A Worn Path - Essay Example

The author has used many literary terms in the short story “The Worn Path”. The story talks about a black woman named phoenix. This story uses some terms such as

Symbolism -Pendulum- In the story the author says that Phoenix Jackson walks like a pendulum. Which means she walks swaying side to side like a grandfather clock.

Allusion -Phoenix- It is the name of the character and represents the name of a mythical bird that burns and comes back to life. This is an allusion where the woman is shown as a person who faces obstacles such as racism and problems in life.

Symbolism -Marble cake – It is a cake that has white and black and it is a symbol of the unfulfilled promise of equality.

Symbolism -The Nickel – It is the symbol of her unselfishness.

 Metaphor -A bird flew by. Her lips moved. “God watching me the whole time I come to stealing”. Here the bird is compared to the watchfulness of God.

Simile – This (tapping of the cane) made a grave and persistent noise in the still air that seemed meditative, like the chirping of a solitary little bird. The tapping of the cane is compared to the noise of a bird

Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles as though a whole little tree stood in the middle of her forehead.  The wrinkles on the face are compared to the branching limbs of the tree.

The possible argument form for analyzing the short story is as follows.

Deductive argument- This argument form is a truth-preserving argument. The racism explained by the author in the story is that of truth. In American society, black people are oppressed and suppressed by white men. The character Phoenix in the story is threatened by white men. From the story, one can get the real picture of American society. Racism is the bitter reality of American culture. Another argument that can be raised for analysis is that the story reflects the obstacles people face in life. Especially it is the story of a woman who is strong-willed. The message in the story is strong and socially informative. The story also is a reflection of the life of an old black woman who can face life with courage and determination.

Inductive argument – This argument is one in which generalization happens and the conclusion is given the story reveals that Phoenix being an African American faced many obstacles in her life. This was mainly due to the oppression the community shows upon black people so we can assume that all black women face difficulties like Phoenix.

Defensible argument- It is an argument based on ethics and moral philosophy. In the story, the perseverance and sacrifice of Phoenix show the responsibility and affection of a grandmother towards her grandson. This shows that she is an honest and true woman with a lovable character. The stand of white men portrayed in the story shows that the ethical and moral responsibility of the American people is not right.