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Figurative Language In The Scarlet Ibis

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“The Scarlet Ibis” “It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that ibis lit in the bleeding tree” (Hurst 350). James Hurts creates a depressing tone, or attitude, by using figurative language, symbolism, and imagery. This sad story is about a child who is born with a deficiency and expected to die however, lives. His brother soon realizes that Doodle is not like the other kids so he pushes him to be like the others, which actually hurts him more. Figurative Language helps show the gloomy tone throughout the story from the first paragraph onwards. “...but the oriole nest the elm was unattended and knocked back and forth like an empty cradle” (Hurst 350). This simile gives a comparison to a tree to an empty cradle. The story goes on and tells how the older brother has watched other parents or relatives grieve over people who struggle …show more content…

The rotting brown petals can be linked to Doodle. Another image given that fleshes out the tone is when Doodle is shown his coffin. “Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him” (Hurst 351). This highlights the truly depressing tone and shows the expectation of Doodle not making it. The image of death is highlighted by the flat statement saying there is poison on the coffin when Doodle is made to touch it. “It was covered with a film of Paris green sprinkled to kill the rat, and the screech owls had built a nest inside it” (Hurst 353). The tone of the “Scarlet Ibis” is mournful and melancholy from start to finish about a boy who struggled through his life trying to be like his older brother. Through the use of figurative language, imagery, and symbolism James Hurst wove a tale that touched everyone's hearts. A question to be asked is, how is one supposed to act in the situation as the brother is with

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Doodle was very weak and always shivered like an old man, just like the Ibis who are very weak and also shiver. Another way that the Scarlet Ibis can be a symbol of Doodle is that both Doodle and the ibis are described as coming from an unfamiliar, exotic place which means that they both cannot survive

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Soon empty threats displayed during the foreshadowing would present themselves nearly exactly in Doodle’s death “It’s long graceful neck jerked twice into an S”(Hurst 5) compared to “I cried, shaking him… making his vermilion neck appear unusually long and slim”(Hurst 6). The death of the scarlet Ibis draws many similarities to Doodle’s unfortunate end whether that be when comparing their necks or the brilliant red displayed by Doodle’s blood and the birds feathers. This final quote being so close to Doodle’s expiration leaves little suspense when leading to final act. All the examples quoted lend themselves in order to show the brilliance in the use of foreshadowing throughout The Scarlet Ibis. The use of foreshadowing early on keeps readers guessing on whether this will be a story of Doodle’s unlikely survival or foreseeable doom.

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In “The Scarlet Ibis”, and older brother reflects on the selfish choices he made growing up. In “He Ain’t Heavy”, the speaker talks about how he would do anything for his brother, another human being. Using symbolism Hurst and The Hollies explore the importance of compassion.

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This reveals Doodle may be scared to do certain things. The reason why is he is scared of death. Doodle is

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The story "the Scarlet Ibis" is written by James Hurst. Doodle is a boy who has a condition which makes him not able to walk. His older brother known as the "Narrator" teaches hi to walk. The Narrator pushed Doodle too hard... The character Doodle can best be described as sensitive and hopeless.

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Have you ever read The Scarlet Ibis? James Hurst wrote the fictional story "The Scarlet Ibis" that has a lot of elements mixed into the story. A few of these elements inside this story include characterization, imagery, and foreshadowing. The Scarlet Ibis uses characterization, imagery, and foreshadowing to create a beautiful, well-written story that can mess with the audience's feelings.

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A story writing by James Hurst called “The Scarlet Ibis”, is about a boy that is born in a clove of summer and autumn and his name is Doodle. Doodle was born all head, with a tiny body which is red and shriveled like an old man’s, also he had a caul and his head which is very rare to get. Everyone thought he is going to die, expected for Aunt Nicey. The narrator brother helped him walk when many thought he would not. Everyone said he would not do something and he did it.

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“We’d bedeck ourselves with our handiwork and loll about thus beautified, beyond the touch of the everyday world. Then when the slanted rays of the sun burned orange in the tops of the pines, we’d drop our jewels into the stream and watch them float away toward the sea,”(Hurst 2). Every time Doodle goes to the Old Woman Swamp, the swamp is rich in imagery. The brothers love this place because of its beauty, so it makes sense to focus on the descriptions of its beautiful components. Symbolism is also widely used in this short story.

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Considering the mood set in the beginning, a death here is pretty significant. Also, when the Scarlet Ibis dies, Doodle is shocked and decides to bury it. This gives the reader the thought of death and honoring the dead, which is the message the author is trying to

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In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” the author James Hurst uses symbolism in his story. The ibis is to symbolise the destruction pride can cause in our life. In the text it says “They did not know that I did it for myself, that pride, whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices” (pg. 26). This shows how pride can overtake you even when you might not know it, and it can end up hurting you and others around you. Just like the narrator's pride got a hold of him without him even knowing about it, the ibis drifted off in a storm without realization that he had.

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I. Introduction Attention Getter Before becoming a writer, James Hurst was young engineer, but, he switched to a musical career. During his musician days, he auditioned for the opera;however, he failed and supported himself as a writer and night bank clerk. “The Scarlet Ibis,” was first published in the Atlantic Monthly, where he made his writing debut with his touching story between the two brothers.

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Aunt Nicey is prompted to declare that “‘dead birds [are] bad luck, [especially] red dead birds’“(562). It foreshadows the narrator’s remorse by integrating Doodle’s death with the superstition of misfortune and the color red. In the following events, Doodle dies from exhaustion under a red nightshade bush containing poisonous berries, symbolizing death and forcing the narrator to regret the spite in him that led to his brother’s demise. The scarlet color of the bird contrasts with the shade of blood that is shown through the end of Doodle’s life. Hurst describes Doodle with “his head thrown far back, making his vermillion neck appear unusually long and slim” (564), which in comparison resembles the bird’s long neck and creates a similarity between Doodle and the ibis.

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The scarlet ibis symbolizes Doodle. “It lives in the tropics. How many miles it has traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree,” (424). Doodle, like the scarlet ibis, does not belong in his environment. He is mentally and physically impaired, which makes him different and stand out.

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In a person’s life, many situations transpire and make them feel pride over one’s self. Readers can see this in the short story,” The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. “In his spare time Hurst wrote short stories and plays, but The Scarlet Ibis was the only work of his that become famous “(gradesaver.com)”. In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” James Hurst uses red to symbolize warning, death, and guilt to show the change the older brother goes through, as he takes care of Doodle. The first instance when red is used, is to express warning and the older brother’s attitude, is at Doodle’s birth.

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