Compare_and_Contrast

Symbolism Pg.1 Symbolism of the Journey Kimberly Balsley English 125 Introduction to Literature Holly Wilcox August 20, 2012 Symbolism Pg. 2 Short Stories and Poetry are written differently and have their own stories that are being told to the readers. The authors of the short stories and poetry are to telling their stories in their own style of rhythm, characterization, and fictional setting that will be used for their narrative. With the author telling their short story and poetry in their own style the readers is able use their imagination to visualize what the author is saying through symbolism and descriptive language. In the two literary pieces “The Road not taken” written by Robert Frost is a poem and “A Worn Path “written by Eudora Welty is a short story that shares the same theme. The theme is of two literary piece is every person journey is based on their own decision and no matter how many paths that distract you it is still your decision on how to end your journey. The theme happens differently in the two pieces of literary pieces “The Road not took” by Robert Frost and “A Worn Path” by Welty’s Phoenix Jackson. The first literary Piece “The Road not Taken” is a poem about the character was had to make decision on what road to take to go the character journey. The character could not take both roads even though the roads are both quite similar and the character knows the decision he made will make a difference in his life. The author give several hints that he was going on the journey himself and it easier to see this in a visual image because the poem was written in first person with the use of the word of “I” throughout the poem. There was a line in the poem that lead I to believe that he was the one going through on the journey “I took the one less traveled by” (Mountain Interval, New York (1916). The other literary piece “A Worn Path” is a short story that does share the same theme as the “The Road Not Taken” but is written in a different a narrative. “A Worn Path” is about a” woman named with a hair tied in a red rag that walking down a path through pinewoods. The woman is walking down the path to get her grandson medicine. (A Symbolism Pg. 3 Worn Path (1941) the author this short story in third person with the continually use of the word “she” throughout the short story. With the author narrative I was able to imagine the old lady women walking alone in a wooded area and talking to the wild animals and a line I the story was able to confirm what I was getting image of as I reading. The line from the play said “ Out of my way , all you foxes, owls, battles, jack rabbits coons and all wild animals” ( Clugston 2010) Because of characterization in the story I felt the women was a strong independent women that was on a mission. Also the story mentioned “the path ran uphill” this was a representation of the women struggles in her journey. Basically the difference in this kind solitude of the literary pieces was affected by the choices that the character’s made in the poem and short story. The plot and setting of a short story or poem are one of the biggest considerations of an author because it can be an influence on readers interest they many have with the literary piece. For example in the poem “ The Road Not Taken” from the title the reader already can tell that there is going to be some type of conflict in the poem. In fact the first line in the poem is “Two roads diverged in yellow” (Clugston 2010) made me think as the reader where the tow paths can take me in the journey I have taken in my life. Since the poem was written in first person I was able to follow and relate to the poem. Frost’s writing allows the readers to see his perspective on things for example when we was description of the roads in the poem “To where it bent in the undergrowth” and” Because it was grassy and wanted wear” (Clugston 2010) These description of the roads made it clear enough for the readers to gain an vision that the two paths were physically different but are still leading in the same direction. The description also severed as the symbolism for the characters connection to something special. Symbolism Pg.4 The poems are filled with symbolism since it one of its features. For example the word color” yellow” from “The Road Not Taken” (Clugston (2010) could mean the aging of an item that could be losing their meaning or value. The tow roads in the poem could mean a dilemma or conflicting ideas that the character id dealing with in their life. This could be referring to a decision that the character is trying to make in the poem. I feel that frost is trying to imply that the character is torn between too difficult decisions that have to make to take the journey in his life. Another example of the symbolism being used in the poem to describe the two roads is “In leaves no step had trodden black” (Clugston 2010). The word “black” could be associated to death of the something or someone in the poem. As I read the poem it suggests that the character is facing a new path which it seems to a better path that he currently taking on his journey but does not guarantee on either of the roads. The character in the poem is concerned by the fact if he takes the road with” In leaves no step had trodden black” that he shall never come back” In the latter part of the poem the author give hints that the character decision had been made, because it was mentioned the character “I kept the first for another day” (Clugston 2010). In the poem” The Road Not Taken” the author was able to creatively shoe