Phoenix Jackson and the Modern Day Woman Essay Example for Free

genus Phoenix Jackson and the modernistic Day Woman EssayA capital of Arizona is a mythical bird of great true lovemaking fabled to live 500 or 600 years in the Arabian wilderness, to burn itself on a funeral pyre, and to rise from its ashes in the freshness of youth and live through other cycle of years lots an emblem of immortality or of reborn idealism or hope a person or involvement of peerless beauty or excellence a person or thing that has become renew or resto in eruptd after suffering calamity or apparent annihilation A person or thing regarded as uniquely remarkable in slightly respect. Eudora Welty, in her character Phoenix Jackson, creates humanitys tete-a-tete of the phoenix firebird from oriental tradition (Wampler 4 June 2013). Although Phoenix Jackson can not bewilder claim to the immortality manifested by consuming fiery rebirths (as does the mythological bird), she possesses a fiery spirit and is consumed by love for her grandchild (Wampler 4 June 2013) . Phoenix Jackson is wise, confident, fearless, tenacious, courageous, and has a clear goal in mind, which is to get her grandsons treat despite any obstacle that she may face.Phoenix Jackson can be summed up in one word which is noble. All women should harbor the characteristics of Phoenix Jackson but some of those characteristics are organism lost with the evolving society. Phoenix Jackson is an elderly African American woman walking into town on a cold winter morning to get medicine for her sick grandson. One aspect of Phoenixs likeness to the mythical phoenix is their journey before they die. The Natchez Trace is an old highway that runs from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, manuscript (Natchez Trace 27 may 2013).By 1800 it was the busiest in the American South (Natchez Trace 27 May 2013). Phoenix lives a way cover charge off the Old Natchez Trace, which indicates that the journey on with the fact that it is declination is difficult for her (A irresolute Path n. d. ). T he obstacles she faces shows how deeply she cares and sacrifices for her grandson. At the end, when we are told she began on the stairs, going down it indicates that she is go about with a return journey as difficult as the one she has just completed (A pinched Path n. d. ).She is also between 80-100 years old which further magnifies the intensity of her journey and the tragic state of affairs of her grandsons dependence on her. Like many people who have lived to be Ms. Jacksons age, they gain loudness from the years of trials and experiences in their lives. Ms. Jackson was unschooled, black and a woman who grew up during the depression and slavery years. This along with her many years on earth have made her cautious, strong willed and driven. Phoenixs appearance is yet another aspect of her likeness to the phoenix.At the beginning of the story, Phoenix is described as having a met onlyicen air running underneath her skin, and the two knobs of her cheeks were illuminated by a yellow burning under the dark (A Worn Path n. d. ). Welty further describes Phoenixs hair as being tied back in a red rag (A Worn Path n. d. ). These images cannot be taken to be a mere coincident as the phoenix from the ancient Egyptian legend is described as having a beautiful red and gold plumage. Furthermore, Phoenixs eyes are said to be blue with age (A Worn Path n. d. ).This description is the commencement of many that give an indication of her age. The phoenix is a bird that matures to an extreme age before it bursts into flame and is reborn from the ashes. Welty also employs some rather unusual imagery, in which she describes Phoenixs skin as having a drill all its own of numberless branching wrinkles as though a whole little channelise stood in the middle of her forehead (A Worn Path n. d. ). All of these ties back in with the age the phoenix grows to. During the 1940s womens roles and expectations in society were changing rapidly.Previously women had very little say in society and were stereotyped to stay home, have babies, to be a good home maker and wife. advanced day women have it so easy compared to women in the 1940s. Women today have many career opportunities that were not open to women of the 20th speed of light. In fact, the great majority of women were illiterate because it was assumed that they didnt need to read if all the work they would do in life was raise children. Women of the 21st century have access to hemorrhoid of labor-saving devices that allow them to do housework in a fraction of the time that it took women in the olden age (Womens Rights).Women today use birth hold back to plan the size of their families. Centuries ago, it was not unheard of for women to have 11 children, and childbirth was the single highest cause of death for women in their 20s and 30 (Womens Rights). Women in these quantify live under a justice system that tries to stop domestic violence, whereas women in 1808 were the space of their husbands, who could do whatever they liked without penalty (Womens Rights). No policeman or judge would ever suppose a man had done wrong if he had to beat his wife to get her to behave.Modern women control their own finances. Women two hundred years ago were unable to sign for a bank add without a male consenting to co-sign (Womens Rights). They were judged incapable of owning property, even to the point that any property that they brought with them into their marriage or inherited from their father was immediately transferred to the safe keeping of their husbands (Womens Rights). If he consequently turned it into cash and invested it in a business deal that went bad, the wife had no recourse to find oneself the money. Women were only given the vote in 1920 (Womens Rights).Before that, they had no say whatsoever in the laws that were passed that affected their lives. In a few ways, modern women have a harder time than women of yesteryear. Today some women move so far from home that their soc ial and family networks break down. It appears that women living in the 21st century have it vastly easier than women of the 1940s, although not in every case. Phoenix Jackson was a very elevated woman during her time and she is unlike the modern women of today. Not many women today or even back then would do what she did for her grandson.Most women are focused on their careers and would send their husband or nanny to get the medicine for their child. Phoenix Jackson sacrificed a lot because of the love she had for her grandson. Phoenix Jacksons courage and tenaciousness are illustrated repeatedly as she faces crisis after crisis during her journey a frozen day in December, animals in the thicket, hills, thorny bushes, creeks, barbed-wire fences, a com field maze, superstition, a hunters gun, a tower of steps, her own forgetfulness, and failing physical healthall obstacles to be overcome (Wampler 4 June 2013). And thats what Phoenix Jackson does (Wampler 4 June 2013).