A Worn Path
Eudora Wetly wrote a short story about an old Negro woman who came up in the days of the Civil War. The old Negro woman's name is Phoenix Jackson and she lives out on the Natchez Trace. This is around the time of slavery and blacks were still being treated badly. Phoenix was depicted as an impoverished woman who was uneducated and senile. There are some indications in the story that she was uneducated and that her mind would wander. There are also indications that she is very intelligent and that she has a very clear mind. This is a story of how a woman was driven by love and determination to continue a journey that she has made time and time again. She is a woman who is noble and has a name that carries great power and respect. Her whole life carries meaning. Phoenix is a strong level minded woman if you pay attention to the story closely. She is painted as an old woman who is senile or is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She is getting up there in age and yes she may be a little senile, but it is clear that the journey takes place. It doesn't just take place in her head, she really makes these journeys over time. She makes reference to herself not being educated but she uses words like please, and thank you to s
She was on a mission of love to help her grandson. She could have very well have had money. Some of the things may be impossible to believe about Phoenix when she is constantly controlling the whites in this story. This is the ongoing cycle of the phoenix and the journey of Phoenix Jackson. A black person being helped by whites was highly uncommon in the time of the Civil War, especially in the south. Phoenix may be old and frail but she is clever. They also depict Phoenix as being poor. Phoenix states, "We is the only two left in the world. In the story it sounded as if Phoenix was dreaming this up but it was clearly stated that her mind drifted, but the journey she took really was for her grandson and the medicine. The phoenix is a very noble and dignified bird. I believed Phoenix ignored the nurse on purpose. Even if he is a child in the story, he could have been orphaned by deceased parents. The phoenix was a mythological bird that burned itself in it's own funeral pyre, and is reborn out of it's own ashes. I think she used the white people as a form of dominance over them for their ignorance.
Common topics in this essay:
Natchez Trace,
Civil War,
Eudora Welty,
Christmas Phoenix,
Eudora Wetly,
Phoenix Jackson,
War Negro,
civil war,
phoenix poor,
phoenix jackson,
continue journey,
natchez trace,
it's own,
attendant nurse,
makes reference,
red feathers,
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