Human beings either through creation or origin have different backgrounds, different abilities, color, and even religious affiliation. Some feel that they stand a better chance than others or their interest should come first. Due to the scramble for resources and other reasons, the global community has continued to experience racism and racist ideologies. Racism is the prejudgments and discrimination carried out by a race against another due to superiority complexity. A Worn Path published in 1940 is a story of Jackson’s December journey seeking to get medication for his grandson. Historically, when the Germans were defeated in the First World War, they embarked on a discriminatory initiative where the Jews as a religious racial group were the main target. In North America, racist pressurized that races ought to have their own institutions (e.g. the schools, churches, and hospitals) and intermarriages were not entertained. Racist believed that those who belonged to low-class races could only access the low-status jobs while those of superior races had exclusive rights to; political leadership, high-status positions, and financial resources. In North America, racism stemmed out from the slave trade. This paper addresses racism as portrayed in A
Worn Path by Welty Eudora as portrayed by the nurse, the attendant and the white hunter.
Phoenix being an elderly black woman lived in Mississippi south a few years before the civil war outbreak. She was born in slavery and her old age could not allow her to go to school. Many years after she was freed from slavery, her community still held the racist attitudes as portrayed in this story. This story is a journey to Natchez town through Mississippi woods. It takes place during the Christmas holiday. Phoenix is traveling to obtain a throat medication for her ailing grandson who swallowed a soap making alkaline ingredient. Along her way, she experiences many obstacles making her tale the trials to be overcome (Welty 8). These trials represent the black society at large.
With untied shoes, while going up a hill, she meets a black dog lolling its tongue and upon hitting it, she loses her balance and falls into a ditch. The first act of racism appears when the dog owner (a white hunter) comes to help her out of the ditch. The hunter laughs saying “he knew that the old colored people cannot miss traveling to town just to see Santa Claus” (Welty 10). In this case and as defined above, the white hunter prematurely and racially prejudged phoenix. He rated the whites as superior since Santa Claus was white and the blacks had to travel just to see Him. The connotation given to the blacks is that of being uncivilized and backward.
Secondly, the hunter uses the term colored people to mean the black American population. This is because, during this period, the blacks were not held and valued as people. They were viewed as beasts worthy torture hence the slave trade. Thirdly, because Phoenix social status is deemed to be low, she is not given the right dignity of her name. “The people from the white race believe they are superior and never address other races with appropriate respect” (Memmi 45).” White persons Phoenix interacted with addressed her either as old granny or grandma rather than Mrs. Jackson or madam phoenix” (Welty 10).
Having helped her out of the ditch and having had a short conversation, the white hunter continues to portray the racism mentality by drawing a gun and pointing it at her and asks whether it scares her. Nevertheless, she does not flinch. Her response to this is that she has experienced several guns going off closer. This is an implication that she has seen a lot of racial violence in her lifetime. Evident in today’s American society, huge racial disparities exist in gun ownership. The NRA a lobby group is said to have been formed to defend the freed slave from a terrorist KKK group. Regardless of NRA history, it is loaded with racist ideologies with its main goal being selling of guns where most of its consumers are the whites. Even though there are rural populations who use guns to hunt bears, racism is the major motive behind gun sales in American society today (Geiger 422).
In America, more than 31,000 deaths results from gun violence/shootings (Anglemyer, Tara, and George 107). 82% of world’s firearm homicide occurs in the USA. An American is at a risk of gunshot 25 times more than a citizen of another developed nation. Firearm Scholars believes that death by firearm is a crisis that needs to be addressed. Additionally, as compared to whites, blacks are the predominant gunshot victims (West 98). According to a report by Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2018, cases of dying from racism firearm is much higher in city residents. Moreover, a black American is at a higher risk 8 times more than a white American person.
In A Worn Path story and upon reaching Natchez, phoenix climbs the stairs and enters the doctor’s office. A normal expectation would be a warm welcome message and a direction to seat while waiting to be served. Nevertheless, due to the racism mind, the attendant makes an assumption that Phoenix is on a charity case. She is disrespected by being called grandma while being ordered to speak up. Peppering phoenix with questions, the attendant demands to know whether she is a deaf. Having lost her patience, the nurse urges her to quickly narrate her grandson's ordeal (Welty 12). Bearing in mind the southern courtesy culture, one can easily decipher that an old white woman, socially equal with Phoenix could not be treated this way. Phoenix being a black color never got the common courtesy. Instead, she is humiliated by the rude attendant. Thus the nurse fails to grant phoenix the respect granted other people in the community.
The health status of American minorities- whether the African Americans, Hispanic or Asian Americans, has never equaled that of white Americans (Geiger 419). Even though the health of these groups has improved over the past few years, the burden of reduced life expectancy and excess morbidity has been noted to lie heavily on the colored people. According to a 1994 report by the National Center for Health Statistics, Negroes could not get similar advantages in disease prevention and care as compared to the whites. In 1995, the mortality rate for the African American citizens was high by 60% to that of the whites.
The available public health doctrines records that, the main health status determinants among the different groups rests in the economic, social and the physical environments. These environments are determined to a larger extent by the values, belief and political systems into which racism finds its way. “Health care discrepancies are boosted by differences in income, unemployment, and level of educational offered” (West 105). A significant disparity in health status was the racial idea that biologically and genetically, there exists distinct human race where biological racial differences manifested in disease susceptibility, disease manifestations, and therapeutic responses pathophysiologically contribute to health disparities (Geiger 420).
There exists a suggestion that ethnic and racial discriminations in health are a result of biases from insurance health providers. The healthcare program has not exclusively done away with racial prejudice. Racial bias and stereotyping increased rapidly in the late 1990s. However, in the US racism went under strong attack in the 1950s and 1960s due to the emergence of civil rights movements, which fought against legislation and the social policies that allowed racial discrimination. Earlier on, legislation barring the racial minorities from voting had been put in place. Finally, the theme of poverty within the black’s society as a result of racism is portrayed in the story showing them as ever needy. For instance, Phoenix steals a nickel from the white hunter and buys a Christmas gift for his grandson.
Conclusion
A Worn Path tale is a stereotype of several themes. These include; racism, immortality and endurance. As the name suggests, Phoenix could not be suppressed by anybody. This spirit was portrayed by many who were sold into slavery but never lost hope and finally were freed and also the struggles against racism that is almost gaining full victory. Phoenix symbolized the black people's enduring and long-suffering. Additionally, the story is aimed at teaching the whites on the simplicity virtues. Differential treatment particularly against the colored people is not an American phenomenon only. Published results have shown similar cases in the UK. Racism in various health services and black health people’s discrimination is a familiar theme. However with the anti racism zeal, it can be conquered.
Works Cited
Anglemyer, Andrew, Tara Horvath, and George Rutherford. "The accessibility of firearms and risk for suicide and homicide victimization among household members: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Annals of internal medicine 160.2 (2014): 101-110.
Geiger, H. Jack. "Racial and ethnic disparities in diagnosis and treatment: a review of the evidence and a consideration of causes." Unequal treatment: Confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care 417 (2003).
Memmi, Albert. Racism. University Of Minnesota Press, 2014.
Welty, Eudora. "A Worn Path." Atlantic Monthly (Boston, Mass.:1857). 167.2 (1941). Print.
West, Elizabeth J. "Blackness as Medium." From Uncle Tom’s Cabin to The Help. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2014. 95-110.
