Analyzing “a Worn Path” by Eudora Welty
Analyzing “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty
1. The theme of the story is: Racism is an issue that never seems to disappear no matter how much people say it does.
2. The title is significant because it explains Phoenix’s journeys. If a pair of shoes are worn everyday, eventually they will become worn out. Phoenix took that path all the time to get medicine for her grandson. The fact that she always took that path wore it out and is considered a worn path.
3. The story takes place in the south after slavery was abolished, roughly around 1920. This is because there are cotton and corn fields mentioned in the story. Cotton was a slave crop and it hints that the setting is in the south. The era is supported by the fact that Phoenix is an old black woman and that at first she didn’t get too much respect from the white hunter.
4. The significance of the season in the story is that it sets a sympathetic and sad mood. This makes the reader feel bad for Phoenix. The fact that it is around Christmas is also significant. Christmas is the time for family and all that Phoenix has is her grandson and she has to walk to get him medicine so he can survive.
5. Time is important in this story because Phoenix doesn’t have much time to get the medicine. She needs it as soon as possible because her grandson is very sick. So sick that she has to feed him like a bird. This could also be important because she can’t leave him to starve. The fact that her grandson is all she has left, Phoenix needs to get the medicine as soon as possible in order for her grandson to survive.
6. The fact that Phoenix can’t see well makes the journey more difficult. In the story she just closes her eyes when crossing the log because she probably knows that she can’t see it, so why keep them open? In order to know if you are going in the right direction, you have to be able to see the path and things around you.
7. Phoenix gets her name from the bird phoenix. The phoenix lights itself on fire when it is in a
1. The theme of the story is: Racism is an issue that never seems to disappear no matter how much people say it does.
2. The title is significant because it explains Phoenix’s journeys. If a pair of shoes are worn everyday, eventually they will become worn out. Phoenix took that path all the time to get medicine for her grandson. The fact that she always took that path wore it out and is considered a worn path.
3. The story takes place in the south after slavery was abolished, roughly around 1920. This is because there are cotton and corn fields mentioned in the story. Cotton was a slave crop and it hints that the setting is in the south. The era is supported by the fact that Phoenix is an old black woman and that at first she didn’t get too much respect from the white hunter.
4. The significance of the season in the story is that it sets a sympathetic and sad mood. This makes the reader feel bad for Phoenix. The fact that it is around Christmas is also significant. Christmas is the time for family and all that Phoenix has is her grandson and she has to walk to get him medicine so he can survive.
5. Time is important in this story because Phoenix doesn’t have much time to get the medicine. She needs it as soon as possible because her grandson is very sick. So sick that she has to feed him like a bird. This could also be important because she can’t leave him to starve. The fact that her grandson is all she has left, Phoenix needs to get the medicine as soon as possible in order for her grandson to survive.
6. The fact that Phoenix can’t see well makes the journey more difficult. In the story she just closes her eyes when crossing the log because she probably knows that she can’t see it, so why keep them open? In order to know if you are going in the right direction, you have to be able to see the path and things around you.
7. Phoenix gets her name from the bird phoenix. The phoenix lights itself on fire when it is in a