A Worn Path Group at eNotes

When she makes her difficult and dangerous trip to town to get the...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:35:33 PST

When she makes her difficult and dangerous trip to town to get the "soothing" medicine for her grandson, Phoenix Jackson must overcome numerous obstacles and forces that oppose her. The physical barriers she must overcome include the stream she must cross, the barbed-wire fence she must climb through, the briers she must escape, the maze of a dead corn field she must maneuver, and the scarecrow she must pass, at first thinking it to be a...

Name at least four antagonists in the story "A Worn Path". Remember that...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:36:07 PST

Name at least four antagonists in the story "A Worn Path". Remember that the term does not have to apply to a person.

Eueora Welty's "A Worn Path" is told from the third-person objective...

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:38:13 PST

Eueora Welty's "A Worn Path" is told from the third-person objective point of view. Welty employs this point of view which does not reveal as much of the character as do first and omniscient points of view so that the reader may perceive Phoenix less as a person and more as a symbolic, even mythical, character. That she is a symbolic and myth-like character is evidenced, first of all, by her name which suggests the mythological bird that...

From what point of view is "A Worn Path" told and what citations can I...

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:34:20 PST

From what point of view is "A Worn Path" told and what citations can I use to support this answer?

Clearly “A Worn Path” draws on the myth and symbolism of the...

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:32:15 PST

Clearly “A Worn Path” draws on the myth and symbolism of the phoenix, the golden bird that periodically consumes itself in flames so that it, rising from the ashes, may be renewed. Phoenix Jackson renews her ancient body on each visit to the doctor’s remote office. The chief clues: the woman’s name (“Phoenix”), the story’s early description of her (her stick makes a sound “like the chirping of a solitary little bird”; “a...

There are numerous literary elements in the story. Irony is found in the...

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 14:20:31 PST

There are numerous literary elements in the story. Irony is found in the conclusion. After making her dangerous and difficult journey, when Phoenix reaches her destination, she momentarily forgets why she has come. Symbolism is present, also. The path she follows, the "worn path," symbolizes her unconditional, continuing love and commitment to her grandson. The path is long, arduous, and dangerous to her very life, but she follows it again and...

a warn path information

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 08:52:50 PST

What are some literary elements in "A Worn Path"?

taylorlynn609, Phoenix, the protagonist of “A Worn Path,” is a poor,...

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 07:00:19 PST

taylorlynn609, Phoenix, the protagonist of “A Worn Path,” is a poor, aging black woman who is experiencing the onset of the afflictions of age (loss of memory, inflexible and arthritic joints, imaginings) while maintaining an indomitable spirit in the face of the hopeless nature of her own plight and that of her grandson. The story becomes more dramatically focused upon her because she is seen objectively and dramatically (and distantly?)...

What is the rising action, climax and resolution in "A Worn Path" by...

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 06:45:42 PST

What is the rising action, climax and resolution in "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty?

A Worn Path Essay Exam

The only part of the setting that is stated in the story is "it was...

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:42:06 PST

The only part of the setting that is stated in the story is "it was December--a bright frozen day in the early morning." The time period must have been early to mid-1900's because of the cost of a nickel during this time period. It wasn't worth a lot to most people, but to Phoenix it was. The other half of the setting is the place. This takes place in the south and most likely in Mississippi since this is where a lot of Welty's fiction...

What is the setting of the story?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:49:57 PST

What is the setting of the story?

ENotes provides an excellent analysis of why the character is named...

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 14:15:13 PST

ENotes provides an excellent analysis of why the character is named Phoenix. The phoenix is a bird from Indian and other ancient cultures' mythology, a sacred firebird that rises from its own ashes after death by burning. For you to consider as you analyze: How is the character of Phoenix sacred? How is she an image of an admirable, ethical, worthy-to-be-esteemed woman? How has she been "burned" by life's circumstance? How does she "rise...

Why is the main character in "A Worn Path" named Phoenix?

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 14:18:38 PST

Why is the main character in "A Worn Path" named Phoenix?

Phoenix does demonstrate tremendous heroism without being aware of it....

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 02:25:16 PST

Phoenix does demonstrate tremendous heroism without being aware of it. She doesn't think of herself as being brave. She is just doing what she must do to take care of her little grandson, and she has done it many times. Her path to town is "worn," suggesting that she has traveled it many times. Phoenix faces great danger making her trip to town. She is very old and frail and almost blind. The weather is cold because it is December, hard...

In "A Worn Path," how does Phoenix Jackson demonstrate unconscious heroism?

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 00:24:21 PST

In "A Worn Path," how does Phoenix Jackson demonstrate unconscious heroism?

The central symbol in the story is the path Phoenix Jackson follows each...

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:51:00 PST

The central symbol in the story is the path Phoenix Jackson follows each time she journeys into town to get medicine for her grandson. It is long and arduous. By following the path, Phoenix must climb hills, fight her way through thorns, and crawl under a barbed-wire fence. She must cross a stream by walking over it on a log. This journey would be difficult for anyone, but Phoenix is very old and frail. Her eyesight has failed; she knows her...

In reply to #1: Phoenix Jackson is a lady. She has pride and dignity....

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:08:35 PST

In reply to #1: Phoenix Jackson is a lady. She has pride and dignity. When she arrives in town after her arduous journey, she stops a woman on the street and asks her to tie her shoes. Phoenix can't do this simple task herself because of her age. Phoenix says, "Do all right for out in the country, but wouldn't look right to go in a big building." Phoenix is completely self-sacrificing. When she steals the hunter's nickel, she says to...

In reply to #1: Phoenix's experiences are universal also because Welty...

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:47:49 PST

In reply to #1: Phoenix's experiences are universal also because Welty presents them in an emotional context. Phoenix is a poor, elderly African-American woman living in the American South in an earlier part of the 20th century. Her feelings, however, are not limited to any particular time, place, age, race, gender, or socio-economic group. During the course of her dangerous journey, Phoenix feels fear, love, compassion, shame, anger, and...

Many writers have used the idea of a journey to make larger observations...

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:49:38 PST

Many writers have used the idea of a journey to make larger observations about life. In fact "A Worn Path" can be seen as an archetype, or major example, of this type of story. Phoenix's walk on the "worn path" parallel the stages of life itself. She encounters the same kinds of obstacles and triumphs that many of us do. If you examine Welty's story carefully, you can see her encountering problems, successes, shame and even happiness. These...