1. The passage discusses the character Phoenix Jackson from Eudora Welty's short story "A Worn Path". Phoenix symbolizes resurrection like the mythical phoenix bird.
2. Phoenix is an old Negro woman who makes a difficult physical and mental journey to get medicine for her sick grandson, showing her unconditional love and courage.
3. Her appearance, with wrinkled skin and a red rag around her head, mirrors descriptions of the scarlet and gold plumaged phoenix bird. The story implies Phoenix will be reborn or resurrected from her state of exhaustion at the end, like the phoenix rising from ashes.