Solution
Tanmoy answered on
Dec 30 2021
College Essay – Explanation
A Worn Path
The worn path is a short story of a black American old woman named Phoenix Jackson. She lived in a village which was distant from the town. She had a grandson with whom she lived. Her grandson was affected with some throat problem due to which she travelled to the town to
ing medicine. While travelling up the forest hills towards the town, she faced many difficulties and obstacles but she managed to face all the obstacles boldly.
It was December and the road was covered with snow and was extremely cold outside. She travelled all the way towards the town with a cane stick tapping it on the snowy roads. She talked to herself and with the birds and animals she met on her way. After climbing up the hills with great difficulties she had to climb down to reach the town but her skirt got caught in the thorny bush in the sides of the hills. Finally, with great difficulty she was able to free her dress and continued to walk. Then she had to cross a creek along a log. Slowly and carefully she crossed the creek. Then she had to cross a ba
ed wire fence. She crawled and crossed the ba
ed wire while saving her and her skirt. She then started to walk along the cornfield. There she saw a scarecrow. She thought it was a ghost. But, when she realized that it was a scarecrow she started to dance with it. Then when she started walking again, a black dog started to howl at her. She beat the dog with her cane stick but fell down in a drain. A hunter passing nea
y helped to pull her out of the drain. A nickel or five cent coin fell from the hunter’s pocket while Phoenix was talking with the hunter. She trickily stole the coin. Finally she reached the town. It was Christmas. The roads were lightened with red and green bulbs. While walking all the way from the village to the town her shoe lace was opened. She requested a lady tie her shoelace. Finally she reached the medical clinic and forgot why she came in there. Then with the help of the clinic attendant she remembered why she came there and took the medicine for her grandchild. The attendant gave her a nickel. She told the attendant that she will buy a paper windmill with the nickel for her grandchild. Then she went away. (MeroSpark; A Worn Path Summary; The magic of words; by Eudora Welty)
Relevance in the 21st century:
The story is of Mississippi, southern part of America where lived the poor black people of the society who were dependent on agriculture and used to farm the lands of the white American as sharecroppers. This was the time when there was civil war in American and the great depression struck. The poor old black lady, Phoenix lost her son and daughter in law. She stayed only with her grandson who was in pain due to throat problem. This story depicts the hardship the old lady has to face to save her grandson. She was living in the village and had to travel a long distance to
ing medicine for her grandson. She had to face the threatening of the white hunter with gun. But she faced her strongly. This depicts the tough and steady attitude of the old lady who loved her grandson and wanted to do everything to save him. Hence, we can state from this story that life is hard and we have to struggle to survive and win in all difficult situations.
The story is apt as it depicts the treatment towards the black society of America faced during the civil war. The writer Eudora Welty, a white American has written this story with deep metaphor for the poor blacks. She travelled extensively in South America during 1909 and discovered how a poor black woman confronted with the white society and the rapidly growing technologically advanced u
an civilization in the 21st century. (Encyclopedia.com; A Worn Path; by Eudora Welty)
Second Set of Poems for English 1B
8 Poems by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)
This Is Just To Say (1934)
This poem of William Carlos Williams is a short message written by a husband to his wife, lover or his beloved before leaving to his work in the morning. The poem consists of 28 words, 37 syllables and 3 stanzas with no regular rhythm. He doesn’t want to restrict his poem line after line with punctuations. He wanted his poem to be free flow, outburst of energy and it should be strongly rooted in reality. There are no such devices like, trochees, tetrameter, pentameter, iambs which will confine the poem to some limits. This is known as free verse. The poem was focused towards one person but it appealed universally. He wanted to craft the poem not only contemporarily but also remain memorable in the minds of the readers. (Owlcation; Analysis of the poem, “This is just to say” By William Carlos Williams; (1883-1963)
The Red Wheelba
ow (1923)
The poet William Carlos Williams wanted to convey this poem towards the labour class of the society who works extremely hard to earn their leaving but is ignored by the rich. The wheelba
ow is the imagery depiction of the labour class. The wheelba
ow is trenched with rain and is still standing beside the white chickens, glazed with rain. Hence, the wheelba
ow resembles the labour class working hard and building society along with maintaining a balance with the nature. The tension/ problem or resolution is the line which states “so much depends upon” and in the next line itself it states “Wheelba
ow” which is a small cart with a small wheel in front with two supporting legs and two handles at the rear to ca
y building materials and can also be used for gardening. The wheelba
ow is a cart which is used for many years. It is used by the labour class and hence it depicts the labour classes who are working day and night to earn a livelihood and who are being ignored by the society. (Lit charts; The Red wheel ba
ow summary and analysis; By William Carlos Williams; (1883-1963)
The Great Figure (1921)
What is an objectivist poet?
An objectivist poet is a group of American poet in 1930s and ‘40s who wrote on the everyday life and language and treated the poem as an object, highlighting on sincerity and a clear vision of the world. Some of the objective poets are Zukofsky, Carl Rakosi, and Charles Reznikoff.
What is the dominant image in the poem?
The poet in this poem wants to depict the gloomy and melancholy atmosphere in America with rains and fire truck running down the road and disappearing. It makes the poet and the reader think what has happened during the night in America. Where the fire has struck, for which the fire truck is hu
ying down the road to respond to the emergency. It therefore talks about the fast paced life in America which mi
ors the picture of modern life in the 1920’s. This is the dominant image which the poet talks about. (Poetryfoundation.org; Objectivist poets; By William Carlos Williams; (1883-1963)
Spring and All (1923)
1. What is the image pattern in this poem?
1. The first stanza describes about the nature going through winter and the illness like cold and contagious diseases people are affected to.
2. The second stanza depicts the deserted and bleak picture where nothing moves.
3. The speaker is on the road and surveys the bushes, trees and the landscape. All these things in winter seem standing still and dead.
4. This stanza talks about the approach of spring and hence highlights growth and prospects from ba
en and dead.
5. The fifth stanza talks about the dead remains during the winter yet the spring is to
ing commencement of development with growth of new trees.
6. Here the speaker talks about grass which is the present state and also about the future through a growth of a new specific plant called wild ca
ot.
7. The speaker talks about the growth of individuals growing at their intended time with the coming of spring.
8. The last stanza talks about the plants rooted to the ground and are about to grow with the spring a
iving soon. Hence, it is a wakeup call for the new life.
2. What is being contrasted in this poem?
The contrast is between the winter which is considered as the season of cough, cold and contagious diseases and dead and between the a
ival of spring after winter and is considered as a symbol of new life, growth and progress.
3. What is the problem in the poem?
The problem with the poem is that there is no punctuation and no metrical foundation.
4. What is the resolution in the poem?
It is the emotional effect the words have on the readers. It is a poem formed in organic manner. It is a poem with no restrictions and free in language. This is the resolution of this poem.
5. Given your decision about problem
esolution, what is this poem about? What is the PERSONA of this poem trying to say? (THEME)
The poem speaks about the emotional feelings of an individual from wintry landscape to a gradual characterization or...