Lydia Ainsworth's The Road

When hearing” Oblivion” for the first time the audience’s first interpretation may be vastly different than what the upbeat and playful rhythm may lead the listener to believe. “Oblivion”, a song written and performed by Claire Boucher a.k.a. “Grimes”, is a song with electronic beats, synth-pop tones, and almost inaudible, child-like vocals. Yet, when reading the lyrics the audience can uncover the darker meaning behind the “playful” song. The lyrics suggest a state of cluelessness or unawareness of one’s surroundings, as well as revealing Boucher’s experience with a sexual assault and the effects of the assault. Through the use of imagery, repetition, and the overall tone of the song the audience can view a traumatic event through the lyrics in “Oblivion”.

In the short story A Worn Path by Eudora Welty she focuses on the journey of an old woman heading into town. She uses ridiculous amounts of imagery which really make the story come to life. I believe this short story to be about a woman that has gotten so old, she has cataracts and it seems, the air of a wise woman. Speaking of wise women, it also shows that she really has grown up on this path- even in her old age, her stumbling blindness she knows the characters of these woods, and the ways in which she should twist to get the town she grew up not so far from. I would like to focus on the feminist tones of this story, and how they apply to Phoenix Jackson- the protagonist. Each story can be interpreted in any way, but this story shows severe feminist undertones that really focus on a woman’s role in society, and what can be taught later on in society- that even apply to today. Women in today’s society are fighting for equal rights for women in general, but also people of color, so this view definitely applies to this story.

In the Robert Frost poem ‘’The Road Not Taken’’ there is a pervasive and in many ways intrinsic sense of journey throughout. In such, the poem explores an aspect associated with human decision, or indecision, relative to the oxymoron, that choices with the least the difference should bear the most indifference, but realistically, carry the most difficulty. This is conveyed through the use of several pivotal techniques. Where the first such instance is the use of an extended metaphor, where the poem as a whole becomes a literary embodiment of something more, the journey of life. The second technique used is the writing style of first person. Where in using this, the reader can depict a clear train of thought from the walker and understand

In the book Parallel Journeys, by Eleanor Ayer, World War II events are described through the experiences of two people during this time. Excerpts from both character’s own memoirs are included to get the perspective from their lives. Some events that took place throughout the book include the severe reality of the Holocaust and the effect of the Hitler Youth on young Germans. Parallel Journeys specifically portrays these events through the eyes of Helen Waterford, who was a Jewish girl, and Alfons Heck, a Hitler Youth member mesmerized by the power of Adolf Hitler.

Journey is an act of travelling from one place to another which can be seeking permanent home in a different country or travelling in the same country. It can affect different people in many different ways as they get emotional, intellectual and imaginative experiences individually in their life. All of these have been explored in some of Bruce Dawe’s meaningful poems ‘migrants’ and ‘drifters’ and a related text ‘Still Life’ which is a short film by Martin Sharpe. The poem ‘migrants’ was about group of European migrants seeking permanent home in a completely different country to escape from war and have better standard of life but the poem ‘drifters’ was about a family journeying in the same country. In comparison, the short film, ‘Still Life’ is about a man who has boring and meaningless life. The composers employ poetic and film techniques to convey the possible positive and negative ramifications of journeys.

Every human being on the planet has a limit. Whether it be mentally, physically or emotionally, people all have a breaking a point, a place where the line must be drawn. This is a simple fact that all humans know, an instinctive knowledge that lives in the bones of humanity. But when people witness others enduring situations that would crush most people underfoot, the dirt, grit and struggle that these heroes crawl through to stay alive, it amazes everyone. That is why it is easy to understand how anyone might admire Louie Zamperini. A child rebel as stubborn as a bull turned into a war hero who survived what no one else could even fathom- Louie Zamperini is far from a weak man as described in “Unbroken”, written by Laura Hillenbrand. But there was

In the short story “A Worn Path,” the author, Eudora Welty uses mythical, religious, and spiritual symbols as well as the setting to help the reader understand an old African-American woman’s life. Welty also uses the symbolism to represent the hardships old woman has faced during the old woman’s life. The old African-American woman’s name is Phoenix and is on a journey to town as the readers are taken on journey through her life. Welty also uses fine details and sentence structure in addition to the symbolism and setting to increase the understanding of her story or change the meaning an object.

