teachers aren’t given enough gifts! - s18670.pcdn.co · renaissance fiction • analyze and...

EMC’s team is dedicated to providing English Language Arts teachers with resources that engage, motivate, and challenge their students. We’d love to give you access to three of our Mirrors & Windows English Language Arts program lessons to use in your classroom. Each lesson is targeted at a different grade level and contains everything you need to start using it in class on Monday.

Some of the objectives of our sample lessons include:

Your lesson will include the following resources to ensure successful use in any classroom:

These lessons are included in EMC’s unique English Language Arts learning platform, Passport®

Teachers aren’t given enough gifts!

• read, interpret, analyze, and evaluate a selection • develop writing and other language arts skills • write descriptive introductory paragraphs and a character analysis• participate in a discussion about the selection• practice reading assessment by answering multiple-choice and short-answer questions about the selection

• Lesson Plan (objectives, materials needed, a thorough procedure, etc.)• Annotated Teachers Edition textbook pages• Student Textbook pages• Blackline Study Materials

| www.emcp.com

197© emC Publishing, llC amerICan tradItIon, unIt 6Program Planning Guide

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

L E S S O N P L A N

M T W Th F

A Worn Path / Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead? p. 794Vocabulary & Spelling Workshop: Contractions, p. 807

Directed ReadingText Complexity“A Worn Path”• Reading Level: Moderate, Lexile 740L• Difficulty Consideration: Dialect;

chronology• Ease Factor: Length“Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead?”• Reading Level: Moderate, Lexile 1100L• Difficulty Consideration: Challenging

sentence structure; style• Ease Factor: Length

Pacing• Regular Schedule: 2 days

• Block Schedule: 1 day

ObjectivesStudying this lesson will enable students to• read, interpret, analyze, and evaluate a short

story by Eudora Welty• identify the selection as Southern

Renaissance fiction• analyze and understand character and

archetype• develop writing and other language arts

skills as specified in the Unit 6 Scope & Sequence Planning Guide

Before ReadingPreview and MotivateChoose from the following materials to preview the lesson and motivate your students:____ Before Reading, SE/ATE, p. 794____ Build Vocabulary: Meaning from Context, Meeting the Standards Unit 6, p. 55

During ReadingTeach the Selection(s)Choose from the following resources to teach the selection(s):____ During Reading, SE/ATE, pp. 795–801____ Primary Source Connection: “Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead?”

SE/ATE, pp. 802–804

Differentiate InstructionConsider the following alternative teaching options to differentiate instruction:____ English Language Learning, ATE, p. 796____ Special Needs/Learning Styles: Auditory, ATE, p. 799____ Reading Proficiency, ATE, p. 803____ Primary Source Project: The Natchez Trace, Differentiated Instruction for Advanced

Students, p. 34

00i-321_PPG_G11.indd 197 3/13/15 9:27 AM

amerICan tradItIon, unIt 6198 © emC Publishing, llCProgram Planning Guide

After ReadingReview and ExtendUse the following materials to review and extend the lesson:____ After Reading, SE/ATE, pp. 805–806____ Analyze Literature: Symbols, Meeting the Standards Unit 6, pp. 56–57____ Media Literacy: Research the Author, Exceeding the Standards: Extension Activities, pp. 15–16

Teach the Workshop(s)Select from the following materials to teach the workshop(s):____ Vocabulary & Spelling: Contractions, SE/ATE, p. 807____ Contractions, Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling, pp. 43–44

AssessAdminister the following assessment tool(s):____ Selection Quiz, Meeting the Standards Unit 6, p. 58____ Lesson Test, Assessment Guide, pp. 282–284

Technology ToolsEnhance the lesson with interactive activities offered in these technology supplements:

Teacher’s Edition eBook Multiplatform Student eBook Meeting the Standards eWorkbook Exceeding the Standards eWorkbook Differentiated Instruction eWorkbook Common Core Assessment Practice Online ExamView® Assessment Suite

Visual Teaching Package ETS Online Criterion-Based Essay Grader

(Grades 6–12) EMC Audio Library EMC E-Library mirrorsandwindows.com

00i-321_PPG_G11.indd 198 3/13/15 9:27 AM

A Worn PathA Short Story by Eudora Welty

Analyze LiteratureCharacter and ArchetypeA character is an individual who takes part in the action of a literary work. A flat character shows only one character trait. A round character shows the multiple traits of a real person.

An archetype is a character, theme, symbol, plot, or other lit-erary element that has appeared in the literature of the world throughout time. For example, the story of a journey in which someone faces danger and becomes wiser is considered archetypal.

Set PurposeHow an individual faces life’s obstacles reveals a great deal about him or her. As you read “A Worn Path,” list the obstacles Phoenix Jackson faces along her journey and note how she overcomes each one. Also write down details about the char-acter’s appearance, actions, mannerisms, and so on. Finally, consider how Phoenix’s journey is archetypal. Think about what emotion enables her to over-come the obstacles she faces.

Preview Vocabularypendulum, 795quivering, 796limber, 796rouse, 796ravine, 798obstinate, 801

B E F O R E R E A D I N G

Build BackgroundLiterary Context In her autobiography, Eudora Welty wrote, “A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious dar-ing starts from within.” Like many of Welty’s stories, “A Worn Path” explores the intricacies of the inner life and small hero-isms of an ordinary person. In the story, Phoenix Jackson makes an archetypal journey in which she demonstrates determination, generosity, and resourcefulness. Welty also explores the complexi-ties of relationships in many of her stories, examining the inti-mate but often strange bonds within families and communities.

Reader’s Context Do you prefer to live a sheltered life or a daring life? What are the benefits and drawbacks of each?

Meet the AuthorEudora Welty (1909–2001) was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and lived much of her life there. She left to attend Mississippi State College for Women, the University of Wisconsin, and Columbia’s Graduate School of Business. She returned to Jackson in 1931 after her father’s unexpected death and worked at a local newspaper and radio station.

From 1933 to 1936, Welty traveled Mississippi working as a publicist and photographer for the Works Progress Administration

(WPA), a Depression Era program that gave unemployed people work building roads, libraries, and other public facilities. She proved herself an adept photog-rapher, and many of the photos she took during this time later were exhibited and published.

Welty was foremost a writer, however, stating that “there’s so much more of life that only words can convey.” In 1936, she published her first short story, “Death of a Traveling Salesman,” in the literary magazine Manuscript. It attracted the attention of writer Katherine Anne Porter, who became Welty’s mentor and wrote the foreword to her first collection of stories, A Curtain of Green. Published in 1941, that collection was inspired by the images of rural Mississippi that Welty gleaned while working for the WPA. It contained many of Welty’s best-known works, including “A Worn Path,” and established her as a major fiction writer.

Welty enjoyed success throughout her career, producing four collections of short stories, five novels, two collections of photographs, and three works of nonfiction. She also was in demand as a speaker and served residencies at a number of universities, including both Oxford and Cambridge in England. In 1972, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Optimist’s Daughter. In 1984, she published an autobiography, One Writer’s Beginnings, detailing her life and its relationship to her writing. She cautioned people not to make too strong a connection between the two, stating that “the writer’s mind and heart . . . can’t be mapped and plotted.”

794 Unit 6 Depression anD WorlD War ii

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 794 11/21/14 11:53 AM

A Worn Path

a Worn paTH

Georgia Landscape, 1934. Hale Woodruff. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC.

by Eudora Welty

I t was December—a bright frozen day in the early morning. Far out in the country there

was an old negro woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along a path through the pinewoods. Her name was phoenix Jackson. she was very old and small and she walked slowly in the dark pine shadows, moving a lit-tle from side to side in her steps, with the bal-

anced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grandfather clock. she carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she

“Tell us quickly about your grandson, and get it over. He isn’t dead, is he?”

pen • du • lum (pen> j@ lum) n., object suspended from a fixed point that swings freely back and forth; commonly used to regulate movement, as in a clock

795

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 795 11/21/14 11:53 AM

Preview the Selection

Text Complexity• Reading Level: Moderate, 740L• Difficulty Considerations: Dialect;

chronology• Ease Factors: Length

ObjectivesAfter studying this lesson, students will be able to• read, interpret, analyze, and evalu-

ate a short story by Eudora Welty.• identify the selection as Southern

Renaissance fiction.• analyze and understand character

and archetype.• develop writing and other language

arts skills as specified in the Unit 6 Scope & Sequence Planning Guide.

