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Eudora welty + literary criticism
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Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” emphasizes the unselfish love that inspires courage, sacrifice, and love through her use of symbolism. When Phoenix’s “fingers slid down and along the ground under the piece of money” (4), she shows the reader how desperate she is to get the medicine for her grandson. By stealing the nickel from him, she is now able to pay for or partially pay for the medicine her grandson needs, but when she finally arrives to the town, the nurses offer her money and give her the medicine as “charity” (6). After Phoenix takes the money, she goes to the store and buys a paper windmill for her grandson just to make him happy; however, this shows Phoenix’s sacrifice for her grandson because she could have used the money
The Nolan family have an old tin-can bank that they keep in a closet in their house. Katie was told to have this bank to accumulate money to buy land so she could pass it on to her children. They put as much in as they can afford every day, and it slowly accumulates little by little. This book shows that, a penny saved, is a penny earned. And that every little bit counts. It makes you realize that money is not everything.
... buy the family a new house so that Travis would have a better place to grow up. Mama could have spent that money on something she wanted, but instead bought something that would make the whole family happy. After she buys their new house, Mama gives Beneatha $3000 dollars towards college and gives Walter $3500 dollars to better his future. Mama has given all of the insurance money to the people she cares about, and kept none of it for herself. She thought about her children’s future and decided to invest the money towards a better life for them. This is a very unselfish act on Mama’s part, a perfect example of putting family before oneself.
Bartel, Roland. “Life and Death in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path.’” USA: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1998. 45-48
The name Phoenix Jackson is obviously a huge indication of what she is trying to symbolize.... ... middle of paper ... ... Another instance was guilt, which was shown when the clinic attendant gave Phoenix another nickel; although it was kind, this seems to be her way of compensating for an earlier offensive statement “Are you deaf?” to Phoenix. What she chose to do was not come from being kind, but because it was a sense of duty.
22). The imagery of the clock gives a visual image of Phoenix unsteady walk and partial reasons why she carries a cane. After reading the first two paragraphs of A Worn Path one might wonder why is an elderly woman in such conditions out in the cold. Not until further along in the story does the author go into depth of the character’s reasoning for traveling out in the cold. In spite of Phoenix’s condition and old age you see her determination in paragraph three. In paragraph three she demands any obstacles or troubles that may try to come along her path to move out of her way because she has a long ways to go. The story goes into description of the pathway the woman is following; along the way she may have had little hope or faith until, “Down in the hollow was the mourning dove-it was not to late for him.” (Weltz, 1941, p. 22). Doves have many significant symbols and in paragraph four the dove symbolized hope for Phoenix. This symbol may have encouraged the woman that she still has time. We also learn in this paragraph that the reason Phoenix is traveling this pathway is to help someone she cares
Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" is a story that emphasizes the natural symbolism of the
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 arrival of the insurance money. Her husband, Walter, has plans to use it to
To us, the encounter did not mean much --there are beggars on every street corner of New York-- but to the man the money meant so much more. What we had put into the box was not the same as what he took out of it. For him, the currency was a meal, or possibly a new article of clothing; to him, the money meant that he had successfully survived another day of poverty. Though the characters in A Raisin in the Sun do not spend their days asking others for money, they too live in this world of destitution. From their dingy apartment with a shared outdoor bathroom, to the jobs that they are forced to take in order to support themselves, the Youngers experience poverty in many ways on a daily basis. Each character, however, responds differently to the shortage of wealth and therefore to the insurance money they receive after Mama 's husband, Big Walter, dies. As the woman running the house and being granted the $10,000 check, Mama knows how important money is to her children and to her grandson, Travis. Nonetheless, Mama is calm about the inheritance and states clearly that if not for her family, she would probably donate the money to the
Incidentally, Phoenix replies to the old hunter’s question: it is quite clear that she undoubtedly is expecting compensation whether it is a pity party or a monetary gift to settle the score. Because Phoenix feels like she must abuse other people, she appears to have the power to be in control of any situation that might come her way. Throughout Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Phoenix Jackson and her actions symbolize her being a selfish and manipulative woman. Phoenix’s obsession with power, is the basis of her idea to manipulate other people which is clearly explained through her dialogue with the persons she comes in contact with on her journey into town. Along with Phoenix’s obsession with being pitied upon by the hunter, she also feels like she never plans to succumb to defeat.
Imagine for a moment it is your big sister's 17th birthday. She is out with her friends celebrating, and your parents are at the mall with your little brother doing some last minute birthday shopping, leaving you home alone. You then hear a knock on the front door. When you getthere, nobody is there, just an anonymous note taped to the door that says Happy Birthday, along with a hundred dollar bill. You've been dying to get that new video game, and your sister will never know. You are faced with a tough decision, but not a very uncommon one. In both Fences, by August Wilson, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansbury, tough decisions have to be made about getting money from someone else's misfortune. But money's that important right?
In “A Worn Path” colors are used to emphasize the depth and breadth of the story, and to reinforce the parallel images of the mythical phoenix and the protagonist Phoenix Jackson. Eudora Welty’s story is rich with references to colors that are both illustrative and perceptive, drawing us in to investigate an additional historical facet of the story.
3. What does Alma’s plan for the twenty dollar bill show about her? What does the discussion about both the money and the paperboy indicate about their own
In Eudora Welty’s, “A Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson went great lengths risking her own life for her grandson, who couldn’t help himself. On her worn path she faced the world with courage. Although she faced difficulty in her early life, her faith remained the same to help those who were dear to her heart. She walk a worn path relentlessly facing obstacles along the way with a mind that is diminishing overtime. Through the problems that she is faced with, she remains humble. She is admirable because considering her old age, weakness and loss of memory, she is determined. Welty’s details of character, symbolism, conflict and theme creates a compelling and fierce Phoenix Jackson. The moral message in this short story is to show the setting and characterizations
Many people spend their whole lives searching for happiness and a sense of purpose. Some find it, others go round and round indulging in countless other ventures that only lead to failed attempts at finding it. For example, some might indulge in materialistic things to try to portray a false image of themselves. And others might indulge in social media or a career, and for others it might be more detrimental like alcohol or drugs. Nonetheless, these attempts to find value and meaning in one’s life only end up throwing one off course from achieving it. Eudora Welty in both “A Worn Path” and “Artists on Criticism of Their Art: Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead?” attempts to encourage the reader to live their life's purpose through an