The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst Important Things

“The Scarlet Ibis” By James Hurst

Important Things to Study Tonight: The action in this story takes place -�In a rural southern town What does William Armstrong do to earn his nickname? �He crawls backward like a doodlebug The narrator pulls Doodle in a cart because… �He’s told to take Doodle wherever he goes.

Important Things to Study Tonight: The central conflict in “The Scarlet Ibis” comes from the narrator’s inability to accept his — �His brother’s limitations When the narrator teaches Doodle to walk, the narrator believes that — �He can teach Doodle to do other things too During the story, Doodle — �Begs his brother not to leave him alone.

Important Things to Study Tonight: One example of the narrator’s cruelty to his brother is when the narrator — �Names Doodle after a bug Which of the following statements contains figurative language? �The smell of the graveyard flowers softly says the name of the dead. From the way Doodle buries the ibis, you can infer that Doodle — �Is obedient but strong willed

Important Things to Study Tonight: When the two brothers race home to beat the storm, Doodle — �Tries to keep up but falls behind In fiction a symbol can be described as a(n) — �An object that stands for something other than itself Which of the following events best symbolizes Doodle’s fate? �The scarlet ibis falls from the tree and dies.

Important Things to Study Tonight: The terrible storm could be a symbol for — The narrator’s inner conflict What might the war symbolize in “The Scarlet Ibis”? The narrator’s own struggle

Constructed Response Choose a symbol from the story, and explain its meaning. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, tell how the symbol affects the way you as a reader respond to the characters and events in “The Scarlet Ibis. ”

Constructed Response In this story the scarlet ibis is a symbol for the narrator’s brother. Both Doodle & the ibis die as a result of their inability to cope with the world. An ibis can live only in its natural habitat; when it finds itself far from home, it can’t survive. The ibis in the story has been forced from its natural surroundings, eventually finding its way to a tree outside the narrator’s home. The ibis dies, too weak to survive. Like the ibis, the narrator’s brother, Doodle, is special & too weak to survive. By using the ibis as a symbol, the author emphasizes Doodle’s uniqueness & shows how this quality is also what challenges him. Like the ibis, Doodle dies because he is not suited to his surroundings. The ibis as a symbol for Doodle reminds me that rare beauty is all too often fragile.