Launch the LessonHave students describe familiar paths that they use—for example, walking or biking trails. Ask: How and why does a route become familiar? Could students give directions to someone new to their favorite path? Could they draw a map of the path?

Apply Reading Skills Identify Multiple Levels of Meaning Phoenix Jackson makes an archetypal journey in which certain details apply to human life generally, not just to Phoenix’s literal walk. Have students record archetypal actions: for example, Phoenix’s tapping of the fro-zen earth with her cane to guide her sightless journey signifies her determi-nation to overcome obstacles.


Selection Wordsfurrow, 797nary 797sweet-gum, 798radiation, 799

Academic Vocabularyintricacies, 794publicist, 794adept, 794

Words in Use KEY TERMSarchetype, 794character, 794theme, 794symbol, 794plot, 794adaptation, 805interview, 805review, 805

794 UnIT 6 Depression anD WorlD War ii

0776-0825_Lit3eG11_U06_ATE.indd 794 11/26/14 7:34 AM















0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 794 11/21/14 11:53 AM

A Worn Path

a Worn paTH


by Eudora Welty






795

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 795 11/21/14 11:53 AM

Teach the Selection

SummaryPhoenix Jackson, an elderly black woman, walks through the familiar pinewoods, talking to herself. She frees herself from a bush; walks across a creek; imagines a boy bringing her cake; maneuvers through a barbed-wire fence; and mistakes a scarecrow for a ghost. A white man, hunting with his dog, says the walk to town is too far for her. She picks up a nickel that has fallen from his pocket. In town, Phoenix relies on her feet to guide her to the doctor’s office, where she will get medicine for her grand-son. Her memory faltering, Phoenix is unsure what to say when asked how the boy is doing. Insisting he is still alive, Phoenix is given the medicine for the boy.

The Mirrors & Windows question at

the end of the selection focuses on the metaphorical meanings of worn path. Before they begin reading, have students consider choices they have made between a familiar path and an unfamil-iar one.

& &

W

W

irrors indoWs

Program ResourcesPlanning and AssessmentProgram Planning Guide, Selection Lesson PlanE-Lesson PlannerAssessment Guide, Lesson Test ExamView

Technology Tools Multiplatform Student eBookVisual Teaching PackageAudio Librarymirrorsandwindows.com

Meeting the StandardsDepression and World War II: Unit 6, Directed

Reading, pp. 55–58

Differentiating InstructionAdvanced Students, Primary Source Project,

p. 34

Quiz Mirrors&

Windows

a Worn path 795


kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her. This made a grave and persistent noise in the still air, that seemed meditative like the chirp-ing of a solitary little bird.

she 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.

now and then there was a quivering in the thicket. old phoenix said, “out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals! . . . Keep out from under these feet, little bob-whites. . . . Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Don’t let none of those come running my direction. i got a long way.” Under her small black-freckled hand her cane, limber as a buggy whip, would switch at the brush as if to rouse up any hiding things.

on she went. The woods were deep and still. The sun made the pine needles almost too bright to look at, up where the wind rocked. The cones dropped as light as feathers. Down in the hollow was the morning dove—it was not too late for him.

The path ran up a hill. “seem like there is chains about my feet, time i get this far,” she said, in the voice of argument old people keep to use with themselves. “something always take a hold of me on this hill—pleads i should stay.”

after she got to the top she turned and gave a full, severe look behind her where she had come. “Up through pines,” she said at length. “now down through oaks.”

Her eyes opened their widest, and she started down gently. But before she got to the bottom of the hill a bush caught her dress.

Her fingers were busy and intent, but her skirts were full and long, so that before she could pull them free in one place they were caught in another. it was not possible to allow the dress to tear. “i in the thorny bush,” she said. “Thorns, you doing your appointed work. never want to let folks pass, no sir. old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush.”

Finally, trembling all over, she stood free, and after a moment dared to stoop for her cane.

“sun so high!” she cried, leaning back and looking, while the thick tears went over her eyes. “The time getting all gone here.”

at the foot of this hill was a place where a log was laid across the creek.

“now comes the trial,” said phoenix.putting her right foot out, she mounted the

log and shut her eyes. lifting her skirt, leveling her cane fiercely before her, like a festival fig-ure in some parade, she began to march across. Then she opened her eyes and she was safe on the other side.

“i wasn’t as old as i thought,” she said.But she sat down to rest. she spread her

skirts on the bank around her and folded her

“Something always take a hold of me on

this hill—pleads I should stay.”

quiv • er • ing (kwiv> @r i4) n., shaking or moving characterized by a slight trembling motion

lim • ber (lim> b@r) adj., having a supple and resilient qualityrouse (rowz) v., become stirred


0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 796 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH

hands over her knees. Up above her was a tree in a pearly cloud of mistletoe. she did not dare to close her eyes, and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. “That would be acceptable,” she said. But when she went to take it there was just her own hand in the air.

so she left that tree, and had to go through a barbed-wire fence. There she had to creep and crawl, spreading her knees and stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb the steps. But she talked loudly to herself: she could not let her dress be torn now, so late in the day, and she could not pay for having her arm or her leg sawed off if she got caught fast where she was.

at last she was safe through the fence and risen up out in the clearing. Big dead trees, like black men with one arm, were standing in the purple stalks of the withered cotton field. There sat a buzzard.

“Who you watching?” in the furrow she made her way along.“Glad this not the season for bulls,” she

said, looking sideways, “and the good lord made his snakes to curl up and sleep in the

winter. a pleasure i don’t see no two-headed snake coming around that tree, where it come once. it took a while to get by him, back in the summer.”

she passed through the old cot-ton and went into a field of dead corn. it whispered and shook and was taller than her head. “Through the maze now,” she said, for there was no path.

Then there was something tall, black, and skinny there, moving before her.

at first she took it for a man. it could have been a man dancing in the field. But she stood still and lis-tened, and it did not make a sound. it was as silent as a ghost.

“Ghost,” she said sharply, “who be you the ghost of? For i have heard of nary death close by.”

But there was no answer—only the ragged dancing in the wind.

she shut her eyes, reached out her hand, and touched a sleeve. she found a coat and inside that an emptiness, cold as ice.

“You scarecrow,” she said. Her face lighted. “i ought to be shut up for good,” she said with laughter. “My senses is gone. i too old. i the oldest people i ever know. Dance, old scare-crow,” she said, “while i dancing with you.”

she kicked her foot over the furrow, and with mouth drawn down, shook her head once or twice in a little strutting way. some husks blew down and whirled in streamers about her skirts.

Then she went on, parting her way from side to side with the cane, through the whisper-ing field. at last she came to the end, to a wagon track where the silver grass blew between the red ruts. The quail were walking around like pullets,1 seeming all dainty and unseen.

1. pullets. Young hens

797

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 797 11/21/14 11:53 AM

A

Teach the Selection

Use Reading Skills Identify Multiple Levels of Meaning To help students fill out their graphic organizers, ask them to explain the significance of these details: Phoenix warns the animals to keep out of her way and she com-ments, to herself, on the landmarks she passes; Phoenix says “Now comes the trial” and closes her eyes to walk on a log. Answers: She knows the worn path and the likely hurdles well; she feels close to nature. She summons up the courage before crossing the log. Shutting her eyes harkens back to Odysseus’s plugging his ears against the Sirens’ lure: it allows Phoenix to rely on her sense of touch without being distracted. A

Analyze LiteratureArchetype The story narrates an archetypal journey, in which the main character must use cleverness, strength, courage, and self-confidence to deal with challenges during a dif-ficult trip. Students who have read Homer’s The Odyssey may already know what an archetypal journey is. Both Odysseus and Phoenix Jackson display these traits. The difference is that the ancient Greek warrior is an epic hero, encountering gods, god-desses, and mythical villains during spectacular adventures, whereas Phoe-nix is an elderly black woman living in Mississippi during the Depression.

