These two literary works both talk about women and femininity. Plath's poem is a depressive account of a mirror which sees nothing but the opposite wall, and every morning the face of a woman appears, searching for signs of aging. However, that woman was first a girl, and now she becomes an old woman. The decay of beauty is the main indicator of transience, which drowns the meaning of life.
In Welty's Petrified Man the decay of beauty is also not the central motif. The story is about the triviality of small people's lives in a small American town. Nothing really happens. Two women talk about trifles of their everyday lives. But the motif appears when Leota and Mrs. Fletcher talk about the latter's hair falling out.
The transition word in this passage is "but." Transition words (or phrases) connect ideas in writing, helping the writer follow a train of thought. They ease the transition between different statements, and when used properly, make reading easier. In this case, Janeczko brings the reader along from noting a state of peace between two factions to remembering that the peace did not eradicate suspicion.
The metaphorical title suggests that Williams has a vast mix of ethnicities in his composition. She uses food to show how she can try different things and like them all, exploring them in the most beneficial way possible.
