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Amanda Farabaugh
Prof. Lee Hobbs
American Literature 1915-Present EL 267
30 April 2008
Perceiving the Natural Symbols within Texts
Nature plays a significant role in literature. It may be in the form of everyday obstacles such as the trees, animals, wind and destructive forces. It is also in the form of natural symbolism, as well as perception verses reality. Within two texts, Eudora Welty “A Worn Path” and Metallica “One”, there is natural symbolism that is present, as well as the idea of perception verses the reality. Things found in the texts have different meanings then what the eye notices. Through ones travels through life, the daunting task of perceiving the truth is influenced by nature’s existence in a literature text.
Natural symbolism is an idea that represents something in a story that either comes from nature or something that surrounds us. Within two texts, natural symbolism and perception verses reality will be defined and explained to the fullest. In Eudora Welty’s, “A Worn Path”, the worn path symbolizes Phoenix Jackson’s life because of the long path Phoenix Jackson has to travel, symbolizing her life’s journey as she ages and must go through. During her journey she travels a long cold path into town for medicine that her grandson needs. She will do whatever it takes get the medicine.
On her journey the heroine, Phoenix Jackson, demonstrates that her love for her grandson is stronger than the obstacles that are put upon her. Her love for her grandson is stronger than the obstacles because throughout her journey she had only one thing in mind, to get the medicine so her grandson will become better.
One natural symbolism in the story is Phoenix’s love of life. The heroine speaking towards the animals of the forest, to not be in her way; demonstrates it;
“Out of my way, all of you fox, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!.. Keep out from under these feet, little bobwhites. . . Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Don’t let none of those come running my direction. I got a long way” (“A Worn Path”, Welty, 1).
Within this quotation, the reader may understand that obstacles are no matches for her. Even though she is described as being old, she is like a phoenix. She is a symbol of keeping peace within the forest. From dancing with the scarecrow to drinking water from a well that’s been there before her time, is another example of natural symbolisms. It is representing how the well and the water is symbolizes her long life.
Phoenix Jackson’s name is a symbol of the bird the phoenix. These are birds that are reincarnated after death. They are strong fierce birds like Phoenix Jackson. She is a fierce woman who is on a journey for her loved one. Everything around her emphasizes natural symbols. For example, Phoenix Jackson says, “Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far”, “Something always take a hold of me on this hill-pleads I should stay”(“A Worn Path”, Welty, 1). This is a natural symbolism as her body is very old and weak and that this hill is a hard climb for an elderly woman. Even though there is nothing visible in reality holding, the hill represents life being too difficult to climb, but nothing will stop her.
One page two of Welty’s “A Worn Path”, more natural symbolisms can be found. For example, “Big dead trees, like black men with one arm . . .” “There sat a buzzard” (“A Worn Path”, Welty, 2). The buzzard alone is also a symbol for death, but sitting on the dead tree emphasizes the symbolism of death. Buzzards are nasty creatures that one may think of as a flesh eating bird that follows death. When something dies, buzzards appear before the animals ready to eat and take the life and soul that had been left. To be perched on a dead tree is a symbol for the death surrounding her. The forest has death throughout.
When Phoenix reaches the city, she hears bells ringing, which naturally symbolizes her journey (Natural Symbols and Symbolism in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path). Seeing red, green and silver wrapping is opposite of what she’s used to back home. She journey’s through dark and dreary woods and enters a bright and lively town.
The idea of perception verses reality in “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, shows even though obstacles were put in front of Phoenix Jackson, she does not stop to interpret why these obstacles were trying to stop her. She only knew that they were there and no matter what it took or how long it took, she was going into town for her grandson’s medicine. Her love of life and her grandson keeps her trekking into town for the medicine. In her reality, she has a sick grandson who is back at home waiting for her and the medicine. The perception of her old age is not the case; in actuality her old age does not stop her in any way shape or form. Her eyesight changes her perception of the real world that is in front of her; “Her eyes were blue with age” (“A Worn Path”, Welty, 1).
“One” by the band Metallica, is lyrics that describe a man who had his life taken from him due to an outside force-nature of warfare, bombs being deployed and death surrounding. The nature of warfare, according to lines 33-39, has taken the man’s sight, speech, hearing, arms, legs, soul and according to him, his life. A natural symbolism in the text is when James Ulrich writes, “Back in the womb it’s much too real” (“One”, Metallica, 1). It’s a natural symbolism that explains not being able to walk, move your arms, speak and even see; it is representing how a baby feels in the womb. This is where an unborn baby does absolute nothing only receiving life through the tube/umbilical cord. Just like how an unborn baby is being kept alive through the tube, so is this man in Metallica lyrics. He is only alive due to the “machines that make me be” (“One”, Metallica, 1). To be kept alive only with machines is the torture to him, he’d rather let God take him then live the way he is.
“Landmine has taken . . .” is a lyric that refers to how nature of warfare is surrounded by pain, misery, and even death (“One”, Metallica, 1). A landmine has taken parts of him that he can never get back, except the landmine has left his life. Death is what this man wants God to do for him, “Oh God, Help me” . . . “Hold my breath as I wish for death” (“One”, Metallica, 1). He is not strong like Phoenix Jackson and his love for life is weakened as he thinks of how War has taken everything from him. With Phoenix Jackson, she knew that her grandson depended on her to make that long journey and return home with medicine, whereas this man has no love for life or anyone else, he would rather die than be kept alive through the machines.
Another natural symbolism is found within the text where James Hatfield writes, “That there is nothing left of me” (“One”, Metallica, 1). This is a symbol of his body being without limbs, his hearing, eyesight and even speech. According to this man, there is nothing left of him but a piece of meat that just lies there unable to do anything.
James Ulrich writes “Darkness is imprisoning me” representing that darkness is an absence of life (“One”, Metallica, 1). Someone would see darkness being portrayed in a movie as having a feeling of horror or something bad is bound to happen to one of the characters. This also represents that death is making itself known.
He perceives that the world around him is gone, but in reality the world is still there and he is not the only one (“One, Metallica, 1). The perception to this man is that his life is over, “Now that the war is through with me” (“One”, Metallica, 1). “Cut this life off from me” explains that he perceives his life should be cut off due to his loss of everything except his life (“One”, Metallica, 1). He feels that since he has no way of communicating to the outside, his life should just end. Reality of his condition is that the man needs to understand he is still living and can be a part of the world as long as he understands that his life is not over, even though nature of warfare has “Taken my sight, Taken my speech, Taken my hearing, Taken my arms, Taken my legs” (“One”, Metallica, 1).
“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and “One” by Metallica, have natural symbolisms found inside. Many are quite easily found while others may take time and a bit of understanding. The nature of a text is what the author wants the readers to find. In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”, the nature of the text knows that love is stronger than any obstacle thrown at Phoenix. Phoenix is in touch with reality but at the same time, she perceives the natural surroundings as her reality. In Metallica “One”, the nature of the text lets us know that a man perceives his life as lost and wants God to take him rather than face the reality he is still living in with the help of the machines (“One”, Metallica, 1). He’d rather perceive his life as lost than continue to live the way he is.
The characters in the texts are being tested by outside agents. These are outside agents that are trying to stop the characters from moving forward with their journey/life. Within Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” old age and disease to her grandson is trying to bring Phoenix Jackson down. Old age is intertwining itself within her bones trying to make her journey on the long path as difficult as possible. Her grandson’s disease is an outside agent that forces Phoenix to make the long uneasy journey.
Within Metallica “One”, was the bomb and warfare. The bomb has affected the man whereas he can never hear, speak, see and move again. Warfare is a symbol of death. When people enter war the result is death. Each of these outside agents has caused darkness to all characters. Natural Symbolism and perception verses reality are all ways of understanding the true existence of nature in a text.

