Phoenix Jackson and the Modern Day Woman Essay Example for Free

Phoenix Jackson and the Modern Day Woman Essay A phoenix is a mythical bird of great beauty 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 another cycle of years: often an emblem of immortality or of reborn idealism or hope; a person or thing of peerless beauty or excellence; a person or thing that has become renewed or restored after suffering calamity or apparent annihilation; A person or thing regarded as uniquely remarkable in some respect. Eudora Welty, in her character Phoenix Jackson, creates humanitys counterpart of the phoenix firebird from oriental tradition (Wampler 4 June 2013). Although Phoenix Jackson can not lay 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 grandson’s medicine despite any obstacle that she may face. Phoenix Jackson can be summed up in one word which is noble. All women should have the characteristics of Phoenix Jackson but some of those characteristics are being 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 Phoenix’s 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, Mississippi (Natchez Trace 27 May 2013). By 1800 it was the busiest in the American South (Natchez Trace 27 May 2013). Phoenix lives â€Å"a way back off the Old Natchez Trace,† which indicates that the journey along with the fact that it is December is difficult for her (A Worn Path n. d. ). The obstacles she faces shows how deeply she cares and sacrifices for her grandson. At the end, when we are told she â€Å"began on the stairs, going down† it indicates that she is faced with a return journey as difficult as the one she has just completed (A Worn Path n. d. ). She is also between 80-100 years old which further magnifies the intensity of her journey and the tragic situation of her grandson’s dependence on her. Like many people who have lived to be Ms. Jacksons age, they gain strength 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 golden color [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 first 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 pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles as though a whole little tree 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 1940’s women’s 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. Modern day women have it so easy compared to women in the 1940’s. Women today have many career opportunities that were not open to women of the 20th century. 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 dozens of labor-saving devices that allow them to do housework in a fraction of the time that it took women in the olden days (Women’s Rights). Women today use birth control 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 (Women’s Rights). Women in these times live under a justice system that tries to stop domestic violence, whereas women in 1808 were the property of their husbands, who could do whatever they liked without penalty (Women’s Rights). No policeman or judge would ever think 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 loan without a male consenting to co-sign (Women’s 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 (Women’s Rights). If he then turned it into cash and invested it in a business deal that went bad, the wife had no recourse to recover the money. Women were only given the vote in 1920 (Women’s 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 social and family networks break down. It appears that women living in the 21st century have it vastly easier than women of the 1940’s, although not in every case. Phoenix Jackson was a very rare 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 tenacity 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).

Crop Circles :: essays research papers fc

Crop Circles have been found throughout the whole country. They are one of the most intriguing things that I have read and researched. There have also been many shows that I have watched that have been very interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first recent evidence of a crop circle was in 1966 in Tully England. The circles themselves ranged from a few inches in diameter to a few feet. There is also evidence of a crop circle in Hertfordshire, England in 1678.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There have been many theories as to why these peculiar circular shapes have appeared in peoples crops. These theories include UFO’s, energy fields, and also plasma vortexes(sine 1). There is no evidence as to how these patterns are formed. There is evidence that there is an electric field aroound some of these circles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One theory is that electrified air forms mini-tornadoes and causes the circles. This is called the â€Å"Plasma Vortex Theory†(Sine 1). Another theory that is very prominent is that all of these circles are hoaxes and were made by people to recieve publicity. Hoaxes are blamed for many of the circles especially the ones that are more complex. There have been people to admit to man making some of these circles. Two people who have admitted to this are Doug Bower and David Chorley(Sine 1). They admitted to faking around two hundred fifty cirle formations. Many of the circles that were admitted hoaxes were under suspicion because of there ragged look. Also some of the more complex and intricat ones are thought to be fakes. The amount of these circles is proof in itself and the fact that they are spread throughout the world is also proof that it is not all a hoax.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most interesting theory is that UFO’s made the circles(sine 2). there have been sightings of UFO’s and circles have been at the sight the next morning. There also has been sightingds of balls of light over the fields at night that have left these circles on the ground. When some of these circles have appeared a â€Å"sceaming†(Sine 1) noise was heard in the night along with strange nocturnal lights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sometime in the 1970’s circles appeared on the farm of a guy anmed Billy Meier’s farm. This person also had claimed to have been abducted by aliens in the past. The grass was flat but not broken just bent over.

