Analyzing One Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty

The excerpt in autobiography, One Writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty focuses on the experience the author had in going to the library. Welty uses many descriptive and metaphorical languages to convey the intensity of the experience in the library and the value of the incident.

Welty first utilizes her figurative language to describe the librarian portraying the intensity of her library experience. She expresses the librarian Mrs. Calloway, using a metaphorical description as “a witch.” By doing this the author infers on how frightening the librarian is, proving the intensity she has during the library incident through referring Mrs. Calloway as a dark evil creature like a witch. Welty also illustrates the library’s “steady seething sound…from [the] electric fan.” The author demonstrates how intense the atmosphere is in the library as a result of depicting the electric fan with a chilling sound using alliteration. In addition Welty expresses Mrs. Calloway with a “dragon eye.” Welty is applying a metaphorical depiction of the librarian, entailing how extreme the author’s experience by means of imagining Mrs. Calloway with a dragon’s eye. With all the allegorical language the author uses she confirms the intensity in her library experience.

Not only does Welty utilize emblematic language to describe her intensity in her library experience, but as well as the values she gets out of it. Welty goes to the library with her mother and checking out books she is basically bonding with her mother. For example when Welty is reading her books she is afraid that “[her] [books] coming to an end,” Then Welty narrates that her mother shares “[the] same….feeling of insatiability.” It exemplifies the author and her mother bonding since they both share the same fear of a book ending. By going to the library Welty bonds with her mother due to the fact they share the common fear and the passion to read. Another value she has is when Welty’s mother allows her “to read any book she wants from the children or adult.” Inferring that Welty is maturing since she has permission from her mother that she can read any book she wants. From Welty’s experience from the library she gains many values from it like maturity and bonding with her mother.

Welty chooses to write this experience because she wants to look back on her life and how so much has changed. The library occurrence helps her become a better person in life by bonding with her mother and showing her maturity.