Sam Larson AP English, Period 8 Mrs. Koenig 24 October 2011 The Role of Race in “A Worn Path” “A Worn Path” is a short story about an African-American woman from the Deep South who must travel to a nearby town in order to buy medicine for her sick grandson. Written by American author Eudora Welty, famous for writing stories about the Deep South, this story is criticized by many for its use of race and how racism is openly alluded to. “A Worn Path” begins by introducing the reader to an old African-American woman, Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix is traveling through the woods on her way to pick up medicine for her grandson, for he is sick with a throat ailment. While traveling through the woods, Phoenix talks to herself and to her surroundings, sounding off against the native animals so that they may leave her alone.
“A Worn Path” written by Eudora Welty outlines the struggles of Phoenix Jackson, an old Negro woman on one of her many treacherous journeys through the Natchez, Mississippi wilderness to a medical clinic in town sometime after the Civil War. She makes the journeys for her infant grandson who is in need of medicine for his throat which he injured by drinking lye on a previous occasion. Phoenix is very determined and persists to overcome all the obstacles encountered on her journey and demonstrates her determination, unselfishness, and courageous nature even though she obviously suffers from dementia. We join Phoenix on her latest journey down the worn path through the thick woods where she is determined to accomplish her ultimate goal. She must keep the animals from scurrying under her feet by swishing the cane about her feet.
After the deaths of the village’s herbalist, Anys and Mem, Elinor and Anna take advantage of Anys herbalist house and together they continue what Anys used to do in order to help cure the village from the plague. As Anna and Elinor create new herbs to cure the sick people, Anna starts to realize that she is a person that loves to help people. Toward the end of the book Anna comes across Mary Wick ford that she helps in order to keep the mine as she places herself at risk almost killing herself. Through this Anna’s ego starts unveil of what type of person she really is.Throughout the book, each conflict that occurred for instance the plague hitting Eyam, Anna helping Mary keep her mine, delivering Mary’s baby successfully and being able to overcome her grieve of losing her family (her 2 kids and her husband) shows that she is a strong and heroic person. When a person is faced with issues the outcome reveals their true inner
Eudora Welty “A Worn Path” “She wore a dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops,…,all neat and tidy, but every time she took a step she might have fallen over her shoelaces, which dragged from her unlaced shoes”,- an elderly woman named Phoenix Jackson described as very poor, old person, living in desperation. She is making a journey into town to find medicine for her sick grandson, which we realize later, when she finally arrives at the town. She is old and probably not healthy, we can understand that liong trip to the town is not easy t5o her, but she is still very lively, because she is willing to go through this intricate journey yet again, and it also seems that Phoenix is very fond of life itself, since she talks to the animals in the forest, “out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits...”. Welty writes, “her hair came down on her neck in the frailest of ringlets, still black” , which shows that she is still far from being dead. When Phoenix meets the scarecrow, another symbol for death, she dances with it, as if representing that death is not near.
Mason Tompkins Dr. J. H. Jones EH 104 January 21, 2015 Outline ❏ The story focuses on Miss Brill, and her weekly day at the park ❏ Miss Brill has heart problems, possibly an elderly woman ❏ “She felt a tingling in her hands and arms, but that came from walking, she supposed. And when she breathed, something light and sad - no, not sad, exactly - something gentle seemed to move in her bosom.” ❏ Miss Brill is either a widow or never married ❏ Miss Brill must be shy ❏ This was disappointing, for Miss Brill always looked forward to the conversation. She had become really quite expert, she thought, at listening as though she didn't listen, at sitting in other people's lives just for a minute while they talked round her. ❏ Miss Brill doesn’t
The plan works perfectly, and although Winnie is in trouble at home, she knows she did the right thing. Many years later, Tuck and Mae come back to Winnie’s town to see what has happened to her. They find her buried in the town cemetery. She married, had children, and lived a long life. Although Jesse is sad he and Winnie will not be together now, they are all proud of her for making the choice to not live forever.
A Northern Light ISU Theme Essay Alicia Leonard Ms. Owens June 2, 2013 In A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly, a girl named Mattie shows us through her story how difficult rural life was in the 1900s and how no matter how you feel about your neighbor in times of emergency everyone pitches in to help. The author shows that a real neighbor will help you even if he or she has nothing to gain from doing so, other than knowing if the need arises you will return the favor as long as you are able. Once Mattie has gone to work at the Glenmore and left her family alone, they all get very sick and the young neighbor Tommy runs all the way to the hotel to tell her to come home. As she leaves the hotel she finds another neighbor Mr. Denio arriving and he quickly turns around to drive her home as soon as he hears that her family is sick. Just as she is arriving home she finds another neighbor arriving Royal Loomis who has heard what happened and says “Saw
In the short story A Worn Path there us a perfect example of this. Phoenix Jackson continuously shows her perseverance to help her grandson who is ill. Regardless of what type of physical or mental shape she is in she never gave up on her grandson. Phoenix Jackson’s grandson had swallowed lye as a little boy. This unfortunately caused scarring in his throat.
The path’s obstacles and the way old Phoenix copes with them symbolize Phoenix’s love for her grandson. Despite Phoenix’s old age, she was ready to do anything to help him. She expresses her intention to get drugs for grandson, saying, “I bound to go town…The time come around”, in the dialogue with a white man (869). Moreover, as the nurse said, “She doesn’t come for herself – she has a little grandson. She makes these trips as regular as clockwork” (870).
The Rhine River is told to be a very beautiful place, but Layton, instead of seeing its beauty, sees only the horror of its past. Images of “ghosts of Jewish mothers/ looking for their ghostly children/” (3-4) Layton has brought to his recollection of all the women and children that were innocently killed are not ghosts that haunt the river. Even so Layton describes the beauty of the Lorelei and its enchanting young ladies that sing ever so sweet, “starting at the blind sun The tireless Lorelei/”Even the sweet sounds in the Lorelei cannot drowned out the horrible cries, “murdered rabbis,” (10) and “cattle cars” (15) used for the transportation of the Jews, all allusions to the Holocaust, are what he sees when travelling this river. Layton suggests that the horrific past of the Rhine is so powerful that nothing can diminish its horror. A place can be extremely beautiful, but its past can forever mar this beauty; this is what Layton wants us to see.