English Language LearningStudents may find some of the dialogue dif-ficult. Before they read, point out that Phoenix talks to herself throughout her journey and uses a dialect that includes incorrect verb tenses, omitted words, and words such as

ain’t for is not and them for those. Encourage students to use the context as a way of under-standing the difficult passages. To help stu-dents grasp the chronology of the story, have them write down, as they are reading, each obstacle Phoenix encounters on her journey.

Differentiated Instruction























0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 796 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH

















797

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 797 11/21/14 11:53 AM

B

Teach the Selection

Analyze Literature Character Students might jot down details of Phoenix’s character, based on Welty’s descriptions of her and on the way Phoenix reacts to the various obstacles on her journey. For instance, she thinks the scarecrow is a ghost, but she overcomes her fear and touches it. When she realizes what it is, she knows that her senses are failing. She laughs and asks the stuffed figure to dance. Ask students what this reaction indicates about her character. Answer: They may say that this reaction indicates common sense, practicality, an ability to laugh at her-self, and a lack of self-pity. B

a Worn path 797


“Walk pretty,” she said. “This the easy place. This the easy going.”

she followed the track, swaying through the quiet bare fields, through the little strings of trees silver in their dead leaves, past cabins silver from weather, with the doors and win-dows boarded shut, all like old women under a spell sitting there. “i walking in their sleep,” she said, nodding her head vigorously.

in a ravine she went where a spring was silently flowing through a hollow log. old phoenix bent and drank. “sweet-gum makes the water sweet,” she said, and drank more. “nobody know who made this well, for it was here when i was born.”

The track crossed a swampy part where the moss hung as white as lace from every limb. “sleep on, alligators, and blow your bubbles.” Then the track went into the road.

Deep, deep the road went down between the high green-colored banks. overhead the live-oaks met, and it was as dark as a cave.

a black dog with a lolling tongue came up out of the weeds by the ditch. she was meditating, and not ready, and when he came at her she only hit him a little with her cane. over she went in the ditch, like a little puff of milkweed.

Down there, her senses drifted away. a dream visited her, and she reached her hand up, but nothing reached down and gave her a pull. so she lay there and presently went to talking. “old woman,” she said to herself, “that black dog come up out of the weeds to stall you off, and now there he sitting on his fine tail, smiling at you.”

a white man finally came along and found her—a hunter, a young man, with his dog on a chain.

“Well, Granny!” he laughed. “What are you doing there?”

“lying on my back like a June-bug waiting to be turned over, mister,” she said, reaching up her hand.

He lifted her up, gave her a swing in the air, and set her down. “anything broken, Granny?”

“no sir, them old dead weeds is springy enough,” said phoenix, when she had got her breath. “i thank you for your trouble.”

“Where do you live, Granny?” he asked, while the two dogs were growling at each other.

“away back yonder, sir, behind the ridge. You can’t even see it from here.”

ra • vine (r5 v7n>) n., small, narrow, steep-sided valley larger than a gully and smaller than a canyon


0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 798 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH

“on your way home?”“no sir, i going to town.”“Why, that’s too far! That’s as far as i walk

when i come out myself, and i get something for my trouble.” He patted the stuffed bag he carried, and there hung down a little closed claw. it was one of the bob-whites, with its beak hooked bitterly to show it was dead. “now you go on home, Granny!”

“i bound to go to town, mister,” said phoenix. “The time come around.”

He gave another laugh, filling the whole landscape. “i know you old colored people! Wouldn’t miss going to town to see santa Claus!”

But something held old phoenix very still. The deep lines in her face went into a fierce and different radiation. Without warning, she had seen with her own eyes a flashing nickel fall out of the man’s pocket onto the ground.

“How old are you, Granny?” he was saying.“There is no telling, mister,” she said, “no

telling.”Then she gave a little cry and clapped her

hands and said, “Git on away from here, dog! look! look at that dog!” she laughed as if in admiration. “He ain’t scared of nobody. He a big black dog.” she whispered, “sic him!”

“Watch me get rid of that cur,” said the man. “sic him, pete! sic him!”

phoenix heard the dogs fighting, and heard the man running and throwing sticks. she even heard a gunshot. But she was slowly bending forward by that time, further and further forward, the lids stretched down over her eyes, as if she were doing this in her sleep. Her chin was low-ered almost to her knees. The yellow palm of her hand came out from the fold of her apron. Her fingers slid down and along the ground under the piece of money with the grace and care they would have in lifting an egg from under a setting hen. Then she slowly straight-ened up, she stood erect, and the nickel was in her apron pocket. a bird flew by. Her lips

moved: “God watching me the whole time. i come to stealing.”

The man came back, and his own dog panted about them. “Well, i scared him off that time,” he said, and then he laughed and lifted his gun and pointed it at phoenix.

she stood straight and faced him.“Doesn’t the gun scare you?” he said, still

pointing it.“no, sir, i seen plenty go off closer by, in

my day, and for less than what i done,” she said, holding utterly still.

He smiled, and shouldered the gun. “Well, Granny,” he said, “you must be a hundred years old, and scared of nothing. i’d give you a dime if i had any money with me. But you take my advice and stay home, and nothing will happen to you.”

“i bound to go on my way, mister,” said phoenix. she inclined her head in the red rag. Then they went in different directions, but she could hear the gun shooting again and again over the hill.

she walked on. The shadows hung from the oak trees to the road like curtains. Then she smelled wood-smoke, and smelled the river, and she saw a steeple and the cabins on their steep steps. Dozens of little black children whirled around her. There ahead was natchez shining. Bells were ringing. she walked on.

in the paved city it was Christmas time. There were red and green electric lights strung and criss-crossed everywhere, and all turned on in the daytime. old phoenix would have been lost if she had not distrusted her eyesight and depended on her feet to know where to take her.

“God watching me the whole time. I come to

stealing.”

799

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 799 11/21/14 11:53 AM

A

Teach the Selection

Analyze LiteratureCharacter Ask students which char-acter traits the hunter displays here. They may say he is helpful in lifting Phoenix from the ditch and seems concerned about her going on a long trip. In contrast, his stereotype of “you old colored people” not missing Santa Claus is insulting. There is also a hint of menace about him, seen later in this scene. A



















0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 798 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH





















stealing.”

799

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 799 11/21/14 11:53 AM

B

C

B

Teach the Selection

Use Reading SkillsIdentify Multiple Levels of Meaning Have students identify the multiple levels of meaning behind Phoenix’s picking up the nickel that the hunter drops, and the hunter’s claim that he would give her a dime if he had any money with him. Answers: Like Odysseus, she can manipulate others; she also thinks that God is watching her steal. The hunter is lying; he had at least a nickel and doesn’t know it fell from his pocket. B

Analyze LiteratureCharacter Have students consider why the hunter aims the gun at Phoenix. They may say the hunter is only trying to scare her, to see how she would react. When she remains dignified and responds intelligently, he shoulders his weapon. He realizes there’s no game (in both senses of the word) to be played with “Granny.” C

Special needs/Learning StylesAuditory Students might dramatize the journey. One student (girl or boy) can play the old woman (or old man), while others take the role of the boy with the cake, the hunter, and the characters in Natchez. Other students can take turns as the narrator, reading the pas-sages between dialogue. If possible, visual stu-dents could create simple costumes or props to represent natural objects, such as trees.


a Worn path 799


she paused quietly on the side-walk where people were passing by. a lady came along in the crowd, car-rying an armful of red-, green- and

silver-wrapped presents; she gave off perfume like the red roses

in hot summer, and phoenix stopped her.

“please, missy, will you lace up my shoe?” she held up her foot.

