In the story, A Visit of Charity, a young girl goes to an old-folks home to visit the people. This seems like a nice, thoughtful, and caring thing to do. One could easily imagine the girl being very kind and loving. However, this is hardly the case. The girl is not there to comfort and help the elderly. She is there to gain a merit badge. She is not there to help others; she is there for herself. This story, by Eudora Welty, gives us a clear picture of a typical 14-year-old of today. She is nervous, reluctant, and scared. It contains strong literary elements such as, point of view, imagery, and setting. But to truly understand this strange story, one must first understand its author, Eudora Welty.
             Eudora Welty was born on April 13, 1909, in Jacksonville, Mississippi. Through out her childhood, Eudora's mother constantly sheltered her children. Eudora once said, "Even as we grew up, my mother could not help imposing herself between her children and whatever it was they might take it in mind to reach out for in the world." Eudora briefly left her family for the first time for college, but she returned to help her family during the depression. Growing up, she was regularly exposed to literature from her mother. Once when the house caught fire, her mother saved her Dickens' collection before saving herself. After returning home, she worked at various jobs including: a news radio station, a columnist for the Memphis, Tennessee Commercial Appeal, and as a publicist for the Works Progress Administration. As a young adult, she traveled frequently and widely. She always returned home to her parents in Mississippi though. She was an avid photographer and writer and put out many volumes of short stories and photographs. She died in 2001, in her parent's home in Jacksonville, Mississippi.
             One of these short stories, was A Visit of Charity. This story contains extremely good use of the element, point of vie...