Phoenix, the central character in Welty's "A Worn Path", is described from the third person. The details in this story are wonderful, and the reader learns so much from them. Phoenix, whose "skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles" is old. Her "long apron of bleached sugar sacks" gives the clue that she is probably poor because she made her apron from sacking material. The reader understands Phoenix from the external, like what she looks like, where she went and what she did.

Alice Walker's story, "Everyday Use", is written in the first person. Mama, the central character, describes the

There is also racial tension in "Everyday Use" when Dee arrives with her boyfriend and uses complicated African names for them both. Neither Dee nor Asalamalakin come off as authentic. When Mama asks Dee what she would do with the quilts she wants to take from them, Dee says she would " Hang them. As if that was the only thing you could do with quilts." The people in this story who are trying so hard to be modern Africans come off as superficial. This indirect criticism by the author would not be possible for a white writer to easily present. The fact that the author Alice Walker is black gives her a greater ability to present these sensitive details.

In each of these stories there is some racial tension. It is seen in "A Worn Path" when Phoenix falls in a ditch and is helped out by a young white man. It is not known at first if he is concerned or antagonistic. Both Phoenix and the young man speak guardedly to each other. "How old are you, Granny?" he say

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 654
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)