A Worn Path Eudora Welty’s, A Worn Path, is about an elderly African-American woman in the 1930’s named Phoenix Jackson, whose love for her grandson takes her on a long and difficult journey. Phoenix’s mission is to make it through the Mississippi woods on her way to town to get medicine from the doctor for her sick grandson. She is faced with many physical, mental and racial obstacles and has to overcome adversity throughout the course of her journey. Phoenix Jackson is a very feeble, old woman who clearly should not be trekking through the forest alone. She first hears a noise in the bushes and warns the wild animals in an effort to show her determination.
“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is a story of an elderly black woman “ her head tied in a red rag, coming along path through the pinewoods. Her named was Phoenix Jackson” (Welty 82). Phoenix travels a long journey to town to acquire medicine for her grandson at the doctor’s office and the elderly woman goes through struggles against intense fatigue and poor eyesight, as well as such obstacles as thorn bushes and barbed wire and loose dogs such as.“ A black dog with a lolling tongue” (Welty 84). On that note, this illustrates that Phoenix Jackson overcomes many obstacles to reach her destination. It’s December when Phoenix starts on her journey to Natchez and it is a journey she has taken many times before.
The path she walks along is long and tiring. The hills of the path are hard for Ms.Jackson as she likens walking up them to walking with "chains around my feet”. The thought of her grandson being cured of his sickness drives her to make it through obstacles. As she makes her way down the hill she faces a thorn bush that catches her dress, and at the bottom of this hill is a creek that she passes by balancing across a log. All of these obstacles in front of this women I feel have a meaning, they help not only to better shape Ms.Jacksons personality but it also helps display how determined she is on her mission.
Worn Path: Symbolism In short, you could say that “A Worn Path” describes the journey of an elderly black woman named Phoenix Jackson who walks from her home to the city to get some medicine for her sick grandson, but it is so much more than that. Phoenix faces many obstacles in her path and she has to overcome all of them to get to the city. She over comes all of these obstacles, not only physically but emotionally as well. Symbolism also presents itself in many parts of “A Worn Path.” When one begins to analyze the symbolism in this story, one should begin at the title. According to Hamm, Jackson’s path is worn not only because she has traveled it many times, but because it has been followed by countless, self-sacrificing others.
Another way she tried to catch readers attention is by described the main character Phoenix Jackson. When you break down the main person like Eudora Welty did then many people start to imagine her in their mind walking down the path that is mentioned in the story. It started off by the “frozen day in the early morning” and ends with “her hair down on her neck in the frailest of ringlets, still black, and with an odor like copper”. That was just unheard of during this time. I think all the animals that are mentioned on this path is part of the many people in life that try to bring you down in some shape or fashion.
First, the most obvious trait of Squeaky in is that she is very protective. In the beginning of this short story, Squeaky describes her older brother Raymond, who has mental problems, she says “If anyone has anything to say to Raymond, anything to say about his big head, they have to come by me” (Bambara 10). This shows that Squeaky is very caring about her brother, even though her brother is older than her, and is not quite right. She still stands up to these hurtful words. She didn’t feel shame, and she never fells inferiority because of her special brother.
Zoe Foster 10/1/13 Composition II Thomas Ulch “Burst of Joy” No matter where one goes, there is always someone left behind .“Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair” (Cowper, William). Students are soldiers of the academic world. We further the educational development and leave a beloved home-life behind. Whenever the treasured idea of home comes to mind, we think of that one person we would love to see first and foremost. We wish to be welcomed back with open arms and unbroken promises.
Only love can explain their parents’ painstaking efforts. From Radio we can see, Radio’s mother was not dislike or ashamed of him, instead she devoted all her love to her son and supported him when he came across the difficulties, for example she encourage Radio and hug him in order to make Radio feel less sadness when he was misunderstood by his classmates. In China, the parents’ love is similar. A case in point is a ninety years old mother who having been looked after her two mentally disabled sons from their birth, and taught them cooking for thirty years. Although for 70 years, the two sons of her never called her "Mom”, she devotes great maternal love for her
Aside from the challenges that he has had to confront in his life, we can see that he is a very joyful man with no self-pity when he stated “… I’ve been called a ‘lost boy’, but I’m not lost from God. I’ve lost my parents, but God’s helped me… ” (60 Minutes documentary). In her childhood, Farah lost her leg when she stepped in a land mime. She was sent to Germany for recuperation; while she was there, she had to get her leg amputated. When she returned to her homeland Afghanistan, they were in the midst of a civil war.
I recall calling her in tears, not knowing what to do, feeling as if I was failing as a Mother. But she would always soothe me by saying, “You are a wonderful mom. Your son is just like you; he wants to do everything at his own pace. Have patience my child.” Her faith is like a rock; it will not be broken. With her help and the Lord’s, I have been able to learn how to forgive and let go of pain that had tied my heart down for many years.