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Narrative essay example
Narrative essay example
Narrative essay example
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The Phoenix in Your Life (A discussion of 3 messages from The Warn Path by; Eudora Welty) “Hope rises like a phoenix from the ashes of shattered dreams” S.A. Sachs. The short story The Warn Path by; Eudora Welty is a story of hope. In this story a grandmother goes through trials and a rough road to get into town so she can get medicine for her grandson. The grandmother’s name is Phoenix and she has lots of hope. The short story The Warn Path by; Eudora Welty has three main messages. One of the messages from The Warn Path by; Eudora Welty is about sacrifice. You must sacrifice things you want, plans, even your life to safe those you care about. Ryan had a brother in need so he acted on what he knew he could do. “Ryan immediately checked that he was a compatible donor. Discovering that he was, the transplant went ahead… there was risk and Ryan lost his life during the procedure.” (Arrillaga, Pauline) Ryan made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that his brother could live. Just like Phoenix, she risked everything to save her grandson. Life is full of sacrifices. People …show more content…
This message is respect. The people seeing this old lady walking through the woods and in the hospital are very rude to her. “A charity case I suppose.” (The Warn Path by; Eudora Welty page 854) These people have no clue what Phoenix has been through with all her trails. There is no reason to be rude to people when you have no clue what they have gone through in their life or even that day. There are three main messages in the short story The Warn Path by; Eudora Welty. You need to respect people even if you don’t them, because you have no clue what they have been through. Stay determined and don’t give up easily, if you do life will take you nowhere. Finally, sometimes life calls for sacrifice, you need to be willing to do that for others. Life will be difficult, you just have to fallow these message and they will get you a little
In mythology the Phoenix is a long-lived bird that is reborn by arising from the ashes from its predecessors. A symbol of undying toughness, it is of little doubt why Eudora Welty decided to name the protagonist of her short story “A Worn Path” in its image. Phoenix Jackson shows an incredible toughness to continue through the obstacles on the path she walks, which act as a symbol of the struggles an “old Negro woman” would have faced during the 1930s in the South, an area afflicted with the Great Depression and residual racism and oppression (333). In her short story “A Worn Path” Welty uses the changing settings of the worn path entrance, the deep trail through the forest, and the town at the end of the path to reveal more about Phoenix Jackson’s character.
“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is an interesting short story, full of symbolism. This story is about an old African American lady named Phoenix Jackson. The story does not directly tells us that she is old, but we know she is old because she forgets the reason why she went to the town. Welty writes about Phoenix’s journey through the woods of Mississippi to the town of Natchez to get medicine for her grandson. Along the way, Phoenix encounters several obstacles in her way, which have symbolism and on the things she says on her way to the town. Symbolism is shown on the obstacles she encounters on her way to the town. The obstacles show and represent racism for example on the big dead trees, cake, and mistletoe. In her story “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty used symbolism to demonstrate that determination and will enabled Phoenix to survive in life no matter how difficult the struggle was.
With the knowledge of her deathly ill grand son at home, Pheonix Jackson decides to head for town to receive medication for him. In her travels the reader is given a real insight into the person that Pheonix really is. While crossing over a fallen down log, Pheonix jovially remarks, “I wasn’t as old as I thought” (“A Worn Path”636). One must realize the amount of strength and determination it must take for this frail old woman to accomplish such a task, yet Pheonix takes it with a grain of salt and keeps on going. At this point the reader finally realizes the respect that Pheonix deserves for being the beautifully harmonious person that she is.
Upon a first reading of Eudora Welty’s, “A Worn Path”, it appears to be a simple story about an old woman going into town to procure medicine for her sick grandson, who has swallowed lye (Welty 3). After further readings and doing research, the deep meaning and depth of the story becomes apparent. The worn path is much more than a routine route regularly traversed into town and back to home. The protagonist Phoenix Jackson has many more layers than the way she is perceived as an apparent no account drifter, charity case, whose only reason to head into town is to see Santa Clause (Welty 2). There is significant meaning behind the interactions with people, places, and objects that Phoenix crosses paths with on her journey into town. Every interaction and situation presents Phoenix with the opportunity to learn and grow as a person and as a culture. The sick grandson represents more than a sick boy at home waiting for medicine to heal his physical ailment (Welty 3). Welty uses a myriad of symbols to tell the story of the long and arduous journey blacks take going from slavery to free Americans. A journey that takes lifetimes of accumulating knowledge, gaining wisdom, and then passing everything learned to the children. The next generation builds on to, and hones the gained wisdom and further refines the knowledge as they pass it on to the next generation. It is the gained wisdom that is constantly reborn like the Phoenix in mythology (Mercantante 527). In, “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Phoenix Jackson symbolizes the past and present population of black Americans and the worn path represents her experiences and the wisdom she has gained, soon to be reincarnated in her grandson, the future generation of black America.