“What do you want, Grandma?”

“see my shoe,” said phoenix. “Do all right for out in the country, but wouldn’t look right to go in a big build-ing.”

“stand still then, Grandma,” said the lady. she put her packages down on the sidewalk beside her and laced and tied both shoes tightly.

“Can’t lace ’em with a cane,” said phoenix. “Thank

you, missy. i doesn’t mind asking a nice lady to tie up my

shoe, when i gets out on the street.”

Moving slowly and from side to side, she went into the big building, and into a tower of steps, where she walked up and around and around until her feet knew to stop.

she entered a door, and there she saw nailed up on the wall the document that had been stamped with the gold seal and framed in the gold frame, which matched the dream that was hung up in her head.

“Here i be,” she said. There was a fixed and ceremonial stiffness over her body.

“a charity case, i suppose,” said an atten-dant who sat at the desk before her.

But phoenix only looked above her head. There was sweat on her face, the wrinkles in her skin shone like a bright net.

“speak up, Grandma,” the woman said. “What’s your name? We must have your his-tory, you know. Have you been here before? What seems to be the trouble with you?”

old phoenix only gave a twitch to her face as if a fly were bothering her.

“are you deaf?” cried the attendant.But then the nurse came in.“oh, that’s just old aunt phoenix,” she

said. “she doesn’t come for herself—she has a little grandson. she makes these trips just as regular as clockwork. she lives away back off the old natchez Trace.” she bent down. “Well, aunt phoenix, why don’t you just take a seat? We won’t keep you standing after your long trip.” she pointed.

The old woman sat down, bolt upright in the chair.

“now, how is the boy?” asked the nurse.old phoenix did not speak.“i said, how is the boy?”But phoenix only waited and stared straight

ahead, her face very solemn and withdrawn into rigidity.

“is his throat any better?” asked the nurse. “aunt phoenix, don’t you hear me? is your grandson’s throat any better since the last time you came for the medicine?”

With her hands on her knees, the old woman waited, silent, erect and motionless, just as if she were in armor.

“You mustn’t take up our time this way, aunt phoenix,” the nurse said. “Tell us quickly about your grandson, and get it over. He isn’t dead, is he?”

at last there came a flicker and then a flame of comprehension across her face, and she spoke.


0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 800 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH

“My grandson. it was my memory had left me. There i sat and forgot why i made my long trip.”

“Forgot?” The nurse frowned. “after you came so far?”

Then phoenix was like an old woman begging a dignified forgiveness for waking up frightened in the night. “i never did go to school, i was too old at the surrender,”2 she said in a soft voice. “i’m an old woman without an education. it was my memory fail me. My little grandson, he is just the same, and i forgot it in the coming.”

“Throat never heals, does it?” said the nurse, speaking in a loud, sure voice to old phoenix. By now she had a card with something written on it, a little list. “Yes. swallowed lye. When was it?—January—two-three years ago—”

phoenix spoke unasked now. “no, missy, he not dead, he just the same. every little while his throat begin to close up again, and he not able to swallow. He not get his breath. He not able to help himself. so the time come around, and i go on another trip for the soothing medicine.”

“all right. The doctor said as long as you came to get it, you could have it,” said the nurse. “But it’s an obstinate case.”

“My little grandson, he sit up there in the house all wrapped up, waiting by himself,” phoenix went on. “We is the only two left in the world. He suffer and it don’t seem to put him back at all. He got a sweet look. He going to last. He wear a little patch quilt and peep out holding his mouth open like a little bird. i remembers so plain now. i not going to for-get him again, no, the whole enduring time. i could tell him from all the others in creation.”

“all right.” The nurse was trying to hush her now. she brought her a bottle of medicine. “Charity,” she said, making a check mark in a book.

old phoenix held the bottle close to her eyes, and then carefully put it into her pocket.

“i thank you,” she said.“it’s Christmas time, Grandma,” said the

attendant. “Could i give you a few pennies out of my purse?”

“Five pennies is a nickel,” said phoenix stiffly.

“Here’s a nickel,” said the attendant.phoenix rose carefully and held out her

hand. she received the nickel and then fished the other nickel out of her pocket and laid it beside the new one. she stared at her palm closely, with her head on one side.

Then she gave a tap with her cane on the floor.

“This is what come to me to do,” she said. “i going to the store and buy my child a little windmill they sells, made out of paper. He going to find it hard to believe there such a thing in the world. i’ll march myself back where he waiting, holding it straight up in this hand.”

she lifted her free hand, gave a little nod, turned around, and walked out of the doctor’s office. Then her slow step began on the stairs, going down. v

If Phoenix Jackson had taken a new path to Natchez, rather than the “worn” path, would the meaning of the story change? When have you chosen a familiar path over a new path in your own life?

& &

W

W

irrors indoWs

ob • sti • nate (5b> st@ n@t), adj., stubborn; not easily changed

2. Surrender. surrender of the south to the north at the end of the Civil War in 1865

801

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 801 11/21/14 11:53 AM

A

B

Teach the Selection

Analyze LiteratureArchetype On archetypal journeys, a godlike character may describe the traveler’s destination—the goal he or she must reach. Ask students to identify who has set the destination for Phoenix, and how she knows when she has reached it. Answer: Phoenix has set the destination herself; she knows she has reached it when she sees the doctor’s framed diploma, “which matched the dream that was hung up in her head.” A

Analyze LiteratureIrony Ask students to identify the irony in Phoenix’s response when she arrives at the doctor’s office, despite the fact that she has been there many times. Answer: The irony is that, although the trip is familiar, Phoenix cannot remember why she walked to the office, or what her grandson’s con-dition is. B






























0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 800 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH



















& &

W

W

irrors indoWs



801

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 801 11/21/14 11:53 AM

C

Teach the Selection

Use Reading Skills Identify Multiple Levels of Meaning To encourage students to complete their graphic organizers, ask them to explain why Phoenix, when offered a “few pennies” as a holiday gift, replies that “five pennies is a nickel.” Answer: Phoenix remembers the nickel she retrieved after it fell from the hunter’s pocket. With the five pennies, she now has a dime and selects a present to buy for her grand-son. The gift of five pennies may ease any guilt she felt at “stealing” the hunter’s nickel (page 799). C

Students may say that if

Phoenix had taken a new path to Natchez, she probably would not have been able to deal with any unfamiliar roadblocks she might have faced. Attempting to cope with hazards in the road may have exhausted her, physically and emotionally, and thus pre-vented her from even reaching Natchez.

& &

W

W

irrors indoWs

a Worn path 801


Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead?by Eudora Welty

A story writer is more than happy to be read by students; the fact that these serious

readers think and feel something in response to his work he finds life-giving. at the same time he may not always be able to reply to their specific questions in kind. i wondered if it might clarify something, for both the question-ers and myself, if i set down a general reply to the question that comes to me most often in the mail, from both students and their teachers, after some classroom discussion. The unrivaled favorite is this: “is phoenix Jackson’s grandson really dead?”

it refers to a short story i wrote years ago called “a Worn path,” which tells of a day’s jour-ney an old woman makes on foot from deep in the country into town and into a doctor’s office on behalf of her little grandson; he is at home,

periodically ill, and periodically she comes for his medicine; they give it to her as usual, she receives it and starts the journey back.

i had not meant to mystify readers by with-holding any fact; it is not a writer’s business to tease. The story is told through phoenix’s mind as she undertakes her errand. as the author at one with the character as i tell it, i must assume that the boy is alive. as the reader, you are free to think as you like, of course: the story invites you to believe that no matter what happens, phoenix for as long as she is able to walk and can hold to her purpose will make her journey. The possibility that she would keep on even if he were dead is there in her devotion and its single-minded, single-track errand. Certainly the artistic truth, which should be good enough for the fact, lies in phoenix’s own answer to

In the essay “Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead?” Eudora Welty responds to readers of “A Worn Path” who have written her asking this question. Welty argues that the question is irrelevant: Phoenix makes the journey out of love for her grandson, and whether he is actually dead or still alive will not change the outcome or the central idea of the story. “A Worn Path” works on the theme of love. Other stories and novels by Welty deal with the many dimensions and stages of women’s lives, including their roles as daughters, wives, mothers, and grandmothers.


