Imagery, Tone, and Structure in The Century Quilt - Essay Example

Colors are significant in this context because they describe her coverlet and give readers a vivid description of the amazing qualities of the possession. Notably, the poet is also able to provide details about the paint of the family, where she states the mother had yellow-brown cheeks while the grandfather was white.

The frequency with which she mentions the quilt in her poem means she had great pride in her interracial lineage. These colors portray the writer as a person of diverse origins, which makes her proud aside from the quilt. Similar, the father is her pride because she imagines his burnt amber color.

Meanwhile, the mother’s ochre gentleness and the grandfather’s background from a white family would make their lineage richer. The different colors also exhibit some importance in the family because it enables them to share affection and acknowledgment. They embrace their difference and show affection for one another despite the color difference.

A wistful tone emanates from Waniek’s admiration of the mother blanket, which she is able to imagine herself as the princess. The narrator had anticipated inheriting it long before her mother gave it to her. It revokes some special memories, which means it must have been very special to the poet.

Her expression of joy and gratitude about the quilt is evident based on her future expectations. Similarly, the unborn baby, who she testifies, and who would inherit the quilt, is a testimony of the significance attached to it.

From the beginning, the author uses a chronological order to retell the tale. Waniek highlights the historical encounter with the quilt when the mum was alive. She expresses her current experiences, where the quilt still plays a crucial role in bringing her happiness. The poet reveals her desire to leave the coverlet to the unborn kid in the third verse for the posterity of her generation.

Therefore, the quilt is important in preservation that would offer the writer’s future generation some consolation. The entire story is drafted to signify a diverse family with strong ties to their lineage and embrace differences in their background. The narration ends while the writer is speaking about what the future holds for her. It shows the pride Waniek has about the lineage and how badly the author wishes that her offspring should inherit it in the future.

The quilt oozes some self-gratification experiences that have defined her growth from juvenile to adulthood because she can experience warmness apart from the reassurances it offers. Waniek has effectively used structure, tonal variation, and imagery to show the resilient familial ties and adoration she ascribes to the quilt.

Based on her recollections, the blanket has brought more than happiness and showed she had a birthright to protect and leave for future generations. That is why she hopes the unborn baby gets the coverlet in her dream. Perhaps, the baby will enjoy the warmth and experiences she enjoyed after inheriting it from her mother. Therefore, the importance of quilt through imagery, tone, and structure in The Century Quilt, a poem by Marilyn Waniek, is effective in portraying her story. Read More