The character of Phoenix is the protagonist in the “A Worn Path,” written by Eudora Welty. She is proud, loving, and determined. You see Phoenix Jackson on her long and difficult journey to get medicine for her sick grandson. The story is told from the third-person point of view. Though she was faced with many obstacles on her journey to the city, through the devotion and love she had for her grandson we see what type of person she really is.
In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”, an elderly woman goes through trial for the greater good. Ms. Phoenix Jackson goes on a journey, most people could not take, to save her grandson’s life. Rachel Lister, an author of Literary Context in Short Stories Collections: Eudora Welty’s ‘A Worn Path’, states what kind of person Phoenix is: “[A] female subject [that] makes her way through a wood on a mission to help the afflicted” (par. 5). She goes through obstacles to get to her destination: she is attacked by a black dog, she goes through a barbed wire fence, she encounters a white hunter, and etc. Rachel Lister implies, “She faces a series of challenges and temptations” (par. 5). Nevertheless she is ambitious to finish her journey, although it is a cold winter day. “A Worn Path” is full of symbolism. Rachel Lister asserts, “The chains …, the thorns, and the barbed wire symbolizes the continuing oppression which restricts the social mobility of the African American people in the south” (par. 5). Ms. Phoenix is just not a character but she is a symbol for hope. Her character is portrayed as a Christ-like figure. She goes these trials to save her grandson from death...
“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.
Although I feel as though there are many literary elements throughout this short story such as characterization and theme, I also feel as though symbolism is very important as well. First of all, I believe that the name Phoenix in itself is symbolic for the type of person the old woman truly is. A Phoenix is a mythological creature who dies in fire and rises from ashes only to be stronger. It is as though all of these hardships only make the old woman more determined to complete her journey successfully.
Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” emphasizes the unselfish love that inspires courage, sacrifice, and love through her use of symbolism.
This proves just how self-sacrificing she is. Throughout her journey, Phoenix must overcome obstacles that are intended to prevent her from achieving her goal. She is confronted with both natural obstacles and racially tense encounters, yet she works through them with dignity, grace, and cleverness. Additionally, a courageous quality is brought out in Phoenix while on her journey, especially during her encounter with the hunter. After the hunter points his gun at Phoenix and she does not respond in fear, he tells her that she “must be a hundred years old and scared of nothing” (par. 59). During her long journey, Phoenix becomes exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but remains optimistic. Her faith in God and love for her grandson pushes her through this journey, and although her physical condition is feeble, her powerful mindset allows her to carry on with purpose.
After struggling up a hill, extricating herself from a thorn bush, and crossing a log over a creek, Phoenix Jackson, the aged and infirm protagonist of Eudora Welty's short story "A Worn Path," sits down on the banks of the creek for a rest:
In “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, the main protagonist, Phoenix Jackson, experiences a series of obstacles on her pursuit to acquire vital medication for her grandson. Phoenix is constantly delayed by delusions caused by the consequences of a shadowing past. The author uses a plethora of symbolism to create an emblematic explanation which connects the events on her trek to town, and her dark past as a slave. Her asperous memories, create a safety harness of delusions causing Phoenix to become caught between two realities: One that is burdened and realistic, and another that is imaginary and innocent.
Warning is an article written by Terry McCarthy, published on the 11th of March 2001 in the Time Magazine. It is about a school shooting in Santee, California and about the shooter, Andy Williams’ background.
Phoenix however is fine with this as she knows what she will obtain from this journey, medicine, will help her grandson feel better. To do this she willingly faces nature, an assertive hunter, and continuous discouragement. Many people would have succumbed to such a journey, but Phoenix’s love for he grandson restricts her from doing so. Phoenix exemplifies determination, positiveness, and selflessness in her quest for her grandson’s medicine. She doesn’t let anything get in her way and stop her from helping her (grand)child; she is an epitome of a