Symbolism of the Journey
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Symbolism of the Journey
Greg Barrios
ENG 125
July 25, 2011
Wanda Deffenbaugh
Symbolism of the Journey, a comparison of two stories
The short stories “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost are two literary works that involve using the journey as a symbol. The symbol that the journey portrays in both of these pieces of literature is that of life. Life as a human being involves the right of choice for one of the literary works, and lack of choice in the second. This paper will compare and contrast these two pieces of literature which share the same theme. The comparison of the two pieces of literature will involve a comparison of the content, form, and style in an effort to provide deep insight into the theme of the two pieces of literature.
Content
In the story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, content is developed through a complex series of descriptions. The story begins with a description of the setting which is cold December morning in a far off path through a pinewood forest. The character is an old Negro woman who is described as being very old and small and wearing a head tied red rag. The woman is further described as wearing a dark red stripped dress and apron and carrying a cane and an umbrella. These descriptions of the setting give the reader a clear picture of the setting and character in the story as well as how the character moves when the author describes her as moving slowly through the pine shadows and moving from side to side like a pendulum in a grand-father clock. The woods in “A Worn Path” are described in great detail and helped the reader get the full effect of what the character was experiencing as she traveled through them.
In the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, content is developed differently than in “A Worn Path”. The reason for the different development is that a poem is different than a short story. While the short story has a character and a plot, the poem does not....
Greg Barrios
ENG 125
July 25, 2011
Wanda Deffenbaugh
Symbolism of the Journey, a comparison of two stories
The short stories “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost are two literary works that involve using the journey as a symbol. The symbol that the journey portrays in both of these pieces of literature is that of life. Life as a human being involves the right of choice for one of the literary works, and lack of choice in the second. This paper will compare and contrast these two pieces of literature which share the same theme. The comparison of the two pieces of literature will involve a comparison of the content, form, and style in an effort to provide deep insight into the theme of the two pieces of literature.
Content
In the story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, content is developed through a complex series of descriptions. The story begins with a description of the setting which is cold December morning in a far off path through a pinewood forest. The character is an old Negro woman who is described as being very old and small and wearing a head tied red rag. The woman is further described as wearing a dark red stripped dress and apron and carrying a cane and an umbrella. These descriptions of the setting give the reader a clear picture of the setting and character in the story as well as how the character moves when the author describes her as moving slowly through the pine shadows and moving from side to side like a pendulum in a grand-father clock. The woods in “A Worn Path” are described in great detail and helped the reader get the full effect of what the character was experiencing as she traveled through them.
In the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, content is developed differently than in “A Worn Path”. The reason for the different development is that a poem is different than a short story. While the short story has a character and a plot, the poem does not....