ipl-logo

Phoenix Jackson In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

632 Words3 Pages

“A Worn Path” is a story that shows the struggling life of Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix Jackson is an elderly black woman that is nearly blind. She is experiencing many difficulties in life but she still manages to be very courageous throughout the story. Since Phoenix Jackson is an elderly black woman who is nearly blind that lives in an older time period, she is often disrespected and faces many discriminatory actions but she never looses her courage and her bravery. Race is one of the major struggles that Eudora Welty writes about Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix Jackson is a Southern black woman who lives in a time where there was great discrimination against black people. The writer of this paper believes that due to the society and character traits of Phoenix Jackson described in this story, she might have previously been a slave. She runs into racist characters such as the hunter. Originally, the hunter demonstrates a kind action by helping up Phoenix Jackson when she falls but that then escalates into him pointing a gun at her. He repeatedly asked her what her …show more content…

The writer of this paper believes that the life of Phoenix Jackson represents all the struggles and disadvantages that one has to fight in order to achieve their goal especially when they live in a society where they are against all odds. The writer of this paper believes that Phoenix Jackson demonstrates her struggle to achieve her goals by being an old African-American woman in predominately white area blindly walking miles across town to pick up medicine for her grandson where she is confronted several times by white Southerners who are discriminatory towards African-American people such as herself. The actions that she bravely demonstrates are reasons to believe that Eudora Welty did not describe Phoenix Jackson and a Southern African-American stereotype, but a symbol of immortality (Isaacs

Show More
Related

  • Phoenix Jackson Archetypes

    1718 Words  | 7 Pages

    “The saddest journey in the world is the one that follows a precise itinerary,” which has not been more so than for Phoenix Jackson whom every year due to her love for her grandson embarks on a dangerous one-day journey to the city of Natchez. In this 1941 short story, “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, protagonist Phoenix Jackson, an elderly African-American women, whom despite her visual impairment, old age, memory loss and senility determines to procure medicine for her sickly grandson. Regardless of Phoenix Jackson’s limitations and negative experiences, she continues her journey undeterred. In order to characterize Jackson, Welty utilizes symbolic and situational archetypes to portray her as a strong, persevering, courageous, and loving women throughout her journey.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In A Worn Path By Eudora Welty

    292 Words  | 2 Pages

    One could assume that symbolism is the backbone to all literature. Without symbolism the piece of literature is inadequate, lacking representations of objects, people, and situations. However Eudora Welty’s work “A Worn Path” proves the prominence of symbolism in any prose. The short story about a woman’s ability to face nature, mankind, and one’s own self. The protagonist is an woman named Phoenix Jackson who has an unforgettable nature.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Ethos Pathos Logos

    930 Words  | 4 Pages

    The main characters Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Bob Ewell face moments that deal with racism all told from the perspective of a six year old girl, Scout. The intended purpose of expressing racial relations in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,”

    Read More

  • Three Artistic Tools Used In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    488 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story Welty’s want the reader to be comfortable with Phoenix as a character. Welty describes Phoenix wearing a long dress reaching her shoe top and a long apron of bleached sugar sacks. When Phoenix talks aloud to herself the author wants the reader to imagine an old woman with characteristics of a warm, comical, young spirited woman side of her. The short story also uses images which evoke from the biblical imagery. Phoenix’s uses biblical connection to show the reader how important her story and the

    Read More

  • Summary Of Black Culture In Beloved By Toni Morrison

    1837 Words  | 8 Pages

    African-American author Toni Morrison 's book, Beloved, describes a black culture born out of a dehumanising period of slavery just after the Civil War. Culture is a means of how a group collectively believe, act, and interact on a daily basis. Those who have studied her work refer to Morrison 's narrative tales as “literature…that addresses the sacred and as an allegorical representation of black experience” (Baker-Fletcher 1993: 2). Although African Americans had a difficult time establishing their own culture during the period of slavery when they were considered less than human, Morrison believes that black culture has been built on the horrors of the past and it is this history that has shaped contemporary black culture in a positive way. Through the use of linguistic devices, her representation of black women, imagery and symbolic features, and the theme of interracial relations, Morrison illustrates that black culture that is resilient, vibrant, independent, and determined.

    Read More

  • Colorism In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1012 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the long-lasting effects of slavery have taken a toll on Janie Crawford. Janie’s grandmother was raped by her master and had a child named Leafy. Leafy, although not born into slavery, endured a similar fate, which led her to run away, leaving her mother to raise her child, Janie. Janie’s appearance, showing strong European features, was both praised and shamed by society. This double standard was created by racism and was able to remain present due to segregation.

