A Worn Path By Eudora Welty - 1495 Words

In the short story â€Å"A Worn Path,† the author, Eudora Welty uses mythical, religious, and spiritual symbols as well as the setting to help the reader understand an old African-American woman’s life. Welty also uses the symbolism to represent the hardships old woman has faced during the old woman’s life. The old African-American woman’s name is Phoenix and is on a journey to town as the readers are taken on journey through her life. Welty also uses fine details and sentence structure in addition to the symbolism and setting to increase the understanding of her story or change the meaning an object. Welty uses to symbolism of two mythical creatures to represent a theme in short story, â€Å"A Worn Path.† During the walk Phoenix recounts seeing a two-headed snake (Welty 481). Snakes are used to symbolize a wide variety of ideas both in literature and mythology. For example the Quetzalcoatl is a feathered serpent which symbolizes rebirth for some myths of Ancient Mexico and Mesoamerica (Mursell). Just like the Ancients, Welty uses a snake to represent rebirth in her story as well but her’s is two-headed. Welty uses each head to symbolize one of Phoenix’s desires. The first head symbolizes Phoenix’s desire to hold on to objects or to habits like trip to town. While the second head represents Phoenix’s desire to be with her grandson. Since Phoenix has two different desires she cannot be reborn until those desires become one. Another mythical creature mentioned by Welty is the well-knownShow MoreRelatedA Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay1702 Words   |  7 Pages A Worn Path Research Paper The introduction of historical figures, events, and documents sparked in the twentieth century. Documents such as, the Declaration of independence, Bill of Rights, United States Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address are some examples of historical documents. These documents carry such a heavy meaning that the blood and gore that were included are often ignored. Although when the Civil Rights movement is mentioned, there are judgments that are made and accusationsRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty1707 Words   |  7 PagesMichelle Andrews Dr. Goss ENGLISH 1102 9 February 2016 A Worn Path In the Eudora Welty’s ‘‘A Worn Path’’, there is a distinct description of characters that live in the era of segregation and the great depression. Because Welty is a native of the south, this story is based from the experiences during her life. Her struggles are relived in the characters of not just â€Å"A Worn Path† but also a lot of her other stories. She uses hidden messages in her stories and includes deep meaning in the simplestRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty944 Words   |  4 Pagesones you love? In â€Å"A Worn Path,† by Eudora Welty, the reader is taken on Phoenix Jackson’s, the main character’s, journey to the doctor’s office to obtain the medications needed for her ill grandson. Having to commute in such difficult conditions, Phoenix endures through the dense and tiresome woods, stretching from the countryside to the town. After persevering through the long journey to her destination, Phoenix arrive s at the building and receives the medication she needs. Welty concludes the storyRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay1481 Words   |  6 PagesA Worn Path (1940) On an everyday basis people are encountering challenges that stand in their way of them achieving their set goals. However, with determination the vast majority will accomplish the mission they have set out to conquer. In the short story â€Å"A Worn Path† written by Eudora Welty in 1940, Phoenix Jackson, the main character has a mission in which she is trying to complete when she is faced with many challenges. This short story is centered on the challenges that are faced by an elderlyRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12166 Words   |  49 PagesA Worn Path by Eudora Welty Copyright Notice  ©1998−2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.  ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storageRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12173 Words   |  49 PagesA Worn Path by Eudora Welty Copyright Notice  ©1998−2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.  ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storageRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty879 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story A Worn Path by Eudora Welty she focuses on the journey of an old woman heading into town. She uses ridiculous amounts of imagery which really make the story come to life. I believe this short story to be about a woman that has gotten so old, she has cataracts and it seems, the air of a wise woman. Speaking of wise women, it also shows that she really has grown up on this path- even in her old age, her stumbling blindness sh e knows the characters of these woods, and the ways inRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty1441 Words   |  6 Pagesargue that â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty mirrors that of a slave narrative while at the same time illustrates the racism that blacks faced while on their journey to equality. Great descriptions are used to illustrate Phoenix Jackson. In the beginning, Welty states that Phoenix has her head tied in a red rag with a dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops and an equally long apron (274). Kevin Moberly notes in his article, â€Å"Toward the North Star: Eudora Welty s ‘A Worn Path’ and the SlaveRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty762 Words   |  4 PagesStrongest Will Survive Is it true that younger people in better health and conditions will always complete a task better than an older not so well fit person? In these two short stories â€Å"A Worn Path†, by Eudora Welty, and â€Å"To Build a Fire†, by Jack London, shows us how true that is. The protagonists in â€Å"A Worn Path† is named Phoenix Jackson who is an older black women living in Natchez, Mississippi in the 1930s. The protagonists is a man unnamed in â€Å"To Build a Fire† traveling in the Yukon. In both ofRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty1005 Words   |  5 Pagesracism because the path represents the slavery path when black folks escaped from their owners and most of all their hiding place so they wont find them . Also the woods represents they same symbols as the path because they ran through there in order to lose their own owners. In this story of â€Å"A Worn Path† is about a grown up woman who goes into town to get her grandson some medication. Phoenix risks her life by walking in the empty woods through path she already knows