Is Phoenix Jackson a Hero? A hero is one who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. It can be someone who comes from mysterious origin, someone who descends into darkness, or someone who just has a goal they need to overcome and finds something other than what they were originally looking for when achieving that goal. Achievements of heroes also are able to stand the test of time. This means that celebrities like superstar athletes or movie stars would not be defined as heroes, as the memory of their achievements are mostly volatile. Heroes are also people who make great sacrifices for the common good. In the short story, Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” an old woman named Phoenix Jackson is shown to …show more content…
Coming from mysterious origin is a common hero archetype in which the backstory of a hero is not exactly told at all after the hero is introduced. It is never told where she comes from, who her parents were, or anything specific about her family. All that is known about her is that she has a grandson who has a problem with his throat and that she is trying to get medicine from the city for him. A basic description given of her is that she’s an “old Negro woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along a path through the pinewood” (46). This basic description to her without any detailed backstory at all shows that she personifies the hero archetype of being someone from mysterious …show more content…
Phoenix originally has a goal to get medicine for her grandson’s throat. She arrived to the city and achieved her goal of getting the medicine for her grandson. However, she discovers something more than what she was trying to achieve. When she asks someone to tie her shoes, she’s surprised to find that the person “put her packages down on the sidewalk and laced and tied both shoes tightly” (52). She discovers that people show her kindness due to the fact that she is an old woman that seems to be struggling. Finding that people show her kindness due to the fact that she’s an old woman shows that she discovers something more than what she was originally trying to accomplish, making her an example of the hero archetype of having a goal she needs to overcome while discovering something something more than what she was originally attempting to
A character is just a character until given a chance to evolve. By evolving in a story the character becomes dynamic almost visually alive. That is what Old Phoenix undergoes in the short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty. The audience follows Phoenix, an elderly Negro woman, on her strenuous journey from the far countryside to town. On this trip the audience watches Old Phoenix grow into a character that they begin to form a connection with allowing her to jump out at of the pages. This is accomplished through Welty’s use of physical description, action, and dialogue to bring Phoenix Jackson to life.
The first way Phoenix is an archetypal hero is because she is full of mysterious and obscure origin. Some ways she is full of mysterious and obscure origin is that it is not clear where she comes from or who her parents are. A second way is that she was a slave. And Finally she has been through hard times and still works through it. In the story when Phoenix is on her
Who is a hero? In contemporary times, usage of the term has become somewhat of a cliché. Over the years, the term “hero” has become representative of a wide variety of individuals, each possessing differing traits. Some of the answers put forth by my colleagues (during our in-class discussion on heroism) as to whom they consider heroes pointed to celebrities, athletes, teachers and family members. Although the occupations differed, each of their heroes bore qualities that my classmates perceived as extraordinary, whether morally or physically. Nonetheless, Webster’s defines “hero” as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” Thus, it is worth considering that individuals become heroes relative to the situation with which they’re faced.
According to google.com a hero is someone who “is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievments, or noble equalities.” (google.com). For example, superman , superman is an all time american classic modern hero who is admired for his courage and for saving earth multiple times from super villains. Another example of a hero is Beowulf. Beowulf was created around 1000 AD and was known far and wide throughout the lands for his selflessness,bravery, and courage .
It’s December when Phoenix starts on her journey to Natchez and it is a journey she has taken many times before. This journey is no journey an elderly and weaken person should have to make by themselves, yet Phoenix does. She does not allow her age or her condition to keep her from it. Deep through the pines, the path takes her, and her first task would be to make it over a hill that seems to take all her energy and strength. “Seems like there is chains around my feet, time I get this far…” (Welty 5), here the reader can tell Phoenix does not have the strength that she really needs to make it up the hill. Yet somewhere she finds the will to keep pushing on and moving forward. This same type of spirit that allows Phoenix to keep pushing forward in society, and not to back down. Showing the younger generation that you have to fight your way through to a brighter day. It is later down the path that Phoenix comes to a creek and the only way to get across, is by walking on a log. Phoenix walks across this log with her eyes close. Once across she opens her eyes and says, “I wasn’t as old as I ...