    Read More

  • Obstacles In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    539 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the short story, “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty introduces an elderly, African American, woman named Phoenix Jackson, whom for two or three years has made a long quest to town to get medicine for her ill grandson. Initially, Phoenix must overcome many obstacles to reach climax of her journey. Eudora Welty uses these obstacles to demonstrate the theme of her story, which is that Phoenix’s ambition/hope was the leading role in her preserving. The first obstacle that displays Phoenix’s determination to succeed, was when she came to a hill during her quest to town.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Education In To Kill A Mockingbird?

    1163 Words  | 5 Pages

    “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”(Lee 30). These are the words of Atticus Finch, the wisest character in the famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. He is a fictional man that embodies human traits that all people should strive to emulate. In the novel; narrated by Atticus’ daughter Jean Louise Finch, more often referred to as Scout; Atticus defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white female, Mayella Ewell. The main message of the text is the prominence of racial injustice, specifically in the 1930’s, the era the novel takes place in.

    Read More

  • Phoenix Jackson And The Narrator Analysis

    339 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of Phoenix Jackson and the Narrator are based on the point of view of both the writers. “A Worn Path” is a story of a small, old, African American woman with wrinkles, who wore an apron bleached sugar sacks, hold a cane made from umbrella and shoe laces that are dragging, walking down the winter landscapes and describing everything she notices. While, “The Lone Ranger” is a story of a typical Native American youth, who is recounting his view of his society and struggles with identity, alcohol, and family relationships. The two characters have a few things in common and are opposite from each other. Even though staying in a marginalized environment, she is determined to do miles of walking to the urban area where she have to face

    Read More

  • Literary Elements In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    526 Words  | 3 Pages

    Literary Analysis: “A Worn Path” Eudora Welty uses many literary elements in her short story, “A Worn Path,” to allow the reader to stay engaged throughout its entirety. Although there are many literary elements present in this story, there are three that Welty focuses intently on. She uses elements such as imagery, symbolism, and motifs to draw the reader’s attention. It is important for an author to write their story in a way that can be understood but also enjoyed. In “A Worn Path”, Welty focuses in on the elements, such as, symbolism, motifs, and imagery and writes a story that has great meaning and can be discovered by the reader when looked at carefully.

    Read More

  • A Literary Analysis Of Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    678 Words  | 3 Pages

    Given her grandson’s injuries that hope is as fragile as the paper windmill. This reminds us that hope is fragile, and is contingent on historical and civil efforts beyond Phoenix and her grandson.     Phoenix Jackson perseveres to achieve a purposeful goal. Phoenix Jackson stayed true to her faith in times of desperation. Against the obstacles, she was willing to reach her destination to provide her grandson with the medicine he is in need of.

    Read More

  • Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird And The Butler

    1048 Words  | 5 Pages

    Literature is a precious art form to many and important for various reasons. Literacy helps improve grammar, provides entertainment, educates people and provides inspiration. It is specifically useful for educating people on racial discrimination as many classic works contain racism. Both To Kill a Mockingbird and The Butler are great at expanding people’s knowledge on racism. Although they have two entirely different plots, they both depict how little people value an African-American’s opinion, characters challenging racism and the acceptance of blatant racism.

    Read More

  • Freedom In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    810 Words  | 4 Pages

    The excerpt begins by stating, “It was December—a bright frozen day in the early morning.” This shows that Phoenix’s journey is not an easy one; it’s cold outside and early in the morning. Phoenix continues on the path up a hill. While she is walking along the path, she thinks, “There is chains about my feet, time I get this far.” These chains immediately portray thoughts of slavery, which would cause one to think of endurance.

    Read More

  • Racism In A Worn Path

    883 Words  | 4 Pages

    Beyond the Walk to Natchez A historical great piece of literary art, “A Worn Path” published in 1941, is a story of an old woman’s journey to town through the forest. The setting is rural Mississippi in the 1940’s, a time when racism was a way of life and a trip to town, especially for an old black woman, was often a long journey and thus a trip not often taken. The old woman’s name is Phoenix Jackson and she has quite an adventurous trip through the forest to town. One is made to believe this is just an average walk down the path for this old woman; however the reader is entertained by Phoenix’s mannerisms and realizes there is deeper meaning of the story.

    Read More

  • A Worn Path Phoenix Jackson Character Analysis

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the story “A Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson was an old African American women. She takes a small journey that can be an allegory of someone's whole life. The journey had hard and easy parts, beauty, danger, and confusion. But her quest was to get the medicine for her sick grandson who laid at home waiting for her return. Phoenix was a delusional yet heroic, caring grandmother who would stop at nothing to get what she needed.

    Read More

More about Phoenix Jackson In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

Open Document