that it was the decision that character choice the unknown path and it made a difference in his journey. The second literary piece “A Worn Path was written in a third person, and seemed to make it easier for the reader to find a connection with the story. The author Eudora Welty did this by providing a very detailed description about the character... For example a line out of the short story “It was December–a bright frozen day in the early morning” (Clugston 2010) as a reader I could imagine the sun shining brightly all over the wooded area and shining in the on the face of the character. After doing further research on the story I found more information Symbolism Pg. 5 Regarding the story written by James Saunders. Saunders stated the story begins in the on a on a cold morning in December and also mentioned the race of the character which is an old black woman (Saunders, 1992) which name Phoenix Jackson. The character is described as an old Negro lady that was in the cold winds as she was trying to walk down the forest path to get her grandson medicine. As A reader I was able to feel a connection to story and I felt sorry for the lady being out in the cold walking because of her age. How as I continue reading the author was able to change my feeling sorry for the old lady to a better feeling because he stated in the story” the sun made the pine needles almost too bright to look up at”. The story is filled with many emotions, like sadness to excitement then to excitement to adventure. The old women in the story went through many struggles that allowed the reader use their imagination to see the emotion. There was even part I the story where she mentioned, “the sun was so high”. Also the old woman had to cross a river, where she uses a log to reach the other side of the river. These struggles and all her efforts that the women was determined to reach her destination no matter what happens she was going to complete her journey. Personally I found the tone, symbolism and the personalization style of the “The worn Path” was an assets of the story. The first line of the story stated about a “bright frozen morning” is suggestive the story moral trait and cheerfulness. The story only has one path, and this path the Negro woman is so determined to take on her journey I her life. The author describe as a old lady small and walked slowly moving a little side to side as she walked, this description of the lady led me to belies that she was very old in age , she weaken a bit because Symbolism Pg 6 Of her age making her move slowly and off balance and very thin. The author went in depth description of the lady other than being old, small and how she walked. The decryption of the character know Phoenix Jackson as woman who wore “a dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops, and an equally long apron of bleached sugar sacks, with a full pocket: all neat and tidy, but every time she took a step she might have fallen over her shoelaces, which dragged from her unlaced shoes. She looked straight ahead. Her eyes were blue with age. Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles and as though a whole little tree stood in the middle of her forehead, but a golden color ran underneath, and the two knobs of her cheeks were illumined by a yellow burning under the dark. Under the red rag her hair came down on her neck in the frailest of ringlets, still black, and with an odor like copper”. (Clugston, 2010). When Welty used the “small tree was to describe the Phoenix wrinkles on her forehead made it easier for to image the scene ann. have connection to the story. Other symbols that were used to represent life were thorns, trees, and animals and the word like winter and frozen were associated with death. Phoenix was presented to dance with the scarecrow and talk with the animals, but instead of seeing this as an odd behavior the author I interpreted as a way the Phoenix Jackson determination make the journey. As Phoenix was striding through “trees silver in their dead leaves” (Clugston, 2010)Weltys was suggesting already undergoing seasonal changes. This lined confused a little as the Phoenix literally experiencing spring or she was facing death. “She reached her up but nothing reached down to give her a pull”. I feel that the interpretation for this line is that the woman tried to reach out to the heavens to ask them to take her but the holy spirits was not ready to take her. Luckily “A white man finally came along and found her” (Clugston, 2010) and then continue on to finish her journey. Phoenix had many struggles through Symbolism Pg. 7 Out her journey but never give up because of the inspiration of the love she had for her grandson and if it wasn’t for Phoenix her grandson would have passed away. The journeys presented in the two literary pieces are different but they both involved around solitude. The first literary piece “The Road not Taken” was on the solidarity of choosing the path to take in the poem. The second literary piece “A Worn Path” was based around the power of love and passion of overcoming any kind of journey no matter the obstacles. Both of the literary pieces have their own valuable lesson to share with the readers. Symbolism Pg. 8 Reference: Clugston,R.w. (2010). Journey Into Literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education Inc Frost,R. (1916). The Road Not Taken . Mountain Interval. New York: Holt www.potw.org Saunders,J. (1992). A Worn Path: The Eternal Quest of Welty’s Phoenix Jackson. The Southern Literary Journal,25(1), Retieved from http://www.jstor.org