The lighthearted journey includes its accomplishments and triumphs with its fair share of mishaps and problems along the way, but all seems to factor out in the end. The movie meets everything, from the “calling for departure”, to the “road of trials” and ending with the “ultimate gift” and “freedom to live”, which helps classify it to be that journey archetype. And, with the archetypal characters, symbols, and events that Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Dayton and Faris’s Little Miss Sunshine have in common, it may be argued that the film is an effective contemporary interpretation of an archetypal

Author Louise Erdich is famous for composing short stories about Native Americans due to cultural and identity ties to the group. The story “The Red Convertible” depicts joyful and fond memories shared between two brothers, named Lyman and Henry. However, towards the end of the story, a devastating calamity befalls on one of the brothers. This story emphasizes how the two brothers went through difficulty stages and changes that challenged their coping mechanism. The red convertible had a positive influence on the two brothers. The red convertible united the two brothers since it was there means of travelling around the world together, forming a close bond and enjoying each other’s company. However, all the joyous moment came to an end with the impact of war on Henry’s mental health which caused him to commit suicide. The effect of war on Henry cut the connection between the two brothers, causing both of them to experience pain.

Slave narratives became a big part of African-American literature in the 19th century. These narratives were told by former slaves in which they depicted the reality of slavery and the escape to freedom. Whereas, America did eventually witness the freeing of slaves and somewhat of equality, the difficulties faced by African Americans, particularly racism, has never completely diminished. In this paper, I will argue that “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty mirrors that of a slave narrative while at the same time illustrates the racism that blacks faced while on their journey to equality.

In the novel “The Road”, the author Cormac McCarthy shows how compassionate a child can be despite his surroundings. Through his novel, he takes us on an exploration of the experiences of The Boy and his father. He shows that The Boy, notwithstanding the environment that he has known his whole life.

What reaches would you go to in order to aid the ones you love? In “A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty, the reader is taken on Phoenix Jackson’s, the main character’s, journey to the doctor’s office to obtain the medications needed for her ill grandson. Having to commute in such difficult conditions, Phoenix endures through the dense and tiresome woods, stretching from the countryside to the town. After persevering through the long journey to her destination, Phoenix arrives at the building and receives the medication she needs. Welty concludes the story in neglect of a “resolution” by prolonging Phoenix’s journey to a store. In “Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead?”, a literary analysis on “A Worn Path,” also by Eudora Welty, Welty responds to a common question that she receives regarding the status of the main character’s grandchild. In her essay, she argues that, in general, the focal point of the story is the grandmother’s journey, not whether or not the grandson is alive or deceased.

Is it true that younger people in better health and conditions will always complete a task better than an older not so well fit person? In these two short stories “A Worn Path”, by Eudora Welty, and “To Build a Fire”, by Jack London, shows us how true that is. The protagonists in “A Worn Path” is named Phoenix Jackson who is an older black women living in Natchez, Mississippi in the 1930s. The protagonists is a man unnamed in “To Build a Fire” traveling in the Yukon. In both of these short stories both protagonists faces a journey that will bring them different obstacles, but only the strongest will survive!

In the American short story “A Worn Path, the author Eudora Welty depicts a theme of hardship since she has to take measures to counter great obstacles Phoenix Jackson will have to go through. The line, “I know you old colored people! Wouldn't miss going to town to see Santa Claus!” shows the theme of “hardship” through discrimination of race. The white hunter, who pointed his gun at her threatening her to go home, displays the interaction between white people and black people in the early 1940s prior to the Civil Rights movement.

Robert Frost's poem “The Road Not Taken” describes a traveler facing a choice, he can either choose the road not taken, or he can choose the road most traveled by. He does not know where either road might lead, but in order to continue with his journey, he can pick only one road. He analyses both roads for the possibilities of where each may take him in his journey. Frost's traveler realizes that regret is inevitable. Regardless of his choice, he knows that he will miss the experiences he might have encountered on the road not taken. Frost, uses literary elements, such as Denotation and Connotation, Symbolism, alliteration, consonance, and assonance in order to convey massage.