"It was December -- a bright frozen day in the early morning." This is how Ms. Welty starts her story. Could you guess by the first line that this story was going to be about some type of struggle? If you have read many of Eudora Welty's stories, you will find that hardship in the South tends to be a topic she enjoys relaying to her readers. This first line is but one of many references to the setting of "A Worn Path".

In my opinion, Ms. Welty uses the setting in this story not only to convey how hard the trip is for Phoenix Jackson but also how life was in the South. It could also reference the many struggles of black Americans in the early 1900's. For example, the Civil Rights movement was a long and Worn Path. Did the Author know that the hardships of life during the early 1900's would also mirror the hardships that we all experience today? I would imagine the answer to that question is that life is what you make it! If old Phoenix Jackso

The Author describes a scene where Phoenix has to creep and crawl under a barbed-wire fence while always fearful of tearing her dress. I believe this is a parity to the hardship of life. In my life, there are times that seem easy and others feel just like creeping and crawling, trying not to get hurt or damage things too costly to replace along my way. I, like Phoenix, do not have the time or money for most of lives little surprises. When the worn path Phoenix was traveling started up hill, she refers to the feeling of chains being about her feet. The weight of daily decisions can make life's burden seem much heavier, just like climbing uphill. I find the similarities between the setting and occurrences in this story and our everyday lives most uncanny!

This picture along with many others were taken by Eudora Welty in the 1930's while she was traveling though some of the poorest parts of Mississippi. Old Phoenix Jackson lived off the Old Natchez Trace. So, this picture could be part of the path Phoenix had to travel in the st

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 703
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)