Madison Martin
Wilson 6th period
English 3-AP
10 September 2013
Martin 2
The Century Quilt Analysis
Waniek's "The Century Quilt" not only illustrates the importance that her Meema's quilt had in her life but also represents her family, specifically her grandmother. Through many literary devices such as vivid imagery, symbolism, and structure, the author is able to create not only a reminiscent tone, but also depict how Waniek is hopeful for the future.
The poem's structure is a vital part when creating the complex meanings of the quilt. In the first Stanza, the writer's nostalgic tone brings forth the significance her grandmother's blanket had on her. Waniek writes that she fell "in love with Meema's Indian blanket," (1-2). With these lines, Waniek depicts how she discovered the significance a quilt could have on her life. "Now I have found a quilt" (13) Waniek writes in her second stanza. This line is necessary to create the present tense Waniek needs in order to be optimistic about the future.
Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) is Oklahoma'...
Flower of Firewheel, also known as Indian Blanket ...
Andrzej Dudziński (b. 1945), Polish painter and H...In the third stanza, Waniek is not only reminiscent but also wishful that her experience with her new quilt will shadow her grandmother's.
Symbolism is a major technique that the author uses to get the meaning of the quilt across to the reader. In every stanza, Waniek likens the quilt to her family in order to describe how much the quilt reminded her of them. To her, her grandmother's quilt reminded her of her childhood. She describes how she remembered "play[ing] in its folds and be chieftains and princesses" (11-12). She uses these lines to demonstrate how the quilt represented her youthful and energetic days with her sister. In the second stanza she compares one of her new quilt's squares to "the yellowbrown of mama's cheeks" (17) to illustrate how the quilt...