Welty presents Phoenix, throughout the story, as a determined woman who is persuaded by compassion and encouraged by humor to defeat the hindrances so that she can help her chronically ill grandson. This story gives a wonderful lesson for all people who feel like the afflictions of life are too immense to overcome, and also provides advices for how to persevere when realizing goals that may seem impossible. Consequently, the ways Welty uses symbolism to make clear of how difficult Phoenix’s mission is, but the way she depicts her character shows how humor and compassion help a person make it through tough situations.
Some definitions of heroes are people, who have noble qualities, and put the lives of others before their own life. They are expected to be reasonable and calm, during scary times, like when a shooting is going on, looking out for
What is a hero? A hero can be classified as a number of things. A hero can be a person who in the opinions of others has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. Ervin Staub, a holocaust survivor from Hungary and as scholar on altruistic behavior, has written, "Goodness like evil often begins in small steps. Heroes evolve; they aren't born. Very often the rescuers make only a small commitment at the start, to hide someone for a day or two. But once they had taken that step, they begin to see themselves differently, as someone who helps. What starts as mere willingness becomes intense involvement." The business man, Oskar Schindler, demonstrated a powerful example
Strength is the only reason Phoenix accomplished her journey and Phoenix's love for her only living relative is her greatest strength of all. Although the old Negro woman suffers from many handicaps, she starts her journey mentally prepared for the obstacles awaiting her. Phoenix uses her inner strengths and prevails over every barrier. She relies on her trustworthy feet to make up for her impaired vision. Her wit makes up for her frail body. Her determination makes up for her aged memory. But most of all, her love for her grandson her keeps her going. Clearly, the frail, forgetful, and loving old woman can overcome anything.
What’s a hero? A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. Hero’s can also be someone who has made a change in the world and or a society like Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks is considered a hero because of all the things she went through and made happen throughout her life. There were many journeys and obstacles that she faced to make things the way they are now. This ties into “Joseph Campbell’s stages of the hero’s journey”. Due to some of the decisions that Mrs. Parks made eventually caused her to go through some of the stages of “Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey”. Her stages of the hero’s journey include The Ordinary World, The Call to Adventure, Test, Enemies, Allies,
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Moyers 1). The Hero’s Journey consists of three major parts: the separation, the initiation, and the return. Throughout a character’s journey, they must complete a physical or spiritual deed. A physical deed involves performing a daunting and courageous act that preserves the well-being of another person. A spiritual deed calls for action that improves another individual’s state of mind.
There are also mental obstacles that obstruct Phoenix’s journey. She has to triumph over her weariness because of her old age and her mental fatigue. As she is walking her mind plays tricks on her, such as the time when she is in the field and mistakes the scarecrow for a dark mysterious figure that she is frightened of. Another time is when she talks to herself and the animals in the woods. She tells them not to get in her way because she has a long trip ahead of her. The love that one person gives to another is never truly appreciated until the recipient realizes what that person has actually done. The grandson may be too ill or even too young to realize what his grandmother is doing for his safety.
There is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country, live mostly minorities and other ethic background. All their lives they’ve been expected to work harder and expected not succeed in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a determination to succeed work hard all of their lives to become what everybody doubted they could. Escaping the crime, drugs, and prostitution is enough to escape hell, even if they don’t go to college. Despite of their financial problems, drug and crime surroundings, or difficulties in the language skills, their desire to triumph fuels their persistence. Those who make it to success are the few living examples of the purest form of hero anyone can be. They are not only their own heroes but also the heroes of the poor children who dream of becoming like them someday.
Heroes can be can be anyone; they can be everywhere. But every society needs heroes (The Making of a Hero). Surprisingly every society has one; we just don't see them because we don't bother to open our eyes. But if you open them you shall see, they can be anyone, and that's why you must look carefully.