A Worn Path Theme Essay Example

A Worn Path: Theme Paper A WORN PATH: Theme A Worn Path is a short story about an old African? American woman, Phoenix Jackson, and her journey through the woods into town. It is a fiction story set in Mississippi during the 1940s. The author presents the themes of the story from the symbol of the journey itself as well as all the obstacles and encounters the main character faces throughout her journey. There are several themes that have been portrayed in the story. The main theme that I have noticed during my reading is racism. Other minor themes are responsibility, love, guilt and resurrection. Racism was portrayed by the author through Phoenixs brief encounters on her journey with the Southern whites. A white hunter helps her out of a ditch but patronizes her and belittles the purpose of her journey by laughing and saying I know you old colored people! Wouldnt miss going to town to see Santa Claus! (117). He also bullies her by pointing his loaded gun at her and asking, Doesnt the gun scare you? (117). Through these conversations, the author shows how some whites regarded blacks. Another way that the author depicts the relationships between the two races is in the way the hunter calls her Granny, or the nurse calls her aunt which were terms commonly used for older African? American women by whites. I learnt that during that time, whites would often call older blacks Aunt, Granny, or Uncle as a way of denying them their dignity which in turn demonstrates the subtle persecutions that blacks suffered in a white community. Also according to my understanding, another theme that the author wanted to illustrate is the sense of love and responsibility Phoenix Jackson had toward her grandson. We will write a custom essay sample on A Worn Path: Theme specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on A Worn Path: Theme specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on A Worn Path: Theme specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The sentiment was mainly due to the fact that she is the only person her grandson has to rely on. That was made clear when Phoenix tells the nurse, We is the only two left in the world (117), and thus she is determined to make it to town to obtain the medicine that will relive his injured throat. Her sense of responsibility and compassion towards her grandson gives her the strength and stamina to overcome many obstacles such as her senility, poor eyesight, and also her difficulty in walking especially through the woods in a cold December morning. Phoenix also demonstrates her focus and determination of achieving her goal with a sense of urgency to the hunter: she tells the hunter: I bound to go to town, mister. The time come around (117). Another minor theme that came clear to me in the short story was the feeling of guilt. Phoenix feels guilty when she picks up the nickel that falls from the white hunter’s pocket. I came to understand her feeling from what she told the hunter when the hunter pointed his loaded gun towards her, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done (117). By saying those words it indicates that she believes that she deserves to be shot for her actions. It shows a deep sense of guilt especially because she knows that the hunter has lied to her, claiming that he does not have any money and he would give her if he had any. According to my knowledge, the name Phoenix was carefully selected by the author in order to point to the theme of resurrection in the story. The phoenix was the bird in ancient mythology that rose from its own ashes every 500 years to begin a new life cycle. Phoenix Jackson’s periodical journey into town relates to the mythical creature in a sense that she continually and ritually rises up to complete her journey. In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading and analyzing this short story by Eudora Welty. The above mentioned were just a few of the main themes in the story, and I am sure that there are many more underlying themes. Work Cited Welty, Eudora. â€Å"A Worn Path†. Literature: An Introduction to reading and writing, 9th Edition. New York. Longman, 2009. 114-19.

Bushs Failed War on Terror essays

Bush's Failed War on Terror essays As Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney was at the center of Bushs "War on Terror." Along with then Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, he was the chief architect of the plan and attack against Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Cheney advised and convinced President George W. Bush to include Iraq in the administrative plans to retaliate after the 9/11 attacks in New York. Cheney and his staff supported the reliance on uncorroborated evidence and accepted this evidence as solid enough reason for waging the war on Iraq. In addition, Cheney was instrumental in obtaining the legal briefs from the Justice Department that empowered the President to wage war without the authorization of Congress. Cheney advocated the use of controversial interrogation techniques to obtain information that would link Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 attacks. In the documentary, Cheney and Rumsfeld supported a Pentagon-led alternative that resulted in their decision to invade Iraq. Cheney also was involved in securing controversial, secret legal opinions from the Justice Department that would grant President Bush unrestricted, broad authority to wage war without the consent of the U.S Congress. Cheney supported the use of enhanced combat and interrogation techniques against captured combatants. President Bushs fixation on invading Iraq was borne out of his distrust of Saddam Hussein. Bush stated in the documentary that Saddam was an evil man who gassed his own people. In reference to Saddam Hussein, Bush declared after the 9/11 attacks, that his administration would hunt down the Islamic fundamentalists and, those who harbour them. Bush believed that Saddam Hussein was providing support for Al-Qaeda. The intelligence information that was used as a predicate to the invasion was manipulated in order to justify the war. This invasion policy was hatched and promoted chiefly by Chen...