0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 802 11/21/14 11:53 AM

that question. When the nurse asks, “He isn’t dead, is he?” she speaks for herself: “He still the same. He going to last.”

The grandchild is the incentive. But it is the journey, the going of the errand, that is the story, and the question is not whether the grandchild is in reality alive or dead. it doesn’t affect the outcome of the story or its meaning from start to finish. But it is not the question itself that has struck me as much as the idea, almost without exception implied in the ask-ing, that for phoenix’s grandson to be dead would somehow make the story “better.”

it’s all right, i want to say to the students who write to me, for things to be what they appear to be, and for words to mean what they say. it’s all right, too, for words and appear-ances to mean more than one thing—ambiguity is a fact of life. a fiction writer’s responsibility covers not only what he presents as the facts of a given story but what he chooses to stir up as their implications; in the end, these implica-

tions, too, become facts, in the larger, fictional sense. But it is not all right, not in good faith, for things not to mean what they say.

The grandson’s plight was real and it made the truth of the story, which is the story of an errand of love carried out. if the child no lon-ger lived, the truth would persist in the “wornness” of the path. But his being dead can’t increase the truth of the story, can’t affect it one way or the other. i think i signal this, because the end of the story has been reached before old phoenix gets home again: she simply starts back. To the question “is the grandson really dead?” i could reply that it doesn’t make any difference. i could also say that i did not make him up in order to let him play a trick on phoenix. But my best answer would be: “Phoenix is alive.”

The origin of a story is some-times a trustworthy clue to the author—or can provide him with the clue—to its key image; maybe in this case it will do the same for the reader. one day i saw a solitary old woman like phoenix. she was walking; i saw her, at middle distance, in a winter country landscape, and watched her slowly make her way across my line of vision. That sight of her made me write the story. i invented an errand for her, but that only seemed a living part of the figure she was herself: what errand other than for someone else could be making her go? and her going was the first thing, her persisting in her landscape was the real thing, and the first and the real were what i wanted and worked to keep. i brought her up close enough, by imagi-nation, to describe her face, make her present to the eyes, but the full-length figure moving across the winter fields was the indelible one and the image to keep, and the perspective extending into the vanishing distance the true one to hold in mind.

is pHoeniX JaCKson’s GranDson reallY DeaD?

Cemetery Monument, 1937. Eudora Welty. Private collection.

803

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 803 11/21/14 11:53 AM

Teach the Connection

Text Complexity• Reading Level: Moderate, 1100L• Difficulty Considerations: Challeng-

ing sentence structure; style• Ease Factors: Length

SummaryIn response to readers’ questions as to whether Phoenix Jackson’s grandson is alive or dead, Welty says that she, the characters’ creator, assumes he is alive, although readers may form their own conclusions. The “artistic truth” is Phoenix’s belief that the boy is alive because Phoenix says he is, and she is an honest character; the actuality does not affect the story’s outcome. Welty disagrees with readers who think the story would improve if the boy were dead; the focus is on the woman’s journey, not on the boy’s condition. The story ends before Phoe-nix’s return journey. What matters is her love for the boy and the pleasure she takes in caring for him.

KEY TERMStheme, 802

in kind, 802incentive, 803implied, 803ambiguity, 803plight, 803indelible, 803surround, 804contrives, 804

irrelevant, 802

Words in UseSelection Words Academic

Vocabulary











0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 802 11/21/14 11:53 AM









803

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 803 11/21/14 11:53 AM

Use Reading Skills Identify Multiple Levels of Meaning Encourage students to prepare a graphic organizer to help them examine the truths about fiction contained in the writer’s statements. For example, students may note that Welty believes readers “are free to think as [they] like.” Some may say that this assertion suggests Welty’s awareness that authors have little control over readers’ interpretations of their works.

Reading ProficiencyDiscuss with students the reasons that read-ers send questions to a writer. As they read the selection, have students write down any questions they have—about the meaning of difficult passages, the definition of unfamiliar words, or other information they need as they read. Students might work in pairs or small groups to answer these questions.



is phoenix Jackson’s GranDson really DeaD? 803


i invented for my character, as i wrote, some passing adventures—some dreams and harassments and a small triumph or two, some jolts to her pride, some flights of fancy to console her, one or two encounters to scare her, and a moment that gave her cause to feel ashamed, a moment to dance and preen—for it had to be a journey, and all these things belonged to that, parts of life’s uncertainty.

a narrative line is in its deeper sense, of course, the tracing out of a meaning and the real continuity of a story lies in this probing forward. The real dramatic force of a story depends on the strength of the emotion that has set it going. The emotional value is the measure of the reach of the story. What gives any such content to “a Worn path” is not its circumstances but its subject: the deep-grained habit of love.

What i hoped would come clear was that in the whole surround of this story, the world it threads through, the only certain thing at all is the worn path. The habit of love cuts through confusion and stumbles or contrives its way out of difficulty, it remembers the way even when it forgets, for a dumbfounded moment, its reason for being. The path is the thing that matters.

Her victory—old phoenix’s—is when she sees the diploma in the doctor’s office, when she finds “nailed up on the wall the document that had been stamped with the gold seal and framed in the gold frame, which matched the dream that was hung up in her head.” The return with the medicine is just a matter of retracing her own footsteps. it is the part of the journey, and of the story, that can now go without saying.

in the matter of function, old phoenix’s way might even do as a sort of parallel to your way of work if you are a writer of stories. The way to get there is the all-important, all-absorbing problem, and this problem is your reason for undertaking the story. Your only guide, too, is your sureness about your subject, about what this subject is. like phoenix, you work all your life to find your way, through all the obstruc-tions and the false appearances and the upsets you may have brought on yourself, to reach a meaning—using inventions of your imagina-tion, perhaps helped out by your dreams and bits of good luck. and finally too, like phoenix, you have to assume that what you are working in aid of is life, not death.

But you would make the trip anyway—wouldn’t you?—just on hope. v

Review Questions1. According to Welty, what truly matters in this story—the “only certain thing”? Explain why it does not matter

whether Phoenix Jackson’s grandson is dead.

2. What inspired Welty to write “A Worn Path”? Analyze why Welty focuses on the incidents that happen to Phoenix Jackson along the way, not the results of her actions.

3. According to Welty, what is “all right” and “not all right” in fiction writing? Does the meaning of the story change if Phoenix Jackson’s grandson is dead or alive? Why or why not? Judge whether Welty’s explanation is acceptable.

T E X T T O T E X T C O N N E C T I O N

Eudora Welty believes that a story should be able to stand alone so the reader can find its truth. Do you agree or disagree? What does Welty identify as the responsibilities of a writer? Evaluate whether she fulfills these responsibilities in “A Worn Path.”


0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 804 11/21/14 11:53 AM

A F T E R R E A D I N G

Extend the TextWriting OptionsNarrative Writing Write a personal narrative to share with classmates about a journey you have taken to help someone important to you. The journey need not be long, but it should contain obstacles you can describe vividly. For example, have you ever approached your parents to speak on behalf of a brother or sister?

Descriptive Writing Imagine you are nominating Phoenix Jackson for a special award honoring African-American women of character. Write an essay to submit to the awards committee in which you describe her char-acter. Include what you learn about Phoenix’s character from the obstacles she faces.

Collaborative LearningCreate a Board Game With a small group of stu-dents, develop a board game based on Phoenix Jackson’s

journey. Determine how players will advance around the board, what penalties will impede their progress, and how the winner be determined. Divide tasks among members for writing directions and making the board and accesso-ries. Have classmates play your game.

Media Literacy Research the Author Use the Internet to locate news items about Eudora Welty, such as information about adaptations of her work, interviews with her, reviews of her work, and winners of the Eudora Welty Writing Contest for high school students. Then lay out a page of a newsletter dedicated to Welty, including articles on the topics you find most interesting. Share your newsletter with the class.

