A Life of Perseverance Perseverance can be defined as a “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failures, or oppositions” (“Perseverance”). In their short stories "A Worn Path" and "Everyday Use," Eudora Welty and Alice Walker show perseverance in their characters Phoenix and Mama. Both of these women narrate the passages and are the main characters as well. Welty and Walker both described Phoenix and Mama as characters of determination, willing to overcome obstacles set in their way. These obstacles include racism, environment, oppression, and physical/mental ability.
The short story “A Worn Path” is a tale of a brittle old woman, who is making a long journey to retrieve medicine for her grandson. In the beginning of the short story, Welty
…show more content…
This alludes that she appears rather mannish in stature. Walker chose her to narrate the story because she is strong-willed and very useful with her hands. Mama is a colored woman that is poor and who has raised two daughters by herself. She has worked hard all her life to acquire what she has. She is the mother of Maggie and Dee “Wangero.” She and Maggie live in a rundown house in an open field, while her successful daughter Dee is assumed to live in a more prestigious home. Mama is determined to still love Dee, even if her daughter looks down on her. Mama remains unafraid to speak her mind and she stands up for what she believes in. One example is when she grabbed the quilts from Dee’s hands and presented them to Maggie. Mama states: “I did something I never done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero 's hands and dumped them into Maggie 's lap” (Walker 6). This quote describes yet another instance of how Mama persevered in a time of pandemonium, showing both of her daughters’ love, despite being
In the short story "A Worn Path," the message that Eudora Welty sends to the readers is one of love, endurance, persistence, and perseverance. Old Phoenix Jackson walks a long way to town, through obstacles of every sort, but no obstacle is bad enough to stop her from her main goal. She may be old and almost blind, but she knows what she has to do and won't give up on it. Her grandson has swallowed lye, and she has a holy duty of making her way to town in order to get medicine for him. The wilderness of the path does not scare her off. She stumbles over and over, but she talks herself through every obstacle. Undoubtedly, the theme of perseverance is what Eudora Welty wants to point out to her readers. Just like the name Phoenix suggests
“A Worn Path” told the story of an old woman named Phoenix Jackson. She had to make a long, adventurous journey to town in order to receive medicine for her grandson who had fallen ill. Phoenix Jackson was determined to reach her destination, and she did not let anything stand in her way. Throughout her voyage, she displayed characteristics of being brave, unselfish, and senile.
In "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, Walker shows differences in human character, just by the way they act towards family members. The main character in the story, Mother, has two daughters that she treats very differently, and they treat her differently. One daughter looks down on Mother in a condescending manner, and the other is obedient and kind. In "Everyday Use", Walker shows that in relationships between a mother and daughters, adaptation to change can sometimes be very hard, which leads to pride and protecting what one has accomplished, and finally shows how un-appreciation can hinder these relationships.
This simple story is packed full of inspiration; however, one of the messages is extremely simple; Do not give up in life. Welty’s title “A Worn Path”
With this in mind, the mother, or the narrator of the story describes herself as a big-boned, manly woman with hands so rough from years of physical labor. She is a tough parent, taking the role of both mother and father for her daughters and providing for them. Taking into account that they are a poor family and most of them are uneducated. By her mother’s observation and words she describes Maggie as shy. “Maggie walks chin ...
A Worn Path, is a short story about a little old lady who took this big adventure just to get some medicine for her sick grandson. The grandson was sick because he ended up swallowing lye two years ago. The short story really shows the extent a family member would go just to see you happy. The grandmother had started to have a short memory loss, even though she blamed it on her lack of education, it may have been because of her old age. Eudora Welty uses fluctuating tone, symbols, and settings in the short story.
“A Worn Path” is a short story written by Eudora Welty. It is based on an elderly African-American grandmother named Phoenix Jackson, who goes for a walk to the town of Natchez on a cold December morning to get some medicine for her ailing grandson. This story speaks of the obstacles Phoenix endured along the way and how she overcame them. The theme, central idea or message that the author wishes to convey to his or her readers, in “A Worn Path” is one of determination. Phoenix Jackson is determined to get to Natchez, in order to get medicine for her grandson; she does not let any obstacles get in her way. The theme of determination is shown in many ways throughout this short story.
