Example research essay topic: Eudora Welty Worn Path - 944 words

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In Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path, " the problem of the story wasn't clear in the beginning of the story. Why was Phoenix Jackson, a sick old black lady in the forest by herself in the winter? The reason became clear going towards the end of the story; that she was out hunting for her grandson's medicine. Things were very bad for Phoenix because she had to walk from her countryside home to the city to get the medicine.

Those weren't Phoenix's only problems; she was very old, she wasn't in good health, her grandson's throat was hurting and she was very poor. In Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path, " Welty uses several images to show the reader the burning and the rising of Phoenix Usually, for older aged people there are benefits for those who can't do for themselves. There are various organizations that help people who are over aged. They also have services that provide for them such as "The Emergency Truck" and "Meals on Wheels. " Why wasn't anyone delivering the medicine to Phoenix so she wouldn't have to walk in to town? The people from the medical center knew about Phoenix's grandson and they didn't try to help her out with a ride or anything. They didn't respect Phoenix's age at all seeing that she was in bad shape and very old.

In these days older aged people demand their respect and they get it. "She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her. " The problem was mainly Phoenix's health. (In the quotation just written when Welty mentioned it, that lets the reader know that Phoenix couldn't see well. The reader also knows that she isn't blind, she just couldn't see well because of her tapping on the ground in front of her. Phoenix should have never had to go in the forest under any circumstances because of her health conditions. ) (Welty also let's the reader know that Phoenix was a little off (senile). Phoenix would often talk to herself as if people were around her. ) Phoenix was a very strong woman, but it seems like nothing would get in her way of her destination. If she were taken care of, who would have been in a home worrying about nothing. Welty gives the reader knowledge of Phoenix's grandsons health, Phoenix wasn't the only one who should have been receiving medical treatment, also her grandson should.

Back in those days, they didn't provide free health care, and that tells the reader how exactly poor Phoenix Jackson was. "It's Christmas time, grandma, " said the attendant. "Could I give you a few pennies out of my purse?" Phoenix took the nickel and grabbed the other nickel and she looked at them smiling. Phoenix knew that it was Christmas time and her grandson was sick, she was poor, so that was her last resort to get the paper made windmill. (Earlier in the story Phoenix ran into a white hunter in the forest on her trip in town. A nickel fell out of the hunter's pocket so she thought about the paper made windmill and she distracted him so she could get the nickel. The hunter complained about the distance of her trip but never offered her a ride.

The hunter did say "I'd give you ten cents if I had any money with me. " What he didn't know that Phoenix had already got a nickel out of him. ) (The hunter even pointed a gun at this old frame not respecting her old age or health problems. ) (Eudora Welty uses Phoenix's name to give the reader a feel of her life being nothing but hard times. Research indicates that Phoenix is a mythical bird that burns and then rises from its' ashes. ) The burning part of Phoenix has to be the pain and suffering she went through, but nothing got in her way of getting that medicine. You can also tell that Phoenix's grandson meant the world to her. Maybe her grandson was the only important thing left in her life, and she wasn't going to let that good thing slip away. Throughout the movie Welty never once mentioned where her children were and what happened to them and her whole entire family. In conclusion, poverty was probably the main conflict out of all the other four mentioned.

Had she not been poor, she would have been able to afford proper care for herself and her grandson and would therefore be living a higher standard of life. Had she not been poor, she could have paid for a cab ride to the city or she could have paid for delivery of the medicine. She would not have had to beg for meaningless nickels. Without money society doesn't care for you and has therefore no respect for you no matter how old you might be.

Bibliography: Bibliography 1. Daly, Saralyn. "A Worn Path Retrod. " In Studies in Short Fiction, Volume 1, No. 2 Winter 1964. pp. 133 - 139. 2. In Gossett, Louise. Violence in Recent Southern Fiction. Durham, N.

C. , Duke University Press, 1965. pp. 98 - 116. Criticism -- Works -- Short Stories 3. Gross, Seymour L. Images of the Negro in American Literature. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1966.

pp. 221 - 232. Criticism -- Novels -- Race in Literature -- Delta Wedding -- "Keep, the Outcast Indian Maiden" -- "Powerhouse" -- "A Worn Path" 4. Isaacs, Neil. "Life for Phoenix. " The Sewanee Review, Volume 71, 1963. pp. 75 - 81.

Criticism -- "A Worn Path"

Research essay sample on Eudora Welty Worn Path