Right off the bat i like the incredible vocabulary and the descriptive nature of the writing. Often times when reading a piece of writing I notice when the author doesn't go into detail about what they are talking about and I think that it can make the writing somewhat bland and uninteresting. With this piece of writing though, I really enjoyed being able to picture everything that was being described.

One thing I noticed while reading the post was the woman doesn't really speak in entirely complete sentences. Phoenix also says things that are almost incoherent. one example of that would be "'Sun so high!' she cried, leaning back and looking, while the thick tears went over her eyes. 'The time getting all gone here.'" On this topic, I am torn between two thoughts. My first reaction is that the woman is just very old and is quirky but the more i read the thought that she may be mentally handicapped crept into my mind.

Now that I have finished reading the story I have concluded that the lady was not in fact mentally ill but simply very old and very uneducated. Phoenix says that she didn't go to school when she was younger and that would explain the way she talks. The more I read the story I have a very strong feeling that the time the story is told in was close to times of slavery. There are a few signs that make that make me feel that way. First off, most of the slaves that were "freed" after the cicil war ended up working on the same plantations that they were owned on. That would explain the long walk and the barbed wire on the property. It would also indicate why Phoenix' grandson had no health care because they made basically made no money. Another thing that signifies a post slavery time is that Phoenix tells the hunter she has seen guns go off much closer and for far less. Which screams abuse from slave owners. Overall i really liked the story. I found myself on edge the entire time because I felt as if something was going to happen to Phoenix. The story was even better because of the giving people that helped her out.