A Worn Path is a short story written by Eudora Welty a native of Mississippi who wrote extensively about the Natchez Trace. It is a tale of struggle, selflessness, and determination in its greatest sense. The geographical setting is in the south near the town of Natchez around the 1930s, that is evident through the slang and actions of the characters. The point of the story is to present symbolism of the legend of the Phoenix and numerous other things, show similes, irony, and metaphors while holding the reader's interest.
In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” there are several literary elements used to reveal the theme, such as setting, image, and characterization. In the first two paragraphs alone, there is an abundance of literary devices to paint the scene for the reader.
Mama, as a member of an older generation, represents the suffering that has always been a part of this world. She spent her life coexisting with the struggle in some approximation to harmony. Mama knew the futility of trying to escape the pain inherent in living, she knew about "the darkness outside," but she challenged herself to survive proudly despite it all (419). Mama took on the pain in her family in order to strengthen herself as a support for those who could not cope with their own grief. Allowing her husband to cry for his dead brother gave her a strength and purpose that would have been hard to attain outside her family sphere. She was a poor black woman in Harlem, yet she was able to give her husband permission for weakness, a gift that he feared to ask for in others. She gave him the right to a secret, personal bitterness toward the white man that he could not show to anyone else. She allowed him to survive. She marveled at his strength, and acknowledged her part in it, "But if he hadn't had...
A Worn Path shows readers that family is the most important thing everyone should go beyond there limitations if it’s necessary to help a family member in need. Phoenix never gives up hope she always stayed positive knowing that was the only way that she would be able to get to the doctor’s office. The love she had for the grandson was all she needed in order to push herself through each obstacle in her path. The love of a grandma is truly shown, and tested within A Worn Path. Showing me that when the time comes anything is possible no matter your age or the obstacles put in your way just insist and overcome them.
In the story A Worn Path, Eudora Welty shows an old woman living in a time period where racial prejudice is rampant and out of control. Phoenix Jackson is a grandmother whose only motivation for living is to nurture her grandson back to health. The strength of love may make people do or say unusual and implausible things. The central idea of this story is that love can empower someone to over come many life-threatening obstacles. The idea is shown when an old woman conquers all odds against her to show her everlasting love for her grandson. Throughout the story Phoenix Jackson has to overcome many types of obstacles that hinder her in her devotion to help her grandson.
Words I would use to describe Mama include: 1) Dreamer-in her description of meeting Dee on the Johnny Carson show, 2) Workhorse-able to, “work outside all day, clean a hog, and kill a bull calf ”, (Walker, 1943, p. 477), 3) Hero-due to the fact she pulled her daughter, Maggie from their burning home, 4) Mother-of two daughters, Dee and Maggie, 5) Obese- in reading her statement, “My fat keeps me hot in zero weather” (Walker, 1943, p. 477), 6) Uneducated-only went to school until second grade, 7) Religious-talks about singing church songs to herself, 8) Proud-of her heritage in discussing the quilt’s assembly and pieces especially in describing one piece that, “ was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War” (Walker, 1943,
“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, is the tale of an elderly black woman who shows an enormous amount of determination when it comes to helping her unceasingly ill grandson. Phoenix Jackson is the main character in Welty’s “A Worn Path.” Throughout the story, Miss Phoenix Jackson travels the same path every day overcoming whatever obstacles she encounters as she strives along the path in the contribution of her grandson’s health, for he is whom Phoenix habitually travels this “worn path.”
Mama is a powerful, strong witted person. She has a lot of control in this play and dominates as a woman character. This is unusual because this is usually a male’s position in life. She is a woman, “who has adjusted to many things in life and overcome many more, her face is full of strength”. In this play she is illustrated as taking over for the head of the family and controls the lives of everyone in her house. Rules are followed to Mama’s extent. She controls what is said and done in her house. After Walter yells, “WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE LISTEN TO ME TODAY!” (70). Mama responds in a strong tone of voice saying, “I don’t ‘low no yellin’ in this house, Walter Lee, a...