Ingl 3011-401
Prof. Cynthia Pittmann
10 October 2018
Perrine’s: “A Worn Path” Questions
1. Write a precise, well-developed sentence that states as fully as possible the theme of the story. Remember to avoid cliches or oversimplification.
I think the main theme of the is responsibility and effort one puts in for someone they care about or family because Phoenix has to do a long trip and almost dies just to get her grandson medicine that she will always need to repeat because he doesn’t get any better.
2. Apart from the story’s major theme, can you isolate minor themes that help give the story richness and depth? List as many as you can.
Other themes the story has are guilt since she “stole” the penny from the hunter, slavery because of the time period, and age or durability since she climbed over a fence, didn’t rip her dress, fell in a ditch, and still managed to walk a day’s worth into town at her age.
3. Discuss the way the characterization of Phoenix contributes to the theme.
The characterization of Phoenix helps contribute to the theme because she described in the beginning as a very old, black woman who is very determined to get her grandsons medicine. This helps show the theme because her age shows what time she grew up in and what state of mind she might be in and her skin color shows that she most likely suffered from racism.
4. Analyze the minor characters. What do they reveal about Phoenix and about the world she lives in?
The first minor character that shows up is a boy handing her a marble cake who just disappears so it shows that she might be a little out of it. The second is the hunter who helps her out of the ditch, who Phoenix also ends up feeling bad for when she steals his nickel. The next small character would be the nurse and this interaction helps to show that Phoenix truly does have something going on in her mind because she forgot who her grandson was which was the whole reason for this difficult long walk but that the world is fairly normal and sweet, which could all be invented.
5. Like many classic works of literature, “A Worn Path” features a journey and a quest. Discuss the elements of plot and structure that dramatize Phoenix’s journey. What are the obstacles to her quest, and how does she overcome them?
During Phoenix’s walk, her age makes it a little more difficult, like not seeing the bush as thorns, being scared to climb over a log, falling into a ditch and then forgetting who her grandson was. Her falling into a ditch, however, did not really seem to bother her because when the Hunter got her out she seemed fine which I would assume is not the typical reaction when an elderly person falls. When she forgets her grandson it is pretty serious because it seems she forgot what her quest even was but she luckily remembers it soon after thanks to the nurse.
6. In answer to a student who wrote to ask her, Is the grandson really dead?” Welty responded, “My best answer would be: Phoenix is alive.” What might have led the student to ask that question? How can the author’s remark be seen as an answer?
I think it is easy for someone to assume the grandson is dead and Phoenix is imagining things because one, she already shows signs of being out of it so whos to say she’s not just imagining herself a grandson so she doesn’t feel alone and two, if he had trouble breathing and was in such bad condition why would Phoenix leave him alone. The author's response “ Phoenix is alive” is a little confusing to me because it’s not really an answer, it is just confirming what the reader already knows but she might be implying that her mind is awake so she’s imagining things
Work Cited
Welty, Eudora. “A Worn Path.” Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, & Sense. By Greg Johnson, and Thomas R. Arp, 13th edition.
No comments:
Post a Comment