Refer to Text Reason with Text

1a. Identify the areas through which Phoenix walks.

2a. Why is the woman who ties Phoenix’s shoes carrying presents?

3a. List the obstacles Phoenix encounters during her journey, and describe how she over-comes each one.

4a. Is Phoenix Jackson’s grandson alive or dead? Find examples from the story to sup-port each answer.

5a. How old is Phoenix? Identify places in the story that Phoenix and her behavior are compared to a clock.

1b. Which obstacle in Phoenix’s journey poses the greatest threat to her? Why?

2b. Relate the Christmas story to Phoenix’s journey. What associations can you make?

3b. Analyze the methods Phoenix uses to over-come each obstacle. What do they reveal about her character?

4b. Argue whether “The Worn Path” would be a better story if readers knew for certain whether the grandson were alive or dead.

5b. Explain why Welty waits until the end of the story to reveal why Phoenix made the journey. Address the use of clock imagery in your explanation.

Understand Find meaning

Apply Use information

Analyze Take things apart

Evaluate Make judgments

Create Bring ideas together

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Analyze LiteratureCharacter and ArchetypeReview the list of obstacles you made. What do you learn about Phoenix from these encounters? What else do you learn about Phoenix’s appearance, actions, and so on? Based on these details, is Phoenix a flat or round character?

What emotion makes it possible for Phoenix to overcome the obstacles of her journey? Explain how her journey is an archetype.

a Worn paTH / is pHoeniX JaCKson’s GranDson reallY DeaD?

W

W

Go to www.mirrorsandwindows.com for more.

805

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 805 11/21/14 11:53 AM

Review Questions1. According to Welty, the “only

certain thing” that matters in this story is the worn path. Students may say it does not matter whether the grandson is dead; Phoenix is so devoted to the boy that she would continue making the journey even if he were no longer alive.

2. Welty was inspired to write the story when she saw a solitary old woman like Phoenix. Students may say Welty focuses on the incidents along the journey rather than on the results of Phoenix’s actions because the author was interested primarily in the old woman’s feel-ings, actions, and reactions as she deals with the problems that arise.

3. In Welty’s view, it is all right for things to be what they appear to be, for words to mean what they say, and for words and appearances to mean more than one thing. It is not all right for things to have no meaning. Students may say that if the boy is dead, Phoenix’s attachment to him would exist in her heart but not in the real world. Students may also accept Welty’s explanation of why the story’s meaning does not depend on whether the boy is dead or alive. They may say that the possibil-ity that Phoenix would make the journey even if the boy is dead is a compelling basis for a story.

TEXTT O

TEXT CONNECTIONStudents may say that if a story cannot stand on its own, then readers would have to depend on authors’ explanations, whether these documents were available or not. Also, readers might not feel free to draw conclu-sions based on details from the work. Welty says that fiction writers’ responsibility covers what they present as facts and what these

facts imply. Students may say that Welty ful-fills these responsibilities in “A Worn Path”: the story sets out to describe the old woman’s feelings and responses both on her journey and at her destination, and Welty provides the details to make this narration believable and moving.

















0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 804 11/21/14 11:53 AM























▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Analyze LiteratureCharacter and ArchetypeReview the list of obstacles you made. What do you learn about Phoenix from these encounters? What else do you learn about Phoenix’s appearance, actions, and so on? Based on these details, is Phoenix a flat or round character?



W

W


805

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 805 11/21/14 11:53 AM

Review the SelectionText-Dependent QuestionsRefer to Text1a. Phoenix walks through the woods,

over a creek, through a cotton field and a cornfield, and past a ravine.

2a. It is Christmastime.3a. Phoenix frees herself when her dress

is caught; crosses a log over a creek; crawls through a fence; touches a “ghost”; tells a hunter he does not frighten her.

4a. Evidence he is alive: Phoenix says, “No, missy, he not dead. . . . He going to last”; she intends to buy him a small gift. Evidence he is dead: Phoenix has made the journey out of habit; she would trek to Nat-chez even if he was dead, because of her devotion to the boy.

5a. Phoenix has trouble walking, is nearly sightless, talks to herself, and has memory lapses. She walks like a grandfather clock: “makes the trips just as regular as clockwork.”

Reason with Text1b. The hunter poses the greatest risk

because he has a deadly weapon.2b. Students may compare the gift to

Phoenix with the Three Wise Men’s gifts to Jesus.

3b. Phoenix’s skill in overcoming obstacles shows she is resourceful, unafraid to touch a frightening object, and able to defend herself.

4b. Uncertainty stimulates readers’ imaginations and enriches meaning. Details about the boy help readers understand the situation.

5b. Revealing Phoenix’s motive at the end emphasizes the journey, a symbol of life. Also, Phoenix’s love (for her grandson) gives meaning to her journey (and to life). The clock suggests the passing of time and of Phoenix’s life.

Analyze LiteratureCharacter At the bramblebush, Phoenix is optimistic about her journey. Her imagined con-versation with the boy offering cake shows she is polite. The meeting with the scarecrow dem-onstrates her superstitiousness, courage, and playfulness. Phoenix’s calmness when the hunter points a gun at her shows bravery. Finally, ask-ing the woman to tie her shoelaces suggests a trusting nature that allows her to seek help from strangers. Students will probably say that Phoe-nix can be considered a round character.

Archetype Students may say Phoenix is moti-vated by a deep, abiding love for her grandson. Her journey can be considered an archetype because it contains a number of obstacles that she must overcome through cleverness, resource-fulness, courage, and the little physical strength she has.

Rubrics for Writing OptionsFor writing rubrics and models, go to www.mirrorsandwindows.com.

a Worn path / is phoenix Jackson’s GranDson really DeaD? 805
















0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 794 11/21/14 11:53 AM

A Worn Path

a Worn paTH


by Eudora Welty






795

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 795 11/21/14 11:53 AM





















0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 796 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH

















797

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 797 11/21/14 11:53 AM

















0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 798 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH





















stealing.”

799

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 799 11/21/14 11:53 AM




























0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 800 11/21/14 11:53 AM

a Worn paTH



















& &

W

W

irrors indoWs



801

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 801 11/21/14 11:53 AM









0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 802 11/21/14 11:53 AM









803

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 803 11/21/14 11:53 AM














0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 804 11/21/14 11:53 AM























▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲Analyze LiteratureCharacter and ArchetypeReview the list of obstacles you made. What do you learn about Phoenix from these encounters? What else do you learn about Phoenix’s appearance, actions, and so on? Based on these details, is Phoenix a flat or round character?



W

W


805

0794-0825_Lit3eG11_U06.indd 805 11/21/14 11:53 AM

U6-55© EMC Publishing, LLC AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6Meeting the Standards

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

A Worn Path, page 794

Build Vocabulary: Meaning from Context

The context of a word is the language around it which gives clues to its meaning. Locate each word in the story and use context to help you match the word with the correct meaning. Write the letter of the correct meaning on the line.

Part 1: Choose Definitions

Write the letter of the correct definition on the line next to the matching word.

_____ 1. solemn (page 800)

_____ 2. ceremonial (page 800)

_____ 3. limber (page 796)

_____ 4. lolling (page 798)

_____ 5. meditative (page 796)

_____ 6. obstinate (page 801)

_____ 7. pendulum (page 795)

_____ 8. pullets (page 797)

_____ 9. quivering (page 796)

_____ 10. ravine (page 798)

_____ 11. rouse (page 796)

Part 2: Write Context Sentences

Choose two words from Part 1. Write a sentence using each of them in context. Underline the context clue(s).

12. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

13. _____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

A. not easily remedied, subdued, or removed

B. serious; somber

C. marked by or conducive to reflection or contemplation

D. a body suspended from a fixed point to swing freely

E. shaking with a slight trembling motion

F. supple, having great flexibility

G. to awaken; to stir up

H. young hens, less than a year old

I. small narrow steep-sided valley worn by running water

J. hanging loosely or laxly

K. marked by formality and careful attention to detail required by custom

00_G11_Meeting_the_Standards.indb 55 3/10/15 10:03 AM

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6AS-34 © EMC Publishing, LLCDifferentiated Instruction for Advanced Students


PRIMARY SOURCE PROJECT

The Natchez Trace

In “A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty, an elderly woman walks to town on a path through the woods. The United States is crisscrossed by roads and highways that started out as footpaths. One of these is the Natchez Trace, which Eudora Welty featured in some of her photographs and writing. She said, “Why, just to write about what might happen along some little road like the Natchez Trace—which reaches so far into the past and has been the trail for so many kinds of people—is enough to keep you busy for life.” In this lesson, you will use primary source documents to research the history of the Natchez Trace and the road’s cultural importance to the South. You will work with a group to create a presentation sharing what you learned.

Get Started

Your teacher will assign your group one of the following topics. • origin as a Native American trail • national highway construction, 1900s• commercial and military history, 1780 to 1830 • towns and estates along the way• use as a postal route, established in 1800 • related works of Eudora Welty Meet with your group to research primary sources on your assigned topic. You may locate primary sources on the Internet, in a library, and through a travel agency. Primary sources might include letters, journals, news stories, maps, essays, photographs, artworks, and autobiographical materials. Make copies of the materials for use in your report and presentation, or take careful notes and make representative maps, sketches, and diagrams. You should include at least one visual element in your report. Be sure to document your sources.

Write, Present, and Discuss

With the group, select the information you will use in an informative report that includes visual elements. Assign tasks for completing the report—composing a thesis statement; writing the report; creating and preparing visuals, such as maps, photographs, and artwork; and participating in the presentation. At the end of your report, include a bibliography of your sources. See Language Arts Handbook 4.1, in your textbook, for additional guidelines and tips on writing reports. All group members should participate in the presentation. You might divide the report into sections for group members to present. Alternatively, one member could make the major presentation as other group members focus on particular activities, such as explaining a map, reciting a poem, or reading a letter related to the topic of the report. Rehearse the presentation several times. After all presentations are made, discuss the significance of the Natchez Trace in American history and culture.

G11_DI.indb 34 3/4/15 11:56 AM

AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6U6-56 © EMC Publishing, LLCMeeting the Standards

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Analyze Literature: Symbols

A symbol is anything that stands for or represents both itself and something else. Writers use symbols to suggest or embody qualities or ideas. The meanings embodied by symbols may be universal or merely suggested by the way in which they are used in a literary work. Symbols can help a writer reinforce themes. For example, a journey represents one’s path through life. Phoenix’s brave and compassionate quest, her staying power and resilience, are important themes of “A Worn Path.” The symbol of journey reinforces and is reinforced through the idea of perseverance and loving responsibility. Explain how the following objects and people in the story act as symbols to reinforce the theme.

1. the name Phoenix ______________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. a buzzard and black crows _______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. the scarecrow _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


U6-57© EMC Publishing, LLC AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6Meeting the Standards

4. the spring (and drinking from the spring) ___________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. the hunter ____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

6. nickels _______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

7. the town and townspeople _______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

8. the paper windmill _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________


EA-15© EMC Publishing, LLC Exceeding the Standards: Extension Activities

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6


MEDIA LITERACY

Research the Author

This lesson supports the Media Literacy assignment on page 805 of your textbook. A gifted and honored writer, Eudora Welty is especially known for her short stories that reflect her rural Southern upbringing. Her engaging narratives are often filled with humor and reveal a sensitivity to the human condition and to the nuances of dialogue. Welty was a prolific writer, producing not only four collections of short stories but also five novels—almost all written from her lifelong home in Jackson, Mississippi. She was also an avid reader, a talented photographer, an engaging correspondent, and an accomplished gardener. For this activity, you will produce one page of a newsletter that offers insight into the life and works of Eudora Welty. The audience will be students who would like to learn more about this much-admired writer.

Background Information

To begin this activity, familiarize yourself with the following elements of a newsletter:• Theme. All newsletters have an overriding theme; for this activity, you

will focus on the life and works of Eudora Welty.• Nameplate or Banner. This is the title of the publication that goes

across the top of the newsletter.• News Article. A news article presents factual information about an

event. It includes a compelling headline, a byline, a lead paragraph, and the main facts of the story.

• Feature Article. A feature article is a front-page article that emphasizes the human side or personal perspective of a story. It uses a strong narrative thread and colorful details to both inform and entertain. Because this article is the most important story of the newsletter, it should be accompanied by a large photo or illustration.

• Regular Column or Department. A regular column or department is a set feature that appears in every edition of the newsletter.

• Headline. A headline is a title set in boldface type to attract the readers’ attention to an article. The size of the headline is proportionate to the importance of the article: the feature article should have the largest heading.

• Byline. A byline is the name of the person who wrote the article. It typically appears after the headline but before the start of the text.

• Lead Paragraph. A lead paragraph begins the article by grabbing and focusing the readers’ attention with an interesting, unusual, or surprising fact; a brief anecdote; a quotation; or a vignette of a setting.

For more information on conducting Internet research, see Language Arts Handbook 5.3, Internet Research, in your textbook.

00_G11_Exceeding_the_Standards.indb 15 3/5/15 2:00 PM

AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6EA-16 © EMC Publishing, LLCExceeding the Standards: Extension Activities

• Five Ws and an H. The introduction presents the main facts of the story, covering the who, what, when, where, why, and how.

• Body. The body consists of brief paragraphs that are related to the angle established in the introduction. These paragraphs use anecdotes, examples, comparisons, facts, explanations, descriptions, quotations, and so on to tell the story.

• Conclusion. The conclusion makes a final statement or point and leaves readers with ideas to ponder. Depending on the topic, the conclusion may offer contact information or references as well.

• Caption. A caption is identifying text that appears under a graphic, such as a photo, an illustration, a chart, or a table.

• Pull Quote. A pull quote is a quote taken from the main body of the text and highlighted elsewhere on the page using special text treatment.

Plan, Write, and Lay Out Your Articles

For this activity, you are creating just one page of a newsletter about Welty. There are myriad possible topics to consider for the articles on this page. After researching the life and works of Eudora Welty, choose topics that interest you and that offer new insights into her life and work. For example, a feature article could explore Welty’s correspondence, her love of photography, her home and surrounding gardens that are designated as a National Historic Landmark, her friendships, her writing habits, or the relationship between her life and her writing. A regular department feature could be a review of one of her short stories or books, an announcement about the Eudora Welty Writing Contest, an editorial that focuses on some aspect of her life or work, a newsworthy event regarding her estate, a theater review of one of her works, and so on. Brainstorm a list of ideas for articles, and choose the ones that appeal to you the most. Copy the planning sheet below onto a separate piece of paper. Then use it to flesh out the parts of each story and guide you as you write the article. After you have written and edited the articles, you will need to lay them out in a newsletter page. Several software programs can assist you in laying out your newsletter, including Quark, Pagemaker, and PhotoShop. Your class may want to combine all of your individual pages into several newsletters.

News Article or Feature Article Planning Sheet

I. Headline:

II. Byline:

III. Introduction:A. Lead Paragraph: B. Five Ws and an H:

IV. Body:

V. Conclusion:

Refer to your community’s newspaper for examples of the types of pages in a typical newspaper. If you choose to create the front page, you will need to plan one feature article and fill in the remaining space with other articles and items as needed.


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ___________________

VS-43© EMC Publishing, LLC AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling

temerity (t@ m6r> @ t7) n., recklessness

Lisa was known for her temerity and many people didn’t trust her.

The word temerity is from the Middle English word temeryte, from the Latin word termeritas, and from temere, meaning “blindly, recklessly,” which is akin to the Old High German word demar, meaning “darkness.”

