Noble Eightfold Path

In many of her short stories, the main characters are socially subjugated individuals who break their traditional society-assigned roles. For example in “A worn path” the main character Phoenix, an old black woman who goes on a long journey to obtain medicine for her grandson. Throughout her quest, she encounters characters that embody racism, for example, she meets a white hunter whom she asks for help in order…

Symbols are used everywhere and are used to represent certain things. We use symbols when you drive, show direction, and even when we use our cell phones. Symbols and symbolism in literature are similar. They both help the reader see something different other than what the plain text is telling you. Many authors use symbolism in their writing because it helps the reader see more of the story they are reading. For example, if an author says a character is angry, the reader cannot infer how…

Overcoming obstacles In the short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty the protagonist Phoenix must overcome many diverse types of obstacles in order to acquire the medicine that she needs for her grandson. She must triumph over physical, emotional, and mental obstacles on her lengthy journey into town. These varying obstacles all hindered her progress, but in the end she was able to prevail over them due to her perseverance, determination and love for her family. The main cause of her…

In the story entitled “A Worn Path, the author, Eudora Welty, develops an “old, negro woman” by the name of Phoenix Jackson. The story starts off as Phoenix Jackson traveling through the pinewoods. Despite her long dress that draped over her unlaced shoes, she looked straight ahead with rage. She was determined. Throughout the story, Phoenix Jackson perseveres many obstacles. Her first encounter was with a “quivering in a thicket” in which she exclaims, “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls,…

warm-up. But with every step, she doubts herself, knowing this was a stupid mistake. Her shoes are too tight, her headphones are falling out, and she just knows she won’t be able to feel as great as she used to. She rounds a comer of the forested path, and she increases the sound of her music by a notch or two. She keeps on jogging, navigating tree roots and questioning why she even decided to go for a run. As the first song from her carefully constructed playlist ends, and the next one begins,…

The English 1A schema builders increased my appreciation and understanding of essays from 50 Essays, Lila, and “A Worn Path.” In Lila, some of the schema builders that I thought were very helpful were “Black Tuesday,” since it showed how inhumane prostitution truly was in the Depression Era. It is a Kinesthetic, Musical, and Visual schema builder. The woman in “The Cradle Will Rock - Nickel Under the Foot,” portrayed Lila as a woman who had to work through prostitution to survive, since it is…

Symbolism in A Worn Path In the short story, A Worn Path by Eudora Welty there are many symbols. The story takes place in the American South during the mid-twentieth century. The main character of this story is an elderly African American women named Phoenix Jackson, who is on her way to get medicine for her grandson who is sick. She ends up taking an extremely worn path to get to the clinic and on her way through the path she encounters a hunter. The hunter raises his gun and aims it at the…

Determination doesn’t have an off-season. The Other Side of the Sky, The Song of the Wandering Aengus, and Barrio Boy all show their path of determination. In The Other Side of the Sky; Farah Ahmedi is determined to get her mother out of Afghanistan. In The Song of the Wandering Aengus; Aengus was determined after he saw a beautiful woman. In Barrio Boy; Ernesto is determined to learn English by his teacher beauty. The first text is a true story called Barrio Boy, Ernesto is learning the…

The momma bear tilts her had, staring at me through angry eyes. I can almost imagine the thoughts whirling around in her huge, furry head. She's wondering if I'm a threat to her baby, protecting him like any mother should do. The cubs quite a bit smaller, with light brown fur and ears that pop up over her head. He doesn't seem afraid of me, more like curious, wanting to explore more then fight. But the momma bear has a different idea, with her sleek, dark brown fur and steal eyes anyone would be…

Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” demonstrations hardships face by Phoenix Jackson through symbolism and motifs. While developing her character within the flawed imagery Welty leaves her readers with a paradox of their own, who Phoenix truly is. During the 1940’s, Mississippi countryside was neither a kind place “color people” nor an elderly woman on her own but Phoenix got by on her wits and grit. Although this path lies open to interpretation, Phoenix Jackson reveals her own nature with her little…