makes us unique. Maybe it does have an effect on our nature, but yeah I agree that it's at least a big part of what makes someone unique. Maybe human nature millions, or at least thousands, of years ago was what differentiated people-how they comforted themselves through religion, how they made different decisions based on what they needed. And that, in effect, made our differences and those have carried on down the line and become heritage.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I like that idea, but...
I also really agree with Oriana saying: "Heritage is where we are born into, genetics are how we are born, and human nature is how we will live the rest of our lives". Yes, I concur.
I really like the connection Jimmy made by saying that its our human nature to be attached to our heritage. A huge part of what humans need is acceptance and I agree that that's something heritage represents for us. Someplace we belong to. But as much as it's important to understand where other people came from, I think it's just as important to have a good balance between the two. The more we understand where we came from and ourselves the more we'll be able to connect with other people. It's just as important to understand and know yourself as it is to learn about other people's heritages and except theirs. If there's a good balance between the two I think it's much easier for individuals to adapt and connect with others.
ReplyDeleteResponding to SW's about her changing her name. I totally agree. She was trying to change her heritage into some mystical and completely different thing. I respect her mother for adapting and respecting her daughters choices. Though she didn't truly understand why she was doing it. Being proud is the most important thing about heritage. Wangero (dee)is a poser. thats all there is to it. she is trying to be someone shes not. I think if you truly want to change who you are on the outside than you can but deep deep down you are always going to feel the pull of your true heartstrings
ReplyDeleteIn response to Luis first blog, I love how you mention adoption. I think people who are adopted tend to lose some of the heritage from their biological parents, but gain it from those who adopted them. In a way, I guess it's still heritage, just not biological.
ReplyDeleteIN response to pkdts32htty i think that both influence who you become and that is your personal nature, basically who you are. my family has influenced me a lot over the years and it has added to who i have become and my personality which are all a part of my personal nature.
ReplyDeleteI'm not able to dismiss dee/wangero as "just a poser" as easily as others -especially lui- do, and maybe the author wants us to. i can see some of where she's coming from. even if she seems to just be attached to the idea of her heritage because its fashionable, she is still interested in the idea of heritage. i think maybe the quilts they argue over should be preserved, because even though heritage means more to people involved in it when it is a tradition thats still maintained, people like me, who don't have parents who can make authentic old-style quilts for us, can benefit by being able to see the real quilts that were actually made by former slaves.
ReplyDeleteI think heritage and human nature go hand in hand because is it not human nature to want a family? Even if you don't think it is important or relavent, you still know your grand parents and your parents and they help shape how you are. They are your heritage, so you know your heritage.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jimmy's thoughts about how heritage can be dangerous. He used the example of Jews and Germans, but there is a much closer example; the Europeans (Americans) and the Native Americans. They have a rich heritage, and the Americans disregarded that and took their land anyway. Even though it belonged to them and was part of their heritage.
Heritage can be tricky sometimes, it may define you, but it should not control you.
I think that human nature and heritage are lot alike. Human nature is like the way that someone acts...like the way that someone goes about things. But heritage is WHY yuo do those things. Like you inherite some of your human nature. like in 'Everyday Use' heritage is shown a lot like the mother and maggie are a lot alike. they both do the same kinds of things. but dee on the other hand shows more of a black history kind of heritage.
ReplyDeleteI like what kia said about how people can have heritage but our heritage changes our human nature. its so true. its kinda what i said what i like your spin on things a little better
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