Summary Of One Writer's Beginnings By Eudora Welty

One’s inspiration can be sparked from anything: an inspirational teacher, a caring parent, or a strict librarian. Children will go to great lengths to mimic their role models and try to become exactly like them. When I was a child, I looked up to my teacher. Mrs. Flathau seemed to have a smile on her face at all times, and she would try her best every day. On a daily basis, my teacher would pass out papers. I would immediately raise my hand to pass them out when she asked. Mrs. Flathau would also read a variety of books to us, so I continued to read a wider range of books. I wanted to be like her. She was someone who inspired me to be the person I am today. Eudora Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings recalls precious memories of her childhood that …show more content…
Eudora Welty introduces this passage with an anecdote about Mrs. Calloway: “She ran the Library absolutely by herself, from the desk where she sat with her back to the books and facing the stairs, her dragon eye on the front door, where who knew what kind of person might come in from the public?” She intentionally uses imagery to portray Mrs. Calloway as a character of a fantasy story. The “dragon eye” emphasizes this mystical world where the librarian is the sole dragon that protects its castle—“the Library.” Furthermore, capitalizing library indicates a visual and metaphoric impression of the library being an important place. Welty also presents the desk position, so one can feel the intensity of Mrs. Calloway’s presence. An outsider would immediately sense her watchful presence upon entering her domain. Welty’s artful depiction of Mrs. Calloway reveals the creativeness and implication of common fantasy genres that she probably read as a child. In addition, Welty reveals the librarian’s authority: “She herself spoke in her normally commanding voice; every word could be heard all over the Library above a steady seething sound coming from her electric fan.” The