Global Poverty Essay

Poverty is a serious issue that has been going on for centuries. Every day there are people who die due to hunger but there are solutions to reducing, and even stopping, poverty. Global poverty comes in an abundance of shapes and sizes. One of the main sources of poverty is the lack of investment in the future at all levels. The manufacturer outsources to China because he does not want to invest in long-term employees. The government does not want to invest in quality employees through education, infrastructure, health care, etc. The potential employee does not want to invest in his future through education or training, but would rather have immediate gratification of leisure. A second main source is the lack of certain basic government functions. The government needs to be able to provide stability, through laws and establishing property rights. Without these basic things, there is little incentive for the people to develop new products, or work hard, because it will just be taken a way by someone more powerful. I don’t think government is the solution to everything, but it is necessary for a few basic functions. Another main source of poverty (and economic inequality) is because we are very selfish and self-destructive. We are a species that cannot exist without soiling our own nest and devouring our own weak until we ourselves are devoured. We all want to have more stuff for the amount of wealth we have to give up. That means we all are demanding that someone generate more wealth for less than it is worth. Unfortunately, we are willing to take this to extremes. We are more than happy to see all of our neighbours lose their jobs in the mill next door because the super center gets the same item made by slave labour in China. The people at the top are merely making a profit on what we demand they do for us. Poverty hits children the most because they are our future generation and they need to grow up healthy and prosper but most children don’t have this advantage. They should have food and education so they can grow up and become something, push the world forward, but unfortunately those living in poverty don’t have the luxury of this. More than 80% of the population dies of hunger every single year and 22,000 of them are children. There are solutions to ending poverty but if we don’t stop it now it will only get worse. The percentage will double and there won’t be children to bring the world forward because they would have died due to poverty. The infant mortality rate will increase and so will the amount of homeless people.In the political sense there could be an increased risk of war as well as genocide and terrorism. There’s also the possibility of the population migrating to places that are doing economically better than their community. The reason inequality exists is because of the devaluing middle-class workers. No matter how hard they work and how many hours they work; almost all of the profit goes to the executives and shareholders. Until middle-class workers are at the same level as corporations, the income gap will keep widening. There’s also the fact that women get paid less than men in most work places. This just makes matters worse. Unemployment also plays a role because those who are unemployed aren’t making any money at all and the rate for unemployment just keeps rising. It’s these people who are being discriminated against when it comes to the working class and that’s why economic inequality exists and why it’s on the rise. A major effect economic inequality could have is the increase in unemployment. And if unemployment increases then the demand and supply will decrease, thus causing the economy to go down. If people lose their jobs they have no money to pay for certain goods and services and some might not even be able to afford putting food on the table. This will also increase poverty. A possible solution for poverty is getting rid of capitalism. We need to get rid of all forms of physical force being the win/lose system of government, taxation, income redistribut ion and regulation and central banking and have a society based on the division of labour, individual rights and private property. Also, it’s not education or income redistribution that will do it either. The level of invested capital per worker, both foreign and domestic, thus raising the productivity of labour in an unhampered free market government free capitalist system, Prior to the industrial revolution, 95 percent of children died before the age of 5, and since then the world’s population has exploded more than 10 fold. The Chinese economy since 1978 has grown 90 times since the introduction of † a freer more capitalistic market society,† Literally lifting 100’s of millions out of abject poverty and misery. Poverty can probably never be completely eliminated but this could be one possible solution. Another solution could be allowing free trade with these developing countries, and maybe even give them some trade protections for a short time while they develop their comparative advantage. You could probably argue who benefits from poverty from many different angles. I would  tend to say that no one benefits from poverty. Sure, if you can pay some people much less than the natural market rate to produce a good, some people will benefit by receiving some products at a lower price, but this actually isn’t all that beneficial. By paying these people less, they have less money to contribute back to society, so from an economic standpoint, I would say no one really benefits from poverty in the long run. If instead, all countries had free markets, the world would be better off. One more possible solution for ending poverty is helping each other out, especially those living in third world countries. Countries that are developed, like the US, spend all their money on war when they could be focusing on helping other countries out, even helping their poor communities. Children living in poor areas need a quality education. They need to go to school to gain knowledge and life skills and how to reach their full potential which will help them out in the long run. There needs to be new schools built and the barriers that are preventing children from going to school (especially girls) needs to be broken. Without the proper education, these countries won’t be able to improve their situation. Countries living in poverty also need health care and safe drinking water. If we can help provide these things for these countries they could eventually come out of the poverty because it’s hard to start a business or provide for a family when they’re busy looking for their next meal and some water. We can also help these countries by letting them come out of it themselves. We can lend them financial aid but having people from over here go over there to build the schools and hospitals only hurts the country. They need to be provided with jobs and they need to learn how to help because that is the only way they will get economically stronger. There needs to be access to food, water, health facilities, transportation, roads, education, daycare and many more infrastructures in each community to allow people in those communities to work effectively and productively. We have tried this in countries such as Africa and nothing came of it but that’s because we weren’t doing it right. We believed that we were helping them when, in fact, we’ve only made their situation worse. We need to be more conscious of what’s going on and how to help properly instead of trying to throw money around. We need to participate and push for change if we really want to make a difference and reduce poverty as well as economic inequality. It won’t be easy but it will definitely be worth it.

