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Allusions In A Worn Path

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“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is a story about an old woman who goes above and beyond for her grandson. Phoenix makes an annual trip to get medicine so that her sickly grandson can stay alive. This journey may have more meaning to it than meets the eye. There are many things in this short story that deserves a second look and more thought. Phoenix Jackson is a bird like spirit, who keeps herself alive, and keeps herself sane all while saving her grandson. First, in the short story, A Worn Path, the woman’s name is Phoenix Jackson which is an allusion of the mythological bird. The phoenix is a mythological bird that burns itself up and then rises from its on ashes. As Phoenix Jackson takes the trip through the woods to get her grandson’s medicine the journey kills her every time. “She is very old and small and she walked slowly in the dark pine shadows…” (Welty 464). The journey is a very difficult path to travel and Phoenix is in her late ages, but she rises from the ashes and makes the trip multiple times. Secondly, looking from a different perspective, Phoenix Jackson makes that annual trip not to kill herself but to keep herself alive. Every year she makes this trip for her grandson who could possibly be dead. She does this to cope with the loss of her entire family and being alone for miles in every direction around her. “The journey …show more content…

This may be an allusion of Phoenix “achieving her destination” (Bartel 289) in life. Now that Phoenix has made then trip she has been taking to stay alive, now she can die. Phoenix imagines a boy offering her cake, “and when a little boy brought her a plate with a marble-cake on it she spoke to him” (Welty 465). This boy could quite possibly be her grandson and by her having this vision it shows how much she imagines and her “desperate need for companionship” (Bartel 290). This shows that she could very easily be imaging that her grandson is alive when he is

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328 Words | 2 Pages

Pheonix Jackson’s grandson is dead because she shows signs of dementia, she hesitates when asked about how the boy is doing, and she says words that imply the boy isn’t changing. The story “ A Worn Path” follows the difficult trip routinely made by Pheonix on foot to a nearby town for her grandson’s medicine which he needs for his swollen throat. Pheonix shows signs of dementia which would affect her perception of reality and her grandson being alive or dead. In the line, “At first she took it as a man,” referring to her encountering a scarecrow, Pheonix shows that her senses are inadequate enough to believe a scarecrow is a man dancing in a field (762). Pheonix is more reliant on her body remembering the trail than her sense of sight

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339 Words | 2 Pages

The story of Phoenix Jackson and the Narrator are based on the point of view of both the writers. “A Worn Path” is a story of a small, old, African American woman with wrinkles, who wore an apron bleached sugar sacks, hold a cane made from umbrella and shoe laces that are dragging, walking down the winter landscapes and describing everything she notices. While, “The Lone Ranger” is a story of a typical Native American youth, who is recounting his view of his society and struggles with identity, alcohol, and family relationships. The two characters have a few things in common and are opposite from each other. Even though staying in a marginalized environment, she is determined to do miles of walking to the urban area where she have to face

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485 Words | 2 Pages

Also like Everyday Use, A Worn Path takes place at a time in the 1900s when racism existed. Just like Mama, Phoenix also takes care and protects a child. However, the child she takes care of is her grandson. Many years ago, her grandson swallowed lye. This is a strong substance which is used in making soap.

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1365 Words | 6 Pages

Into the Wild- Allusions Analysis Analyze 7 Literary Allusions from the entire book (choose from any of the epigraphs) Quote (page #) Author’s name and brief bio Connection to McCandless (1-2 sentences) (at least 4 sentences) “Greetings from Fairbanks! This is the last you shall hear from me… I now walk into the wild,” (3).

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641 Words | 3 Pages

A Worn Path is a short story about Phoenix Jackson and her danger filled journey to town to get medicine for her sick grandson. She faces discrimination, bitter cold, nature, wild animals, and exhaustion. All the while battling the effect that old age wreaks upon her mind and body. The journey combined with the challenges and the motivation to cure her grandson makes this short story a romance. Although it is not the typical romance of a brave knight battling a dragon to save the princess, it is a story of a woman taking on danger in order to help her grandson.

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488 Words | 2 Pages

Phoenix encounters several obstacles in order to achieve her goal. The path she walks in represents her life, with the obstacle she faces new one appears and through her perseverance she slowly conquers each one of them. At the end Phoenix buy a paper windmill for her grandson. The paper windmill represents the nature into the energy that her grandson can use his natural abilities since they are both free, to something

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526 Words | 3 Pages

She exemplifies Christ along her journey when she stops under a mistletoe tree; the same type of tree in which the cross was made. The thorns she encounters also relate to Christ’s death on the cross, the crown of thorns he wears on his head. The journey she takes to get her grandson’s medicine, is considered to be an example of self-sacrifice. Phoenix gives others the opportunity to help her and accomplish good things. One example is when the hunter helps her out of the ditch.

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Given her grandson’s injuries that hope is as fragile as the paper windmill. This reminds us that hope is fragile, and is contingent on historical and civil efforts beyond Phoenix and her grandson.     Phoenix Jackson perseveres to achieve a purposeful goal. Phoenix Jackson stayed true to her faith in times of desperation. Against the obstacles, she was willing to reach her destination to provide her grandson with the medicine he is in need of.

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539 Words | 3 Pages

Phoenix Jackson is a woman who will not give up, despite the odds. Which leads to her being successful and reaching her purpose, in the

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885 Words | 4 Pages

The Tragedy Within: Analyzing “How Far She Went” The dog wouldn’t hush, even then; never had yet, and there wasn’t time to teach him. When the woman realized that, she did what she had to do.

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Essay about WW2 Did you know how much people suffered during world war 2? People that wasn’t in the army during world war 2, often sat terrified of either there kids or parents that were in the army would get killed or that someone would storm into their house and kill them. That is just one of the reasons that why I think we should learn about world war 2, to get to know how people had it while there dearest where out fighting and they probably would never see them again.

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883 Words | 4 Pages

Some references even suggest Phoenix may have once been a slave; such as the chains the old woman feels on her feet as she climbs the path uphill. Racial inequality is unmistakably clear when the old woman falls in the ditch and is confronted by the white hunter. One would believe the hunter calling Phoenix Granny to be a harmless reference to her age; however, Granny is a term coined by southern whites in the thirties and forties and refers to a single elderly black woman: a granny is an old black woman who takes care of the white

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738 Words | 3 Pages

In the story “A Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson was an old African American women. She takes a small journey that can be an allegory of someone's whole life. The journey had hard and easy parts, beauty, danger, and confusion. But her quest was to get the medicine for her sick grandson who laid at home waiting for her return. Phoenix was a delusional yet heroic, caring grandmother who would stop at nothing to get what she needed.

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175 Words | 1 Pages

Such statements enabled child migration societies to restart their programs and solicit financial support under the Empire Settlement Act . Although the government originally planned to take in a large number of children, only approximately 3000 children formed the post-war immigration to Australia. In contrast to the inter-war years, the British government was somewhat reluctant towards child migration after the Second World War. Sentiments had changed, particularly due to the 1946 Children’s Act and Ross and Curtis Reports which emphasised the rights of the child, the need to maintain bonds with parents and brought up concerns over child care and supervision within Australian institutions. In the wake of the legislation, sentiments

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1623 Words | 7 Pages

The Matrix is packed full of interesting allusions. References to mind-altering literature and a variety of different beliefs and philosophies, both western, and eastern, are represented. One of these philosophies is Zen Buddhism. The Matrix, through the characters of Morpheus, Cypher and Neo, as well as their journeys, fully demonstrates and supports the Buddhist ideals of the pure vs the impure heart as well as separation of consciousness, and acts as an allegory for enlightenment through meditation.

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