Many college students have difficulty connecting with the older works presented to them in the classroom curriculum. An older story may have a strong theme or colorful meaning, but may be difficult to understand and relate to modern society. For example, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walkers tells the story of an African American woman who lives in the transition period between the modern society where everyone has the opportunity to get an education and a time when a person had to work hard for everything he needed to live. While “Everyday Use” is undoubtedly a useful story for college students to learn from, many of its elements are difficult to understand in the new age. "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" by Sherman Alexie is a superior story to "Everyday Use" for a college curriculum due to more developed characters, an easier to understand style, and a more relevant theme for today's young adults. society. “Everyday Use” portrays a character, a “big-boned woman with rough, manly hands,” constrained by lack of education; “I never had an education. After the second grade the school was closed” (Walker, 418-9). Having noticed this lack of opportunity, the everyday college student fails to fully understand this character. Today's society offers everyone the opportunity to access education, regardless of living environment or family income. Not only is it difficult for a college student to understand how a person could function in the modern world without an education, but they would also have difficulty connecting because the character does not seek out new opportunities. Despite the new era of education in which her daughter Dee participates, she still lives in the same rural surroundings, with the same handmade furniture and the same rugged lifestyle… middle of paper… Everyday Use .” Through the use of a more modern story, you gain a clearer understanding of the lesson conveyed. Students are able to understand the plot more easily and grasp the bigger picture presented by the author. Therefore, the university curriculum should adapt to the new era with more modern works in order to achieve optimal understanding in the classroom. Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. "What you pawn I will redeem." 40 short stories. Ed. Beverly Prato. Boston: Bedfor/St. Martin, 2009. 498-518. Print.Hyrick, Katherine H. “Sherman Alexie Explores the Sacred and the Profane.” BookPage.com (June 2003). Rpt. in Criticism of short stories. vol. 107. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Network. September 16, 2011.Walker, Alice. "Daily use." 40 short stories. Ed. Beverly Prato. Boston: Bedfor/St. Martin, 2009.417-425. Press.