Teen Pregnacy - 2223 Words

Teen Pregnancy Cierra Franklin English 102 Instructor Dr. Freeman July 26, 2010 Everyday young girls are faced with life changing decisions, whether or not to tell someone their pregnant or might be pregnant. Teens fear what others will say about them or how their family and friends will react to them being pregnant. What teens do not realize is by not seeking help or informing someone their pregnant, they place themselves and their children in harm’s way. Starting the moment they become pregnant their chances of having health risk, during the pregnancy has already begun. There are several consequences and health risks that effect teens during and after pregnancy such as: gaining too much weight, not gaining enough†¦show more content†¦Babies born early may have problems controlling their sugar levels as well. Normally premature infant’s hearts are under developed causing heart problems, the brain is usually under developed causing possible mental retardation, cerebral, hypothermia, chronic lung disease, autism, and even psychological dama ge. There are a variety of problems that infants are at a higher risk of obtaining if born premature. The third health risk would be the effects of the mother smoking during pregnancy (McClure, 2007). For instance, it can cause the oxygen supply to the baby to be reduced, slow the growth of the of fetus down, reduce blood flow to the baby because the mother blood vessel are narrower, weaken the infants breathing after birth, causes mucus to block the babies airway, increase the changes of SIDS, slows down mental and academic performance, cause the child to be hyperactive, and have behavioral problems later in life (Swierzewski, 2009). All these things affect the child if a mother smokes during pregnancy. The final risk for infants is death, an infant’s body that is under nourished, under developed and underweight can all lead to death. Even after birth an infant born to a teen mother has a higher chance of dying all the way up too there first birthday ( Swierzewski, 2007). Infants can die during the birth from the umbilical cord being wrapped around a part of theShow MoreRelatedPeer Pressure808 Words   |  4 Pagesand causing hardship and anxiety. Sex and drugs are the worst problems for our young adults. Alcohol is one of the leading causes for unprotected sex, leading to teen pregnancy. Which causes increased drop out rate, for fear of humiliation (from their peers) that helped them make the choice to drink in the first place. Teen pregnacy also increses America’s abortion average. Alcohol also affects judgment leading to another poor choices. If drugs are offered, its harder to think about the consequencesRead MoreHow Do We Manage Groups And Teams?1335 Words   |  6 Pagesfind yound girls and young boys who was on drugs and wanted to change their life. Some of the teens were on drugs, teen age pregnacy, run- away from home because of their sex, and other things that a teen might had problems with. This organzation called a meeting to let the individuals voice their opinion and ask any questions, so the group could help sovle any problems that the teens had. Some teens live in a culture where there are older ind ividuals that are influencing youger peers in doingRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Should Not Be Allowed in High School Essay1210 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Teen pregnancy should not be allowed because it results in an increase in high school dropouts† . Its important for teen to stay in school its probably much easier for them to drop out or either the school tells them to they also might feel embarrassed to go to school due to the rumors about her being pregnant some of the teen girls get bullied over the internet being pregnant at an early age some feel worthless and regret what they have done at an early age the rate is going up due to theRead MoreTeen Pregnancies : Children And Teens About Sex1787 Words   |  8 PagesGinger Rogers Professor Rivers ECN 1101 24 November 2015 Teen Pregnancies Many parent today are afraid to talk with their children and teens about sex and the importance of safe sex. With teen pregnancy dropping it is important for teen to know about safe sex, prevention of pregnancy and what options they have if they become pregnant. Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that â€Å"in 2013 there was a total of 273,105 babies born to teens ages 15-19 but this is a drop of 10% from 2012† (Reproductive)