A metaphor in Willa Cather's 1941 short story "A Worn Path" is found in the first paragraph as the narrator describes the manner in which Phoenix Jackson walks: "with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grandfather clock." Through this metaphor the reader understands that Phoenix is measured and consistent in her gait, just as a pendulum is measured and consistent as it marks time.
In the same opening paragraph, Cather employs a simile to deepen her characterization of Phoenix as she undertakes her journey. She carries a cane made from an umbrella, and the narrator observes that it made a serious and steady sound in the quiet woods "like the chirping of a solitary little bird." This particular simile also introduces the idea that the main character is small and birdlike in her movements; this comparison deepens the bird motif already introduced in the character's name: Phoenix Jackson.
Using both a machine (a pendulum) and an animal (a bird) as comparisons, Cather begins her characterization of a woman with strength, determination, and the ability to endure despite her slight stature and advanced age.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Write out the examples of simile and metaphor in the short story 'a worn path'
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