Works Cited
Hatfield, James and Lars Ulrich. “One” . . .And Justice for All. CD. Elektra, 1998
Metallica.com. 2008. 5 March 2008. Albums/albums.asp?album_id=5>.
Natural Symbols and Symbolism in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path." 123HelpMe.com. 24 Apr
2008 .
Welty, Eudora. “A Worn Path.” 1940. An Introduction to Literature: Fiction, Poetry,
Drama. Eds. Morton Berman, et al. Addison, 1996. 105-112.

This analysis has been submitted to this blog because Psychological Approaches to Understanding mean that using your mind to approach and understand what a text represents and why they wrote it that way. I did just that, I used natural symbolisms as an approach to understand what the two authors wrote about. My topic for the research paper was Significance/Role that Nature plays in a text; and the texts I had was Eudora Welty “A Worn Path” and Metallica “One”. As described in my paper I depicted what they wrote and their meanings behind it. This blog is the best one I thought that supported my research paper, all the other ones dealt with the different authors and different theories, which mine was not posted. However, this is the best one that deals with my paper.

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*NOTE* The deadline for this particular assignment has now passed. Any comments listed below are *ONLY* for the reposting of comments that I specifically asked to be revised or are ones from non-student posters. Any 'student' posts below that missed the assignment deadline will not get credit for the assignment. ~ Dr. Hobbs