Word of the WeekLESSON 17

Contractions

Understand the ConceptContractions are commonly used in both verbal and written communication. A contraction is formed by combining a pronoun and a verb or the words in a verb phrase. One or more letters are removed and replaced with an apostrophe. Consider the following statement: We’ll try to help your new dog, but she doesn’t seem very friendly. The statement contains two contractions we’ll (“we will”) and doesn’t (does not). The most commonly used contractions are formed from the pronouns I, you, we, he, she, and they with the verbs have, will, and are. These include:

I’m (I am)I’ve (I have)I’ll (I will)I’d (I would)you’re (you are)

you’ve (you have)you’ll (you will)we’re (we are)we’ve (we have)we’ll (we will)

he’ll (he will)she’ll (she will)they’re (they are)they’ve (they have)they’ll (they will)

Commonly used contractions that are formed from verb phrases and not include:

isn’t (is not)wasn’t (was not)won’t (will not)

don’t (do not)didn’t (did not)doesn’t (does not)

can’t (can not)shouldn’t (should not)

Contractions versus PossessivesContractions are sometimes mistakenly used as possessives to show ownership. Look at the following two sentences and consider which one uses possessives correctly.

example The cat ate from it’s bowl. The cat ate from its bowl.

When in doubt, break the contraction into its separate words. If you do this for the example above, you will discover that the first line makes no sense: “The cat ate from it is bowl.” The second sentence is correct. Other commonly confused contractions and possessives include:

Possessive Form Contractionits it’s (it is)

their they’re (they are)

your you’re (you are)

whose who’s (who is)


AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6VS-44 © EMC Publishing, LLCExceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling

Try It YourselfE X E R C I S E A

Rewrite the following sentences. Correct any misuse of contractions or possessives.

1. Do you know who’s bag is blocking the door?

2. Despite the dog’s many attempts, its not able to get its bone.

3. They’re wasting they’re time with you and you’re house.

4. Whose watching the kids after school?

5. I think you might be displeased with your results because your too picky.

Formal vs. InformalUsing contractions in everyday speech and writing is common and appropriate; however, contractions are informal by nature and should not be used in most academic writing. Keep this in mind when you are writing classroom assignments, letters, and your college applications. Try to match your tone and word choices to the specific task. Knowing when to use informal and formal language is half the battle; the second half is using this language correctly.

Try It YourselfE X E R C I S E B

Remove all of the contractions from the following paragraph to make it more formal. Rewrite the revised paragraph on the lines given.

I can’t be responsible for the decline of my grade point average. Who among you hasn’t encountered a stressful time that caused you to lose focus on your goals? It’s complicated, so I’d rather not discuss the situation further. I hope this doesn’t affect my acceptance into the university. I’ve been waiting to attend the university all my life and I hope that you’ll accept my application.

The contractions of the pronouns he, she, and it

with is are:

he is (he’s) she is (she’s) it is (it’s)

The possessive forms of he, she, and it are:

his her its

Tip


AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6U6-58 © EMC Publishing, LLCMeeting the Standards

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________


Selection Quiz

True or False

Write T if the statement is true or F if the statement is false.

_____ 1. Phoenix Jackson is walking to Natchez, Mississippi.

_____ 2. Phoenix is raggedly dressed and her clothing is dirty.

_____ 3. She eats a piece of marble cake while she rests to regain energy.

_____ 4. She dances with a scarecrow in a barren field.

_____ 5. She meets her grandson, who is hunting for quail.

_____ 6. Phoenix steals a nickel from a hunter and from a nurse.

_____ 7. She asks a white woman to tie her shoes for her.

_____ 8. Phoenix is given a bottle of medicine for her grandson.

Multiple Choice

Write the letter of the correct answer on the line.

_____ 9. The principal weapons with which Phoenix overcomes obstacles are A. a cane, a gun, and her wits. C. cleverness, resourcefulness, and courage. B. trickery, wisdom, and strength. D. faith, compassion, and unselfishness.

_____ 10. Phoenix does not reply to the nurse at first because A. she has a memory lapse. C. she resents the nurse’s condescension. B. she does not hear the questions. D. she falls asleep after her journey.

_____ 11. The name Phoenix has symbolic significance in that it represents A. forests and their mythical and C. the love and devotion of a grandmother’s

natural powers. love for her injured grandson. B. determination to overcome the D. an old woman’s power to keep

uniquely southern trials of racism. rising up from life’s trials.


AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6282 © EMC Publishing, LLCAssessment Guide

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

A Worn Path / Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead?, page 794

Lesson Test

Multiple Choice

Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

for A Worn Path / Is Phoenix Jackson’s Grandson Really Dead?

1. What does Phoenix buy for her grandson? A. a black dog B. penny candy C. picture books D. a paper windmill E. comfortable shoes

2. Which word best completes the following sentence? Mrs. Talebi is obstinate, whereas her husband is more .

A. flexible B. patient C. stubborn D. unfriendly E. intelligent

3. Why was Phoenix Jackson going to town? A. to get medicine B. to see Santa Claus C. to earn some money D. to buy Christmas gifts E. to find out why she is sick

4. How does the armed man treat the old woman? A. He is kind to her but has little time to help. B. He takes advantage of her because of her age. C. He is condescending but respects her bravery. D. He treats her with respect because of her age. E. He looks down on her because she is African American.

Assessment Guides.indb 282 2/9/15 10:08 AM

283© EMC Publishing, LLC AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6Assessment Guide

5. What “matched the dream that was hung up in [Phoenix’s] head”? A. a picture on the wall B. the doctor’s diploma C. the slice of marble cake D. the medicine for her grandson E. merchandise in the store window

6. Which statement about the character of Phoenix Jackson is true? A. She is a round character. B. She has a one-track mind. C. She does what is necessary. D. She is a loving grandmother. E. All of the above

7. What about the journey is archetypal? A. It occurs in the winter. B. It has imaginary segments. C. It takes place in the country. D. It is made by an old woman. E. It represents life’s difficulties.

8. In what way, if any, is Phoenix Jackson like the phoenix, a legendary bird said to have lived 500 years, burned itself, and then arisen from the ashes?

A. They both crave death but are unable to die. B. Both are purely imaginative, with no basis in truth. C. Both are intent on meeting their own needs for survival. D. They both live to an old age and overcome great obstacles. E. None of the above

9. Is the setting of this story very important or significant? Why or why not?

A. Yes, because the story is about Southern life. B. No, because the setting is not described in detail. C. No, because the themes of the story are universal. D. Yes, because the weather makes the journey more difficult. E. No, because it is not clear where and when the story takes place.

10. What about Phoenix Jackson is most important? A. her age B. her social class C. her imagination D. her deceitfulness E. her determination


AMERICAN TRADITION, UNIT 6284 © EMC Publishing, LLCAssessment Guide

Matching

for A Worn Path

Match each obstacle with Phoenix Jackson’s response to it.

A. “ ‘Now comes the trial’ ” B. “ ‘I bound to go on my way’ ” C. “ ‘That would be acceptable’ ” D. “ ‘My senses is gones. I too old.’ ” E. “She did not dare to close her eyes” F. “ ‘Sleep on alligators, and blow your

bubbles.’ ” G. “It was not possible to allow the dress to tear.”

H. “ ‘Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far’ ”

I. “Old Phoenix only gave a twitch to her face as if a fly were bothering her.”

J. “ ‘Old woman,’ she said to herself, ‘that black dog come up out of the weeds to stall you off, and now there he sitting on his fine tail, smiling at you.’ ”

11. hill

12. creek

13. swamp

14. tiredness

15. thorny bush

16. hallucination

17. man with gun

18. rude attendant

19. falling in the ditch

20. scarecrow in corn maze

Essay

for A Worn Path

21. A symbol is anything that stands for, or represents, both itself and something else. What does Phoenix’s journey symbolize? Why does Welty wait until the end of the story to reveal the reason for her journey? How does this reason add to the symbolism of the journey? Support your response with details from the story.


teachers aren’t given enough gifts! - s18670.pcdn.co · renaissance fiction • analyze and...

Documents