A Worn Path
Ordeal of Devotion In "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty an elderly African American woman named Phoenix Jackson picks a cold December day to make yet another perilous journey to a near by city to get medicine for her ailing grandson. On the way this ninety-year-old woman faces many obstacles, both natural and man-made. Phoenix draws upon her perseverance and willingness to sacrifice herself to help her throughout her journey, but it is the undying love for her grandson that truly guides and drives her to her final goal. Phoenix Jackson has a seemingly inexhaustible amount of determination. From the moment that she sets out on her trek, she must fight all the challenges that nature has made for her. From the very beginning there is the threat of attack by wild animals and Phoenix shouts "out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!" undauntingly challenging them. Phoenix is a very old woman whose aged, fragile body isn't suited to make such a l!ong journey. At one point when she is climbing up a hill, she states that it seems like "there is chains about my feet, time I get this far." And yet she still trudges onward, stopping only once for a short break. On the way down the hill she gets caught i
n a bush, its thorns tearing at her finest dress. "I in a thorny bush," she exclaims. But she doesn't give up; she stands there untangling herself from the bush, "her fingers busy and intent." After she has overcome this obstacle she faces yet another trial. Across Phoenix's path lies a creek and across the creek lies a log, which substitutes as a bridge. It is hard enough for Phoenix to walk on flat and stable ground, so walking across the log is a dangerous challenge for her. Even though there is a large threat of her falling and badly hurting herself, "she mounted the log and shut her eyes" and crosses to the other side. Next she comes across a barbwire fence, and once again without showing any signs of fear she fords ahead crossing that too. Phoenix travels a good portion of the day facing many physical challenges that test her stamina, but the real trials are the physiological ones that she faces as she encounters people along her journey. The first person that she meets is a hunter. In the beginning he seems like a benevolent character because "he lifted her up, gave her a swing in the air, and set her down," helping her out of the ditch that a dog had pushed her into. He even inquires "anything broken, Granny?" and goes on to ask her where she lives. But then his manner turns unfriendly. "Why, that's too far ... now you go on home, Granny!" he exclaims when he learns where Old Phoenix is headed. He even starts to belit
Some common words found in the essay are:
Phoenix Jackson, Santa Claus, doctor's office, African American, phoenix jackson, Eudora Welty, doctor's office phoenix, ailing grandson, hostile environment, phoenix woman, office phoenix, story phoenix, sense self-sacrifice, grandson phoenix, wild animals,
Approximate Word count = 966
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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