Based on "In the Kitchen" by Henry Louis Gates Jr., write an essay in which you use memories from childhood, including sensory details, popular allusions, and brand products to describe some element of your culture.

The task that your teacher has given you is relatively easy. Just relax, write what you know, and be honest.
In his personal essay, "In the Kitchen," extracted from his memoir, Colored People, Henry Louis Gates Jr. evokes both his time and his black identity through the mention of products that were popular in his time (e.g., Crest and Colgate toothpastes, hot combs and hair grease) and popular figures (e.g., Walter Cronkite and Odetta). These references are familiar to many people—though, some would only be familiar to black people, which roots Gates's essay in a particular cultural context—and evoke textures, smells, tastes, and voices.
Also, your teacher wants you to use allusions. An allusion is a reference that calls something else to mind, either directly or indirectly. For instance, when Gates talks about his mother doing the hair of women and girls in the neighborhood, he mentions how her "hands would transform a round mound of Odetta kink into a darkened swamp of everglades." This line evokes imagery of afros and the blues singer Odetta and also the natural imagery of the Florida Everglades. The line is more evocative than merely saying that she turned kinky afros into long, flowing hair.
Start by thinking about your own background. What is your ancestry? What ancestral traditions does your family still practice? If you are not very connected to your ethnic background, think about things that are particular to where you grew up. We often take regional culture for granted. Whether you are from the South, New England, or the Pacific Northwest, there are aspects of those regions that are culturally particular. In the South, for instance, barbecue is very popular. What kinds of foods have you grown up eating? What holidays did you celebrate, and how? What kinds of products has your family purchased repeatedly? We are often loyal to certain product brands, just as Gates's family remained loyal to Colgate, despite the popularity of Crest.
Think about these aspects of your life, things that you might otherwise take for granted, to understand how these objects and habits inform your particular culture.
https://wr.english.fsu.edu/sites/g/files/upcbnu1141/files/media/files/college_composition/inkwell/course%20materials/in%20the%20kitchen.pdf

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